Read the back of any ice lolly packet and there’s usually a whole host of unrecognizable (and unnecessary) ingredients along with sugars, fructose, colours, flavours and stabilzers. I don’t like to deny my kids ice cream but also don’t want to be adding all these questionable ingredients into their diets. Not to mention having to deal with manic kids buzzing around with a sugar rush.
We have lots of recipes for homemade healthy ice lollies on our site. Mostly using up any summer fruits we have lying around but I purposefully chose the ingredients for these ones to fill the kids up – it’s frustrating having kids constantly asking for snacks throughout the holidays and a more filling lolly acts as a larger snack to get them through to the next meal. Plus adds in a healthy dose of nutrients and antioxidants.
We use coconut milk as a creamy base as it acts as a great source of energy. The Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFAs) in coconut milk go straight to the liver for energy production instead of being stored as fat meaning coconuts offer a great source of lasting energy. MCFAs are also great for the immune system.
The recipe also uses almond butter although you could use any nut butter. Almonds are the nuts highest in Vitamin E and calcium and their skins are packed with beneficial phytountrients, including catechins (also found in green tea) so they’re great to eat regularly. Plus the addition of nut butter adds protein, helping us to feel fuller for longer and helping to balance blood sugar levels that translates to no sugar rush for the kids and a healthy weight balance for us.
The lollies are deliciously creamy thanks to the coconut milk and nut butter and the orange extract adds a natural sweetness so very little added sweetener (if any) is needed. Nevertheless, not only are these lollies far lower in sugars than any shop bought variety, the natural sugars are also released much slower into the bloodstream.
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 3 tbsp cacao
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp orange extract
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds.
- Use a funnel to pour into ice lolly moulds and freeze. Once frozen hold under warm water to remove the lollies from the mould.
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