Cool down this summer with healthy homemade popsicles!

Popsicles are a fun cool treat to enjoy during the summer.Why not make your own healthy ones made with fresh fruit and avoid the sugar filled ones you usually purchase at the store? Not to mention also cheaper and you can have lots of fun with your kids making up new tasty combinations!

Obviously you need a cool popsicle mold. I searched for a BPA free mold and found these super cute ones made by Tovolo. They come in a variety of designs. What I love about these molds is that they are individual molds attached to the tray. When you are ready for a popsicle you just detach as many as you'd like and run them under the water to release from the mold.

I made some yummy watermelon popsicles the other day. Take 2 cups of ripe juicy watermelon (seedless makes it fast to prepare). I also added a few dark sweet cherries that I had in the freezer.

Now blend them up really good in your food processor or blender.

Add some agave or honey to sweeten (Side Note: I'm phasing out the usage of agave, so I'm just using up the last bit I have). Remember that once fruit freezes it tends to loose some of it's sweetness. I add sweetener until the mixture is almost too sweet. Then once the popsicle freezes it tastes just right. I also added a tablespoon of cinnamon to my mixture. Cinnamon helps stabilize your blood sugar.

Now it's ready to pour into your molds!

This was the perfect amount for the molds. Notice my seeds from my seedless watermelon ;-)

After you freeze them for about 4 hours, take them out to display. Make sure you have a helper :-)

Aren't they cute??

Now it's time to enjoy!

And get messy of course...

I was not compensated or provided with complimentary products in this post. The thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own and are not swayed by any monetary or product compensation. My personal health experiences may not be a typical result for others. The information I share on my blog may not be the views of the sponsors participating in my Healthy Living Event. 
 

Show Us Your Life- Baby Gear

The topic this week at Kelly's Korner is baby gear! I love baby gear topics because you get to hear from other moms what worked for them and what didn't. However, you'll have to keep in mind that babies all have different personalities so they may not like a particular baby toy or item, but another baby may love it.


We didn't purchase a lot of baby gear or gadgets. I would like to share the 3 most helpful pieces of large baby gear we purchased.

First off.....the Fisher Price Rainforest Swing. This was a LIFESAVER. Ethan would not sleep in his crib from Day 1 so he spent every nap and night time in this swing. What is wonderful about this swing is that it plugs into a wall outlet. NO BATTERIES, genius! We burned out the motor in it around 7 months before he even reached the weight limit. Although he was so used to sleeping in it we still put him in it and rocked him to sleep. Now he is too big for it, but we left it out because we play the music on it while he sleeps. I love the music.

Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper 

We started putting Ethan in the jumper about 4 months old because he was very tall. He didn't like it for a couple of months until one day it occurred to him he could jump in it, and oh wow, how fun it was to jump! He would jump so hard and would really get into it. It was hilarious. And it kept him occupied and out of my way while I made supper or cleaned up the kitchen. One side has a little tray that you can set their sippy cup or snacks in. The other three sides kept him entertained with the music and toys. This is a very useful item!

Jeep Limited Overland Jogging Stroller

I was really into running before I got pregnant and I knew I would continue to run after Ethan was born. I had my eye on a BOB jogging stroller, but really couldn't shell out the $350 for it. I purchased this one for just under $200 and it has more features than the BOB does. I LOVE IT!! I have used it since Ethan was 6 weeks old. It has a very smooth ride. My favorite feature of the Jeep Jogging Stroller is that you can hook up your MP3 or portable CD player and can hear your music through the built in speakers. It also has two drink holders and a large basket on the bottom you can store blankets or whatever you may need. The front wheel is fixed which is important if you are running with it, but it is not a stroller you will take out shopping or to the zoo with. I have put many miles on this stroller so far. You can also read about my Half Marathon Training. If you are looking for a stroller for running, you will be pleased with the Jeep Limited Overland Jogging Stroller.

 I hope my reviews have helped you. If you have any other questions about these 3 pieces of baby gear I would love to answer them.

Product Recommendation- Baby Food

I have been on the hunt lately to find a portable snack for my Baby who is 10 months old. Something that doesn't have a lot of added sugar, coloring and preservatives. I am not a complete organic freak or anything like that, I do however, want to limit a lot of the sugar and preservatives at this time. It's difficult to find snack products without making a trip to the health food store.

A few weeks ago I came across Target's new Brand "up & up" snacks. I found these freeze dried strawberry and banana snacks. Nothing added to them, just freeze dried fruit! Baby really likes them. The pieces are pretty small and manageable for him to eat although the banana pieces seem to be a little more chewy than the strawberry. Look closely at all of the "up & up" snacks, because I believe the first bag I picked up (blueberries) had a lot of added stuff to it.

Last week I found some puffs from Happy Baby at BabiesRus. See the ad below, they really are a great product! And they are endorsed by Dr. Sears! (I must say I did snatch them up pretty quickly after reading that lol). Inside the top lid there was a $1 off coupon. It made it $2 for each container. Unfortunately the coupon expired June 30th (the day I was there). BabiesRUs has them on sale for 2 for $5 this week. When I went back to see if they had containers with newer coupons it was for the frozen meals (I think it was buy one get one).

Happy Baby has many more products I knew nothing about until I checked out their website. Including cereals and frozen baby foods with DHA. Wow, I'm impressed! I'll have to check some of our local stores to see if they carry them!

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