Desserts Archives | healYOUnaturally

Coconut Ice Pops Sugar, Gluten & Dairy Free + (Easy Recipe)

Last updated on July 6, 2018 By Astrid 9 Comments

There is nothing better than an Ice pop during a hot summer day. These homemade coconut ice pops recipe will absolutely quench your thirst and sweet tooth simultaneously without the guilt. Not only are they refreshing and delicious– they are dairy, and sugar-free because they are made with swerve sweetener.

So let me ask you this when was the last time you had an Ice pop that:

1. Is not only delicious but at the same time can boost your immune system.

2. Helped your brain do its job to protect you from Alzheimer’s disease (oils in coconut)

3. Provided one of the best sources of fiber (from the raw coconut chunks)?

4. Didn’t raise your sugars making it of course diabetic friendly, because it is made with swerve sweetener— A zero calories, low glycemic natural sweetener (contains no chemicals).

5. It’s dairy free because it is made with coconut or even almond milk.

Now that is what I call a “Healthy Pop”. You can add berries, nuts I love brazil nuts, or whatever your little heart desires to make this your own.

How is it possible to make a low carb, low glycemic load ice pop? Glad you asked.

When you use a low glycemic, low-calorie sweetener, and ingredients with a low glycemic load your sugars won’t spike — unlike using sugar or even honey. I have used liquid stevia (alcohol-free), lucuma, yakon, and even coconut palm sugar. However, swerve is what I use on ice pops and it works really well.

What is swerve? Swerve is a great tasting, natural sweetener that measures cup-for-cup just like sugar! Made from a unique combination of ingredients derived from fruits and vegetables, Swerve contains zero calories, it has a low glycemic index making it a diabetic friendly and sugar-free without chemicals. Here is the super quick and easy recipe.

You can make this recipe in an ice cube tray, any size dessert bowls for a fancy dessert or as a palate cleanser after a meal.
These pops were a staple growing up so whenever I make these I think of my mom. However, this time I am not using dairy or sugar so I truly hope that will make an impact on our overall future health.

Coconut Berries Pops Gluten and Dairy Free

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Yield: 6

Ingredients

2 cups of coconut, milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut chunks
1/4 cup swerve sweetener or to taste
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

If you purchased a fresh coconut, poke the softest hole then drain its water into a glass. You may drink it now or store it in the fridge for later.
If it is your first time make sure to pour it out and into a glass and watch for mold floating, or cloudiness.
The easiest way for me to crack open a coconut is simply to smash it against a hard surface such as concrete or use your favorite (safest) technique.
Get a few pieces of coconut and put them in a food processor to make them into chunks. I like chunky pieces but you can do flakes.
In a medium bowl mix pour the milk, then add the sugar and mix.
Next add the fresh coconut flakes, and mix some more.
Get your ice pop molds ready
With a spoon get some of the coconut chunks into your first mold
then pour milk and repeat until each mold is full
refrigerate for about six hours or until they have the consistency of pops.

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If you are going to use this recipe on your blog or website, kindly put a link back to this page. Thanks!

So, have you ever had coconut ice pops? No? Oh, you have no idea what you are missing :D.

Is there a particular pop that reminds you of Gran’s or Mom? If, so I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below.

How to Carve a Watermelon Tinkerbell Fruit Bowl

Last updated on July 8, 2018 By Astrid 2 Comments

If you are looking to make your princess super happy on her special day while impressing your guests, this watermelon Tinkerbell will be the center of attention.

A watermelon carved to resemble Tinkerbell surrounded by healthy and delicious fruit makes a charming and refreshing addition to the spread for a summertime cookout or Tinkerbell-themed birthday party.

This project requires a round or even oblong watermelon to achieve the cup shape where Tinkerbell stands. Use the teacup watermelon as a vessel for serving the watermelon and other fruits such as strawberries, berries, cantaloupe or grapes, where you and your guests can enjoy the fruit.

Things You’ll Need

Bowl
Precision knife
Channel knife
Large carving knife
Permanent marker or pencil
Melon baller
Paper
Bamboo skewers

Step 1

Cut one end of the watermelon, which will serve as the “plate” that holds the teacup and Tinkerbell. Make sure both the skin and flesh surfaces are flat so the teacup won’t tip over (it happened to me twice).

Step 2

Cut your watermelon with a long sharp knife right down the middle in half. Make the cuts as clean as possible, using a sawing motion when needed.

Step 3

Scoop out the watermelon flesh with a melon baller, and make sure to get rid of the pits. Place the melon balls in a bowl, and refrigerate. Make sure to scoop out watermelon balls from the other half of the watermelon. If you’d like only scoop half the flesh from the half that is going to be the “teacup” as to only fill the surface with fruit and watermelon balls. Reserve the large rind pieces to make the teacup holder and Tinkerbell.

Step 4

Trace and cut out Tinkerbell from this template . Then lay it over the large pieces of rind you reserved from the other half of watermelon. Start cutting by the legs and larger areas, then move into the creases and cut with a channel knife. I found that the watermelon-slicer-corer tool worked best to accomplish this look but you can use any knife you prefer. Also, a small precision knife, such as one used for pumpkin carving, comes in handy for cutting corners and fine design details.Set aside.

Step 5

Trace and cut the teacup handle by using a smaller or pairing knife.

Step 6

Fill in the watermelon tinkerbell teacup with the watermelon balls, strawberries, and blueberries or your choice of other fruit. The fruit is of course used for decoration, but also helps hold the skewers in place. A precision knife, such as one used for pumpkin carving, comes in handy for cutting corners and fine design details.
Tip: You may fill up the bowl with bigger chunks of watermelon at the bottom, then put the watermelon balls and fruit on top for a fuller look.

Step 7

Push a toothpick or bamboo skewer horizontally through the bottom of Tinkerbell’s feet, then insert in the middle of the fruit bowl. I placed a chunk of watermelon in the middle which helped hold Tinkerbell stand straight. That’s it!

PIN IT FOR LATER

Over to you.

Did you find the steps easy? I think it was and it took about two hours only because I was taking pictures too :).

Tell me in the comments below. Have you made this beautiful creation or any other watermelon creations?

Scrumptious And Easy Banana-Carrot Bread (Gluten Free-No sugar added)

Last updated on December 11, 2017 By Astrid 2 Comments

Last weekend I am looking at my overripe bananas and figured I’d look up some gluten-free banana bread. I found this great recipe by Taste te of Home (Thank You ) so I adapted mine based on this one to make it low carbohydrate, low sugar and gluten-free.

We all love a moist, delicious piece of cake. However, in order to enjoy an unprocessed cake that isn’t filled with partially hydrogenated oils, tons of sugar, preservatives and other chemicals that are harmful to our health– we have to go back to basic and do it from scratch. Luckily I have found a way to make a healthy and scrumptious banana carrot cake you will never forget. What? a healthy cake you say. Yup!

I don’t really want to sound pretentious, but this cake was so good that the only reason it lasted two days is that I made it at night. Between my husband, two friends, my son and I (poof) gone the next day. so I had to share it with you guys.

This cake was absolutely moist and delicious, especially a few minutes after coming out of the oven… I am sure your family and guests will be delighted with this cake at your next gathering or holiday party. I made two small cakes in four-inch diameter cookware. You can, however, adjust the ingredients to make a larger cake.

I’d like to add that this recipe was definitely husband and children approved. I feel that the key to this fabulous slightly sweet and moist cake was the apple butter made from scratch. By doing this you ensure the freshness of the ingredients, plus combining the grass-fed butter offers Omega 3′ fatty acids. As you may know, grass-fed butter is a great source of CLA (conjugated linoleic Acid) good for cardiovascular and brain health among others.

For this recipe, I used swerve (try it here) which is a natural sweetener that is Diabetic friendly and has no calories. It is amazingly easy to use, measures just like sugar in any recipe, and tastes great. What is the added bonus? It has no calories or the horrible side effects of sugar in your body such as inflammation, eczema, artery plaque (in combination with bad cholesterol) and the list goes on.

Have you made a gluten-free banana cake? I’d love to hear your experiences below!

Scrumptious & Easy Banana-Carrot Bread: Gluten Free-No sugar added