Even for the most persnickety of kids these Green Ice Pops are a super-sweet, bright green treat!
A complaint I frequently hear from moms is that they can’t get their kids to eat their greens — especially leafy greens. I totally get it. I’ve got one kid who will happily eat steamed beet greens or sautéed spinach and another one who has recently begun saying “BLECH!” right to my face when I offer it to her (I wonder who that little three year-old could be?!). And while Chloe can occasionally act persnickety about certain foods, I’ve discovered ways to encourage her to eat her greens without resorting to trickery.
Cooked greens can be a challenging sell, but maybe it’s a texture thing — not a color thing — because I have surprisingly found raw to be much less of an issue with both of my kids. Whether tossed in a kale salad, blended into a green smoothie, green juice or frozen in these green ice pops, my kids love raw greens. And I let Kenya and Chloe make these pops with me so they know exactly what’s going in them. I want them to know that green food can be scrumptious and getting them involved in the preparation is one of the best ways to do that.
On warm summer afternoons when my kids need a pick me up, these ice pops are the way to go. Made with coconut water which has dehydration-fighting electrolytes, pineapple with all it’s digestive enzymes, and of course tons of nutrient-rich kale, you know your little whippersnapper is going to get their greens and then some. There’s no better way to “lick” a greens aversion than through these pops!
Green Ice Pops, Yes Green
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed kale leaves
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pineapple
- 1 small banana
- 1 cup coconut water
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. The kale will remain in tiny pieces -- that is okay.
- Pour the mixture into ice pop molds and freeze for at least 6 hours and up to 4 months.
- Unmold and serve.
- Note: This also makes a great smoothie if you have any puree leftover. Just pour in a glass and drink up!
- * Collard green, spinach or other leafy greens work as well
I’m allergic to bananas…… Substitutions?
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These are GREAT! I used a rainbow chard, tropical flavored coconut water and added in probiotic powder. So now my son gets a super healthy ice pop and I don’t feel like it’s junk! But, he’ll think it’s ‘dessert’. Thanks!!!
[…] Full Recipe Here […]
[…] Green Ice Pops (made with kale and pineapple, among other ingredients!) From Weelicious. […]
My son is 12 months old and has ice pops. Haven’t tried this specific one yet but I did peas, pineapple and banana. At first he was like what is going on??!! but after a bit of coaxing he ate the whole thing!
Hi! I have twin 11 month olds. Just trying to get ideas for snacks and meals for the “in between” stage. They are not into being fed at this point, but not able to get much into their mouths on their own. Would these popsicles be appropriate for this age? How would you recommend giving them?
Thanks!!
Hi, Melly. One cup = 250 ml.
Hello, My name is Melly mother of 4, from Indonesia.. I really like to try ALL of your recipes, especially the green ice, but im not sure with the measurement. Just how much is a cup? Most of your recipes use “cup” to measure.. Im more familiar with the metric scale..
I ‘just’ happend to come across your sight looking through allyou’, happy I did, you have some great info. I love your ideas, Koodos! From Stephy Mother of 5 in Meriden CT. THANKS ( sick of the same ole’ useless info. we all know! You are the real deal and We look forward to your future thoughts & ideas.
You could use regular water, or a sugar-free/natural juice!
I’m also interested in replacing the coconut water, but only because I intensely dislike the taste of coconut. Any recommendations?
For teething pain, Chamomile tea is wonderful, especially when frozen into popsicle form. The cold soothes the gums as the chamomile calms the child.
I have also soaked a clean cloth in chamomile tea and then frozen the cloth for my kids to chew on when they are having teething trouble.
For best results, make the chamomile tea pretty strong. Boil the water and pour it over the chamomile. Use one half an ounce of herb to a quart of water and let it steep for half and hour to an hour. Add sugar to taste, freeze.
Hi Catherine,
Can you recommend a puree teething pop recipe for my son? How young can I introduce these types of pops? My son is now 11 months and has horrible teething pain.
You could use anything that is juicy! Oranges, kiwis, apples (you might need to blend them longer to get them smooth), strawberries, mango…!
My son can’t eat Pineapple. What other fruit would you recommend using?
Can you make rainbow candy melts peanut butter cups
[…] Green Ice Pops (makes 8 ice pops, depending on the size of your mold) […]
Also, 1 more comment. I have some pop molds, but my little guy (2.5) never finsihes one, too much for him. We made watermelon pops (googled & found a yummy recipe that turned out great…WM, OJ, little sugar) last week & I tried dixie cups. Poured in, froze for about an hour, then inserted craft/popcicle stick. Once frozen, just peeled off the cup. It’s the perfect size for my toddler. I assume dixie cups will work ok for this too? Pre-ordered your book today & got an extra for a gift. Can’t wait! I’m *always* singing your praises Catherine, telling other mom friends about your website. Keep up the great work, You rock! Kim
Hi Catherine. In your daily email recipe, sent 7/17, it said this: ” Here’s the plan: head to your local market and grab and handful of kale — a really big handful. Wash it, stuff it in the blender with some lemon juice and honey, purée, and then pour into ice pop molds”
I’m sorry, but I don’t see what you’re talking about. There is not honey or lemon juice in these pops!
Hi catherine! In the body of the message you mention honey and lemon juice which is different from the posted recipe?? Is that a different recipe? Thx!
Yes!
Can I use frozen pineapple ?
Made these with my son today. He loved making and eating them. We also had them as smoothies this morning, which I really loved.
[…] Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Freeze for about four hours. (Thanks to the Muy Bueno website.) Green popsicles: 1 cup packed kale leaves (or collard, spinach or other leafy greens), 11/2 cups chopped pineapple, […]
[…] Green Ice Pops | Weelicious […]
Hi Kim,
We live in Israel as well, TLV. There are a few organic markets which sell coconut water. Neroli and Eden. I’ve also seen it at “corner markets”. We don’t go to the big chains, supersol and mega, so I’m not sure if you’d find them there.
Great idea….but I am not sure I can get my hands on coconut water (I’m in Israel). Can I replace it with any other liquid?
Made this into smoothies with coconut milk for skinny guy who needs the fat. Super picky toddler loved them.
Smar-art! Greta will eat any green right out of the garden, but put it on her plate and at 19-months she’s already quite skilled at working her way around it. A shake, or better yet a popsicle, that’s an easy sell. Project green pops, begin!
Awesome to hear that Chloe is into these — we have some adults in our house who aren’t into greens that I may try these on!
These are so yummy (and healthy)! After making the green ice pops for my son I drank the rest!
Just made these with the kids (2 and 5) and they loved them. We add greens to our smoothies all the time – I never thought of putting them in pops. Thanks for the great idea!
Also great is the zuko quick pop maker. It freezes pops in 7-10 minutes if you remember to keep the base in the freezer.
Tovolo! http://astore.amazon.com/weelicious-20/detail/B000G34F2U
I am in love with this new site!!
I can’t wait to see if my son will eat these.
What popsicle molds do you recommend?
I am excited to try these. I , too, am curious about good molds to use. Thanks!
I like Tovolo! http://astore.amazon.com/weelicious-20/detail/B000G34F2U
What type of molds do you use. I tried some once and didn’t turn out very well.
Wow the new website is fabulous! So easy on the eyes. I just had one of my daughters read the recipe with me.
“What does it taste like?”
“Pineapple and banana.”
“But it’s GREEN!”
The look on her face was priceless 🙂
Thank you for all of the green ideas you provide. I have 2 anti-green monsters. I absolutely love the new look – all your hard work has paid off!!!
I love your new logo-type, but I miss the illustration of you and your kids. 😉 I guess if they are all grown up now it would be out-dated. But I loved it anyway. What made you decide to use burnt orange instead of brown? I’m sure the design process was long and you are psyched to have your new site up. Congrats!
Oh – and I’m looking forward to trying these green pops!
Yes! Any leafy green, really.
Would this work with spinach instead of kale?
My daughter is allergic to pineapple, what fruit do you recommend to substitute? Thank you!
what a win!!!I love BA. My trip to Argentina was back at the beginning of their ecnoomic woes. I did lots, and lots of shopping due to the very favorable exchange rate. I also remember having a steak lunch at a very fancy restaurant on Avenida 9 de Julio not far from the obelisk for about $6 US dollars and that’s including the glass of wine. I found it so ridiculously cheap, that i Mr. Big Shot (joking) left a 100% tip yep left 12 bucks on the table I think things have gotten a little more expensive since then, but still that was one mighty good steak. Anyway, I hope you guys aren’t vegetarians, because Argentine beef is considered some of the best in the world. Bon appetit!
Can I replace coconut water with anything else my nephew is allergic