A Favorite Warm Weather Snack

When I was a newlywed in the early 90's, a friend become a Tupperware Lady. I grew to hate Tupperware. It seemed to be a time and money sucking venture.

Having said that, I confess to calling my mother in search of the Tupperware ice pop molds she got back in the 70's. Now where is all this nostalgia leading? To the kitchen of course!

I was searching for a substitution to those skinny plastic bags of sickeningly sweet, brightly colored water, known in our part of the country as freezy pops. Every kid I know loves them. As far as I'm concerned, they are an ecological and nutritional nightmare. That's how my search for my mother's ice pop molds and what to fill them with began.

Obviously you can buy 100% fruit juice and use that to make the ice pops but I found an even more frugal way. The next time you slice a watermelon, canteloupe or any juicy fruit, pay attention to how much juice is left behind when you're done. I discovered there was quite a lot. So I began pouring this leftover juice into the ice pop molds and the kids loved it. It kept us with a ready supply of ice pops all summer and my kids really enjoyed the intense flavors of the real fruit.

You can use a mesh strainer if remnants of fruit chunks will bother your kids. You can also use juice leftover from canned fruits or even that bit of leftover smoothie you thought wasn't worth saving. You can fill the ice pop mold all the way or freeze it a bit at a time to create a multi-flavored pop.