When that summer heat really kicks in, we’re all desperate to cool off! With these super easy and healthy ice cream bars, your child can cool off safely, and the best part? It’s a low-hassle job for you!
There’s nothing better than to cool off with a nice popsicle or ice cream in the summer heat (or, you know, multiple popsicles and ice creams... we’ve all been there). But all those tempting and colorful ice cream bars in the supermarket are full of artificial color and flavor, as well as lots of added sugar, which is not good for young teeth.
A super easy way to make a healthy and cooling snack for your child is by dipping fruit in dark chocolate and freezing it – like these banana and watermelon popsicles.
Banana and Watermelon popsicles
It’s really simple and easy to make these banana and watermelon ice bars and you only need a few ingredients.
To make these healthier ice creams, you’ll need:
Watermelon
Bananas
Popsicle sticks
Dark chocolate
Here’s the how-to:
Cut the watermelon into smaller pieces and use a knife to poke a hole in the rind to make room for a popsicle stick.
Peel the bananas and cut them in half.
Insert popsicle sticks in the fruit and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Cut and melt your chocolate.
Take the fruit out of the freezer and dip it into the melted chocolate.
Freeze the fruit again until the chocolate sets – approximately 30 minutes.
Serve right away and save leftovers in an airtight container in your freezer for up to a week – but we can’t promise there will be any leftovers at all!
BONUS IDEAS: How to use breastmilk in ice cream
For younger babies that are still breastfeeding, it can be an idea to use your breastmilk in ice cream and popsicles; it’s easier than you think and completely safe!
For ideas on how to do it, read on:
Pure breastmilk popsicles
If your baby is still exclusively breastfeeding, you can freeze your breast milk directly into popsicle molds for a cooling meal for your little one. You can get many kinds of ice cream molds, and some of them have special grips, perfect for babies. You can even get molds that are shaped like a pacifier but hollow and with holes for breastmilk, smoothie, porridge, etc. To pass through. This is also a great hack for teething babies!
Popsicles with breastmilk and fruit
If your baby has been introduced to solids and other kinds of food than breastmilk, you can combine your breastmilk with fruits and even vegetables in a blender and freeze the mixture into molds – think banana, different berries, avocado, pear, etc. Chunks of fruit can be a choking hazard, so make sure you blend the mixture until it’s completely smooth before freezing.
Breastmilk ice cream
You can also use a blended mixture of breastmilk, bananas, and perhaps a little bit of added flavor from cinnamon or vanilla to make breastmilk ice cream. You can also add a tiny bit of sugar and salt, but if you want to avoid sugar entirely, ripe bananas should be sweet enough to satisfy your baby.
You can either freeze the bananas and blend them together with the breastmilk and flavorings until it gets a smooth, ice cream-like texture and serve it right away, or you can blend the bananas, breastmilk, and spices and freeze the entire mixture, either in a container in your freezer or by using an ice cream machine.