While it isn’t officially summer yet,

the beginning of June kicks us all into summertime gear!

Summer means a lot of things; swimming pools, lemonade stands, family vacations, popsicles, the list is pretty long. Most of all, at least for us Oregonians, summer means sunshine – that alone is enough after being rained on for nine months! Sunshine equals hot temperatures and hot temperatures equal cold treats.

We have gathered together a couple of healthier alternatives to the traditional cold treats of sugary popsicles and ice cream.

The first recipe is from a blog called The View From Great Island. She has lots of fun recipes for summer. Her recipe for WHOLE FRUIT POPS is our favorite!

WHOLE FRUIT POPSICLES

Yield: Makes 10 popsicles

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
10 popsicle molds
2 kiwis
1 cup strawberry halves
1 cup roughly chopped mango
1 cup blueberries
1 cup roughly chopped watermelon
1 cup rough chopped pineapple

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Working with one fruit at a time, puree in a small food processor. Rinse the machine out between fruits.
2. Carefully spoon a layer of fruit at the bottom of each popsicle mold. Gently rap the mold on a firm surface to level the puree. Freeze until solid.
3. Spoon another layer of fruit in each mold and stand a stick upright in each. Force it down gently into the frozen bottom layer so it will stand up straight. You are not going to use the plastic top for this recipe, just leave it off. Again firmly tap the mold down on the counter to level the puree and freeze again until the second layer is solid. (The freezing time between layers will vary with your freezer temp, but it might take 45 minutes or so.)
4. Continue on until you have filled the molds. If any of the purees are a little too thick to work with, stir in a little water. Clean up any spilled puree from the insides of the molds as you go so they won’t mar your design, just scrape the drips down with a popsicle stick.
5. o un-mold, fill your sink with hot tap water, and hold the mold in the water, just up to, but not over the top edge, for a few seconds. If the popsicles don’t slide out, hold the mold in the water a little longer.

NOTES

The fruit amounts are approximate, depending on your mold you may need a little more or a little less. You can always add a little water or yogurt to stretch the amount. My popsicle mold has 10 slots and each slot holds about 1/2 cup liquid.

This next recipe for FRESH FRUIT FROZEN YOGURT POPS is straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook.

FRESH FRUIT FROZEN YOGURT POPS

Yield: Makes 6 popsicles

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
6 5-oz paper cups (popsicle molds work too)
2 6-oz containers vanilla yogurt
2 cups cut-up fresh fruit such as blueberries, bananas, cherries, grapes, papaya, peaches, oranges or raspberries
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1 In blender, place all ingredients. Cover; blend until smooth.
2. Divide mixture among paper cups. Cover cups with foil; insert craft stick into center of each pop. Freeze about 6 hours or until frozen.

We hope you and your family enjoys these treats as much as we do. Everyone needs a cool treat on a hot day!