Problem-Solving Ice Lollies
Not only are ice lollies refreshing in our hot South African summers, but they can also be a nutrient-dense snack. They tend solve a number of little problems for me!
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- Mila refuses to eat my Chocolate Mousse anymore – and I would really like her too since it is made with avocado, chia and hemps seeds and so it is full of healthy fats and protein. Solution? Turn it into an ice lolly!
- In summer, Mila’s afternoon juice is freshly juiced watermelon. But I never have enough fridge space to store a large watermelon and it tends to go off before we can juice it all. Solution? Make watermelon ice lollies!
- I believe that bone broth is an elixir of health, but Mila refuses to drink it, or soup made from it. In fact, she it not a fan of sauces in general. Solution? Make bone broth ice lollies!
- Smoothies are another great source of nutrients and something I can make with superfoods for an extra nutritional boost – the problem is Mila does not like the texture of a smoothie. Solution – oh yes, make ice lollies from them!
- After I have filled up all my dehydrator trays with Fruit Leather mixture, I often have some leftover and as I don’t want to waste any of this precious nutrient-dense food, I freeze the rest into an ice lolly!
- Mila will often ask for a snack as I sit down to do some work, while I am making her dinner, or after she has eaten a full dinner and I am reluctant to spend more time in the kitchen making more food. Solution? Give her an ice lolly 🙂
- Is your little one teething? Give her an ice lolly to numb the gums!
- Does your little one have a fever? Give her an ice lolly to cool her down from the inside!
- Is someone you love in hospital and being fed nutritionally bankrupt food? Take them a superfood ice lolly!
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Here are some recipes for my Problem-Solving-Ice-Lollies!
Chocolate Mousse Ice Lollies
Key: gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free, nut-free, egg-free, paleo, vegan, great for adults too
INGREDIENTS
(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)
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- 1 avocado
- 3 dates, soaked*
- 1 T. chia seeds, ground
- 1 T. hemp seeds, ground
- 3 T. raw cacao powder
- 1T. coconut oil, melted
- 1 t. green powder (blend of spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass and barley grass)
- 1 t. vanilla powder
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METHOD
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Soak the ground chia and hemp seeds in ¼ cup water for 15 minutes.
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Place the soaked seeds and water with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or mini blender and process until smooth and creamy.
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Scoop into ice lolly molds and place them in the freezer until set.
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*Soak the dates by covering with water for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge. Once soaked, remove them from the soak water and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The recipe for Chocolate Mousse is taken from my book Mila’s Meals: The Beginning & The Basics.
Watermelon Ice Lollies
Key: gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free, nut-free, egg-free, paleo, vegan, great for adults too
INGREDIENTS
(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)
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- Watermelon, seeds and rind included!
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METHOD
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- Place chunks of watermelon in your blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture through a sieve to remove the “bits”.
- Pour into ice lolly molds and place them in the freezer until set.
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Adding the rind to the mix tends to dilute the beautiful pink-red colour of the watermelon juice – so I add a slice of beetroot to amp up the red!
The ice lolly pictured (above) in the background is watermelon juice without the rind. The one in the foreground is made with the rind and a slice of beetroot.
Yes, you can eat the seeds and rind of the watermelon (be sure to wash the watermelon thoroughly before you cut it though).
As I write in the 156-Ingredient Glossary of my book:
“The watermelon seeds contain magnesium, iron, zinc, protein, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and fibre while the rind is a good source of chlorophyll.”
According to Dr. Mercola, “the rind contains plenty of health-promoting and blood-building chlorophyll, and more of the amino acid citrulline than the pink flesh.
Citrulline is converted to arginine in your kidneys, and not only is this amino acid important for heart health and maintaining your immune system, but it has been researched to have potential therapeutic value in over 100 health conditions.”
Bone Broth Ice Lollies
Key: gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free, nut-free, egg-free, paleo, great for adults too
I would never get buy-in if I asked Mila if she would like a Bone Broth Ice Lolly – so I simply call them “Banana Ice Lollies” and “Green Ice Lollies” 🙂
For those of you with children on the GAPS diet, bone broth ice lollies may be particularly useful. While I love sipping on a mug of steaming bone broth – Mila, not so much! But she gobbles up these ice lollies blissfully unaware of what is in them!
Banana Ice Lollies
INGREDIENTS
(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)
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- 250ml (1 cup) chicken bone broth, slightly warm (see recipe below) – or use this bone broth powder
- 3 small bananas
- 1t. baobab powder
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METHOD
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- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into ice lolly molds and place them in the freezer until set.
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Green Ice Lollies
INGREDIENTS
(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)
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- 250ml (1 cup) homemade chicken bone broth, slightly warm (see recipe below) – or use this bone broth powder
- 2 kiwi fruit, very ripe
- ½ an avocado
- 2 dates, soaked
- ¼ t. matcha powder
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METHOD
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- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into ice lolly molds and place them in the freezer until set.
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There is a recipe for Chicken Bone Broth in my book, but is has various herbs and spices added to it which will make these ice lollies unappetizing!
So here is the no-mess-no-fuss version!
Chicken Bone Broth Recipe
INGREDIENTS
(t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon, C. = cup)
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- 1 whole organic or free-range chicken OR 2kg’s chicken bones and feet
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- filtered water
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METHOD
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- Place the chicken, chicken parts or bones into the slow cooker, cover with water and add the apple cider vinegar. Allow to soak for 1 hour. This gives the apple cider vinegar time to draw out the minerals from the bones.
- Turn your slow cooker onto high. Once the liquid starts to boil, turn the heat down to low.
- Check on the slow cooker once or twice during the first 2 hours of cooking. There may be some scum (frothy foam) on the surface. This should be skimmed off.
- After 12-24 hours total cooking time, strain the liquid through a sieve. You should have a dark golden liquid – “liquid gold” I like to call it!
- Once cooled a layer of fat will form on the top of the broth. You can remove this and use it for high heat cooking, or leave it in the broth – it is nutrient dense, has immune boosting properties and adds a rich flavour to any meal.
- To store, fill glass jars to the ¾ mark and freeze for future use. Be sure to fill and freeze some ice cube trays with the stock to add to boiling water when preparing vegetables, grains or pasta for your little one.
- Broth can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or kept in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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You can also make bone broth on the stove – after bringing the water to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 6-12 hours.
Smoothie Ice Lollies
These smoothie recipes appear in my book, Mila’s Meals: The Beginning & The Basics and they all make delicious ice lollies.
Waste-Not-Want-Not Ice Lollies
Basically make an ice lolly from anything your little one is refusing to eat in its current form 🙂
You can also blend any fruit that is overripe and freeze it into an ice lolly.
I make ice lollies from left-over Fruit Leather mixture. You can find one of my recipes for fruit leather here.
Below is the most recent batch of fruit leather I made – and the ice lolly I made from the left over mixture.
Ingredients: butternut, gem squash, sweet potato, apple, mango, chia seeds, coconut milk, coconut butter, baobab powder, moringa powder, gotu kula, amalaki, rooibos tea, milk thistle tea, dandelion tea.
Rainbow Ice Lollies
This is one of my more recent creations which I made for a friend of mine who was in hospital with post-op septicaemia and cancer.
Not so much of a recipe – more of a formula 🙂
