Ice Pop Joy: Organic, Healthy, Fresh, Delicious Recipe for Frozen Treats

My 1.5 year old daughter loves ice pops, but I felt incredibly guilty giving her sugar-laden ones that I bought at the store (once or twice I've given her the Edy's Acai Blueberry ones which are very tasty and actually made with real fruit - but sugar is still pretty high up there on the ingredient list). Ice Pop Joy is the perfect solution for moms who want to give their kid a yummy treat, but also want to try to make it healthy. Just made my first batch - Summer Splash Tofu (strawberries, blueberries, silken tofu, oj, flaxseeds and honey). Super easy to make - it probably took 10 minutes total. I was a little worried that the flaxseeds might be overpowering when I licked the spatula after cleaning out the blender (they have a very toasty flavor), but I think the frozen pops taste great. OK, I might prefer Edy's, but these are great considering how much healthier they are. I might add a little lime juice next time as I think a little more acidity could help - but that could be my fault as my measurements weren't really precise - the recipe makes 24 oz, but I added a little extra to fill all my popsicle molds (10 3oz pops - this one  Norpro Ice Pop Maker ). Can't wait to try another recipe. They all look good.As a side note, I love the recipes and the photography is gorgeous--my daughter even loves flipping through the book herself. However, the author is a little preachy for my taste. I'm pretty into being green and eating organic foods and all that (we cloth diaper, belong to an organic veggie CSA, etc.), but even I find her tone to be a little much. For example, in the recipe for the Green Machine pop, which features spinach and is pretty high on my list of what to make next, she says that you *should* grow your own spinach ("if possible") and get your kid involved. That's a nice idea and all, but, I mean, come on. And yeah, every mom knows about the whole bpa thing - I don't need to be beat over the head with it every time I turn around. If you have an infant, some of that info might be new and useful, but who the heck is going to give their infant an ice pop?

My teenage daughter and I have been having great fun making the recipes in Ice Pop Joy.Today we tried "Happiness" and they were divine. I don't have some of the ingredients on hand that are called for in the recipes, but we have substituted essential oils, which we always have on hand since I am an aromatherapist. They have worked wonderfully! For instance, I don't have Peppermint Extract but I do have pure Peppermint essential oil. So we used just one drop in the "Happiness" pop. It was perfect and oh so delicious. It's our favorite so far, followed closely by "Pure Sunshine".I tried to buy Meyer lemons for one of the recipes but the store was out-of-stock at the moment. We couldn't wait so we used Lemon essential oil instead in the "Pure Sunshine" pops and we loved them - very refreshing! Just be sure to use pure, high quality essential oils."Lavender Flower Power" is interesting and has grown on me. My kids don't like it as much. I used lavender essential oil in this one instead of the extract."Citrus Cooler" was yummy. The kids liked it and said it reminded them of an Orange Julius. (used 1 drop lemon essential oil)"Peace Pop" I agree with the earlier reviewer. The carrot was a bit strong. Added the lot to a fruit smoothie (minus the sticks of course).I liked the "Island Breeze" pop. Maybe a little dry, but still very good. (used 1 drop lime essential oil)I checked out this book from the library but am buying it because we are looking forward with anticipation to trying more of the recipes.I really like the abundance of healthy ingredients in these pops, including the use of unrefined natural sugars. We have looked at several Ice Pop books and this is our favorite. Not only are the recipes easy and nutritious, they are also delicious! Thanks for a great book! Norpro Ice Pop Maker  This is a great mold for ice pop making.

My kids and I are in love with this book. So much so that I purchased a second for my Sister-n-law for her birthday. We are working our way through the book and have not found a recipe we didn't love. The kids also enjoy that I allow them to have an Ice Pop with their breakfast some mornings because with that much nutrition packed into each one, there is no reason not to! I highly recommend this for yourself as well as for a gift!

I gave this to my daughter for Christmas. She was so excited to try them. She loves fruit and herbal teas and was excited that the recipes were more geared to healthy foods. She liked the fact that they were not all sweet gooey treats for kids but didn't have a lot of recipes that use alcohol and liqueur as other books of the same nature. Very pleased!

I bought this for my niece for a present along with an ice pop tray. The book is very good, has a lot of pictures and the recipes are great. My niece has tried many of them and loves them all so far.

My kids and myself love this book