Why can’t the everyday foods we eat be made from sustainable ingredients packed with naturally occurring micronutrients? Can we have snacks that give us the interesting textures and flavor intensities we’ve come to crave without the processed ingredients and excess sugar/salt/fat/carbs? Snacks that are packed with antioxidants, fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, adaptogens, and brain-boosting properties? Can we enjoy fun, brightly colored, fully flavored, sweet frozen summer treats without questionable toxic artificial dyes/flavors—and they actually taste even better?
When kid-testing these SUPERFOODS for SUPERKIDS frozen pops recipes, we found that age makes a big difference. By ages 7 to 8, most kids seemed to have already picked up some strong preconceptions about foods and flavors from home, friends, and the media. The younger the better, starting with nibbles from ages 1–2 makes a big difference. Overall, we find that it helps if you nail the presentation as best you can. Dazzle your kiddie customers with fresh and fun-looking frozen pops that contain familiar ingredients like strawberries, mango, blueberries, and yogurt (with the added superfoods). Try a fun surprise and don’t disclose all the ingredients until after taste testing is complete—then have a chat about it.
Further benefits for the adults making the recipes is keeping a youthful spirit, eating healthy and fun, and packing in antioxidants and other phytonutrients that can help us manage stress, anxiety, and healthy aging.
Recipe:
Fo(u)r Fun SuperFood Frozen Pops
(Each recipe yields approx. 8–12 pops, depending on the size of your mold.)
For a fun presentation, try making a 1/4 of each recipe and layering the pops as they freeze!
Method for All Recipes
- Puree all ingredients in VitaMix blender until smooth | Pour into popsicle mold | Freeze + Enjoy
- Optional: Reserve some fruit before blending, add to popsicles for texture and visual appeal
Malibu PINK Pops
Ingredients:
- Red pitaya (dragon) fruit | 1 pint fresh fruit, cubed (or 4 tbsp freeze-dried powder)
- Pink guava juice | 1 pint juice (or 8 oz fresh fruit blended with 2 oz water)
- Strawberries, fresh | 1 cup rough chopped
- Red beet juice | 1/4 cup (or 1/2 tsp powder)
- Red cabbage powder | 1/2 tsp
- Goji berries | 1/2 oz whole berries fresh or dried (or 1/2 tsp powder)
PURPLE Jungle Pops
Ingredients:
- Blueberries | 1 pint
- Acai berry juice/puree | 1 pint
- Coconut water | 1 cup
- Mulberries (may substitute blackberries) | 1 cup
- Maqui berry powder | 2 tbsp
- Ube (purple yam) powder | 2 tsp
- Purple (black) carrot powder | 1 tsp
ORANGE Dream Pops
Ingredients:
- Mango, very ripe | 1.5 pints fresh peeled and chopped
- Oranges | 2 each, zested + juiced (may substitute 1/2 cup store-bought O.J.)
- Carrots | 1/4 cup juice
- Lucuma | 1/2 cup frozen pulp or 1 tbsp powder
- Curcumin (turmeric) | 1/2 tsp powder
- Honey, local | 2 oz (more or less according to your taste)
- Vanilla Greek yogurt or dairy kefir (may substitute cashew puree) | 1 pint
Aqua BLUE Pucker Pops
- Lemons | 5–6 each, zested + juiced
- Yuzu juice | 1/2 cup
- Kombucha or water kefir | 1 cup (lemon or ginger flavor, something with a light color)
- Coconut water | 1.5 pints
- Citric acid powder | 1/4 tsp
- Blue spirulina or phytoplankton | 1/2 tsp (add more for richer aqua color)
- Miracle berries (Synsapalum dulcificum) | 12 each, fresh or freeze-dried.
Reserve; chew on these just before eating the popsicle, and something miraculous will happen! (The enzymes of the miracle berries will interact with the acidity, causing everything to temporarily taste sweet.)
For more info on these recipe and other free superfood/vegan recipes, follow on social media: @chefdavidrobbins @thenotaburger