Start your morning off with cool breakfast popsicles

Cody Powell-McClintick

With all of the stress we accumulate throughout our busy days, it is imperative that we begin our day with a healthy breakfast.

Breakfast popsicles are a new and creative breakfast idea that shifts from the typical coffee and bagel. If you are in the mood for a breakfast smoothie, but would possibly rather have some dessert instead, the breakfast popsicles fit the bill.

In fact, the breakfast popsicle is actually a frozen fruit smoothie. It provides a new twist to help make breakfast exciting and healthy.

There are two of my own recipes for the breakfast popsicle: A blueberry, apple and vanilla Greek yogurt, as well as a strawberry, banana, almond and vanilla Greek yogurt version.

For a fresh and healthy option to the routine breakfast, breakfast popsicles are your weapons of choice for defeating the challenges of the day.

Breakfast Popsicles

Serves: 6

Total cook time: 20 minutes for prep, 6-8 hours in freezer

2 cups blueberries

1 cup applesauce

6 tablespoons fat-free Greek vanilla yogurt

2 cups ice

1 banana, sliced

6 strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup almonds

6 popsicle molds

Blueberry popsicle

Have a blender at the ready to finely blend the ingredients. Take one cup of the blueberries and pour into the blender.

Next, add the applesauce, three tablespoons of Greek yogurt and combine with the other ingredients.

Finally, add one cup of ice to thicken the smoothie and blend the ingredients for 20 seconds. Once the sounds of ingredients blending have quieted down and the mixture is at a smooth consistency, the smoothie is ready.

The smoothie should be creamy and have the consistency of a milkshake, but for a less thick smoothie, cut down on the amount of yogurt.

To create the popsicles, take three of the six popsicle molds and pour the smoothie into the three molds. Fill to the top and cover with the stick lid.

Place on the mold palate and set in the freezer. Allow to freeze overnight. In the morning, remove the popsicles from the freezer and run the palate underneath hot water for about seven to 10 seconds to remove the molds easier.

Remove the molds, and enjoy these sweet morning treats.

Strawberry banana popsicle

Begin with the banana and chop into small slices. Place all the slices in the blender. Slicing of the banana allows for a smooth and rich texture to the smoothie. Slice six strawberries and throw them into the blender.

Take the remaining three tablespoons of Greek yogurt and combine with the ingredients. The yogurt helps thicken the smoothie while also adding a sweet vanilla flavor.

Add almonds, which are very high in protein and vitamin E, into the mixture to help thicken the texture.

Lastly, combine one cup of ice to the mixture and blend. Blend for roughly 20-30 seconds for this smoothie because the almonds take a bit longer to become finely chopped.

When the blending is finished, take the remaining three popsicle molds and pour the completed smoothie. Place the molds on the palette and freeze overnight.

Once ready to eat, repeat the process with the blueberry popsicles and run hot water over the molds to allow for easy removal.

These strawberry and banana popsicles, which are full of nature’s most nutritious vitamins, are sure to start your day off with a smile. They are guaranteed to start your day off in a supremely healthy direction and will keep your taste buds happy and screaming “Yum.”

Cody Powell-McClintick can be reached at [email protected]