This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Even for the most persnickety of kids these Green Ice Pops are a super-sweet, bright green treat!
A complaint I frequently hear from moms is that they can’t get their kids to eat their greens — especially leafy greens. I totally get it. I’ve got one kid who will happily eat steamed beet greens or sautéed spinach and another one who has recently begun saying “BLECH!” right to my face when I offer it to her (I wonder who that little three year-old could be?!). And while Chloe can occasionally act persnickety about certain foods, I’ve discovered ways to encourage her to eat her greens without resorting to trickery.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Cooked greens can be a challenging sell, but maybe it’s a texture thing — not a color thing — because I have surprisingly found raw to be much less of an issue with both of my kids. Whether tossed in a kale salad, blended into a green smoothie, green juice or frozen in these green ice pops, my kids love raw greens. And I let Kenya and Chloe make these pops with me so they know exactly what’s going in them. I want them to know that green food can be scrumptious and getting them involved in the preparation is one of the best ways to do that.
On warm summer afternoons when my kids need a pick me up, these ice pops are the way to go. Made with coconut water which has dehydration-fighting electrolytes, pineapple with all it’s digestive enzymes, and of course tons of nutrient-rich kale, you know your little whippersnapper is going to get their greens and then some. There’s no better way to “lick” a greens aversion than through these pops!
Green Ice Pops, Yes Green
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed kale leaves
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pineapple
- 1 small banana
- 1 cup coconut water
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. The kale will remain in tiny pieces -- that is okay.
- Pour the mixture into ice pop molds and freeze for at least 6 hours and up to 4 months.
- Unmold and serve.
Notes
- This also makes a great smoothie if you have any puree leftover. Just pour in a glass and drink up!
- Collard green, spinach or other leafy greens work as well
These are so yummy (and healthy)! After making the green ice pops for my son I drank the rest!
Just made these with the kids (2 and 5) and they loved them. We add greens to our smoothies all the time – I never thought of putting them in pops. Thanks for the great idea!
Also great is the zuko quick pop maker. It freezes pops in 7-10 minutes if you remember to keep the base in the freezer.
Tovolo! http://astore.amazon.com/weelicious-20/detail/B000G34F2U
I am in love with this new site!!
I can’t wait to see if my son will eat these.
What popsicle molds do you recommend?
I am excited to try these. I , too, am curious about good molds to use. Thanks!
I like Tovolo! http://astore.amazon.com/weelicious-20/detail/B000G34F2U
What type of molds do you use. I tried some once and didn’t turn out very well.
Wow the new website is fabulous! So easy on the eyes. I just had one of my daughters read the recipe with me.
“What does it taste like?”
“Pineapple and banana.”
“But it’s GREEN!”
The look on her face was priceless 🙂
Thank you for all of the green ideas you provide. I have 2 anti-green monsters. I absolutely love the new look – all your hard work has paid off!!!
I love your new logo-type, but I miss the illustration of you and your kids. 😉 I guess if they are all grown up now it would be out-dated. But I loved it anyway. What made you decide to use burnt orange instead of brown? I’m sure the design process was long and you are psyched to have your new site up. Congrats!
Oh – and I’m looking forward to trying these green pops!
Yes! Any leafy green, really.
Would this work with spinach instead of kale?
My daughter is allergic to pineapple, what fruit do you recommend to substitute? Thank you!
what a win!!!I love BA. My trip to Argentina was back at the beginning of their ecnoomic woes. I did lots, and lots of shopping due to the very favorable exchange rate. I also remember having a steak lunch at a very fancy restaurant on Avenida 9 de Julio not far from the obelisk for about $6 US dollars and that’s including the glass of wine. I found it so ridiculously cheap, that i Mr. Big Shot (joking) left a 100% tip yep left 12 bucks on the table I think things have gotten a little more expensive since then, but still that was one mighty good steak. Anyway, I hope you guys aren’t vegetarians, because Argentine beef is considered some of the best in the world. Bon appetit!
Can I replace coconut water with anything else my nephew is allergic