Banana Date Popsicles

It has never really occurred to me before to make my own popsicles, probably because I'm not really much of a popsicle-eater in the first place.  I much prefer smooth, creamy ice cream or frozen yogurt over hard, messy popsicles.

This year though, there seems to be more and more recipes for homemade popsicles popping up on blogs, and I was surprised to see that you can create beautiful, tasty, and healthy popsicles at home with often only a few ingredients.  So when I saw a popsicle mold for only two dollars at the grocery store, I went for it!

Surprisingly, for my first adventure in popsicle making I didn't choose a bright and beautiful strawberry or mango popsicle recipe, but a recipe that used dates as the main ingredient.  I happen to like dates and was intrigued by the idea of using them in a healthy, creamy popsicle that was different from a lot of the fruit-based recipes out there.

I still ended up adding some fruit in the form of banana because I thought it would pair well with the dates, and I used vanilla Greek yogurt along with some added vanilla extract and cinnamon for flavour.  I used coconut milk beverage as the liquid because that's what I had in the fridge at the time, but I bet these would be even better with vanilla almond milk. 

I'm happy to report that my first-ever popsicle experiment was a huge success!

The main taste in them was definitely banana, but they were nicely spiced from the cinnamon, and the vanilla and dates added the perfect touch of sweetness.  I only made five popsicles and went through them pretty quickly!  I loved being able to grab a homemade popsicle from the freezer for a healthy but satisfying dessert, knowing exactly what ingredients were in it.

Now that I've christened my popsicle mold, I can't wait to break it in some more with lots of other flavours!  My goal this summer is going to be to try to always have some healthy popsicles ready to eat in the freezer, and to try to resist the temptation to buy every other type of mold out there!  I saw some rocket pop molds at the store the other day and had to try reeeally hard not to add them to my cart! 

You can probably expect to see many more popsicle recipes here this summer, but if you can't wait, I've started a Pinterest board of frozen treats with some of the recipes I've been eyeing!

Banana Date Popsicles with Cinnamon & Vanilla

Based on these date shake popsicles from Whole Living

Makes 5 popsicles

Ingredients:

 

10 pitted dates

1/2 cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt

1 large ripe banana, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup milk – I used coconut milk but almond milk or dairy milk would also work

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Soak dates in hot water for about 5 minutes to soften them, then remove from water and chop them into very small pieces.  Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into 5 popsicle molds and freeze.

Note: I had just barely enough mix to fill 5 standard popsicle molds so you may want to add a touch more yogurt and milk to the mixture to make sure there is enough, depending on the size of your popsicle molds.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Lentil Granola Bars

Yep, you read that right, there are lentils in these granola bars - but don't turn away just yet, I promise that they're amazing!

Canadian Lentils is holding a recipe contest for Canadian bloggers; to enter, you have to create a new and unique recipe using lentils. A few years ago, I thought that lentils were a strange, gross food that only health nuts like my sister ate. Of course, I had never actually tried them, and once I did, my opinion changed completely. Not only are lentils delicious, but they're incredibly versatile, very easy to prepare, and really good for you!

I love eating lentils in the usual dishes like curries, dals, and soups, but for this contest I wanted to use lentils in a dish that wouldn't typically have them. Since I've also been wanting to make my own granola bars for quite a while now, I decided to see if I could kill two birds with one stone by trying my hand at granola bars for the first time AND incorporating lentils into them!

I decided to make peanut butter granola bars because I love peanut butter, then I threw in some dates for sweetness and almonds for crunch, along with a touch of honey and vanilla for flavour.

I had no idea if lentils would taste good in granola bars and I was worried that because I wasn't working from an existing recipe, they would turn out with a strange texture or taste. Well, I was wrong - they turned out so much better than I could have expected! The first time I made them, they were a little too much on the soft side, so I increased the oats the next time and they were perfect. I would eat these over store-bought granola bars any day!

The peanut butter is definitely the predominant flavour in these, but you also get just the right amount of sweetness and crunch from the add-ins. These are a soft granola bar, but they're still sturdy enough to hold up as a bar. I love the soft and chewy texture of these because it makes them so different from the dried-out, hard granola bars I often get from the store.

You can't even taste the lentils in them either - I tried giving one to an unsuspecting taste-tester and she couldn't tell there were lentils in them, even after I told her they're in there. But even though you don't taste them, you still get to enjoy knowing you're getting all the benefits of lentils, including fiber, protein, and lots of other good things!

The best part about these is how easy they are to make! Other than the cooking time required for the lentils (which isn't long and is hands-off), all you have to do is mix a few things in a bowl, press the mixture in a pan, and that's it! For just a little work (and not much money either), you can get a big batch of healthy granola bars to eat throughout the week!

I liked these so much that I made a new batch as soon as I'd finished eating the first one, and I have a feeling I'll keep doing so for a while! I haven't experimented much with other add-ins yet, but I think there's a lot you could do with this recipe to make it suit your tastes!
Back to the Canadian Lentils Recipe contest I'm entering these granola bars in, part of the judging criteria is how much of a response the post elicits from readers, so if you like the sounds of this recipe, leave a comment below - tell me about your favourite lentil recipes, granola bar recipes, or anything you want! I'd love to hear from you and you'd help me out in the contest! If you're too shy to leave a comment, you can also head over to the Canadian Lentils Facebook Page and 'like' my post on their wall - and while you're there, you can also check out all the other delicious entries in the contest!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Lentil Granola Bars

Makes 10 granola bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried red lentils
1-3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter, such as almond butter)
1/2 cup finely chopped dates (or other dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins)
1/4 cup chopped almonds (or other nut, such as pecans or peanuts)
1 tablespoon honey (or other sweetener, such as agave or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Pick through lentils to remove any debris, then place in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly in cold running water. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 1 to 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the water has absorbed and lentils are cooked through. Transfer lentils to a bowl and mash with a fork (they may already be slightly mushy as red lentils don’t hold their shape as well when cooked). Let cool slightly.

Add oats, peanut butter, dates, almonds, honey, and vanilla to the bowl. Mix thoroughly until well combined (you may find it easier to use your hands). If you like sweeter granola bars, you may wish to taste the mixture and add more sweetener if desired.

Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper. Transfer lentil mixture to the pan and press with your hands into an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, then slice into bars (cut in half, then cut each half into 5 bars). Keep bars wrapped in the refrigerator.