The first batch of these did not quite hit the spot. With a little tweaking, the recipe has become a great chilly treat for a hot summer day. I usually make them two tiered with halves of both the cantaloupe and honeydew melons.
6 servings (8 oz. pops)
59 calories per serving
2 c diced honeydew melon
1/3 c plain nonfat yogurt
Juice of 1 lime
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 T honey
1 T Splenda
Mix 2 c of melon with yogurt, lime juice, honey, Splenda and zest and blend until smooth. Fill the pop molds, insert sticks and freeze at least 6 hours.
Canteloupe – As a variation, replace honeydew with cantaloupe.
You may want to make both variations and make a layered melon pop. If you do this, freeze the first ‘layer’ for 1 hour – then add the second and insert the sticks and freeze at least 6 hours.
Even though I make these pops in a Zoku maker, you can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku 🙂 Their recipes turn out fantastic pops – I often skinny them up a bit, but I mostly use their measurements and basic recipe and am always pleased with the results.
6 servings
113 calories per serving
Strawberry Layer
3 ½ oz. hulled and quartered strawberries
3 T skim milk
1 T light sour cream
1 T + 1 t sugar
1 ½ t vanilla extract
½ t heavy cream
Combine the strawberries and milk in a blender until smooth and then press through a fine mesh sieve so you strain out the seeds – I usually run a spoon back and forth over the berries and that pushes the mix through the sieve pretty good. You should end up with ¼ c plus 3 T of seedless puree. Whisk in the sour cream, sugar, vanilla and cream.
Vanilla Layer
¼ c + 2 T skim milk
2 ½ T heavy cream
1 ½ T sugar
1 ½ t vanilla extract
Whisk all ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.
Chocolate Layer
1/3 c skim milk
2 ½ T chocolate syrup
1 T heavy cream
1 ½ t water
¼ t vanilla extract
Whisk all the ingredients together.
To make the pops in a Zoku, pour the strawberry layer 1/3 of the way up the mold and let freeze all the way. Then repeat with the vanilla and chocolate layers.
In traditional molds, freeze each layer at least an hour before adding the next and then freeze the whole thing 6 hours.
Toast the pecans in a skillet with the butter and sugar. Cook about 3 minutes stirring often. Let nuts cool completely.
In a saucepan over low heat whisk water and butterscotch morsels and cook until melted, but don’t boil. Cool 10 minutes then stir in the half and half and vanilla and then refrigerate until completely cool, about 20 minutes. Whisk occasionally so that a skin does not form on top of the mixture.
Working in 2 batches – place approximately 6 pecan halves in each mold and then pour in the butterscotch mixture up to the fill line. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have rich, flavorful pops that rival the experience of butter pecan ice cream
If you are using traditional molds, freeze 6 hours.
I recently got a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. BEST THING EVER ! I love making pops but hate the wait time. Now I have ‘em in 7-9 minutes 🙂 This is one of the recipes I pulled from the Zoku book – of course, I’ve tweaked many of the recipes to suit my own tastes, bring down calories, and to get creative with the pops, but some are in their original goodness.
The maker gets sooo cold that sometimes the first batch come out with a crackling motif on them – looks kinda cool !
You can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku 🙂
6 servings
178 calories per serving
¾ c pecan halves
½ T salted butter
1 T brown sugar
¾ c water
2 ½ oz. butterscotch morsels
½ c half and half
½ t vanilla extract
Toast the pecans in a skillet with the butter and sugar. Cook about 3 minutes stirring often. Let nuts cool completely.
In a saucepan over low heat whisk water and butterscotch morsels and cook until melted, but don’t boil. Cool 10 minutes then stir in the half and half and vanilla and then refrigerate until completely cool, about 20 minutes. Whisk occasionally so that a skin does not form on top of the mixture.
Working in 2 batches – place approximately 6 pecan halves in each mold and then pour in the butterscotch mixture up to the fill line. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have rich, flavorful pops that rival the experience of butter pecan ice cream 🙂
If you are using traditional molds, freeze 6 hours.
Take one hot and sunny day, add 6 frozen fruit and yogurt pops, and you end up with a perfect way to spend the summer 🙂
6 servings
98 calories per serving
1 ½ c strawberry slices
¼ c sugar
1 ½ c blueberries
1 ¼ c low fat plain yogurt
Puree strawberries in food processor with 1 T sugar. Whisk yogurt and 2 T sugar. Puree blueberries in food processor with 1 T sugar. Make layers of fruit and yogurt in your ice pop mold, insert sticks and freeze at least 3 hours.
This tastes like a lemonade stand – utterly delicious ! The original recipe I had was for a pie, but the filling is just great in a homemade ice pop. How refreshing – tart and sweet at the same time just like a great lemonade !!
16 pops
110 calories per serving
1 ½ c boiling water
.3 oz. package lemon Jello
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
8 oz. cool whip, thawed
1 c raspberries
Add boiling water to jello and stir 2 minutes to dissolve completely. Cool a bit and then add in the lemonade. Beat cream cheese until creamy and then gradually add jello mix. Stir in cool whip and berries and pour into ice pop molds then freeze at least 4 hours.
Chock full of antioxidants, sweet yet tart, and ever so refreshing. These pops are definitely worth the work.
6 servings (8 oz. pops)
133 calories per serving
2 ¾ c pomegranate juice
¼ c lemon juice
½ c Splenda
1 ¾ c apple juice
¾ c pomegranate seeds
2 apples cored and diced small
Mix pom juice with 1/8 c lemon juice. Simmer Splenda, apple juice and 1/8 c lemon juice and dissolve all the Splenda then cool to room temperature. Add half the apple juice mix and the seeds to the pom juice mix. Add the apples to the apple juice mix. Fill the molds half way with the pom juice mix and freeze 1 1/2 hours then add a layer of the apple juice mix and freeze another, insert the sticks and freeze at least 6 hours.
These take a little work to get out of the molds, so let sit a bit before trying to unmold or you may end up with just the stick in your hands 🙂 Or try using the Dixie cup method which you can more easily peel off the dessert. The ice cream separates into 2 different layers so you end up with a great looking 3 layer pop that tastes just divine.
6 servings
61 calories per serving
2 c chocolate fat free ice cream, softened
1 T instant coffee
1 c cool whip, thawed
6 dixie cups and 6 sticks (or 6 ice pop molds)
Combine ice cream and 2 t coffee. Mix cool whip and 1 t coffee. Spoon ice cream mix into cups and then top with the cool whip mix. Cover cups with foil and push in the sticks. Freeze 4 hours or more. Peel cups from pops to serve.
This is a filling for a pie that I have made for years. But it does great double duty as a healthy, fresh alternative to store bought ice pops.
10 servings
106 calories per serving
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained well
8 oz. tub Cool Whip lite, thawed
6 oz. non fat lemon yogurt (don’t substitute – you need the lemon flavor to bring some tang to the pie)
6 oz. non fat yogurt – any flavor
Mix all ingredients and place in ice pop molds and freeze at least 4 hours. These keep great for several weeks in the freezer. Just rinse the outside of the mold with a little hot water to release the pops.
What a great ice pop ! Sweet and flavorful and so refreshing. Pops make a great snack or dessert.
6 servings (8 oz. pops)
44 calories per serving
1 c Splenda
2 peaches cut into wedges (skins still on)
1 lime, peeled and sliced
1 lemon, peeled, seeded and sliced
6 mint leaves
8 tea bags – orange pekoe black tea (this is just your standard Lipton, etc. tea bag)
2 c water
2 c cold water
Bring water to simmer in a sauce pan and dissolve Splenda – when all dissolved remove from heat and stir in 2 c cold water and then let sit 10 minutes. Pour sugar water into a glass bowl and add peaches, lemons, limes and mint then add the tea bags, cover and place out in the sun for 3-5 hours to get a nice sun brewed tea. Remove tea bags and divide mint and peaches into molds then pour in the tea (discard the lemon and lime), insert sticks and freeze 6 hours.