This year the kids & I wanted to make homemade popsicles for our special Canada Day treat. Sounds fun, right?! No, really it was! It does take a bit of time to make because every layer needs just over an hour to freeze, but they're really easy to do (as long as you don't fuss too much when cutting the strawberry maple leafs). And this recipe consists of only 4 simple ingredients. 

BONUS - They're healthy too! 

 

It took us a couple of tries to get the right consistency for our liquid mixtures. And we tried  cutting watermelon maple leafs as well, to see which ones would turn out better. The watermelon did not work well because it breaks apart way too easily. Strawberry maple leafs are the way to go. 

 

All you need - Popsicle mold, blender/small food processor, raspberries, strawberries, vanilla yogurt & water. 

 

Makes 10 popsicles

 

 

Start by pureeing three 6oz./170 g containers of raspberries or strawberries (we used raspberries) with 4 tbs (1/3 cup) of water in a blender or small food processor. Once your mixture has turned to liquid, use a jug/container with a spout to pour into mold 1/3 of the way up. I wouldn't recommend pouring from your blender spout. I tried it w/ mine and it was really hard to get the liquid mixture to stay in the center. Try using something smaller instead. Pour raspberry/strawberry mixture in the center of the mold and try not to drip any on the sides. You don't want red showing in your white layer. Use your finger or a paper towel to wipe down any spills on the side of your mold. Put in the freezer and leave for 1 hr. While the 1st layer is freezing, get your maple leaf strawberries and your yogurt mixture ready to go for the next step.

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-Prepare yogurt mixture by mixing 3/4 cups of vanilla yogurt with 1/4 cup (3 tbs) water to thin. Some yogurts might have a thicker consistency than others so add water gradually and stir until your mixture drips out of your spoon in a smooth solid line.

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-Cut the front & back of your strawberries to make them flat. And don't get too fussy when doing the small detailed cuts. This is meant to be a fun and easy activity; plus simple still looks great and people will get the idea. Make sure to use a good knife and make little triangle cuts where necessary in order to make a Canadian flag. Don't forget to make 2 larger angled cuts in 3 triangular sections.

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Ours are not great by any means and I'm sure many of you will be able to do a much better job then we did, but this is what we came up with.