The summer months are upon us and the search is on for healthier treats to cool the fires that burn after an intense workout, an arduous morning of yard work or a guilt-free after dinner treat. I’ve spent a number of years attempting different recipes that would satisfy my palate and alleviate some of the guilt I felt in indulging in two of my favorite summer treats; ice cream and popsicles. The results were sometimes mixed at best, and attempting to get the kids into kale popsicles didn’t exactly work in my favor.
I wanted something that would boost my energy, satisfy my sweet tooth and work well in my daily dietary regimen without packing on unnecessary pounds in all the wrong places. As I ran through countless hours of research on the internet (Google has been an invaluable tool in this research and I wonder how we ever survived without it some thirty years ago), I recently ran across two recipes that intrigued my culinary sensibilities.
The first recipe was Coconut Ice Cream without the added sugar, and the second was a Berry Cheescake Popsicles Recipe. The ingredients played well with my exercise and dietary routine and the taste was enough to satisfy my craving for ice cream and popsicles.
As a huge proponent of Superberries Aronia Berry products I decided to add an antioxidant rich boost to the ice cream with one cup of Superberries Frozen Aronia Berries. This gave the ice cream a deep, rich purple color that played very well in a healthy dinner presentation I held for a number of exercise enthusiasts and their children. The vibrancy of the ice cream dish intrigued the kids, particularly my niece who is a HUGE fan of the color purple (I sense an Aronia Berry fan on the horizon), and the taste was given two thumbs up by my stern young critics as well as their fit oriented parents.
The Berry Cheesecake Popsicles called for a berry of my choice. Naturally, I chose the Aronia Berry over the others given that the Aronia Berry, according to the USDA ORAC Scale, has the highest level of antioxidants in the entire berry family. I mixed the ingredients together, placed a layer of chopped raspberries and strawberries on the bottom of the freezer cups to give the popsicles a three tone color and served the popsicles as a healthy “nightcap” to close out the evening. The popsicles were a delightful, healthy hit with low guilt and were given yet another grand review by my youthful critics and their health conscience parents.
The desserts were a delicious success and a nice alternative to the sugared, processed treats. The recipes are guiltless winners in my household and I’ve included them elsewhere on our website for your perusal. I highly recommend the Coconut Aronia Ice Cream and the Aronia Cheescake Popsicles over my failed attempts at what I perceived as the perfect kale popsicles—and the kids do too.
