Happy almost fourth of July!  What better way to celebrate this hot, Summer Holiday than with a cool, refreshing popsicle?

We love popsicles, as do many other folks slogging through these muggy Summer months.  They are a great way to cool down and make for refreshing afternoon snacks on the patio.  Making them yourself is a healthy, fun activity and really only involves having a freezer.  If you don't have popsicle molds you can use small glasses and you can also swap out popsicle sticks for large pretzel sticks.

The next time you're going to buy popsicles at the store check out the ingredients.  A lot of them have added processed sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup.  By making them yourself you can control the amount of sugar and make these frozen treats into vitamins on a stick by using lots of fruit.  And by working in layers you can make some great color schemes, like red white and blue for Independence Day.

Enjoy!

Independence day pops
Makes: 4 popsicles

~ 1 cup lemonade
1/4 cup chopped strawberries
3 tablespoons finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped blueberries

Divide strawberries to popsicle molds (this is enough for four).  Pour in enough lemonade to immerse strawberries.  Freeze until solid.  Divide coconut and again immerse in lemonade.  Freeze until solid.  Add blueberries and top off with lemonade.  Freeze completely.

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With all the abundance of Summertime produce why not save some of it for the next year?  A great way to use up extra fruit and save a little money is to make your own fruit jam when the pickings are ripe.  And with all the great deals on berries and such during the Summer it's also cost-effective to make your own preserves.

When it comes to jams many times they have just one fruit (like strawberry jam).  I personally love spreads that have lots of fruit, so that my kids are getting a bunch of different fruits in one bite.  Here's a way to utilize the season, use up that Summer fruit, and sneak in some more fruit with that Pb and J- make a Summer fruit spread.

Just one note about added sugar.  Some store-bought jams have high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener.  When you make it yourself you can make your jam sugar-free (if your fruit is sweet enough) or with a natural sweetener like honey or agave nectar if your fruit is a little more tart.

These also make an excellent gift.  I canned mine and gave a couple of jars away already.  I have done a post on canning before, so check it out if you want to try canning your own.  Canning times vary based on altitude; I did mine for 10 minutes but take a look at this information from the National Center for Home Food Preservation for what works best for your elevation.

Enjoy!

Summer fruit spread
Makes: 6 x 6 oz jars

2 cups grapes
1 cup blueberries
6 plums, pitted and quartered
3 large apricots, pitted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
honey or agave nectar to taste (depending on fruit sweetness)

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan.

Bring to a steady boil.  Let cook until fruit is soft and falls apart, about 1-2 hours.  With a potato masher mash fruit well.  Check for doneness by dipping a wooden spoon into the mix; if jam coats the spoon and doesn't drip off it is ready.  Add to jars and can or freeze for long-term storage.

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I'm on a "just because it's green doesn't mean it tastes bad" campaign with my kids.  So I decided to use my daughter's weakness, carbs, as one of my weapons.

Did you know you don't have to cook oatmeal to rehydrate it?  You can also eat it after soaking it with juice and the effect is really tasty.  You end up with a sweetened oatmeal that is really easy to make and can be a snack anytime.  And at first my green-despising kids were dubious, but after one bite they were sold.

I used Naked Juice Green Machine to soak my oats.  There are a variety of other green juices out there, and you can also use just about any juice if you can't find a green type.  I like the green effect and Green Machine has an almost smoothie like consistency, which makes for a creamier oatmeal.

To rehydrate let the oats soak for at least 15 minutes, or even overnight.  Enjoy!

Green oatmeal

Makes: 1 serving

1/4 cup quick rolled oats
Green Machine juice

Add oats to a small bowl.  Add enough green machine to cover the oats.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes, then serve.

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Here's a quick snack that is also pretty, which is a real bonus when you have a little Princess running around.  I saw almond stuffed apricots on Super Healthy Kids, and I figured that I would make my own rendition because it's such a great idea.  These are quick, easy and really tasty.

We love Apricots and now is the time to buy them.  They are in season in late Spring and Summer, so if you're a seasonal eater they are a great fruit to enjoy during these hot Summer months.   We bought a case at Costco and my kids have almost devoured all of them.  That makes me happy because apricots are  a great source of vitamin A (60% in one cup serving), vitamin C and also have potassium and fiber. 

So to add a little variety to your kids apricots, try stuffing them with this tasty mix.  Enjoy!

Stuffed apricots

Prep time: 5 minutes
Makes: 2 servings

1 apricot, cut in half
2 tablespoons cottage cheese
8 blueberries
1 teaspoon chopped walnuts

Scrape out center of apricots with a melon baller so that you have a a sufficient space to add filling to.  In a bowl combine cottage cheese and berries and scoop into prepared apricots.  Sprinkle with walnuts.  Serve immediately.

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Summertime= cool dessert snacks!

When I was a kid I loved banana splits.  Granted they were a special occasion thing, but they were one of my favorites.  There' s just something magical about the combination of fruit and dairy.  Or maybe it's all that sugar, who knows when you're a kid?

So here's a way to put a little more nutrients into a similar concept- use honey sweetened Greek yogurt instead of ice cream and raspberry lime sauce instead of processed canned pineapple.  With Greek yogurt you still get the creaminess, but not all the fat (and especially saturated fat).

Not all Greek yogurts are created equal.  Make sure you check the protein content on the nutrition facts label.  A good quality Greek yogurt will have roughly 23g protein in one cup.  That's a lot of protein, and in a relatively low calorie food! All that protein comes from straining the whey out of the yogurt, concentrating the protein.  But if you aren't careful you'll find that some yogurts that are labeled as Greek yogurt don't have nearly as much protein per serving.

Enjoy this healthy kiddos rendition of a classic!

Yogurt banana split boats

Prep time: a few minutes if you've already made the raspberry sauce
Makes: two servings

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 banana, evenly quartered
Raspberry lime sauce
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

In a small bowl combine honey and yogurt.

Arrange two of the  banana slices  so they are cut side up in a bowl.  Add half of the yogurt mix, using an ice cream scooper.  Squirt on raspberry sauce to your liking.  Top with half of the chopped walnuts.  Serve immediately.

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As promised here's recipe using the raspberry lime sauce I made yesterday.  Move over ice cream, here's a whole grain way to enjoy this tasty condiment.

On that note these bars are made with whole wheat four, oats and nuts.  For sweetness I used agave nectar in conjunction with turbinado (raw) sugar since I had it on hand after using it in my sauce, but again you can use honey instead of the nectar. 

I don't normally use sugar, but if it's needed I will use turbinado, which is an unrefined sugar.  It has a larger grain and is drier than brown sugar.  I'm not a huge brown sugar fan- often it's simply refined white sugar that is then dyed with molasses to make it brown. 

Warning- these are pretty crumbly.  And tasty.  I meant to get a few heart cut outs for this picture above but my family ate these too quickly and I only had enough left for one cut out.  I hope your kiddos like these as much as mine did!

Raspberry crumble bars
Makes: 16 bars
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cups walnuts, chopped
1 stick butter, softened and cut into pieces
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup raspberry sauce
1/2 cups blackberries

Preheat oven at 350F.  Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

Mix together flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt and nuts.  With a pastry blender or two forks mix in butter and nectar until mix is in rough crumbles.

Firmly press 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes. 

While it is baking, mix together raspberry sauce and blackberries.  Crush blackberries slightly with a fork.  Spread this mixture onto the crust.  Top with the remaining oat mix and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.  Cool completely before cutting.

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I've said it before and I'll say it again- I love summertime produce.  Berries are my kiddos all-time favorite fruit, and during the summer you get flavorful, sweet, ripe berries just about anywhere.  So we have to get our fill while the pickings are ripe.  This week we got a boatload of raspberries, and though I'm sure we'll make some head way on just by munching, I figured we could also try making a raspberry lime sauce.

This is essentially a healthier rendition of the fruit ice cream toppings you can get at the ice cream shop that are full of sugar.  You are welcome to use it as an ice cream topper too, but there is a lot more healthier options you can use this sauce for.  I'm going to show you how to make it today, then I'll post some recipes utilizing it throughout the week.

Around here we've been on an agave nectar kick.  It's a natural sweetener extracted from agave plants.  It doesn't make your blood sugar go crazy the way normal sweeteners do.  Normally sugar will cause you blood sugar to spike, followed by a crash (a.k.a. the tantrum).  With agave nectar this increase is slower and the following decease is more gradual.  It's recommended for diabetics and it's a vegan-friendly food.  I live in Southwest and it's at all the grocery stores, not just the natural food markets.  But if you can't find it at your grocery store you can also use honey.

Aside from the recipes I'll post this week you can also just use this on hot cereal, yogurt, granola and on fruit.  Enjoy!

Raspberry lime sauce
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: several hours in the fridge
Makes: 1 1/2 cups

1 pint (12 oz) raspberries
1/4 cup water
1/4-1/2 cup agave nectar, depending on sweetness of raspberries
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In a saucepan combine raspberries, water and nectar.  Cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring until lightly boiling.  Reduce heat and cook until raspberries are just starting to fall apart.

Add mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.  Then press and strain the puree to remove the raspberry seeds.  Add the lime juice, then refrigerate until set.  Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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