It's hot out there, and we're trying to find smart, healthy ways to stay cool. My little guy loves ice cream (who doesn't?), but being a health-conscious mom, I know that I can't just fork it over every time he asks for it. So, I set out to make some delicious frozen treats that he would enjoy, using real fruit.

I wanted to try my hand at making some fruit pops, but had few ingredients in the house. So, I grabbed a couple of bananas, and set out to improvise.

I started off by slicing some bananas that really needed to be used. Balian likes bananas, but my hubby and I don't, so I try to encourage B to eat them any way he'll take them!

Next, the sliced bananas went into the food processor for a few seconds. I didn't want them liquefied, just broken down and sort of mashed. I poured the bananas into a prep tray, and let them sit while I moved onto the next step.

In a small pot, I boiled 9 Tbsp. of water and 2 Tbsp of sugar, to make a simple syrup. Once it had boiled for about five minutes, I added it to the banana mixture and stirred it in.

I grabbed one of our fun ice cube trays to use as a mold for the pops. 

I poured the banana mixture into the molds, to give them a bite sized feel, and a fun shape for little hands. I stuck the tray into the freezer for about twenty minutes, and then pulled it back out so I could insert sticks after the pops began to set. If you insert the ticks too early, they'll fall over.

Sticks go into the center of each pop. 

Place back in the freezer for a couple of hours, or until frozen.

The pops should just pop right out of the molds after they've been frozen. Remember- these are tiny, meant for little hands. You can easily adjust the size of your pops by using different molds. For larger pops, use small plastic cups, and layer different fruit purees. *Tip- you'll need to freeze the layers one at a time for twenty minutes, before adding a second layer to the cup, or else they'll all run together!

The heart shaped banana pops are all natural, and I can feel good about giving them to my son when he asks for a frozen treat. We're going to stock up on some mango's, strawberries and kiwi fruit, so we can make even more colorful, yummy fresh fruit pops to enjoy together this summer!

What fruits will you try this with? 

Enjoy!