Patriotic Smoothie Popsicles for 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

In celebration of our country's independence, it's always fun to take the patriotic theme up a notch, so let's do it! Get your popsicle molds ready because it's about to get red, white and blue up in here...

My kiddos and I love making smoothie popsicles by experimenting with different ingredients and throwing them all in the blender. There are so many variations. Want a more smoothie-like base? Try milk or a plant-based mylk to start. Want a thinner consistency? Use water or coconut water. Add fruit (and veggies!) from there + throw in some ice cubes if that's your thing.

Don’t have any popsicle molds? That’s okay! Use only 1 cup of your base liquid and add some ice cubes for a creamier texture. Then put each smoothie side-by-side in a bowl to create a red, white and blue smoothie bowl! Top with berries, banana slices, hemp seeds or coconut flakes to stay on theme ;).

The best part about all of this, is the ingredients are completely within your control, so it’s easy to make tweaks so that they’re allergy-friendly for your particular needs. Check out my recipe suggestions:

Red Pops:

• 1 - 1.5 cups of base liquid

• 1/2 cup of raspberries

• 1/2 cup of strawberries

• Additional Options-

  • Chia or hemp seeds for protein

  • Honey (to desired level of sweetness)

White Pops:

• 1 -1.5 cups of base liquid

• 1.5 cups of frozen pineapple

• 1 banana (frozen if possible)

• Additional Options-

  • 1/3 cup of yogurt (dairy or non-dairy)

  • Hemp seeds

  • Honey (to desired level of sweetness)

  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

  • Top with coconut flakes

Blue Pops :

• 1 - 1.5 cups of base liquid

• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

• 1 medium banana

• Additional Options:

  • 1-2 tsp. blue spirulina (blue majik)

  • 1 small handful of spinach

  • 1/4 avocado (for creaminess)

  • 1 tbsp. sunflower seed butter 

  • Hemp or chia seeds

  • Honey (to desired level of sweetness)

Enjoy and tag me on Instagram in any popsicle photos (@hey_kimk) - I'd love toSubscribe the Hey, Kim K. Newsletter right here! check out your creations! And, let me know in the comments how everything turns out :)

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Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Black bean cookies for the win!

Get ready to be wowed! This cookie recipe was made especially for us by Chef Jessica over at Maui Personal Chef. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I found out about the secret ingredient…black beans!? After sampling many meals made by Chef Jessica, I wholly trust her, so I dove right in.

After reading the recipe, I was stoked to see that the cookies were easy to make - throw everything in a food processor or blender, then just stick the batter on a cookie sheet and pop into the oven. I mean, how simple is that?! When recipes have multiple steps or seem overly complicated, I usually need to give myself a pep-talk first. I’m glad to report that did not happen here! This recipe was more of a confidence builder. Yaaas!

The next (and most important) factor was that when my kiddos tasted the cookies, they had no idea about the beans or lack of the refined sugars you usually find in cookies…AND they wanted more! These are cookies I would make again and again. It feels good to be able to offer my family a healthier alternative to the typical cookie.

So, without further adieu, here’s the recipe:

• 1/2 cup cooked black beans

• 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1 tbsp. ground flax seed

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup allergy-friendly mini chocolate chips

• Coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips and salt in a food processor or blender. Then stir in chocolate chips and form into small balls. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt on top and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy!

Comment below to let me know how the cookies turned out for you!