Summer Popsicles

Australia is warming up and we're getting ready for summer - hooray! With summer comes sun bathing, flip flops, and of course ice cream! We are definitely not willing to sacrifice our bikini body that we'll need to flaunt on boxing day though, so we need guilt-free options. Here are 3 healthy, delicious, and very summery popsicle recipes that are super quick to make!

Blackberry Froyo (makes 6) 1.5 cups low fat Greek yoghurt 2.5 cups frozen blackberries (thawed out) Sweetener to taste (rice malt syrup or stevia)

Stir sweetener through the thawed out blackberries. Do the same with the yoghurt, but keep separate from the berries. Layer popsicle mould with a layer of yoghurt and a layer of berries. Continue this process until filled. Pop in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Mango Lassi Pops (makes 6) 1.5 cups low fat Greek yoghurt 3 cups frozen mango 3 tablespoons shredded  coconut Sweetener if desired

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Fill moulds and freeze.

Breakfast Creamsicle (makes 6) 1.5 cups almond milk 2 bananas 2 tablespoons chia seeds 2 tablespoons hemp seeds 2 tablespoons protein powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 medjool dates

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender for at least 1 minute. Fill moulds and freeze.

Baked Pears with Banana & Almond Butter Ice Cream

This dessert is satisfying, warming, and delicious - everything you want in a winter dessert. This is my kind of food, because it tastes naughty but is actually VERY healthy. And who doesn't want guilt-free indulgences right? Especially when the weather is getting chilly!

The main feature of this dessert is the pear. I am a bit obsessed with pears at the moment. They are really cheap at my local farmers market and I love how versatile they are. You can use them in smoothies, grate them into bircher muesli, add thin slices to a lunchtime salad, or even as a marinade for meat (think Korean food....yummmm). They're delicious added to freshly squeezed green juices too (I love kale, cucumber, lemon, and pear).

And of course, as a dietitian, I love pears for their high fibre content - a whopping 7g of fibre in one pear! We all need at least 30 grams of fibre per day, so you can see that eating a pear a day pushes things along nicely (literally)!

Ingredients for pears (makes a large batch)

5 ripe fresh pears cinnamon 1 cup of warm water ~ 10 drops Organic liquid stevia drops (~ 3 teaspoons of powdered stevia) 1 tablespoon honey Natural vanilla extract

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Wash pears, cut into quarters, and remove core. Set aside. In a bowl, combine warm water with stevia, honey, and vanilla extract. Add pears and mix to coat pears with syrup. Place the mixture onto a roasting tray and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon (about 2 teaspoons all together). Bake for 20 minutes and then turn pears so the skin faces out (this is to get that crispiness). Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until skins are crispy and golden. Serve warm (or cold) with ice cream.

Ingredients for ice cream (for one serve)

1 frozen banana 1 teaspoon of almond butter 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon maple syrup for drizzling

Method

Place frozen banana and vanilla extract in a high-power blender and blend until you reach a creamy consistency. Add almond butter and blend until well incorporated. Use an ice cream scoop to serve, and drizzle with a little maple syrup.

What is your favourite pear recipe?

Link of the day: Why not make this Maple Brown Rice Pudding with pear?

Tropical Dream Ice Cream

This is a dream in a bowl. A TROPICAL dream! From the taste you'd never think it is 100% goodness and dairy free. No added sugar. Low in fat.

         

When you eat this it takes you to your summer happy place. Mine is lounging in a hammock on a picture perfect beach in the maldives with my toes dipped in the luke-warm tropical water, colourful fish swimming by, gentle breeze...it is a holiday in the form of food. So why wouldn't you want to try this?

Tropical Dream Ice Cream Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 frozen mangoes (cut into small cubes) 4 ice cubes of frozen coconut milk 8 small fresh strawberries

Method:

Place the frozen mangoes and coconut milk into a heavy-duty blender and blend, blend, blend until you get the creamy consistency of ice cream. Depending on the type of blender you use, you may need to stop the blender and scrape the contents off the side of the blender and then start again. Once you reach the consistency of ice cream, scoop into a bowl and stir through the chopped-up strawberries. Tadaaaa....a tropical summer dream in a bowl!