Cool Treats and Sweet Friends

    Our first "Park Hop" was a success. (I made a hot breakfast for everyone and met them at the park next to our neighborhood.  Then we hopped to a different park with packed lunches) I wanted to try it again but switch it up a little... Hallelujah! The HOT weather is here to stay! [I don't want to here it! All you summer haters!] Perfect time for frozen treats, right? Dessert BEFORE lunch is pretty awesome. Makes you a hero to the kids but..... my friends probably wouldn't love it if I got their children super sugared up before noon! Healthy Popsicles were the perfect compromise! Fun and Tasty! Gotta a little extra fruit in their diet and some extra protein for some! I made 3 different kinds:

So story of my life... Kids are crazy for watermelon. I stock up on watermelon. "Mom, I'm kinda tired of watermelon.I don't want it anymore!" Good thing that I stumbled upon this one! This recipe was SUPER EASY and quick! Here is the link:

watermelon popsicles

I love coconut! If I close my eyes really tight while eating it, I can pretend I'm somewhere tropical, surrounded by seashells instead of Legos. This was a two step recipe, where you had to let the first layer freeze for a couple of hours, but again super easy. Looks so pretty too. Since coconut is one of those absolutely LOVE or absolutely HATE kinds of flavors, I made the least amount of these. Surprisingly enough, my picky eater really liked them! The coconut was not too strong.  Recipe Link:

  vanilla berry coconut popsicles

This one was a variation of a recipe that popped up on Facebook. And yes, that is a poop emoji! I figured that I'll be able to be even more health adventurous with the popsicles in the future if they look like smiling piles of poop. Don't judge me! It's called knowing your audience!

Peanut Butter Banana Pie Pops

2 large bananas

1/2c plain Greek yogurt

1/4c all natural peanut butter

3 T mini chocolate chips

3 T mini dehydrated marshmallows (like the kind in hot cocoa mix)

2 T of graham cracker crumbs (or cookie of choice)

Blend together bananas, peanut butter, and yogurt. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour a little banana mix into molds and then sprinkle a little chocolate mix on top. Repeat until mold is full and freeze for several hours or overnight.

Life with a boy..... poop fascination for days

Ice cream treat: strawberry shortcake "severe winter storm"

Ice cream is my FAVORITE!! I could eat it any time and any place. I will wear my winter jacket in the house so I can eat it in the winter and not freeze. I also have ZERO self control when it comes to ice cream. It may look like I'm eating a sensible amount but there is always some pre scooping and post scooping that never makes it into my dish. I wanted to celebrate the completion of the most recent challenge group with a treat. As a kid, going to DQ was always a favorite celebration spot, but yeah, kinda doesn't made sense to undo the hard work I'm celebrating! Yikes! I decided to experiment so I could splurge a little without overloading on sugar. I like my ice cream full of bits and pieces of extra goodness so the first step was to find a healthy cookie I could chop up. I found a vegan sugar cookie recipe on the Beachbody Blog (yay! Container math already done for me!) The pastry chef in me almost broke out in hives when I read "dash of baking soda" but the rest of the directions were clear and easy to follow. Super yummy too!! My usual go to flavors are peanut butter and chocolate. I think about peanut butter all day, everyday day! Mmmmmmm [insert dreamy sigh] but I'm also dreaming of REAL spring weather. That means lighter, fruity desserts. I decided to add strawberries to my banana ice cream puree and then fold in cookie bits to create a strawberry shortcake blizzard like treat. It was heavenly and yet I did not feel like bloated death after I ate it. I made one for the kids too. Sydney is my fruit lover so she went nuts over it. Nathan just wanted the cookies.

The Recipe:
2 large bananas sliced and frozen
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup fresh strawberries (thinly diced)
1 1/4 c plain Greek yogurt (divided)
3 vegan sugar cookies chopped up  Cookie Recipe Here

Measure frozen strawberries and let sit out for a couple of minutes so they are not rock hard. Place frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, and 1c yogurt in food processor and blend until you have a smooth, creamy mix. Fold in fresh strawberries and cookies. Divide into three dishes and garnish with remaining yogurt. Serve immediately. 

Container counts ( if using Beachbody cookie recipe):

2 purple 1/2 red 1/2 yellow 1/2 tsp