Smarty Summer Treats

By Dana D, Charlotte Smarty Pants

It’s never too early to find a new way to beat the summer heat, right? Last year, I bought BPA free popsicle molds and we have used them all summer! If you haven’t purchased some yet, I highly recommend it! We have made so many different kinds of popsicles and the kids love them. They love the handles and shapes of the molds. You can make natural popsicles free of food colorings, high fructose corn syrup, etc… We freeze smoothies, orange juice and just about anything the boys like to drink.

Here’s an easy suggestion, add orange juice to the mold and then drizzle vanilla yogurt into it. Freeze and viola! There you have our version of the beloved orange creamsicle. See below for a few suggestions on where to buy the BPA free molds. We bought ours from Crate and Barrel last year and it is the Tovolo brand. Unfortunately, they are no longer selling these molds. I did find them on Amazon but they don’t specifically state they are BPA free. They appear to be the same exact molds we have so I would consider it to be a safe option. There are a couple of other BPA free popsicle molds listed below as well.

Tovola molds

Norpro molds

Soft landing molds

On a side note, we have been trying to eliminate all disposable items and one annoying thing was plastic straws. I have found a couple options that have worked really well for us. Again, one of my favorite sites, The Soft Landing, has the perfect solution. By the way, all their products are PVC, BPA and phthalate free. The sip-a-bowls and cups are fantastic! They have a built in straw and this totally eliminates the need for a straw. They are going to be carrying stainless steel reusable straws soon as well. Love these! If you can’t wait then you can buy them on Amazon. They are the Bendy stainless steel straws by RSVP.

Perfect, since they are reusable and BPA free. There are bamboo, paper and glass options as well but I think this is the best choice. I just don’t trust my little ones with a glass straw in their mouths. It makes me cringe to think about it. So you can use the reusable straws for your smoothies at home or a cocktail in the evening. Either way, feel good about beating the heat and limiting what ends up in the landfills. With these two changes in your household you will save money and provide healthy nutritious snacks for your family. You must check out The Soft Landing for an easy, easy site to safely feed your loved ones.
Please share any recipes you have for homemade popsicles that your family can’t do without!

Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM