Watermelon Ice Pops + Meet my New Recipe Contributor

8.31.2012


Even though I'm longing for fall & the sweaters, scarves & boots that come with it, summer is still here.  And since this is a holiday weekend, and you might need a yummy snack to serve at your family get together, I thought today would be the perfect day to introduce you to my NEW recipe contributor Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny

I have drooled over Kelly's blog for a while now & we have chatted back and forth many a time (she is seriously just the sweetest!) I love eating, but I am not so keen on the cooking part. So I decided it was time to bring in an expert as a weekly recipe contributor!  

The first person on my list was Kelly, she makes the most amazing dishes, she is the sweetest person and her food photography makes me want to lick my screen. (TMI?!) 

On that note, I am SO excited Kelly decided to jump on board as my recipe contributor! So without further ado, here she is:

Hi! I'm Kelly! 
"I'm a 20-something foodie with a true passion for cooking and a love for photography.  My blog "Eat Yourself Skinny" started because I wanted to show that eating right and maintaining a healthy lifestyle could actually be fun!  I love to put a spin on classic favorites by substituting calorie-loaded ingredients with healthier alternatives that still taste delicious.   I'm super excited to be a recipe contributor for Jessica N' Designs!"

Ok so confession, sometimes my inner kid is screaming to come out and I decide to make things like this.

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Yes summer is slowly coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean we should say goodbye to this bikini-wearing, sunshine-filled season.  And nothing is more refreshing to me on a hot summer's day than fresh cut watermelon, especially at cookouts.  It's healthy, delicious and ridiculously low in calories, so why not freeze it up and put it on a stick??  I didn't use any fancy expensive popsicle makers either, just paper cups, wooden sticks and went to town.  Your kids will absolutely love making these and you'll love eating them!
   
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I used lime sherbet for the rind of the watermelon and mini chocolate chips for the "seeds".  This will probably be the easiest thing you'll make all summer and for only 2 points per pop, go ahead and indulge!  This is the perfect snack to have ready in your freezer to grab when you want something sweet, but don't want to kill yourself with calories.  Oh and feel free to go crazy and add a shot or two of vodka to make these pops really fun, I'm sure your friends will thank you.

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Servings: 12
Serving Size: 1 ice pop
Calories: 78
Fat: 1.4 g
Carbs: 16.5 g
Fiber: 0.3 g
Protein: 0.5 g
Old Points: 1.6 pts
Points+: 2 pts
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Here are your ingredients:
5 cups seedless watermelon pulp
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 pint lime sherbet, softened

Puree watermelon and sugar in batches in your blender or food processor until smooth and strain into a medium bowl.  Cover and freeze until puree is slightly slushy, but not quite solid, about 2 to 3 hours.  Remove from freezer, stir well and add in chocolate chips.

Place twelve 5-ounce disposable cups in a shallow baking pan and spoon watermelon puree into cups, leaving about a 1/2 inch left from the rim.  Place pan in freezer for 2 hours, or until puree is solid, but not rock hard.

Allow lime sherbet to soften a bit, then spread over top of each portion of watermelon puree so that it comes up to the edge of the cup.  Smooth sherbet with the back of a spoon and cover each cup with plastic wrap.  Cut a small slit in the center of each cup and insert a popsicle stick into each pop so that it almost reaches the bottom of the cups.  Freeze overnight (or until solid) and can be frozen for up to two days.

Allow pops to sit at room temperature for about a minute, then gently pull out from the cups.  Serve and enjoy!

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Hungry for more? Here are a few more must try recipes: 

Lemon Curb with Mixed Berries //Caramelized peaches // Skinny beer-garitas

Do I have your mouth watering? Good! Because Kelly will be back each week to share a new, delicious recipe with us! Can you say YUM?!


In the mean time, go say Hi to Kelly on her blog, facebook or twitter! Tell her I sent ya & that you can't wait for more! 


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