Baby it's hot outside

Seriously, with the heat?  Seriously?  Seriously.  I always complain in the winter, that it's too cold for the kids to play outside so I have to come up with so many activities we can do inside to keep them occupied.  And now, here we are, 4 days into official summer and it's almost to hot to go out at all!  My kids are so red they're purple from the heat.  This time next month, we're just going to make bean bag chairs out of garbage bags and ice cubes and not move all day.

So when I found a recipe for Frozen Yogurt Pops in a cookbook of kids recipes, I knew I'd stumbled upon something that might keep me from making that horrible idea for an iced bean bag chair.  Phew! 

My kids are in love with this one particular smoothie I make, which was the inspiration behind my first stab at yogurt pops.  My favorite things about these pops are that they're low in fat and sugar and they don't have the high fructose corn syrup that's found in a lot of store bought popsicles.  But with the addition of fat free yogurt, they're creamy and a filling, guiltless snack.  FroYo on a stick!

Brrrrrrrrr-berry Frozen Yogurt Pops (makes about 10)

-1 3/4 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt (I used Greek, you can use regular, whichever you like!)

-2 cups frozen mixed berries (I used blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries)

-a splash of fruit juice to help blend (I used Pom juice)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and well mixed.  Pour into popsicle holders or ice cube trays.  If using ice cube trays, after you've poured, cover with aluminum foil or saran wrap and poke a toothpick through to help keep the toothpicks stay upright while freezing.

 Freeze for 4-6 hours.

OR you can try this other recipe I just whipped up as a treat for my own special self :)

Orange DREAMsicle Yogurt Pops

-1 3/4 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt

-1 can of frozen orange juice concentrate

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-a splash of vanilla soy milk (or an additional 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and well mixed.  Pour into popsicle holders or ice cube trays.  If using ice cube trays, after you've poured, cover with aluminum foil or saran wrap and poke a toothpick through to help keep the toothpicks stay upright while freezing.

Freeze for 4-6 hours.

Perfect timing.  That tree house was HOT.  Whatever - everything was hot.  We just hid in there while it was shady and I turned on the sprinkler.  It was all just enough to be bearable.  It was a delicious kind of bearable though.  These icy cool treats are crazy good.  And I love a treat I don't have to feel bad about.  Especially one this cold.  Apparently I'm going to need it...