Kid-Friendly Recipes: 5 Easy Refined Sugar-Free Ice Pops

Lolly lovin’

Thanks to Hong Kong’s hot and humid climate, summer seems to last for most of the year. Instead of going to the store to buy an ice lolly to cool down from the punishing heat, we’ve rounded up five easy recipes to make at home. These sticks of icy goodness are bursting with flavour and natural colour, making them ideal for the entire family. This way you’re in complete control of the ingredients and you can easily opt out of the nasty additives and added sugars that many supermarket brands are known for. Plus, these family recipes are quick and easy, meaning that even the little members of the crew can get involved. Made from natural ingredients (like fruits and coconut water), you get the fun of a summer pick-me-up right at home!

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Who doesn’t love a sweet, juicy mango? Get your little ones to help peel the mangoes, and fill up the popsicle moulds. Save a couple of slices to have as a mid-cooking snack. It’s all part of the process!

Ingredients (makes 8 popsicles):

For the Mango Part:

• 3 medium ripe mangoes. Indian Alphonso mangoes or organic Thai ones work best. Choose the juiciest, ripest mangoes available.
• 2 large dates (de-seeded, optional)
• 1/2 Lime Squeezed

For Coconut Milk Part:

• 2 cups coconut milk (I use fresh, homemade milk, but a tin works too!)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

Method:

1. Stir the coconut milk, maple syrup and chia seeds in a bowl. Set aside for 10 to 15 mins until the mixture has slightly thickened with the chia seeds.
2. Peel and squeeze the mangoes and add them into the blender along with the dates and lime juice. Blend until the mix becomes a thick, uniform pulp. This pulp should be thick, do not add any water.
3. Fill half the popsicle mould with the mango pulp.
4. Spoon in the coconut chia mixture until the mould is full. Add the popsicle cover and sticks and place in a freezer for at least four hours or overnight.
5. When ready to serve, place the moulds under boiling hot water for 10 to 15 seconds. Make sure not to get the water inside the popsicles. Hold the mould upside down, slightly squeeze the popsicle mould in one hand and twist and pull using the stick from the other hand to perfectly reveal your popsicle. It may have melted slightly at this point, so place it on a tray or plate lined with baking paper and freeze again for another 30 minutes to one hour.

Sassy Mama tip: Recipes with mangoes do get a little messy! Make sure aprons are on and wipes are on hand.

Breakfast on a stick! This super simple recipe makes creamy, yoghurt-based popsicles, bursting with the tangy goodness of blueberries and the crunch of granola.

Ingredients (makes 8 popsicles):

For the Frozen Yogurt:

• 3 cups natural yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
• 1/2 cup sugar-free granola
• 1 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup (optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or extract
• 1/4 cup blackberries or chopped fruit of choice

For the Compote:

• 1 cup mixed berries. I used blackberries, strawberries and blueberries (you can use a single berry of choice or any chopped fruit available).
• 1 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or extract
• 1 tbsp filtered water

Method:

1. First, make the compote. Add the berries or fruit to a pan placed on medium heat. Add the raw honey along with the water. Cover and let it simmer for ten minutes or until the fruit has become soft and broken down.
2. Roughly crush the fruit with the back of a spoon. Add the chia seeds and stir through. Let it bubble on the heat for five minutes before taking it off the heat. Stir in the vanilla powder. Taste for sweetness and flavour and keep aside till cool. As the mixture cools it will thicken due to the chia seeds.
3. Mix the yoghurt, vanilla powder, raw honey or maple syrup. Stir in the granola. Taste for sweetness and adjust as per your preference.
4. For the assembly: Add a tablespoon of the yoghurt and granola mixture into the popsicle mould. Then add a teaspoon of the compote into the mould and lightly swirl through the yoghurt. Add any extra chopped fruit or berries. Fill up the mould with the rest of the yoghurt granola mixture. Sprinkle a few extra bits of granola.
5. Freeze for a minimum of two hours or overnight. To un-mould and serve, follow the instructions in the first slide.

Try your hand at something exotic – using edible flowers and butterfly pea flower powder for a vibrant hue. These popsicles will surely impress your kids and any visiting guest as well. Get the little ones to help colour the water blue and purple as well as adding the edible flowers. Trust us, they’ll be surprised that they can actually eat the blooms themselves too!

Ingredients (makes 4 popsicles):

• 500 ml coconut water (about 2 cups)
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup (optional)
• 6 to 8 butterfly Pea flowers or 1/4 cup any organic edible flowers preferably blue to keep the ombre theme
• 1 tsp butterfly pea flower powder or any natural blue colouring (optional only for the colour, doesn’t affect the taste of the yoghurt)

Method:

1. Place the coconut water in a pouring jug and dissolve the maple syrup if adding in the coconut water. Divide into three bowls. Add the lime juice into one of the bowls and stir through and set aside. Fill two of the moulds from one jug completely with the coconut water. Fill only half of the next mould with coconut water and only fill one-quarter of the fourth mould with the coconut water. Place in the freezer for 60 mins.
2. With the remaining coconut water add 1/2 tsp of butterfly tea powder and in another add 1/4 tsp of butterfly tea powder. This will ensure two different shades of blue, one being a more electric blue colour. Add 1/4 tsp of butterfly tea powder into the third jug of lime flavoured coconut water. This will turn the water into a shade of purple.
3. Pour the bright blue mixture into one mould filling it completely. Then fill the next mould with half of the bright blue water. Leave the remaining coloured coconut water aside. Place in the freezer for at least one hour.
4. Once partially frozen slip in the petals of the butterfly pea flower. I used chopsticks to press them down into the half-frozen popsicles. Freeze again for another hour.
5. To fill up all the popsicle moulds, pour the remaining electric blue, light blue and purple coloured coconut water into each mould. This will ensure a dual colour. Place the popsicle sticks in the moulds and freeze again for a minimum of two hours or overnight.
6. Remove from the mould and serve.

Get your kids to eat more veg by sneaking it into your popsicles! Try these coloured smoothie popsicles made with papaya, spinach and beetroot. Tell them they are eating a rainbow – works like a treat…

Ingredients (makes 6 popsicles):

• 2 large ripe bananas
• 1 cup organic spinach or kale
• 1 cup chopped papaya or mangoes
• 1/2 cup organic blueberries
• ½ cup roughly chopped beetroot
• 1 lime squeezed
• 1 date (optional)
• 2 cups coconut water or filtered water

Method:

1. For the green layer: Blend one banana, the greens, the date (optional), half the lime juice and ¾ cup coconut water in a high-speed blender till thick and smooth. Set aside.
2. For the dark pink/purple layer, blend the beetroot, berries, ½ a banana and ¾ cup coconut water in a high-speed blender till thick and smooth. Set aside.
3. For the yellow/orange layer, blend the papaya or mango, ½ the banana, rest of the lime juice and ¾ cup coconut water in a high-speed blender till thick and smooth. Set aside.
4. For the assembly: either make single coloured smoothie popsicles by pouring each single coloured smoothie into moulds or by following instructions below to make them tri-coloured.
5. Make sure each of the smoothies are thick enough to get distinct rainbow layers (not swirls). Fill 1/3 the moulds with a different coloured smoothie, then add the next alternative colour, filling them 2/3 and finally add the third alternative colour and fill the mould up completely. Press down with the sticks. Let them freeze for four hours or overnight.
6. Remove from the mould and serve.

We have all had orange popsicles when we were kids but I hardly doubt there were any actual oranges in those saffron-coloured, sugar-laden pops. Try these orange infused sugar-free pops for your little ones. Hello, instant vitamin C!

Ingredients (makes high-speed popsicles):

For the Orange Layer:

• ½ cup freshly squeezed organic orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh organic pineapple chopped or orange segments
• 1 tbsp organic goji berries
• 4 thin slices of oranges including the peel (only organic)

For the Nut milk layer:

• ½ cup almonds or sunflower seeds (soaked overnight and drained)
• ½ cup filtered water
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)

Method:

1. Blend the soaked almonds, water and maple syrup until smooth and creamy and there are no distinguishable bits of nuts. Mix in the chia seeds and set aside for ten minutes until the chia has fluffed up. Pour into moulds filling them halfway and leave to freeze for one hour.
2. In the meantime, blend the orange juice, pineapple or orange segments and goji berries until completely broken down and smooth. Pour over the frozen nut milk layer and fill up the moulds. Place the sticks and freeze for four hours or overnight.
3. Remove from the moulds and serve.

Read more: Family Recipes: 3 Quick & Easy No-Bake Bites to Make with Kids

This article was originally posted on Sassy Mama Singapore on 25, October 2017.