frozen

There comes a time every Summer when I just dread turning on the oven.

It’s already so hot outside and the AC is struggling to keep up; why would add any more heat to its load?

Granita is the perfect thing to make when you want to avoid using your oven but still want something sweet. It’s super refreshing (especially this watermelon cucumber granita) and super easy to make!

How to Make It

Start by chopping up a bunch of watermelon and cucumber. For something like this, you can leave the skin on the cucumber if you’d like. It will just get filtered out later.

Add all the fruit and veg to a blender or food processor. The juice of a lime (or lemon), and just enough water to get the blender to do its job. If your watermelon is juicy enough, you may not need any!

Pour the blended mixture through a sieve to strain out all the pulp.

You should be left with a beautiful red juice that is seriously delicious.

Honestly, you can stop right here and pour this over a couple ice cubes for a refreshing Summer beverage.

But let’s continue turning this into watermelon cucumber granita, shall we?

Pour the juice into a shallow dish and then place it in the fridge. Every 2 hours or so (or every time you remember), take the dish out and scrape a fork over the surface. For the first few hours, it may seem like you aren’t doing much. Once it starts to set up you will start making really fine ice crystals.

It doesn’t take too long to completely freeze leaving you with a beautiful (did I mention healthy?) dessert!

I like to eat this watermelon cucumber granita all on its own. However, it would also be delicious alongside some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you need something a bit richer.

It will definitely help you beat the Summer heat!

Supplies and Recipe

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I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but over here in my neck of the woods (North Carolina) it’s been HOT! This has definitely been a hot Summer. The hottest I have experienced here in Charlotte.

It’s been hard on me and our AC.

As a way to beat the heat, I decided to turn one of my favorite breakfasts, post-workout snacks, and desserts into a popsicle. Greek yogurt is one of my favorite foods because it is packed with protein and can be mixed with just about anything for a delicious treat. For these Greek yogurt pops, I mixed non-fat Greek yogurt with a bit of whipped cream, honey, vanilla, and berries.

I know what you are thinking….whipped cream isn’t very healthy! And you are partially correct. Normally whipped cream has tons of sugar in it, which makes it pretty unhealthy. Yes, it does has fat, but fat isn’t always bad. Trust me, I am working on the whole fat thing, too. We have been conditioned here in the US to think that fat is bad, when it’s not.

But the whipped cream is key because it helps add air to the Greek yogurt to make them more light and airy. Without it, these pops would just be a block of yogurt ice. So if you want to ditch the whipped cream because you are afraid of the fat, do so at your own risk.

Making these Greek Yogurt pops was easy. Waiting for them to freeze was hard. I was so impatient, I probably ruined a couple checking on them before they were ready.

Oh well…they still tasted great! It was just like eating a big bowl of mixed berry Greek yogurt, except frozen and on stick. Which actually made it the perfect on-the-go breakfast on my walk to the train station in the mornings.

And really, what’s better than a yummy breakfast popsicle on a hot Summer morning?

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Watermelon Cucumber Granita

How to Make It

Supplies and Recipe

Healthy Greek Yogurt Pops