Enjoy summer's sweet treats without the guilt
(FOX 13) - Eating healthy does not mean you have to sacrifice those delicious frozen summer treats.
FOX 13's Dr. Joette Giovinco put together some of the best recipes for sweet treats without all of the guilt.
Chocolate and Coconut Frozen Banana Pops
Ingredients:
-3 large bananas, peeled and halved crosswise
-6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate, chopped
-1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
HINT: When making these treats you can use your favorite form of sweetener, including non-nutritive sweeteners like Stevia. Be sure to check the fruit first. In some cases, the fruit is so sweet, you may not need to add anything at all. We opted to use agave nectar in these recipes because it blends easily and has a lower glycemic index than table sugar.
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup orange juice
-2 tablespoons orange blossom honey
-16 medium strawberries
-16 fresh pineapple chunks
-2 bananas, sliced
-1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
-1/4 cup finely grated or shaved chocolate
Ingredients:
8 cups of seeded, balled or cubed watermelon
1/4 cup of agave nectar
-1 pound Florida strawberries, hulled and chopped
-3-5 TBS agave nectar (to taste)
-1 lemon, juiced
-2 cups plain yogurt
-10 freezer pop molds and sticks (depending on size)
HINT: We substituted agave nectar (about 3 TBS) instead of using sugar in the strawberry puree and used plain yogurt, added 2 TBS of agave nectar and ¼ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, instead of store purchased vanilla yogurt. We garnished some of the pops with banana slices, blueberries, and chopped strawberries before freezing.
Another advantage to freezing your own yogurt pops is that the live cultures should survive the freezing process.