Blueberry and Yogurt Popsicles

My kids seem to think that a summer day without a frozen treat of one kind or another to cool them off, is a sad day indeed.  This summer, though, I made a goal to try to cut down on artificial colors and preservatives in my family's diet and as part of that I decided that we would make all of our own popsicles this summer instead of buying them.  My kids weren't too happy with my edict at first, but they changed their tune when we started experimenting with popsicle recipes and they got to taste the fruits of their labor first hand!  These blueberry and yogurt popsicles were one of the first ones we tried that got Mom approval with their wholesome ingredients and also got full kid approval for taste as well!

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With all the experimenting we did this summer, I thought it would be fun to dedicate an entire week here at  Recipe Shoebox to sharing a new Frozen Treat recipe each day.   In past years we've made  Root Beer Floats on a Stick , Ice Cream in a Bag, Homemade Magic Shell, and Ice Cream Cake Trifle.    Come back each day this week to find more fun recipes for ice cream treats, popsicles,  and frozen drinks! 

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:


1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt (about 8-ounces)

Directions: 
In medium saucepan, simmer blueberries, water, orange juice and sugar for 10 minutes (the mixture does not need to thicken).  Let mixture cool for 20 minutes, then blend in food processor until smooth.  Stir in yogurt then pour mixture into popsicle molds (or 3-ounce Dixie cups) and freeze until solid.  Makes 6-8 popsicles.   For easier removal from the popsicle molds, you may want to run hot water over the outside of the mold for several seconds. 

Enjoy!

*I highly recommend these Popsicle Molds which I got from Amazon.

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Raspberry Swirl Coffee Cake

This beautiful coffee cake was a tasty way to start a cold winter's morning.  I got the recipe from an old Simple and Delicious magazine where the submitter bragged that it had won the "Best of Show" ribbon at her local fair.  With its raspberry swirls and unique yogurty flavor, it won best of show at our house too!   NOTE:  I've had a couple people ask about using other flavors of yogurt and preserves and while I've never tried it, I think it would be absolutely delicious.  We're trying it later this week with blueberry yogurt and preserves. 

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup (8-ounces) raspberry yogurt ( I used Yoplait 99% fat-free original yogurt)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted (optional)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves, divided
2 Tbs. sliced almonds, toasted (oops, we forgot to do this)

Directions: 
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl, whisk the egg, yogurt, butter, and vanilla until blended; stir in dry ingredients just until moistened.  Stir in the chopped almonds.  (batter will be thick)

Pour into a greased 9-inch springform pan (or just regular 9-inch round cake pan). 

Drop 1/3 cup preserves by tablespoonfuls over batter; cut through with a knife to swirl. 

Sprinkle with sliced almonds (we forgot this step).  Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove sides of the pan if a springform pan was used. 

In a small saucepan, heat remaining preserves until melted; drizzle over serving plates.  Top each with a piece of coffee cake.  (we also skipped this, since I did not care about making it pretty for my kids).  Makes 10 servings. 

Enjoy!

I’m linking up with Cheryl at Tidy Mom for “I’m Lovin’ It Friday”,

and with Kim at Quit Eating Out for her “Saturday Swap”.

Please check them out!!

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