I don’t know what the weather is like in your neck o’ the woods (or beach, mountains, or desert), RMT’ers, but boy, oh boy, summer is here, for sure!

With that, I wanted to remind everyone of a fun and refreshing summertime/ hot weather activity to do with the kids: make homemade ice pops! It’s so easy to do and so easy for the mini-pops (i.e., kiddos) to help. Here’s what I do… well, here’s one recipe anyway (there will likely be more posted as summer rolls on)…

Watermelon Strawberry-Lemonade Homemade Ice Pops

Hands-on Time: 5-10 min. + Freezing Time (which varies depending on your freezer or ice pop machine)

Ingredients:

– 8 oz. Trader Joe’s Strawberry-Lemonade juice (or any brand this flavor)

– 4 oz. water (to dilute juice)

– 3 quarter-slices seedless watermelon, skinned, cubed, and ready for the mini-chopper or blender

– 6 strawberries, hulled, quartered, and ready for mini-chopper

– 3 additional strawberries, hulled and halved (6 total halves)

– Blender or mini-chopper

– 6 3-4 oz.-sized, freezer-ready ice pop molds, or automated ice pop machine that makes 6 pops

Directions:

1. Take a 2 c.-sized liquid measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring; mix juice and water together (should only fill to around ¾ c.).
2. Take the cubed watermelon and the quartered strawberries and chop/ blend to a slush (not too liquefied but not too chunky either).
3. Drop a strawberry ½ into each ice pop mold (should set at tip of each mold).
4. Mix slurry of chopped fruit into juice (should fill pouring vessel to about 1½ c.).
5. Fill each ice pop mold as directed (I always leave about ½ in. room at top for displacement of stick). Because of the strawberry half in each mold, only 2-3 oz will fill per pop depending on size of molds used. Also do not worry if you have mix leftover, just drink it or cover/ reserve in refrigerator to make more pops later (within 5-7 days).
6. For freezer-set ice pop molds, set sticks/ lids on and freeze as directed; for ice pop machines please follow instructions of your gizmo.
7. Remove ice pops from molds (as instructed) when you’re ready to enjoy your summertime treats!

TIP: don’t have fancy-schmancy ice pop molds? Then go for it with 5-oz. sized Dixie-brand or other paper cups, Popsicle-style sticks, and plastic wrap. At Step 5 above, fill the cups 3/4 full, seal tops with the plastic wrap, and poke a hole into center of wrap and insert stick so it stands straight-ish up (if putting a piece of the whole fruit in the pop, poke stick into that below to help with keeping your sticks straighter). To remove your pops once frozen, remove wrapping from tops of the cups and peel away paper cups to reveal your new-found icy-goodness.

Of course, you can use pretty much any mix of juice and fruit you think would taste good. Just remember to dilute-down any store-bottled juices due to added sugar content.

Hope this helps you all stay cool this summer!