Piña Colada Ice Pops

During the summer my family loves to get together for Sunday night BBQs and everyone always brings their friends. My mom makes a ton of food, from salads to homemade ices. Everything is always made from scratch and her table is picture perfect.The other week I was in charge of making a vegetable. I made my Eggplant Miso Fries marinade and put it over grilled cabbage. It was incredible! I love how versatile that sauce is. Anyways back to the recipe I am about to share. So, for dessert we usually have fresh cut watermelon, fruit salad and ices. My mom brought out these watermelon tequila ices. Um, yes please! She made them with fresh watermelon, simple syrup and tequila. I knew there had to be a better way. That’s usually how most of my recipes come about. My mom makes something unhealthy and I get thinking. I start asking her a million questions about how she made it and if she thinks this and that will work together. She usually rolls her eyes and says, “you can’t make it without …..(butter) and without…. (sugar).” Then after I create my version it usually goes something like, “Wow, this is actually great! You didn’t use…?!”But for this recipe it was pretty clear there was no need for added sugars and I was already thinking of what flavor combinations I was going to attempt. I am a sucker for all things coconut so I had to go with the classic “Piña colada.” Coconut with fresh pineapple is my favorite thing! I love how this recipe does not require any fancy ice cream maker or molds. All you need are those little 5 oz dixie cups you can find at your local grocery store and popsicle sticks. 

When creating this recipe all I could think about were those Froze Fruit pops I used to get on the beach. And I always picked the coconut flavor – of course I loved the flavor with the most fat and sugar. My favorite part about the ices were the pieces of coconut flakes you would get every time you took a bite. So I made sure to incorporate that into my homemade healthy version along with little bits of pineapple. I used Bai5 Molokai Coconut flavor, which really gave this recipe that tropical coconut feel, along with the frozen pineapple I had on hand, which I usually throw into my smoothie. Pineapple has gotten a bad rep from a lot of “low carb/low sugar” diets but in keeping with the theme “food is medicine”, I’ll break down why pineapple is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods which can help you fight off illness and help repair muscle.Reasons why I love pineapple:

1. Pineapples contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.  
2. Pineapples are also known to help build and strengthen bones because they contain manganese. Manganese is a mineral that your body needs to build bones. 
3. Pineapple is really high in fiber and contains bromeliad which is great for digestion. This enzyme helps break down protein in your body. 
4. They are super rich in vitamin C, which will help ward off colds.

I could not be happier with the way this turned out. It’s a great refreshing treat to serve at your next BBQ. I made them without alcohol but feel free to add rum or tequila! The sweetness from the fruits will play really well with the alcohol. I cant wait to experiment with Bai5’s different flavor combinations!

Recipe:

• 1 bottle Bai5 Molokai Coconut
• 3 cups cubed pineapple – fresh or frozen works 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes plus extra for sprinkling
• 9 – 5 oz dixie cups
• 9 popsicle sticks

1. In a blender or food processor take 1/2 pineapple and chop it up finely. Set aside in a bowl. 
2. In a blender or food processor place the remaining pineapple 2 1/2 cups and 1 bottle of  Molokai Coconut Bai5.  Blend until smooth. Transfer to the bowl with the chopped pineapple. 
3. Mix the chopped pineapple and your coconut pineapple mixture. Add coconut flakes and mix again.
4. Pour your mixture into a measuring cup– this will make it easier to pour into your dixie cups. Evenly distribute mixture into about 9 dixie cups.
5. Sprinkle with additional coconut and place popsicle in the cup sticking up straight. Carefully place your filled cups with popsicles in the freezer.
6. Let freeze for at least 5 hours. When you are ready to serve pop out of the cups.