A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were walking in the park with our daughter and we were reminiscing about our favourite treats to get from the ice cream truck. My favourite was a classic soft serve twist in a cone, while my husband’s was a rocket popsicle. I immediately retracted my statement! There is something about the red, white, and blue popsicle that just screams summer and every child LOVES!
As my daughter (referred to as K) grows up, I want her to have summer-kissed memories to look back on. While I will treat her to ice cream and popsicles when I go out, I won’t necessarily stock up on these treats at home. Having a freezer full of sugar is not my kind of thing (sorry not sorry). K loves anything cold, whether it is ice cream, a popsicle, or simply an ice cube! I knew I had to re-create the classic rocket popsicle for K to enjoy without the ++ sugar and additives!
As we were walking through the Farmer’s Market, I was inspired by all of the local fresh fruit and before I knew it, I had developed a healthy popsicle without any added sugar!
These popsicles are made with blueberries for the “blue” layer. The red layer consists of strawberries and cherries. I was stuck on trying to figure out which fruit I would use for the white layer, until I stumbled across white flesh nectarines at the Farmer’s Market. The trick is to cut around the fruit, not too close to the pit. The nectarine flesh close to the pit has a red colour, which would tint the puree if included.
One thing I learned while making these popsicles is that it is so hard to get those classic red, white, and blue colours when you are using all-natural ingredients. For one, blueberries turn a purple-ish colour when they are cooked. It makes you wonder about the ingredients that are added to get the perfect colours in store-bought popsicles.
Frankly, I am willing to compromise on less-than perfect coloured popsicles if that means my family is enjoying real fruit.
These popsicles are:
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Very low in calories
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Low in fat
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Refined Sugar free
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Packed with vitamin C
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Gluten Free
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Vegan
While these popsicles are super easy to make, the most tedious part is waiting for the layers to freeze before you can add the next one. I tried to do all the layers at once but that resulted in all of the colours mixing! So a little patience will be rewarded with pretty popsicles! The good thing is that since the rocket popsicle mould is so small, it only takes about 30 minutes for each layer to freeze hard enough before you are ready to add the next layer.
Healthy Rocket Popsicles
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1/4 cup ripe white nectarines, peeled and diced (only white flesh)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced
- 3 cherries, pitted and sliced
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring nectarine and 1/4 cup water to boil and reduce heat to low. Mash with fork until a smooth puree forms. Pour into a small bowl.
- To the saucepan, add 1/4 cup water, strawberries, and cherries. Bring to boil and mash with fork and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Pour into blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
- Add blueberries and 1/4 cup water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Let blueberries soften and cook for 2 minutes and mash with fork. Pour into blender and blend until smooth.
- Using a teaspoon, pour strawberry mixture evenly into all popsicle moulds. Freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and add equal amounts of nectarine puree into each popsicle mould. Freeze for 30 minutes. Finally, add equal amounts of blueberry mixture and add popsicle sticks. Freeze for several hours or overnight.
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