You can make popsicles inexpensively and deliciously out of all kinds of wonderful things. All you need are some popsicle molds and something sweet to put in them. Pick up the popsicle molds at garage sales or thrift stores for even bigger savings!

Fill your molds with any of the following and freeze:

• Juice(any kind)
• Leftover soda (that may have gone flat in a two liter bottle)
• Kool-aid
• Leftover yogurt (you can sweeten it with jelly or fruit if it's plain)
• Pudding
• Pureed fruit
• Chocolate milk
• Fruit Cocktail or the juice from canned fruit
• Leftover Fruit Shakes
• Whipped topping and fruit
• Jello/Gelatin
• Apple Sauce or Cranberry Sauce
• Pie Filling (you can tone this down with yogurt)
• Jam Jar Cleanout (from the Tightwad Gazette): Get all of the jam out of that empty jar by putting some milk in it, putting the lid on and shaking. Pour the flavored milk into a popsicle mold.

FUN IDEAS

Striped:
Layer popsicles with different colored or flavored layers of pudding, yogurt, or jello.

Parfait Pops:
Layer with whipped topping in between.

Party Pops:
Add sprinkles, chocolate chips, marshmallows, nuts or coconut to your popsicles. You can also make them wild colors with food coloring.

Rocky Road Pops:
1 package of chocolate pudding
1/2 cup marshmallows
1/4 cup peanuts

Mix, fill molds and freeze.

Pina Coladas
Whirl pineapple juice, coconut and banana in a blender, then fill molds and freeze. You can also use the Pina Colada fruit shake recipe.

Dreamsicles
Mix 1-2 tsp. Tang and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract with milk. You can adjust to your taste. Fill molds and freeze.

Rocket Pops
Layer red, then white, then blue Kool-Aid, juice or Jell-O for festive popsicles, reminiscent of what the ice cream man used to sell.

Here are some ideas for mix-and-match rocket pops:

Red: red Kool-Aid, fruit punch, berry juice, red Jell-O or white with red food coloring (may turn out pink)
White: white grape juice, milk, yogurt, coconut or vanilla pudding, vanilla fruit shake
Blue: Blue Kool-Aid or Jell-O, or white with blue food coloring.

Note: This is really easy if you just start off with white, split amount in three parts, and color one part red and one part blue. The kids won't notice that they areall the same flavor.

Fizzy Lifting Pops
Mix club soda and gelatin to make bubbly Jell-O, then freeze in molds. You could also try mixing club soda and juice, then freezing. Jell-O sells a line of "Sparkling Jell-O" that captures the bubbles when you add the club soda. It's cool! Wait until it goes on sale for 25 cents a box, then stock up!

Chocolate Banana Crunch Pops
This is a family favorite. Get bananas when they are cheap. Melt some chocolate and a little paraffin wax (yes, the kind for canning, it's ok to eat-it's in every candy bar!) in the microwave (usually just 1-2 minutes will melt it). Dip bananas in chocolate and roll in chopped peanuts. Place on cookie sheet covered with waxed paper, and freeze. You can put a stick on the end if you want, we never do. They are wonderful and cheap!

© Copyright 1999-2000 Frugal-Moms.com Inc.

Recommended Reading: A very helpful and informative book, especially for newcomers to ice cream making. Lots of photos. Covers various techniques for freezing ice cream, explains the 'how & why' of various ingredients, and includes a ton of recipes from basics like strawberry and vanilla to exotics such as Italian green pepper frappe. My familiy has yet to try one of their recipes that we did not like. (courtesy: Amazon)


What's Related:  Homemade Slushies | Warm Weather Boredom Busters | 20 Fun Ideas That Won't Break The Bank

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About the Author:
Kim Tilley, a tightwad at heart, is a wife, a mother of three active boys and the founding editor of Frugal-Moms.com. Frugal by force and later by choice, Kim cut her income by 60% to stay at home with her children and discovered that anyone can live better for less. Her work has appeared in print publications such as The Tightwad Gazette. In her free time, she entertains herself by chasing kids and finding ways to create something from nothing!

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