Acai, Apple and Dates Ice Pops

Discover another delicious way to eat fruits this summer! Nothing is better than an all-natural, no sugar added, homemade fruit Popsicle to cool off from the heat. Let’s try to keep our family eating as healthy as possible, and in summertime, that means making our own popsicles.

Fruit pops are a perfect snack for the whole family, especially for the kids who love a sweet treat. The family will be able to enjoy a healthy and naturally sweetened dessert made with real fruit and filled with vitamins and minerals.

Take advantage of the fruit’s natural sweetness to create 100% wholesome and delicious juice combinations for your popsicles. These ice pops are completely vegan, low fat and gluten free. It is also recommended that you use organic and local produced fruits to enjoy the full benefits that nature has to offer.

Another tip is using natural sweeteners like honey, Agave nectar and Stevia; or adding another sweet fruit like dates to your ice pops’s juice mixture instead of adding refined sugar or artificial sweeteners.

GRACIEMAG have selected the 6 coolest most refreshing all natural fruit pops flavors for you to make it at home this summer! These recipes are simple and easy to make. Check it out:

Watermelon

Ingredients:

½ Seedless Watermelon

Directions:

Cut the watermelon into cubes and throw it in a blender. The sweeter your watermelon, the better it will be. If it is not too sweet you can add 2tbsp. of honey or Agave nectar. Then, If you don’t have a potent blender you might need to add a little bit of water (or you can use coconut water for extra flavor) so you can blend the watermelon until it becomes a smooth fruit juice.  Now, just pour the liquid into the molds and leave it in the freezer for a few hours. It makes about 12 Pops.

Avocado coconut

Ingredients:

2 Hass avocado
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup of dried coconut (unsweetened shredded)

Directions:

Scoop out flesh of ripe avocado and place into blender. Add in coconut milk. Blend until batter is smooth. Mix in the shredded coconut. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze. To remove frozen pops from the molds, bring it under running water for a few seconds.

Coconut

Ingredients:

2 green coconuts (meat)

1 cup coconut water

2 tbsp. Honey

Directions:

Scoop out the meat of the green coconuts (or look for frozen coconut meat in market). Then, blend it with coconut water and honey. Pour the mix into the Popsicle molds and freeze it.

Acai

Ingredients:

2 pure unsweetened Acai frozen pulps

4 apples

1 cup seedless Dates

Directions:

Run apples in a juicer to extract the apple juice. Then, blend it with the Acai pulp and Dates until batter is smooth. Pour into ice pop molds and put it in the freezer.

Grape

Ingredients:

5 cups of sweet grapes

1/2 cup water

2-3 tbsp. Honey (optional)

Directions:

After simmering the grapes on the stove with a little bit of water, just pressed them into a strainer to extract the juice. Then, add honey and freeze the mixture in the Popsicle trays. Leave it in the freezer for about 4 hour before serving.

Papaya Melon

Ingredients:

1 Papaya

2 C Melon

½ cup coconut water

1 tbsp. Honey (optional)

Directions:

Take the seeds out of the papaya and the melon. Scoop the flash of the fruits and mix into a blender with a little bit of coconut water and honey. Pour the mix in the pops molds and freeze it. Leave it in the freezer for at least 4 hour before serving.

Pan-roasted halibut with Pea Puree. Photo: theyellowtable.com

Looking for a healthy and low calorie meal to vary your lunch and dinner menu? GRACIEMAG suggests this delicious fish and veggie dish.

Start by substituting the popular mashed potato for this light and green, pea puree. Green Peas are rich in nutrients, vitamins, mineral and anti-oxidants. Besides being low in calories and containing no cholesterol, peas are also a good source of proteins and fiber.

The Gracie Diet does not recommend the massive consumption of red meat. Instead, opt for a leaner protein with easy digestibility such as the Halibut. However, when consuming fish it is wise to pay attention to the mercury level index provide by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). See the index below*

Halibut is a delicious fish, but it is also a smart choice to increment your healthy meal because it does not have a high mercury level and it is packed with various nutrients such as selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin B6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.

The pan-roasted halibut with pea puree makes a tasty combination, but you can definitely pick other vegetables or fishes that you like in order to diversify your meals.

Check out the recipe below, enjoy and be healthy!

Ingredients:

Halibut steaks (Wild Caught)

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

2 cups of peas (Organic)

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 500F. In an ovenproof skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil; add halibut steaks, salt, and pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cook in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil 2 cups of peas until tender, then puree with 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger. Add water until mixture is the consistency of yogurt. Serve fish on top of mixture.

*Mercury Level Index

LOWEST MERCURY

Eat 2-3 servings a week (pregnant women and small children should not eat more than 12 ounces (2 servings):

Anchovies

Catfish

Clam

Crab

Crawfish

Flounder

Haddock

Herring

Mackerel

Mullet

Oyster

Perch

Pollock

Salmon

Sardine

Scallop

Shrimp

Sole

Squid

Tilapia

Trout

Whitefish

MODERATE MERCURY

Eat six servings or fewer per month (pregnant women and small children should avoid these):

Bass

Carp

Cod

Halibut

Lobster

Mahi Mahi

Monkfish

Perch

Snapper

Tuna (Canned Chunk light)

HIGH MERCURY

Eat three servings or less per month (pregnant women and small children should avoid these):

Bluefish

Grouper

Sea Bass

Tuna (Canned Albacore, Yellow fin)

HIGHEST MERCURY

Avoid eating (everyone):

Marlin

Orange Roughy

Shark

Swordfish

Tilefish

Tuna (Ahi)

Sources:

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish

National Resource Defense Council. Mecury Contamination in Fish.

Centers for Disease Control. Public Health Statement for Mercury. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/green-peas.html

http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/a/fish_mercury.htm