Every once in a while I manage to impress myself, and to be honest, this is one of those rare times. 🙂 You see, I LOVE mint chocolate chip ice cream and ate it often as a kid. (This is the exact brand I grew up eating— apparently full of food dyes, hydrogenated oils, and corn syrup. YUCK!).

So, I set out to create a healthy mint chip popsicle. I used a big bunch of fresh mint from our garden, and while Roy and I loved the first batch, our 6-year old (who loves mint too) did not like them at all. I think “disgusting” was her exact word!

When I really thought about the flavor I was going for, I realized that mint-the-herb (such as in peppermint tea) tastes really different than mint-the-oil (such as in the extracts of mint used in natural chewing gum or breath mints or drops) and I wanted the “cooling” taste of the latter.

To get the green color, I was hoping that just the right amount of spinach would add the green—but not necessarily the taste. My daughter was certainly very wary of my second attempt at these popsicles when she saw spinach going into them!

Thankfully, they passed her taste test with flying colors—and as a mom and nutrition counselor, they certainly pass mine as well! When I can create a dessert that is full of spinach and avocado— and sweetened with a small amount of raw honey and natural chocolate, I feel good about us indulging. And unlike the mint chocolate chip ice cream of my childhood, our daughter is nourishing her body with only wholesome ingredients.

Mint Chocolate Chip Popsicles
by Debbie Steinbock

Ingredients:
1 (13.5 oz) can of full fat coconut milk
1 cup packed spinach leaves
1 small-size ripe avocado (or ½ of a medium-large avocado)
3 Tbsp. raw honey (best honey ever!)
½ tsp. peppermint extract
2 heaping Tbsp. raw cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips
popsicle molds

Method:

1. In a vitamix or other high powered blender, combine the coconut milk, spinach, avocado, raw honey and peppermint extract until smooth.
2. Add the raw cacao nibs or chocolate chips and pulse the mixture until the chocolate is chopped into pieces but not pureed.
3. Pour mixture into popsicle molds.
4. Place in freezer until set.
5. To remove you may need to run warm water on the mold for a few seconds. Enjoy!