Now is the time to eat strawberries to your heart’s content.

Michelle Dudash, RDN, Registered Dietitian, Chef and Author of Clean Eating for Busy Families, shares a delicious recipe for Real Strawberry Ice Pops!

Strawberries contain just 50 calories per 1 cup serving (8 strawberries), plus 3 g fiber and are an excellent source of vitamin C.

REAL STRAWBERRY ICE POPS

By Michelle Dudash, RDN

My girls love freezer pops and get even more excited when I make them at home. When I involve them in the preparation, they become ecstatic. Even though I buy the most natural pops available at the grocery store, there is still more added sugar on the label than I prefer. With my homemade version, I feel good knowing they’re getting a portion of a fruit serving, with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The girls just know these ice pops are delicious!

1 (1-pound, or 455 g) container strawberries, hulled and halved [about 3 1/2 cups]
2 tablespoons (26 g) granulated raw sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 medium oranges
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the strawberries in a medium saucepan and heat on low. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Roll the oranges on the counter, pressing firmly with the heel of your hand, which will help you squeeze more juice from the orange. Cut the oranges in half and juice them using either an orange press or citrus reamer. Add the pulp and juice to the strawberries. Once hot, turn off the heat and add the vanilla. Using an immersion or stick blender, puree the strawberries until smooth in the pan or use a traditional blender. 

Pour the puree into ice pop molds and chill until frozen, at least 4 hours.

RECIPE NOTE
The key to making these pops naturally sweet is to use strawberries and oranges in their peak season. Strawberries should be at their ripest and reddest, with red running all the way to the stem, smelling fruity and sweet. Sometimes I leave unwashed, bruise-less, dry whole strawberries on the counter for a day to ripen them a bit.

GO GREEN
» California strawberries peak in late spring and summer.  
» Use Cara Cara oranges in the winter and spring when they are super sweet. In the summer, use Valencia oranges.

Total prep and cook time: 20 minutes, plus freezing time • yield: 8 servings, 1 small freezer pop each
Per serving: 55 calories; 0 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 1 g protein; 14 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Clean Eating for Busy Families, revised & expanded.

To learn more, visit www.dishwithdudash.com.