Homemade Fruit-Filled Drinks & Popsicles + Kid-Friendly Recipe Blog Party

Welcome to the Fun in the Summer Sun event!

Each Monday until September 7th
Mama to 4 Blessings along with Harvest Moon By Hand,
Adventures of Mommydom, Sweet Diva, and Sweet Phenomena
will be hosting Fun in the Summer Fun link up events.

Here's the line up:

1st Monday of each month: link up your "Kid-friendly summer activities"

2nd Monday of each month: link up your "Kid-friendly summer crafts"

3rd Monday of each month: link up your "Kid-friendly summer recipes"

4th Monday of each month: link up your "How to stay cool in the summer heat"

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This week - with temperatures in the upper 90s and dewpoints in the 70s (like the tropics) - Sophia and Olivia will need some refreshing drinks and cold treats. 

One of the favorite drinks we recently made is Rhubarb Slush.  "Rhubarb...for kids?" you may be thinking. Surprisingly, the rhubarb is not the first flavor that you taste - it's actually the strawberries.

Rhubarb Slush

This recipe isn't, perhaps, the healthiest one since it contains sugar, gelatin, and ginger ale. However, it is refreshing and a special treat on incredibly hot days.

Rhubarb Slush

(Taste of Home magazine)

Ingredients:

8 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 package (16 ounces) frozen unsweetened strawberries

3 cups sugar

8 cups water

1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin

1/2 cup lemon juice

11 cups ginger ale, chilled

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, bring the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Press through a sieve; discard pulp. Stir in gelatin and elmon juice until dissolved.

Transfer to a freezer container and freeze, stirring occasionally, until firm. May be frozen up to 3 months.

To use frozen rhubarb mixture: In a punch bowl or several pitchers, combine equal amount of rhubarb mixture and ginger ale. Or, for one serving, combine 1/2 cup rhubarb mixture and 1/2 cup ginger ale in a glass. Serve immediately.

Note:

I froze the mixture in a 9"x13" pan. Once it was frozen, I took it out of the freezer and let it thaw just a bit so it could be easily cut into small pieces (each the equivalent of 1/2 cup). I placed all of the cubes of the frozen mixture on a cookie sheet and re-froze them.

Once frozen, I placed them in a gallon freezer storage bag. In that way, when the girls are thirsty or someone visits, a refreshing drink easily can be made.

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The next recipe is "Can't Be Beat Banana Ice Cream Pops" from the book Sneaky Fitness: Fun, Foolproof Ways to Slip Fitness Into Your Child's Everyday Life.

The book says that each banana pop has a serving of fruit and calcium. They're a low-fat, low-calorie treat; and even appropriate for on-the-go-breakfasts.

The recipe calls for milk, yogurt, and chocolate chips. Since Sophia has a dairy allergy, I modified the recipe so that all dairy-free ingredients are used.

Can't Be Beat Banana Ice Cream Pops

(Sneaky Fitness)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/2 cup vanilla (or banana) yogurt

2 large bananas

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (ideally "mini", optional)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips in a blender until smooth. Pour equal amounts in popsicle molds, then drop about one tablespoon of chocolate chips into each pop, if desired (we used 1/2 tablespoon per pop). Insert stick, and freeze for at least three hours.

Olivia placing the dairy-free chocolate chips

in each banana ice cream pop.

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The final recipe is for Orange Creamsicle Smoothies that we made into popsicles.  The smoothies and popsicles are not overly sweet.

I was envisioning the sugary creamsicles that are sold in the freezer section at the grocery store which I fondly remember from childhood. The smoothies/popsicles do not taste like that. This recipe is a healthier versions.

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt (we used dairy-free yogurt)

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

1 banana

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Blend ingredients until smooth and serve with a wedge of orange. You can also make the smoothies into popsicles by filling small cups and adding sticks or using popsicle holders. (I normally use these, but all the trays and holders are being used now.)

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Now it's your turn!  What recipes do your children enjoy making and/or eating?