Spring is here!
Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’d like to share my kids’ favorite warm weather treat, and how I make it low waste. This treat reduces food waste in our home. It also helps me to feed my kids more whole, plant based foods while limiting single use plastic packaging. And the treat is: smoothie pops!
Smoothies in general have reduced my family’s food waste. If someone wants half an apple to eat we can just put the other half in a smoothie. Brown bananas go in the freezer for future smoothies or baked goods. And sad looking greens are often added for an extra dose of nutrition.
Some of our smoothies are better than others, but the less appealing smoothies get turned into pops and are instantly appreciated. Actually, I make big batches of every smoothie so that there’s enough to make pops. There’s just something special about fruit in its frozen form.
I have two freezer pop molds that I got second hand, and I see reusable popsicle molds for sale at thrift shops every time I go in. They’re an easy and inexpensive kitchen addition, and they have more than paid for themselves in the amount of food we’ve saved from being wasted.
Freezer pops are versatile.
I have my kids eat a smoothie pop to distract them while I take splinters out of their skin. I put electrolyte laden drinks in the pops and give them to feverish kids. I also use them as a cool treat when littles are teething. Pops are extremely versatile, and I would definitely recommend them to any family looking to add fun to their summer days without the excess trash.