Melon Stripe Ice Pops

I'm two weeks into term one at TIP, and my schedule is jam packed. I love my kids, but I haven't had much free time at all. I realized that I need to spend more time taking care of myself,  so I'm starting the "Tone It Up! Bikini Challenge." It's an 8 week program designed by two trainers from California, Karena and Katrina. The program is actually over, but they posted all 40 challenges online for anybody who wanted to do it again, start over, or who missed it the first time. I would love to do this with you, so please let me know if you're interested in toning it up with me! Here's the link to the program: http://toneitup.com/blog.php?Bikini-Series-If-you-missed-it-5112.

One of the things that Karena and Katrina preach is eating chemical-free. No preservatives and NO artificial sweeteners! Time to cut out the fake sugar and switch to things like honey, agave nectar, stevia, and raw sugar. I saw some recipes for frozen popsicles in Women's Health magazine this month, most of which are 100% natural! I decided to make these fun summery desserts so that I can still have something sweet when cravings strike, without using processed sugar or sweeteners. Plus, they're fruit based, meaning low-calorie and full of nutrients!

P.S. My apologies for the blurry picture. My point-and-click camera was giving me problems.

Melon Stripe Ice Pops

Ingredients: 

1 cup cantaloupe, diced

2 tbsp lime juice, divided

2 tsp honey, divided

1 cup honeydew, diced (I used seedless watermelon instead. I was buying pre-diced fruit, and they didn't have honeydew)

Directions:

In blender, combine cantaloupe with 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 tsp honey. Fill a fourth of each ice pop mold (3.5 oz. each) with cantaloupe and put in the freezer for 1 hour. Set remaining mixture aside (I recommend in the fridge).

In blender, combine honeydew with remaining lime juice and honey. After cantaloupe layer has set, add a layer of honeydew. Freeze for 1 hour. Add one additional layer of cantaloupe and then honeydew, allowing pops to set in the freezer for 1 hour between each layer. After pouring the final layer, insert sticks and freeze for another 4 hours. Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 40 cal; 0 g fat; 11 g carbs; 15 mg sodium, 1 g fiber; 1 g protein

Taste Rating: 6
These aren't bad at all! The lime juice gives them an interesting twist, and they're sweet but not too sweet. The texture is a little icy compared to regular popsicles, but I kind of like it. Definitely a great summer dessert/snack to have around! 

Easy Rating: 7

Ok, so the layers take some patience. They look pretty cool, but unless I'm entertaining with these, I would probably just blend everything together at once and fill the popsicle molds on the first try without having to go back to it. Not that it was incredibly difficult, I just would rather not mess with it. Other than that, these are super simple. I'm becoming obsessed with my blender.

Overall Rating: 7