Blueberry Banana Pops

What kid doesn't love popsicles in the summer heat? I wasn't super excited about the amount of sugar and additives in store-bought popsicles, so I looked for some recipes online.




Most of the recipes I found had sugar, or called for straining out the skins on the blueberries. Since so much of the good stuff is in those skins, I came up with my own (much simpler) version.





Add the following to a blender:

8 oz plain yogurt
1 banana
A handful or two of blueberries
A squirt or two of honey

Blend everything up, and pour into popsicle molds. (You'll get about four regular sized popsicles.)

After that, it's just a matter of chasing your child around the house with paper towels to catch all the drips!

My First Recipe Post

I don't think I've ever posted recipes before, but with some of the new things I'm trying, I thought--why not share?

I feel like I've been dieting since Wiggle Man was born, with little success. I really didn't have so much of a problem with weight gain while pregnant--it was weaning him onto a bottle that killed me. Or rather, my waistline.

I tried going back to jogging, but something has gone terribly wrong with my foot, and I can hardly get down the road without extreme pain. I tried limiting what I ate. I tried SlimFast. I've tried various workout programs. Everything has worked a little--nothing significant, though.

So, I've decided to change my thinking a little bit. Instead of focusing on shrinking my waistline, I'm going to spend my time thinking about keeping me and my family healthy. If I get smaller as a result--fabulous. If not, well, that's ok, too.

So, besides making sure that Wiggle Man (and Mommy) spend lots of time playing outside, I've started introducing some healthier recipes to our menu.

Steel Cut Oats

I've been turned on to these thanks to MckMama, who often shares her healthy recipes. I like the texture of these better than regular oatmeal. I love these with some light granola on top (I like Bear Naked Fit ) with some honey drizzled on top.

Veggie Couscous

While this is a form of pasta, it's super yummy and filling, and a great way to sneak in some veggies. I cook the couscous according to the package directions. (Chicken broth makes a great substitute for water.) While the couscous is cooking, I saute up some veggies in olive oil. You could use whatever you have on hand--I like broccoli and sweet red peppers. Stir it all together, and you've got a great side dish, or (in my case) a big bowl of dinner.

Turkey Burgers

You might be thinking you don't like turkey burgers. Use regular ground turkey. There is no point using 99% lean ground turkey if it's going to make a burger so dry that you'll never eat another turkey burger. I like to add rosemary (chopped, so your husband doesn't ask what "those twig thingies" are) shredded apples, onion flakes (I hate chopping onions--they're evil) and salt and pepper.

Hubba Hubba tells me they don't grill as well as regular burgers. You can try drizzling them in olive oil, or doing these in a pan on the stove.

Put those babies on a whole wheat roll with some pickles, and you're good to go.

I'm also trying to use honey more often as a sweetener (it's sweeter than sugar, so you can use less). I stir flax seed into our yogurt and applesauce, and try to snack more on nuts. These are my baby steps to keeping my family healthier. There's a lot more I'd like to do, but I'm starting with small changes.

Baby steps. Turkey burgers today, whole organic foods tomorrow. Or next year.