Iron Rations: Healthy Popsicles

I get emails weekly from companies and websites that want to buy ad space, get endorsed via an article, or write guest posts to promote their own content/agenda…

I turn 99.9% of them down.

Why? Because I want only the best for my readers!

While the extra $$$ would be nice, and it would definitely help me out when it comes to bringing all of you fine, upstanding people (and you hooligans too) all the regular content you have grown to love and expect, I feel my reputation is more important.

So when I do find something I feel is worth-while I make sure to let everyone know about it… and this is one of those times!

And that something is Emeals.com, a meal planning service designed to take the guess-work out of your menu.

They create budget friendly menus for you, tailored to your eating style (I highly recommend their Clean Eating, Paleo & Portion Control options), family size, and favorite grocery store. Each week your meal plan is emailed to you, complete with simple and creative recipes for entrees and a side dish.

Along with your meal plan, you receive a detailed grocery list, organized by section and coordinated with the weekly sales at your selected stores (oh, and they also have Vegetarian & Gluten-Free options as well.)

It’s freaking awesome!

Hold on… I can hear you saying “That’s nice Jerd, and I promise to check it out, but what does any of this have to do with delicious popsicles?”

Well since I am already talking about one thing I almost never do, I figure I ought to go ahead and add another rarity into the mix…

Desserts you can cram into your face-holes guilt free.

See, the fine folks at Emeals sent me these great recipes! All I needed to do was figure out the caloric and nutritional breakdowns and then pass them on to all you denizens of the Inter-Google-Tubes… so since I am all about having to do less work than normal, here you go – 3 great popsicle ideas that take almost no time to whip up!

Mixed Fruit Popsicles

These tasty treat clock in at about 61 calories, provides approx .8 grams of protein/2.35 grams of fiber/17 grams of carbs (not to mention a nice little dose of vitamins and minerals), and will last for a while in your freezer.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 Kiwi, sliced
• 1 Peach, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 cup sliced Strawberries
  
• 1/2 cup Blueberries
• 2 cups Vita Coco Coconut Water
  

And a popsicle mold.

Step 1:

Put a little bit of each fruit into the popsicle mold, but don’t pack too tightly.

Step 2:

Pour the coconut water over top, so it barely covers the fruit.

Step 3:

Stick your popsicle sticks in and freeze over night!

Coconut Blueberry Popsicles

These frozen coconut desserts contain about 132 calories, provides approx 4.75 grams of protein/1.25 grams of fiber/21 grams of carbs and will last for a while in your freezer.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1.5 cups Almond Breeze Coconut Milk (unsweetened)
  
• 3/4 cup Chobani Greek Vanilla Yogurt
• 3 tbsp Honey
• 2 tbsp Shredded Coconut
• 1/3 cup Blueberries

And, once again, a popsicle mold.

Step 1:

In a mixing bowl, mix together coconut milk, honey, shredded coconut, and greek yogurt until well combined.

Step 2:

Pour the mixture into your popsicle mold leaving about a half an inch to the top.

Step 3:

Add blueberries into mixture by pushing them down into the mold, spreading them throughout; then fill the remainder of the popsicle mold.

Step 4:

Stick your popsicle sticks in and freeze over night!

Chocolate Nutella Popsicles

Okay, truth be told this is not the healthiest recipe out there… but it’s not terrible either!

Remember, eating healthy is not about making yourself miserable and denying yourself delicious foods. It’s about making smart choices a majority of the time, so that when you do decide to treat yourself it doesn’t sabotage the fitness goals you have set for yourself.

Even if you are being super-strict, these are actually a pretty nice compromise if you want to quell chocolate cravings you might be having as part of a scheduled cheat.

These chocolate hazelnut taste bombs pack 278 calories, provides approx 5 grams of protein/3 grams of fiber/33 grams of carbs and will last a good while in your freezer.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1.5 cups Chocolate Milk
  
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  

And, finally, a popsicle mold.

Step 1:

In a mixing bowl, mix the chocolate milk and hazelnut spread together until well blended.

Step 2:

Fill the mold to the brim.

Step 3:

Stick your popsicle sticks in and freeze over night!

So there you go, three awesome popsicle recipes for you to try courtesy of Emeals.com!

Do you have any quick and healthy dessert recipes to share with the class?

Let me know in the comments below!

Also check out our YouTube channel (if you want access to our Nerd-Core Fitness exercise videos), follow me on Twitter, and like us on Facebook and Google+ (there is content on both not available here on the site.) There are many different ways for you to get your daily dose of Jerdly goodness so don’t miss out!

PS: Make sure to get your free e-book, “The 7 Fitness Obstacles Newbies Face” by subscribing to our newsletter… no spam, I promise!