Healthy Freeze Pop recipes to stay cool this summer

It has been a HOT summer so far!  With the temps rising, it's important to stay cool.  What better way than to have yummy freezer pops!

Here are some tasty treats and best of all they are all around 100 calories!

 

Watermelon-Blueberry Ice Pops

Makes: About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes

          

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups chopped seedless watermelon
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preparation

        

1.  Puree watermelon, lime juice and sugar to taste in a food processor or blender until smooth.

 2.  Divide blueberries among freezer-pop molds. Top with the watermelon mixture. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

 

Banana Pudding Pop

 

Makes: About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3-1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups diced bananas, (about 2 large)

Preparation

1. Whisk sugar to taste, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Add milk and whisk until combined. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
2. Put about half the pudding in a food processor or blender and add bananas. Process until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir the mixture back into the remaining pudding.
3. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

Vanilla-Orange Freezer Pops


Makes:  About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time:  6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Whisk orange juice, yogurt, sugar to taste and vanilla in a medium bowl.
2. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

Chocolate-Raspberry Frozen Yogurt Pops

Makes:  About 10 (3-ounce) freezer pops
Active Time:  15 minutes
Total Time: 6 1/4hrs

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 2 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style (see Note)
• 3-5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Puree raspberries, yogurt and sugar to taste in a food processor until smooth.
2. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds, stopping about 1 inch from the top. Evenly divide chocolate chips among the molds. Stir the chips into the raspberry mixture, stirring out any air pockets at the same time. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

Chunky Peach Popsicles

Makes:  12 popsicles, 2 ounces each
Active Time:  15 minutes
Total Time:  2 1/4 hours

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds ripe peaches, (3-4 medium), halved and pitted
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Coarsely chop peaches in a food processor. Transfer 1 cup of the chunky peaches to a medium bowl. Add lemon juice, orange juice and sugar to taste (depending on the sweetness of the peaches) to the food processor. Puree until smooth. Add to the bowl with the chunky peaches and stir in vanilla.
2. Divide the mixture among twelve 2-ounce or eight 3-ounce freezer-pop molds (or small paper cups). Freeze until beginning to set, about 1 hour. Insert frozen-treat sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 1 hour more.

Tip:  Dip the molds briefly in hot water before unmolding.

Check out some more yummy recipes from Eating Well.

This Blog was written by Angela Hickman - mother of 2, momstown Milton member and blogger - Mommy TimeOut.

Easy Desert Themed Kids Craft - Coyote at Sunset

We had a howling good time at our Picasso's in the Park this month. To keep with our momstown theme (The Desert) we decided to introduce the kids to a common desert animal - the Coyote!  Kids of all ages could participate in this simple yet engaging craft. Warning - be prepared to get messy!

Materials Required:

 

Red and Yellow Paint

Paint Brushes

Construction Paper cut outs - Coyote and the moon

Glue

What to Do:

 

1. Put globs of red and yellow paint sparingly onto a "heavy" paper.

Learning Aspect - Talk to your child about mixing colours and what colour will appear when red and yellow paints are mixed together.

Green Tip - save cereal boxes - open and cut along the seam. Turn over for a great inexpensive paint canvas!

Sensory - let kids use their hands to mix the paint instead of a brush.

2. Let paint dry and then glue on coyote and moon cut outs.

Complete the lesson with this:

The Animals In The Desert (Sung to: The Wheels On The Bus - courtesy of  Perfectly Preschooler )

Cuff hands and howl

 

The coyote in the desert howls Awwww, Awww, Awww
The coyote in the desert howls Awww, all night long

 

 

 

 

Did you know that we run a Picasso's in the Park all summer long and an Art & Play program once a month all year long? It's all included in your $45/year annual momstown membership!

CLICK HERE to join in on the fun and be a part of our Milton Community Group!

Enter to Win 1 My Little Pony Equestria Girls Doll!

Introducing My Little Pony Equestria Girls!  A magic mirror connects the world of My Little Pony to Canterlot High, where some things change, but true friendships remain magical! The mirror is a portal to a magical new land with high schools instead of castles, and where six pony friends become real girls with a love for fun and fashion. Rainbow Dash is sporty chic, Rarity shines with girly glamour, and Fluttershy dazzles in her own graceful style. Playful Pinkie Pie wears outfits fit for a party, while Twilight Sparkle shows off her smart style, and Applejack loves to look country chic.

Straight from the halls of Canterlot High, the My Little Pony Equestria Girls dolls are best friends with a flair for fashion and fun!  Each doll in the collection comes stylishly dressed in an ultra-chic look and features her signature ‘cutie splash,’ a unique design similar to the cutie marks on their pony alter egos.  Each doll sold separately.

Coming soon to DVD:  My Little Pony Equestria Girls movie on DVD August 6th at major retailers across Canada.

Keep checking the My Little Pony Equestria Girls website for upcoming information and fun activities.

ENTER HERE

 

 

By entering this Contest, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accept the terms and conditions below.

No purchase necessary. Contest closes August 6th, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec), who are of legal age. Limit one submitted entry per person/email address. Odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received online by the contest closing date.  One winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by August 10th, 2013.  Winner will not be able to select specific doll characters.

 © 2013 Hasbro. MY LITTLE PONY Equestria Girls is a registered trade-marks of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Easy, Delicious and Fast Turkey Caesar Salad Wraps that are Kid Friendly.

Today our Jr Chefs enjoyed making Turkey Caesar Wraps courtesy of EtTu Salads. The moms were a little surprised to see salad on the menu and some even admitted that they had not yet introduced salad as a food choice item to their children. When asked why not, the common response was it had not even crossed their mind as a "kids" food. While checking out the package, they were pleasantly surprised to learn that ALL of the ingredients required to make this salad were provided in this grab and go complete EtTu Salad Kit. All you need to do is add the lettuce! They were eager to give it a try and most of all to see if their little ones would eat it?

 

We started off with washing the lettuce. Since we were outdoors we got a little innovative and used spray bottles to complete the task at hand. The kids took their job seriously. Just look at the focus and concentration making sure each piece was properly washed. Spray bottle triggers are great for working on fine motor skills.

Next was tearing the leaves into small pieces. Even our youngest chefs could help to complete this job and there was plenty of leaves to go around. This was a terrific way to keep all siblings occupied, each doing something at the same time and not having to wait their turn.

We then added the convenient ingredients from the kit - multi grain croutons, real bacon bits, Parmesan cheese and creamy Caesar dressing. Voila Easy Peasy!

We decided to get a little fancy and dress it up with chunks of turkey breast, cucumbers, and fresh lemons. The kids had a blast squeezing the wedges and tossing the salad with the tongs to mix it all up.

We grabbed the wraps and stuffed all of the goodness into them - Lunch was served.

Now came the real test, would they eat it? Success! They wasted no time shoving the wraps into their mouths and their messy faces were a testimonial that our Turkey Caesar wraps were a hit.

 

After all of our "hard" work we had some outdoor fun with spray bottle water fights and a dip in the pool.

 

 

 Thank you EtTu for an easy, delicious and fast meal that all of our participants enjoyed!

Don't forget to enter to win a "Stock Up Your Pantry Shopping Spree"!

Did you know that we run a Jr. Chef program every month? It's all included in your $45/year annual momstown membership!

 

Sign up here: to join in on the fun and be a part of our Milton Community Group!

Alphabet Play - C is for Cactus

This month our educational theme at momstown is focused around The Desert. Howling Coyotes, climbing Geckos slithering Snakes, hot Sand, and of course prickly Cactuses.

We decided to get a little creative and fit in the Desert theme with our weekly Alphabet Play Program. This is what we came up with! 

C is for Cactus:    

Materials required:


beige, green and brown construction paper
scissors
glue



What to do:


1. Cut the green paper into the shape of a cactus. You can do this in advance if you have a younger crowd or you can trace the shape of one onto the paper and let the older ones practice their cutting with child friendly scissors.

2. Cut the brown construction paper into Capital and Small letter "c's" to be the prickly needles.

 3. Glue the cactus shape onto a background paper (beige is ideal but yellow would work as well) and then add as many C's as you like.

 

Complete the lesson with this cute song: 

Spiny the Cactus Sung to: "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean"
(courtesy of Perfectly Preschool)
 
In the desert, in the hot sun, grows a cactus big and tall.
It is green and it is spiny, its the best one of them all.
Oh Spiny, oh Spiny, oh, Spiny the cactus,
You are green and you are spiny, and the best of them all!


Did you know that we run an Alphabet Play program twice a month? It's all included in your $45/year annual momstown membership!

CLICK HERE to join in on the fun and be a part of our Milton Community Group!
 

Creating Picture Frames with Recylced Materials at momstown Milton!

Our Recycled Treasures group is a popular event with the mamas and kids of momstown Milton.  Our momstown monthly theme for June was Shapes, so our craft was picture frames made out of recycled items of various shapes.

Materials Used:

- cardboard, cut into frames
- paint, brushes, glue and tape
- bottle caps - representing a circle
- small rectangles cut from tetra paks
- squares of tissue paper
- triangles cut from scraps of previous crafts
- stars (cut with a star punch) cut from magazines
- fancy string, recycled from Christmas
- a special 4X6 photo for each child

Our picture frames were rectangles, cut from heavy cardboard boxes.  The kids first painted them with brushes, sponges, and even kitchen scrubbies.

                           

 Once the frames were painted, the little recyclers embellished them with their choice of decorations.  

The photos were taped onto the back of the frames, and they were done!   They were SO proud of their creations!  Some were made as special Father's Day gifts, and some were going home to be hung in the kids' bedrooms.

 

All of the fun Recycled Treasures crafts are made by items that would otherwise go into the recycling bin.  After just a couple weeks of saving, it is amazing to see the potential projects that emerge.  We have a spot in the basement where our recycled items go that will one day become fun crafts.  If you get into the habit of saving things like birthday cards, twist ties, tetra packs, interesting pieces of ribbon, yogurt containers, etc., there is always something fun to do on a rainy day.  The possibilities are endless!

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here 

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two amazing girls.

momstown Milton's 6th Birthday Bash - Free Public Event for Milton Families!

DATE: Saturday, August 17th

TIME: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

PLACE: Victoria Park - 100 Mary Street
 

We are so excited to celebrate our birthday with you again this year! Just like our momstown community, every year our party gets bigger and better and we hope that you'll join us for this year's celebration.

Our special party guest will be Clifford from Scholastic Canada!

Some of the fun activities we'll have at our party include:

 



Demos / Presentations: 

• 10:10am - Storytime with Clifford - located at the Indigo Milton Book Nook
• 10:30am - Martial Arts Demonstration with Milton Academy of Martial Arts
• 11:00am - Zumba demonstration with Terri from Change it Up with Milton Zumba
• 11:30am - Rugby Tots Demo
• 12:00pm - Diaper Derby with Clothworks
• 12:30pm - Cake cutting ceremony with Clifford and Door Prizes

Active Kids Stations:  

• A Bouncy Castle sponsored by Scotia Bank & Sharkey's - Milton
• Monkeynastix  Milton - Obstacle Course
• Toys Trunk - Toy Station
• Little Kickers - Soccer Skills and Drills
• Rugby Tots - Fit Station
• FirePower Kids - Fitness Challenge

Food Stations:

• Popcorn station sponsored by Michelle Hawco - Remax
• Water Station - sponsored by Haber & Associates
• Birthday Cake sponsored by Longo's Milton
• mini cupcakes and cookies sponsored by Hillary's Cupcakes
• coffee and ice tea provided by Hawthorne Café

NOTE: food tickets will be issued when you check in at the momstown registration table

Rest Stations:

• Mama Pampering Station Sponsored by Sylvia from Seacret 
• Literacy Station Sponsored by Scholastic Canada & hosted by Indigo Milton
• Child Identification Station - led by MASONICh.I.P.
• Dora the Explorer colouring station

Sensory, Imaginative Play, and Discovery Stations:

• Fisher Price Little People Play station hosted by Milton Wee Piggies & Paws
• ( toys will be raffled off at the end of the event!)
• Wee Ones Childcare Academy -Sensory Exploration Station
• Instep Activewear - Dress up Station 
• Dance with a Ballerina with The Dance Class of Milton
• Milton Fire Department - Fire Truck on Display
• Haber and Associates - Bubble Station
• Cars Raceway station by Bullseye Child Safety

Art & Play Stations:

• Balloon Animals with Par-T-Perfect
• Craft station - building a house with shapes - Lisa Roach - Century21
• Town of Milton - Giant Mural
• Craft station - Creating with Recycled Materials - United Way of Milton
• Picasso's Painting Station - Bergsma & Milton Christian School
• Face Painting - Oxford Learning - Milton
• Red Cross Society - Tatoos and Stamping 
• Sunglasses Craft Station with Milton Optometry 
• Craft Station with The Dance Class of Milton
• Picasso Painting - Fun with Food! Sponsored by SupperWorks,
• Hosted by Milton Community Nursery School

And we can't forget to mention the delicious cake from Longo's Milton and Photos by Laurie Goodman Photography!

 

                   To RSVP YOUR spot please CLICK HERE!

 

10am - Registration: begins - Wrist bands required to join in on activities, draw tickets will be issued and Loot bags (to the first 100 registered guests) 

 

Don't forget to  PRINT OUT YOUR TICKET AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO THE EVENT in order to receive an EXTRA BALLOT!

 

momstown members MUST show your membership card to be in the EXPRESS LINE!

TONS OF DOOR PRIZE GIVEAWAYS INCLUDING:

 

A Pair of Tickets to see: 

 

 

 

Some Lucky kids will take home some AWESOME toys from:

 

 

 

 

Some Lucky Mamas will be taking home some great baby equipment from

 

 

 

Tons more! Door prizes will be given out through the entire event and during participation in the demos!

 

This is a FREE family event but donations in support of our friends at the United Way and The Canadian Red Cross Society is appreciated.

 

 

2013 National Sponsors

 

 

 

Lots of other details are in the works and they will be added to this blog as they get confirmed

momstown Milton Mom of the Month: Kristin Reilly July 2013

Name: Kristen Rielly 

Age: 33

Born In: Etobicoke, ON

Children’s name and age: Owen (13 months) 

Childhood Ambition: To be a teacher

Fondest Memory: My husband, Andrew and I traveled to Scotland and Ireland in July 2010. We visited Newgrange and the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland and then to Skye and Fort William in Scotland. The only thing Andrew wanted to do during our holiday was climb Ben Nevis in Scotland (the highest peak in the UK) and he wanted me to do it with him! It took four hours to climb to the top but I was rewarded with a proposal! Needless to say, I literally ran and jumped all the way down the mountain finishing in less than two hours! We had a great time away and we still talk about our visit and when we can go back again but with Owen this time. 

Wildest Dream: Visit South Africa one day. Andrew and I wanted to go this summer but people suggested it was wise to go later when Owen is older. 

Proudest Moment: Becoming a mum to Owen. As soon as I recovered from the emergency c-section and realized he was finally here and he was all ours, I was so happy to meet him and say his name out loud. I wanted the world to meet him and share in our happiness. 

Biggest Challenge: Balancing being a mum to Owen, a wife to Andrew, a friend to my girl friends and remaining true to who I was and am as a person. It’s been difficult but I’m trying to keep things in perspective and remind myself that I’m no good to anyone if I don’t take some time for me. 

Perfect Day: A spa day. I would get up in the morning and have breakfast with my boys and then head off to the spa for a massage, mani-pedi and a facial. Lunch with the girls and then stop by Lululemon for some clothes shopping. I would finish off with a wander about Indigo sipping a Starbucks Vanilla Latte and looking at everything I wanted to without having to worry that someone had to be somewhere or was bored with how long I was taking. 

First Job: Aside from babysitting, I was a ski instructor at Hockley Valley for 12 years. 
Indulgence: Cakes and cupcakes! I love anything chocolate with icing! But hold the peanuts because I’m allergic! 

Last Big Purchase: Paying off my pension! 

Favorite Movie or Favourite Sport? The Proposal and Dirty Dancing

How long have you been a member of momstown Milton? Since October 2012

Describe your experience as a momstown member? I have had a great time meeting and getting to know the mums who have been out at the baby play groups that Owen and I have frequented. It was always a good feeling to be recognized and called by name each time we attended a different event. I have become involved in many different activities and have tried to introduce Owen to things that I would never do with him on my own! I remember the first time Owen and I painted at Scribble n’ Splatter and I thought it would be easy because I saw pictures from previous events that Sam had posted where the babies feet or hands were painted. Little did I know we would be doing abstract that first day out and Owen was covered from head to toe in paint! That soon became the norm for Owen!

Momstown was exactly what I needed during my time off. If not for the wonderful programs and full calendar of events, I feel as though Owen and I would have been pretty bored of one another. It provided an outlet for me to talk about things that Owen was doing and frustrations I may have been feeling at the time. It allowed me to talk without any judgement from anyone else and know that I was surrounded by other mums that may have been going through the same thing I was going through (or had been through if they were on their second or third baby).

Because of the momstown’s Health and Fitness Challenge for the summer, I have now joined Oxygen’s gym and have now met another group of wonderful ladies who share the same goals as I do. It’s been great getting to know Milton and all that it has to offer. Thank you so much Sam for everything you have done (knowingly or unknowingly) for Owen and I this past year. I have very much appreciated it. Owen and I are now looking forward to our summer break where we can attend more events during the week and keep up our socializing! Owen has certainly missed his pals.

We would love to have you join us and become part of our momstown Milton family!

Register here for your 6 week FREE trial.