Arizona has been experiencing a heat wave like we've never seen before, breaking records for days in a row. My air conditioner is 11 years old and struggling, I hope things cool down soon!
When it gets this hot one of the sweetest ways to cool down is to eat a Popsicle. I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill-commercially-processed, sugar-laden, artificially colored and flavored Popsicle. I'm talking about a real food Popsicle made with healthy ingredients that tastes good and also contains a secret ingredient: gelatin [affiliate link]. Why the gelatin? Two reasons… it adds a bit more nutrition and it adds a smooth silky mouth feel to the Popsicles.
Gelatin is not just nutritious, but has also been found to be very healing in the digestive tract. This healing is why gelatin is emphasized so much in the GAPS Diet. In fact it is one of the foundational parts of that healing diet and is begun from the first day.” ~Patty Lacoss-Arnold, Author of Broth: Elixir of Life
Perfect Supplements is my favorite source for gelatin and collagen. For this recipe I used the Bovine Gelatin.
To make these Popsicles I used Tovolo brand popsicle molds. They are BPA-free and one of the things I like most about the Rocket Pop molds is that they only hold 2.5 ounces in each mold. It looks like you are getting a much larger amount and seems to last forever but there is really only a very small amount. This helps a lot with my son Matthew because he feels like he is getting to splurge when he can have two Popsicles.
This recipe makes 2 cups of Strawberry Lemonade which will fill six Tovolo Rocket Pop Molds. I used 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons of Tropical Traditions raw honey [affiliate link] but you can use more or less depending on you and your family's tastes, plus you might be able to get buy with less if your strawberries are sweeter. Try the lemonade without any honey, then add a little at a time.
Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles
- 6 large strawberries (6 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about two lemons, juiced)
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons raw honey (or sweeten to taste)
- water
- Rinse strawberries in cool water. Remove stems and core.
- Mash strawberries until they are puréed into small bits using a potato masher.
- In a small cup add the hot water and gelatin. Stir until dissolved.
- Add the dissolved gelatin to the strawberries.
- Squeeze the lemons to harvest 3 tablespoons of juice and add to the strawberries.
- Add water until you have a total of 1-3/4 cups.
- Add honey to taste.
- Add water until you have a total of 2 cups of liquid.
If you are using the Tovolo molds, press each mold upright into the base. Fill just below the top and set the handle on top. Freeze overnight for best results.
One important tip: When you place the handles into the Popsicles, do not press them down. Just let them sit lightly on top of the mold. If you engage the handle, they will be extremely hard to remove once they are frozen. I have done this more than once and keep forgetting because it feels so natural to just push the handle down until it snaps into place – but don't do it!
Removing the Popsicles
Place the Popsicle into a glass and fill to the level of the handle with warm water. After a minute or two, try pulling on the handle. If the Popsicle doesn't come out fairly easily, replace the warm water and let it sit another minute or two.
By the way, if you try to remove before they are completely frozen the handle may pop out without the Popsicle. If this happens, put a few drops of water into the opening, re-insert the handle and allow to freeze completely.
Be sure to rinse the Popsicle molds and handles as soon as the Popsicle is eaten as the molds are tricky to clean if the juice dries inside. Soak in warm soapy water if that happens.