Easy Mixed Berry Creamsicles

Disclosure: I was given a free Zoku popsicle maker in exchange for my post. However, all opinions here are completely my own.  You know what I hate? Not being able to let Jack run and grab a popsicle from my parent’s fridge with all his cousins. I know, most parent’s would probably love to have some kind of excuse to tell their child they can’t have a popsicle. But let me tell ya, until you’ve had a child who had a food intolerance, you don’t understand, and you may also never understand how excited it is when you find a way to let them enjoy a “typical” childhood treat.

That’s why I’m so excited to tell you about the Zoku Pop Makers today, specifically the Zoku Single Quick Pop Maker, and share our favorite popsicle flavor (which can be used in typical popsicle molds as well.) So, as I said, Jack can’t have popsicles, ice cream, creamsicles, etc. because of his fructose and lactose intolerance. I’m grateful he doesn’t have other food problems (that we know of) but it still is difficult. You should just see his sad, sad face when all his cousins are eating ice cream or popsicles, and he can’t have one. Sure, we could think ahead, and make popsicles that take along time to freeze, or buy dairy free ice cream.

But honestly, I can hardly remember what I had for dinner yesterday…I just don’t know if I can always be counted on to make sure the fridge is always stocked with treats Jack can have. That’s why I love the Zoku Pop Maker. In less than 10 minutes, you can make popsicles, ice cream bars, etc. in a variety of different flavors. So, when all of the sudden, all of the kids are wanting a treat, I can go pull it out of the freezer, and in 10 minutes, Jack has a delicious treat just like everyone else that isn’t going to make him sick! He is so excited when I pull it out. Here are a few pictures of him exploring it himself:   The Zoku pop maker is seriously so easy. It does have to be frozen for 24 hours before use, and only three popsicles can be made with each freeze (Zoku has another product that can make more at once) but it’s awesome. You just make whatever flavor you want, pour it into the machine, and 8-10 minutes later…you have a delicious popsicle!

Every first Sunday of the month, my Grandpa Barker has made homemade ice cream for all the family that lives in town. It’s a tradition that started when my dad was young, and still continues today. It’s something that everyone looks forward to, because there’s truly no other ice cream like my grandpa’s. We were having it at my parent’s house at the beginning of September, and I knew I wanted Jack to have a similar treat. I thought about just letting him have some, but after looking at the ingredients and realizing it was probably one of the worst treats we could give him (so much cream, half and half, and sugar,) I decided to make him a treat of his own.

Lucky for Jack, there are a few fruits he can have. On a fructose-restricted diet, the fruits that are mainly restricted are those that contain more than half of the sugar in the form of fructose. So, he can’t have things like watermelon, mangoes, cherries, etc. However, he can have fruits like strawberries, raspberries, kiwis and citrus fruits in small amounts. Since the homemade ice cream we were having had raspberries, I wanted to make something that was very similar for Jack! This popsicle was so simple, and honestly, tasted a lot like the ice cream we had. I used almond milk, yogurt (which can typically be eaten in a lactose-free diet, as long as there is no whey in the ingredients), raspberries, strawberries, and a dash of vanilla. If you have a dairy allergy, just use a coconut milk-based yogurt instead, such as the So Delicious brand! It froze up in about 8 minutes in the Zoku, and Jack was so happy to be able to have a treat alongside all of our family. And, he ate every lost drop  of it. And let me tell you, I was so happy too.