Cool down your favorite hot dogs with freezer treats made from healthy ingredients.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—When the dog days of summer hit, it’s hard to beat some frozen refreshment. On the other hand, as summer drags on, the cost of buying those icy treats can add up. And with it, the amount of artificial colors and flavors you ingest and the plastic and packaging that you toss into the trash. Not that there’s anything wrong with an occasional less-than-natural pleasure on a hot day, or with treating yourself to your favorite organic frozen fruit bar. But as long as you have a working freezer and a little bit of time, you can create enough of your own frozen, tasty treats to stay cool through the dog days and beyond.

Freezing with Ease
The very easiest frozen treats to make are whole berries or chunks of fruit. Just spread the washed berries or cut-up fruit of your choice on some cookie sheets and let them sit in the freezer until frozen solid—then dump them into airtight freezer containers or bags, and dole them out as needed. My kids were especially fond of pitted sweet cherries. Ripe banana halves are great frozen, and if you insert a Popsicle stick into the blunt end of each piece before freezing, you have a great frozen snack on a stick (dipping in chocolate is optional, but oh-so-decadent). And don’t overlook frozen veggies: Lots of kids (and adults) enjoy frozen peas! Be sure toddlers are old enough to chew any frozen chunks you give them, of course. If your favorite produce isn’t available fresh, you can buy some already frozen. Organic choices are increasingly available at many supermarkets.

Freezer pops take a little more preparation to make, but are less fussy to serve, especially to kids. When my offspring were little, I picked up two sets of Tupperware freezer pop molds (“Tups”) and we gave them a real workout every summer. If you don’t mind having plastic in contact with your food, I’ve found that Tups seem to last pretty much forever, unlike other plastic ones you may see in stores. The wide, flat molds stand up in a base for easy filling and freezing, the pops slip out of them easily when frozen, and the combo lids/sticks are unbreakable and easy to use. Plus everything goes into the dishwasher for easy cleanup. If you have more powers of concentration than I do, you can make freezer pops using small paper cups, inserting wooden popsicle sticks into the pop when it’s slushy enough to hold them up but not completely frozen. You can also buy silicone squeeze-up ice-pop tubes or ice-pop molds with stick/drip catchers, which are easy to use and free of plastic chemicals. Whatever you choose, get lots of them! A watched Popsicle never freezes, and you don’t want to be caught short on a hot day.