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Cool off with these intense chocolate + cherry-studded popsicles! They’re packed with antioxidants + nutrients from over a dozen fruits & veggies.

The past few weeks here in New York have been one big massive heatwave, and I for one am over it.

Between the heat and the humidity (and the broken air conditioning in my car), my family has been all about the icy cold snacks.

And as much as I’d love to eat ice cream every single day, that’s not exactly something I should be indulging in all the time.

So when I got these super cute Mod Pops popsicle molds from Zoku and an assortment of powdered greens from my friends at Barlean’s, I knew that healthier popsicles were totally going to happen.

Fresh cherries have been on sale at my local supermarket lately, and they’ve been so juicy and sweet that I’ve been stocking up every time I go shopping.

I figured I’d do a riff on one of my all-time favorite ice cream flavors, Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. Me and my mom used to get our own individual pints of Cherry Garcia, grab spoons, and dive in while watching movies together.

We both loved the flecks of chocolate and chunks of cherries buried in the ice cream.

So, so good.

I decided to make these popsicles healthier than your standard frozen treat by using fresh fruit along with some dark chocolate, almond milk, plain yogurt, and an extra boost of goodness from Barlean’s Chocolate Silk Greens Powder.

The chocolate in the powder is super smooth and is loaded with antioxidants from fair-trade cocoa along with nutrients from more than a dozen fruits and veggies. It’s non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, dairy free, and vegan, to boot.

AND it contains natural plant fiber from chicory and flaxseed.

My husband and son both have lactose issues, so having options like this at home is awesome. I can make chocolate milk with a nice nutritional boost, and it won’t bother their stomachs.

For the popsicles, I used almond milk as the base along with some plain, whole milk yogurt. Both of them are able to eat yogurt because of the live and active cultures, and I figured it’d make these popsicles a bit creamier.

My kiddo was suuuuper excited to help me assemble these popsicles. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have even caught him learning to use a cherry pitter for this recipe!

To make these popsicles similar to Cherry Garcia, I wanted to chop up the cherries and some chocolate so each frozen pop would be studded with chunks of both.

We went pretty heavy on the chunks, and it worked out really well. You could skip the chunks altogether if you want a smoother popsicle experience.

Just be sure to stir the liquid a little with the stick once you pour it into the molds and knock the molds down against the counter a few times to get the liquid to fill all the gaps and crevices in between all those solid bits.

I asked my son if he wanted to do only chunks of cherries, or if we should also blend some up with the base, and he voted for blending.

Hey, it’s the best of both worlds!

It was a great addition to the chocolate powder, and made the liquid a really pretty color!

Assembling the sticks for the Zoku molds was super simple – the handle just snaps right into the base. Once you add your ingredients into the molds up to the fill line, you snap the handles into place and pop ’em into the freezer until set – usually at least 8 hours.

This was a super fun summer project for me and my son to work on together, and he’s already excited about making new and unique flavors for our next batch!

I told him we can also make each one a different flavor – it doesn’t all need to be the same stuff! Variety is the spice of life and all that jazz, right?

I like the convenience of having the popsicles individually sealed. You can easily place them all onto a tray or bucket of ice and let them chill out (pun totally intended) until people are ready to eat them.

And bonus points for being reusable! I love finding more and more ways to cut down on kitchen waste (and I have a post in the works on that topic, so stay tuned!).

We will most definitely be making more icy cool treats in the very near future!

The froth from the blending of the powder mixture gave these popsicles a fun layered look. The texture is a little icy, likely from the almond milk, but it didn’t bother us one bit.

The Zoku molds are BPA and phthalate free, and come with little drip guards that work great if your kiddo doesn’t hold his popsicle sideways while he eats it.

Ahem.

I also really liked the sleek design of the piece that holds all of the popsicles in the freezer. I have limited space in my kitchen, and it slid nicely between items in my super-packed freezer with minimal freezer Tetris skills required.

All in all, these Black Forest Popsicles were a huge hit! They’re just as tasty as a black forest cake or a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream without the guilt!

What’s your favorite frozen treat? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!

Looking for more dessert recipes? Check out some of our favorites:

Note: This post includes affiliate links for items that I genuinely enjoy. Big Flavors will receive a tiny commission from purchases made through affiliate links on this site at no added cost to you. This allows us to cover site-related expenses and helps to keep us cooking up a storm!

Sometimes the simplest games are the absolute best games.

Right?!

If you have a bag of marbles then you have an open invitation to play, engineer and create so many different amazing things. After making our own marble game we started looking into all the fun things that folks are playing with simple marbles. We have put together a MEGA list of marble games for kids.

What are you waiting for? Go and round up a bag of marbles to play with today.

Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls shares how to make an epic marble run from cardboard
Use LEGO to make a marble maze with Mama.Papa.Bubba.
Homespun Threads shares how to turn pool noodles into a marble race track

Build a living room sized marble run like Buggy and Buddy
Make a geo-board style marble maze with The Creative Homemaker
Play a game of “can you get the marbles in the hole?” from Kitchen Counter Chronicles

The Pinterested Parent made a marble run inside a cardboard box
Learn about incline planes with this adjustable marble run from Preschool Kit
Learn how to play a simple game of marbles with Persil

Kids Craft Rooms shares how to paint a rainbow with marbles
Let the kids get creative painting with marbles from The Artful Parent
Transform marbles into beautiful jewelry with How Does She?

As you can see the possibilities are endless. What will you build or create with marbles today?

Related Posts

Check out our collection of Dr.Seuss inspired games & activities

Fun activities to do with your tween over spring break or summer vacation

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Source: https://www.kitchencounterchronicle.com/mega-list-ways-to-play-with-marble-games-kids/

A couple of days ago, my husband came back from a business trip to Europe and an agreeable, though extremely short, one to Algeria where he visited our family and feasted on some of our beloved, dearly missed dishes that we can’t find or have difficulties duplicating here in Michigan due to the lack of ingredients. While most of our cooking is based on spices, fresh seasonal vegetables and grains, most of them widely available in the US, some more regional recipes are based on local herbs, techniques and just the heritage of our cherished native country.

Mexicans have Mole and Algerians (mostly Eastern part of the country) have M’loukhiya. While all Mole preparations begin with chili peppers, M’loukhiya (which in Ancient Egypt means “for kings and nobles”) is made using the leaves of Jute, removed from the stem and ground to a fine powder. It is cooked with olive oil, lamb, beef or chicken, garlic, fresh bay leaves, dried mint leaves, ground caraway and coriander and other spices. While the meat and garlic and spices are cooking, jute powder is mixed with water or broth and slowly poured into the meat mixture. M’loukhiya simmers until it thickens to a smooth mole like sauce, between 5 to 7 hours. And though the smell can be quite strong and reminiscent to some people to Henna, it is simply exquisite, with complex flavor that only calls for a crusty French baguette and a hungry stomach. Algerian and Tunisian M’loukhiya is different from Egyptian and Middle Eastern M’loukhiya where they use a different variety and the whole leaves of Jute. I might see Indian stores if they have the same variety of Jute to recreate this recipe at home.

I know what you’re thinking: spaghetti and meatballs? The dish in itself is one of a kind, but look closer to the dish and you will see Merguez sausages. Merguez is childhood memories, summer sandwiches at the beach, lazy dinners with tomato sauce and poached eggs. Merguez is Algeria: warm, bold, irresistible and memorable. While my husband makes killers Merguez at home, It can be a hassle to make them using the sausage maker attachment of our Kitchen Aid and I simply miss the convenience of just walking to the butcher and pick up some Merguez sausages for dinner.

Towards the end of 2018, I met with an inspiring individual that I met shortly after we moved back to Indianapolis after living in Denver. We talked about many things, but something that stuck out to me was the idea of living intentionally.

Not that I thought I wasn’t living intentionally, but truthfully I hadn’t given the idea much thought.  This friend challenged me to journal for 30 days to see what thoughts, ideas and values came up.  At first, I found it a bit challenging and didn’t know what to write about.  It wasn’t long after starting the exercise that I found my rhythm and had more thoughts to pour onto paper than I knew what to do with.  The common and resounding theme of my writing, goals, values, and dreams was to be more intentional. 

Since then, the theme of intentionality has been popping up everywhere in my world – on book covers, magazine articles, instagram posts, in conversations with friends and family…literally everywhere.

My word for 2019 is:

Intentional

In honor of being more “intentional in 2019, I have set four overall intentions to help guide me to live the life I want to live.

While this is how I am choosing to be more intentional, there are SO many ways you can add a little more intentional living into your day:

• Planning meals for the week before creating a grocery list
• Limiting screen time during meals or when with loved ones
• Establishing a morning or bed time routine
• Planning get-togethers with friends or family
• Talking with friends or family on the phone rather than texting

Those are a few ideas to get your juices flowing, and here are my four intentions for 2019 and how I plan to work on each one.

Be Intentional

• Start most mornings with a 5 minute meditation.
• Continue working through Duolingo to learn French (I’ve been working on this inconsistently over the past year and have made quite a bit of progress, but want to make even more progress!)
• Put my phone away during meal times, especially when dining with others.
• Work on listening when conversing with other people, a skill I really have to be mindful at!
• Spending time with friends and loved ones.  It’s easy to say “let’s get together!” but with the way life is, if we don’t actually put a date on the calendar plans don’t actually happen.  This is another thing Brian and I have been working on over the past year or so, and we want to continue to improve in this area.
• Being more present and a little more go with the flow.  I’m a pretty structured and disciplined person, but this year (and every year) I am working on being in the moment.

Be Thankful

• Tell someone I love them every day.
• Tell those around me thank you and that I am thankful for them.
• Focus on the things I have rather than what I don’t have yet or what I want (I am thankful Brian and I can live with his parents while our home is being renovated!)
• Write another list of things that make me thankful at Thanksgiving time.

Be Rested

• Be in bed and resting my 9pm at the latest.  I am an early to bed, early to rise girl and always feel my best when I keep this habit.
• Limit phone time in the evenings and in bed.  I am setting up the new time settings on my phone to give me some limits here.
• Listen to my body and sleep in when necessary.  
• Remember that periods of rest are just as important as periods of hustle and grind. Neither can be done 100% of the time.

Be Inspired

• Cook from my favorite cookbooks and blogs.  This includes checking books out from the library, especially while we are living with my in-laws and many of my personal favorites are currently stored in a pod.
• Meet with people who are new and interesting to me in person.
• Enjoy trying new foods and flavor combinations while traveling and at restaurants.
• Read! Books, articles, magazines, anything I find interesting.  My personal goal is to attempt to read 10 pages a day of something.
• Practice my music – I studied vocal performance in my undergraduate degree and singing just makes me feel GOOD!
• Listen to podcasts that inspire me while walking the dogs, cleaning, driving, running, etc.

Your Turn!

• Do you set intentions, goals or a word for the new year?
• Share something you want to work on or accomplish!

Vodyacho Ross or “Vodya ross” or “Vodyache aam” is a special dish in Goa. Vodyo are a type of “fryums”. They are made out of ashgourd and loads of spices. The dry chips like item you see in the image are vodyo. They are normally made during summer season and are sun dried.  Yes Goan cuisine is not just fish curry, but a lot lot more. You might have read about the various dishes we make in Goa on my website.

Check out the video of vodyacho ross recipe:

Note: This post was originally published on 9th May 2014. The post has been updated with new pictures on 27-July-2018.

Holiday party season is here, and I’m SO excited to share an unbelievably easy recipe that will knock everyone’s socks off. Whether you’re hosting a big soiree, need a dish a holiday potluck or just want to make something extra tasty to snack on at home, trust me when I say that today’s Vegan & Gluten-Free Chipotle Butternut Squash Hummus is the answer!

A little sweet, a little smoky, and deliciously savory, your guests will never be able to guess that the dip is made from only 4 ingredients. The big burst of flavor comes from the secret ingredient, Sir Kensington’s Chipotle Fabanaise, and I think we can all agree that anything served in a hollowed-out squash is guaranteed to feel extra fancy.

I made a batch of this hummus before we had guests coming over to enjoy the full spread in the photos, and I had to hide it from Ross and Baby V because they both kept asking to try it one more time for recipe testing purposes, of course (eye roll). I will admit that one of the cutest sentences I’ve ever heard come out of Baby V’s mouth is “more hummus, peeeease!” and I’m thrilled that my girl loved this recipe as much as all the adults!

I decided to make the dip feel extra fancy by serving it inside the squash and alongside a spread of crackers, grapes, olives, nuts, raisins, pickles and cranberries, but it’s just as tasty served in a bowl with chips and carrots or spread on sandwich. You can also dramatically cut down on the prep time by skipping the roasted squash and using canned butternut squash puree. If you’re worried about the serving dish portion of the squash going to waste, you can always use it to whip up a second batch of the hummus after the party is over!

Let’s get back to the secret ingredient for a minute: Sir Kensington’s Chipotle Fabanaise. I’ve been chatting my love for this product a while now, and they are one of my favorite brands to partner with, (remember this “chicken” salad, this pot pie, and just about every sandwich I post on Instagram). The reason I love using it so much is because it’s such an easy way to add a creamy texture and pop of smoky, savory flavor to just about anything. Plus, the ingredient list is super clean and unlike other vegan mayos, it’s made from aquafaba (chickpea brine!). You can find all of Sir Kensington’s products (they’re my brand of choice for ketchup and mustard as well) at Whole Foods or other natural grocery stores.

Ok, let’s make some hummus!

This post was sponsored by Sir Kensington’s. All opinions expressed are my own.

This Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs with Veggies and Chickpeas is a delicious dinner that will make the whole family happy! The greek meatballs have a healthy dose of spinach and a nice bright lemon and herb flavor to complement the veggies and chickpeas. This largely hands-off cooking dinner is gluten-free and optionally dairy-free too!

Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs with Veggies and Chickpeas

We can’t get enough of sheet pan dinners, and we’re happy to hear neither can you! Sheet pan dinners are great because they minimize dishes and utilize hands-off cooking! We love this Sheet Pan Greek Meatballs with Veggies and Chickpeas for all of those reasons, but most important we love it because that flavor is so bright with a healthy does of vegetables! The meatballs are made up of chicken, spinach, lemon and greek spices and optionally feta. It’s easy to leave that out if you are dairy-free but we love the salty kick it gives the meatballs.

We used a bunch of veggies like red onions, peppers and eggplants  to accompany the meatballs, but it’s easy to swap out for what’s in season or available to you, so long as it cooks in relatively the same amount of time. The chickpeas don’t get super crunchy because they’re cooked with a lot of vegetables with moisture but they add some nice texture and of course a healthy dose of fiber! All together this dish is so flavorful and likely to be your new favorite sheet pan dinner!

What vegetables go with meatballs?

We love recipes when they’re versatile in terms of what veggies you can use, and this sheet pan dinner is no exception. We opted to use red onions, red peppers and eggplants (along with chickpeas) for this dish because they complemented the lemon and herb greek meatballs, but really you could use any veggies that would cook in the directed amount of time. Some other options:

• cauliflower (small florets)
• broccoli (small florets)
• diced zucchini or summer squash
• grape tomatoes

Tips for sheet pan cooking:

• Sheet pan dinners are the best. Make sure to read the recipe all the way through (of course) and plan to use a timer! This way you can truly walk away from the oven and not have to worry about when you need to add anything for the next step.
• Do the prep ahead of time: You can prepare so much of this meal the night before so that right before cooking all you have to do is cook! Chop all the veggies (minus the eggplant, which may brown if left cut overnight) and prepare the chickpeas and spices in a bowl and cover overnight in the fridge. You can also prepare the meatball mixture the night before so all you have to do is scoop them when ready to bake.
• Use the correct size sheet pan. When we say sheet pan we are referring to the rimmed half sheet pan which is 18″ by 13″. The size of the sheet pan matters because you do not want to overcrowd the pan when cooking, so if you are using a smaller sheet pan you may need to use 2 to achieve the same result.

Watch the video:

If you like this sheet pan recipe, check out these others: