Tomato Popsicles {Recipe}

It is official! Summer is here! I am excited because this is the time to create memories with my son, enjoy festivals in the park and frolick and play in the water! It is also the time when I pull out my creative juices to develop popsicles that my son and I can enjoy. Making popsicles at home is a great way to ensure my son is eating a sweet treat that is both tasty and healthy for him without any unwanted fillers. This time I wanted to try something a little unconventional and add an ingredient my son says he doesn’t like but I know he’d enjoy in the form of a popsicle - tomatoes!

Tomatoes are currently in season and there is a vast variety available at Walmart (they challenged me and my fellow Walmart moms to share a creative tomato recipe) Did you know that tomatoes contain lycopene which in studies has been shown to reduce the risk of several cancers and heart disease! For my popsicle recipe, I decided to be adventurous and choose NatureSweet Sunburst tomatoes. 

These are naturally sweet tomatoes that are recommended for snacking. I never tried them before and when I popped one in my mouth I realized that I can eat them as a healthy snack anytime. They are tasty!  And here is a tip for you helpful - keep tomatoes out of the refrigerator and direct sunlight to retain freshness of the fruit.

For my recipe I also wanted to use a sweet fruit and I was looking for a honeydew melon but instead found a sundew which actually is a type of honeydew but it is yellow. 

Although I’d never heard of this fruit, I figured I might as well give it a try. I also added some basil, lemon and a bit of agave to my recipe.

Overall I am pretty happy with how the popsicles turned out. I did add a bit too much salt because I’d read that when making popsicles the flavor dulls a bit in the freezer. I added salt to make the flavors pop but I was a little too heavy handed. Next time I’ll add less and I think my popsicles will be perfect. The major success is that I was able to get my son to eat a fruit he says he doesn’t like - tomatoes and he has no idea that they are even in the recipe!

Tomato Popsicles

Ingredients

1 sundew melon

1 container of sunburst tomatoes

Juice of one lemon

5 leaves of basil

pinch of salt

agave to taste

Method

Cut melon in half and remove seeds. Remove meat from the melon and place in blender. Add sunburst tomatoes, lemon juice, basil, salt and blend for 20 seconds. Taste. If the taste is to your liking fill your popsicles molds. If not, add agave until you reach desired flavor then fill. Freeze popsicles for 3 - 4 hours. ENJOY!