Cherry and Cantaloupe Popsicles

You can't usually tell, but lurking right at the edge of most of the photos I post here is a small boy waiting (rather impatiently) for me to finish up so he can grab whatever food is in front of lens and take off.  He also, for reasons I have yet to determine, really likes to have his picture taken posing with the muffin, cookie or slice of bread I've taken the time to style just so.  He'll stand just outside the frame of my photo bouncing back and forth waiting for me to give him the go ahead to pick up the tasty bite and stand holding it with a big goofy grin on his face.

I have a ton of unpublished photos, mingled in and amongst the more polished ones, of my little man and his favorite foods.  He gets such a kick out of it.

I'm often in a hurry to get the pictures taken, so I get annoyed by his persistence to have those few extra poses taken.  Can't he understand that I just want to be left alone for a few precious moments?  Of course not!

And, if I really take a moment to think about, I ought not to let bother me so much.  He's only four and this age of eagerness to have his picture taken or even to interact with me won't last forever.  I can already tell by the decreasing frequency of hugs and cuddles with my eight year old, that the years will go quickly and before I know it I'll have a couple of sullen teenage boys on my hands.

So this time around I decided to embrace his need to be in my photos.  And, come on, aren't those little hands just the cutest?  It started with a few fingers sneaking their way across my field of view trying to steal one of these incredibly tempting popsicles.  Instead of snapping at my little man to wait, I kept taking pictures.  I may even have posed him once or twice.  And in the end, my favorite photos are the ones where the popsicle is threatening to run away with it's little owner.

The pictures are downright fun, and so are the popsicles.  After all, that's what a popsicle is meant to be, right?  And when it's in the shape of a rocket, it's even more irresistible.  I know from experience on this one.  So go ahead, steal away little man.  Mom is more than happy to let you run away with one of these pops.

Cherry and Cantaloupe Popsicles
Fills 6 rocket pops or 8 standard sized popsicle molds.  Adapted from Honest Cooking.
For the printable recipe, click here.

These popsicles are only lightly sweetened with a bit of honey and have a touch of yogurt added for creaminess.  You can separate the flavors into their own popsicles, put them together with a bit of a swirl or layer them the way I do.  It's all up to you.  The amount of sweetener is up to you and the sweetness of your fruit.

1/4 cup greek yogurt, divided in half
2-3 tsp honey, divided in half
2 tbs lime juice, divided in half
1 1/2 cup cubed cantaloupe (about 1/2 small cantaloupe)
1 cup cherries

Place half of the yogurt and lime juice and 1 tsp of honey into a blender.  Add the cantaloupe and blend together until smooth.  Taste for sweetness, adding up to another 1/2 tsp of honey if necessary.  Pour into the bottoms of bottom of popsicle molds, dividing the puree evenly among the molds.  Set aside or into the freezer.

In the same blender, pour in the rest of the yogurt and lime juice as well as 1 tsp of honey and the cherries.  Blend until smooth.  Taste for sweetness, adding a bit more honey as needed.  For a layered effect, slowly pour the cherry puree over the cantaloupe puree in the popsicle molds.  If you would like the flavors swirled, with a bamboo skewer or toothpick, gently swirl the two layers together once or twice.  Freeze the popsicles for one hour.  Add the sticks to the center of the popsicles and return them to the freezer for three to four more hours, until fully frozen.

To unmold, run the popsicles under warm water for a few seconds.