When the city turns into a heat sink, frozen treats are a must.
I was never into the popsicles with “flavours” that are really just sugar and different colours (although I pretended to like them because I didn’t want the other kids to think I was weird), but those ice cream bars you could get from the cart were always a welcome treat. Mostly because ice cream is so good. Right? How?!?
I haven’t eaten ice cream in ages. Well before I discovered my dairy allergy, ice cream was one of those things that made me immediately congested, and I have a number of dairy-eating friends with the same issue. All that richness and processed sugar just doesn’t feel as good later as it does on the way down.
But what if there was an ice cream bar that tasted amazing and made you feel good? Friends, I am here to tell you that IT EXISTS. And I made it.
People always make fun of me and say, “Sure, Jo, it tastes good to you, but you only eat weird healthy stuff.” As in, I don’t know what real good food tastes like. So in case you are all saying that to your screens right now, I will tell you that this is formerly-picky-fiancé-approved. He said it tasted surprisingly creamy and delicious and not at all like spinach, and then proceeded to eat the whole thing without offering me a lick. So there. I strive to reach this standard with every recipe. (He has yet to try sauerkraut, but baby steps here. He did, shockingly, eat my beet-apple-kale salad multiple times the second time I made it, after having no interest in trying it the first time around.)
Aside from being completely satisfying and refreshing, there are a whole bunch of health bombs inside this dessert. For starters, there is an insane amount of spinach considering it’s a popsicle. I know I stress the importance of eating dark leafy greens in pretty much every blog post, and this is yet another way to get them into your diet—in a dessert! I’m not even going to say anything about spinach because everyone else has already said it better than I ever could. Just take a look at all those nutrients.
There are also plenty of healthy fats from avocado and coconut in these pops, which help to nourish you and actually make you feel full; it’s not your run-of-the-mill sugar-water pop. On that note, raw honey is the sweetener and, since it never gets heated, you keep all of the benefits that come with it. I particularly love local raw honey for its ability to combat pollen allergies, but here are 8 things that make it great.
One last thing: there are chocolate chips, and chocolate is good for you. It makes you happy. It does have iron, magnesium and plenty of antioxidants, but let’s face it. We eat it because it makes us smile.
Mint chocolate chip ice cream pops
Prep Time 10 mins
Freezing time 6 hrs
Course: Dessert
Keyword: chocolate, dairy-free, dessert, egg-free, frozen treat, gluten-free, grain-free, greens, nut-free, paleo, popsicles, spinach, vegan, vegetarian
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 cup fresh spinach loosely packed
1 small avocado or ½ a large one
1 400ml can full-fat coconut milk
2½ Tb raw honey
¾ tsp peppermint extract
3 Tb junk-free mini chocolate chips
Pinch sea salt
Instructions
In a high speed blender, blend all ingredients except the chocolate chips until completely smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
To release from the popsicle molds, just run under hot water for a few seconds until they slide out.
Notes
This recipe filled 6 of these popsicle molds, which are 3 ounces each, or 2¼ cups in total.
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