Make Your Own Smoothie Pops

Popsicles are the perfect summer time treat!

I love being able to make my own pops so I know what's in them. It is fun to make different flavors with fruit and the kids enjoy being a part of creating them.

The hardest part of making your own pops is finding the right popsicle molds.

I found these popsicle molds from Tovolo and I really like them (I actually found them at TJ Max but it looks like you can get them off of Amazon).

I like that these molds have a base that each pop sits on so they do not fall over when you put them in the freezer.  They are durable and even have a drip guard.  They come out star shaped, which is fun AND they are BPA free and dishwasher safe.

*Tip: do not fill the pop up to the top with smoothie or the stick has a hard time staying in.

How to make Smoothie Pops

1. get a great popsicle mold (I like the Tovolo Shooting Star Freezer Pop Molds)
2. get out your blender (I am in love with my Vitamix and we have definitely have gotten our money's worth, as we use it at least 2-3 times a day).
3. real fruit juice and frozen or fresh fruit

Here is my recipe for one of my favorite smoothie pops, but you can be creative and use any fruit combination

OJ (not from concentrate) (about 2 cups)
Frozen chunks of mango (I buy at Trader Joe's)
Frozen pineapple tidbits (I buy at Trader Joe's)
Frozen organic strawberries (I buy at Trader Joe's)
I sprinkle in some ground flax seed for Omega 3's

Blend ingredients in blender and pour into the molds.  Whatever does fit in the molds, we drink ;)

Also, if you want to make what we call around our house "Shrek Smoothie Pop" add a handful of kale or spinach.  Both greens are extremely nutritious and will turn the smoothie a cool green color.  Bonus: you will be sneaking in some veggies.

These molds come in handy when you make a blender-full of smoothie and you are not able to drink it all....we just have smoothie pops for later on and it is not wasted.

Farmers Markets Around Town

Summer is all about Farmers Markets; an abundance of a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the farm. Fruits and vegetables are always safe for us and it is an activity that we can do as a family. My boys enjoying know where their food comes from (they love to know what farm it is from) and it gets them more excited and involved in healthy eating.

Here are some local farmers markets around town

Open all week long

Nashville Farmers Market Monday-Sunday 8am-6pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Saturday

Franklin Farmers Market behind the Factory in Franklin from 8am-1pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Spring Hill Farmers Market at the TN Children's home from 3:30pm-6pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Columbia Farmers Market at the Public Square in Historic Downtown Columbia 7am-12pm

Find them on Facebook HERE

Tuesday

Franklin Farmers Market at the Whole Foods at West McEwen Drive from 3-6:30pm

Whole Food Franklin puts out reminders, etc. Find them on Facebook HERE

Wednesday
Thompson Station Farmers Market near Thompson Station Church from 2-6pm

Find them on Facebook HERE


If you not local, find some farmers markets around town and check them out. It is a fun way to try new foods, support local farmers and maybe you will be excited to try something new for your family...they might even like it if they are a part of picking it out :)

Let me know if I am missing any local markets

Amazing Allergen Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you tried Enjoy Life's NEW Crunchy Chocolate Chip handcrafted cookies? Oh...you need to!

When I first found out about Brody's food allergies, I was thankful for Enjoy Life because I knew that their ENTIRE line of products were "safe." It definitely helped make my life easier as I was trying to figure out the world of food allergies. It was also an easy recommendation for others who were dealing with food allergies (even if they are different from ours) because everything is free of the top 8 allergens (wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish).

We have been eating the Enjoy Life cookies (the small soft ones) and they are good...but these NEW cookies? THEY ARE GREAT!!!!! They taste like a "bad for you cookie" without all of the stuff that you don't want. It still amazes and encourages me how something can be free of so many allergens and still taste amazing!

A friend of mine gave some of these new cookies to a non-food allergic child who was over to play with her son who has multiple food allergies. The result? The child kept asking for more! There is something that makes a mom feel good when those who do not have food allergies want what your child is having because it is GOOD.

Go out and grab a box. You won't be disappointed. I even had to try a few just to make sure I REALLY liked them ;)

Thank you Enjoy Life for helping to make my life easy and yummy!!!

Check out the other new crunchy varieties also