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Popsicles for Kids
Popsicles...It's what to make when tempers and temperatures rise.
My 3-year-old daughter has a crazy sweet tooth. Though she's a great, healthy eater (cucumbers are a favorite snack) she is relentless in her pursuit for a "special treat." That treat can be anything-an Altoid, frozen corn (weird, I know), frozen yogurt, ice cream-so long as it's sweet.
The special treat thing makes me nuts mainly because I don't want her consuming a bunch of sugar. Secondly, the distinction between what she calls "grow" food and "special treats" is creating a dichotomy I'm not at all fond of: food we want to eat versus food we have to eat. Since this is a kid who still cheers at a plate of steamed broccoli, I'd like to stave off that opposition for as long as possible.
So when she asks for a "special treat," instead of dinner, it bums me out. And when she keeps asking, even after she's had a special treat, I get annoyed. Inevitably, I end up angry that my kid wants ice cream instead of whatever I've just cooked. (BTW, I don't like negotiations at the dinner table, like "if you eat four more bites of chicken you can have a scoop of ice cream," because making dessert a reward for eating just reinforces the idea of the "special treat.")
But how can I fault my kid for wanting to eat ice cream? I'd eat it all the time too if you could magically stuff all the nutrients of kale into gelato. My one rule around food is to not make a big deal about it, so I've been trying hard to keep cool about the ongoing requests for "special treats." But still, I've been losing my mind.
Until I thought of the paleta, the frozen ice pops that are made mostly from fruit juice. They are a staple summer treat in Latin America (and a huge hit on the playgrounds here). Making them at home means I can stick all kinds of nutritious food inside them and my kid still thinks she's getting a treat. The ones I make are basically frozen smoothies: I pulse frozen mango, kale, and some coconut milk in the blender and then pour them into reusable popsicle molds.
It's a cinch and it keeps us cool, inside and out.
"Wouldn't It Be Nice" to keep cool this summer even in "The Warmth of the Sun?"
Chill with Rockabye's Lullaby Renditions of The Beach Boys.
The special treat thing makes me nuts mainly because I don't want her consuming a bunch of sugar. Secondly, the distinction between what she calls "grow" food and "special treats" is creating a dichotomy I'm not at all fond of: food we want to eat versus food we have to eat. Since this is a kid who still cheers at a plate of steamed broccoli, I'd like to stave off that opposition for as long as possible.
So when she asks for a "special treat," instead of dinner, it bums me out. And when she keeps asking, even after she's had a special treat, I get annoyed. Inevitably, I end up angry that my kid wants ice cream instead of whatever I've just cooked. (BTW, I don't like negotiations at the dinner table, like "if you eat four more bites of chicken you can have a scoop of ice cream," because making dessert a reward for eating just reinforces the idea of the "special treat.")
But how can I fault my kid for wanting to eat ice cream? I'd eat it all the time too if you could magically stuff all the nutrients of kale into gelato. My one rule around food is to not make a big deal about it, so I've been trying hard to keep cool about the ongoing requests for "special treats." But still, I've been losing my mind.
Until I thought of the paleta, the frozen ice pops that are made mostly from fruit juice. They are a staple summer treat in Latin America (and a huge hit on the playgrounds here). Making them at home means I can stick all kinds of nutritious food inside them and my kid still thinks she's getting a treat. The ones I make are basically frozen smoothies: I pulse frozen mango, kale, and some coconut milk in the blender and then pour them into reusable popsicle molds.
It's a cinch and it keeps us cool, inside and out.
"Wouldn't It Be Nice" to keep cool this summer even in "The Warmth of the Sun?"
Chill with Rockabye's Lullaby Renditions of The Beach Boys.
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