Healthy Frozen Berry Treats

A few months ago, I was visiting my friend Patty and I saw this package for Silicon Ice Pops on her table and I made a comment about them.

She was getting them for her daughter who lives in Portland. Maybe it was the bright colors or maybe it was that I'd seen an article about making your own Popsicles but suddenly I wanted to get some of these fun frozen treat holders.

DIY Popsicles are a great way to insure your own frozen desserts are healthy ones.

I could give one package to my daughter.

Or I could keep the silicone ice pop covers and enjoy the treats myself.

Of course, I bought two packages at Mrs. Cooks, my favorite cooking store in Seattle. That way, I could give one as a cool gift and keep one for myself.

One problem was apparent right away; there weren't any instructions or recipes included in the package. And I'd accidentally recycled the article with the recipes for making Popsicles.

But how hard could it be to figure out how to make them?

I used fresh strawberries, but if you have fruit with seeds like raspberries, it's probably better to strain the seeds by pressing the berries through a strainer.

First I measured how much liquid I'd need by pouring water into one. Once I knew that, I went to work. I made it with a bit of coconut milk, but you could try yogurt, cream or soymilk.

Here's the recipe:

Frozen Orange-Berry Pops

(Makes 4 pops)

1 pint berries, washed

1 tablespoon orange zest

Juice of 1/2 orange

Pinch of salt

Coconut milk as needed (from aseptic package)

1. Place berries in a strainer and press berries to get the juice, if berries have seeds. For seedless berries, place them in a blender with orange zest, juice and a pinch of salt. (The tiny bit of salt helps bring out the sweet tones.)

2. Puree, adding coconut milk to make 2 cups. Pour mixture into each silicone sleeve. Place cap on and freeze in an upright position so liquid doesn't start to spill out.

3. Remove from freezer and take off cap. Run water over the silicone cone until the pop pushes out easily.

The perfect remedy for the dog days of summer.

The other problem is the lid detaches and I can see some cones with lost lids in my future. Until then, stay cool and enjoy the sweet flavors of summer.