Frozen orange pops

I would love to tell you the family and I go for a lovely walk every afternoon or bike off into the sunset when the husband gets home from work, but more often than not, we all end up sitting on the deck or inside in front of the TV. And, (gasp) the adults have an adult beverage while the wee tot runs about. It’s not that we’re lazy – we’re just tuckered out. The hubs has been hard at work all day and I’ve been, well, mothering.

So we needed some help changing our bad habits now that the weather was warmer and the days longer. It would be fantastic to be all Hallmark card-ish and pull off some sort of amazing healthy family activity, but I needed some motivation. My waist isn’t getting any smaller with all that sitting around in the evenings – and those late dinners after the wee tot hits slumber land.

(The husband needs some assistance in the “health” area, too.)

I found an article on the Motherboard that brought back those childhood memories of playing outside on long summer nights and the sound of the ice cream man in the distance. We’d all run outside – even the adults – and spend our spare change on cold treats. Everyone would hang out talking and licking up the melted mess.

Those were the days. No one was shuffled around from one activity to the next, we rode our bikes, we ran free around the neighborhood, and often our parents were along for the fun. It seems times have changed – and after reading that Motherboard article, I knew there were other parents out there doing what they could to make happier, healthier families, too.

Consider my butt kicked.

I figured we could start some healthy family traditions, but there needed to be a good reward hiding in the freezer to enjoy after all our hard work, which made me remember my one-time favorite end-of-the-day treat on those hot summer evenings. While the babe was napping, I started planning, and got busy in the kitchen preparing…

Frozen orange push-up pops!

Yeah, I’d love to tell you I found push-up pop molds, but I didn’t. I did come up with a tasty recipe that freezes perfectly in popsicle molds or can be put in the ice cream machine. The minute the husband got home I turned him around and shuffled out the door, strapped the wee tot in the stroller, and we meandered around the neighborhood smiling and waving (actually, the babe did most of the waving). And, after that wonderful walk, we all enjoyed one of those HEALTHY orange pops will sitting on the deck watching the sun set.

If that’s not a Hallmark moment, I don’t know what is.

Ingredients

1-cup plain fat-free yogurt

1/2 cup orange juice

1 Tablespoon orange zest (only if you’ve got a fresh orange hanging about – these pops are just fine without the zest, too)

1-teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon sugar (you could use honey instead)

It’s as simple as putting everything in the blender and giving it a swirl. Then, the mixture can be poured into popsicle molds and left in the freezer for a couple of hours. Or, let the mixture churn in the ice cream maker and put in the freezer – if you don’t eat it all directly from the machine!

*This makes enough for four big popsicles, but if you’re planning on putting the mix in the ice cream maker, you might want to double the recipe.