Thank you to Sunkist for sponsoring this post

If you’re like me, all of us are trying to find new ways to keep our kids busy and entertained this summer. I came up with some fun and easy recipes you can do with your children that is sure to keep them engaged and interested (and maybe buy you at least 20 minutes of calm) in your home!

Orange Cream Popsicles

One of my favorite recipes to make with my children are my Orange Cream Popsicles. They’re fun and playful and also a healthy treat. I always allow my daughter, Milly to juice the oranges for the recipe. Anytime I’m baking or cooking with citrus she knows her job is to juice the fruit!  Assigning her this simple task gives her a sense of purpose and ownership over the job! 

Featuring the summer orange, Sunkist Valencia Oranges are loaded with powerful Vitamin C, antioxidants and are the perfect juicy balance of tart and sweet. These popsicles are so easy to make and full of Vitamin C, protein from whole milk Greek yogurt and free of processed or unnatural sugars.

You can make these pops with or without a popsicle mold and I even keep a slice of the fruit on top of the pops for an added treat at the end! With all of the Vitamin C these popsicles provide they are an immunity booster which is so vital now more than ever. I like to make a few batches with my daughter and keep them in the freezer for a healthy treat to cool off all summer long.  You can find the full recipe at https://www.sunkist.com/recipes/orange-cream-popsicles/

Summer Cream Puffs

Mastering a new skill together is a lot of fun. My Summer Cream Puffs are a classic pastry but kind of a retro recipe many of us have probably never made at home before.  It’s a unique method because instead of cutting out dough or shaping it in a pan like traditional breads and pastries you pipe out the dough onto a baking sheet. 

These Cream Puffs feature a delicate pastry dough and Sunkist Valencia Orange Vitamin C packed cream filling. I love the Valencia Orange’s bold flavor. It’s the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Once you finish baking the cream puffs and allow them to cool, you pipe in the cream filling and enjoy!

These are great for a weekend brunch but would be perfect for a special occasion too. You can make a big batch of them and freeze too. Thaw on the counter for 30 minutes and you’re ready to serve! You can find the recipe here.

https://www.sunkist.com/recipes/orange-summer-cream-puffs/

 I’d love to see if you make either of these recipes. Post your photos on Instagram and tag me @BrandiMilloy and use the hashtag #SunkistSummers and for these recipes and more head to Sunkist.com/recipes

Photography Credit: Karen DeGrazio

So Milly hates milk and I mean who can blame her when Mama’s milk is so good (breastfeeding joke-haha!) I’ve never been a fan of cows milk but give me all the cheese and ice cream. Love diary but not a cow’s milk drinker. We are basic b’s around here and love our organic almond milk, pea milk and always cereal milk. Ha! But when it comes to Milly’s health and how crucial it is for her to get essential vitamins and minerals (Vitamin D and Calcium) plus dietary fats for brain development (80% of your child’s brain development happens before they are 2 years old-whoa!), proteins plus all the other essential nutrients in whole milk- I had to get creative. Easy. Whole milk yogurt popsicles. This isn’t a new idea. My sister has been making these for my nephews for years and the last time we were in AZ visiting them they made Milly her own and she was all over them (her cousins and the popsicles).

Photography Credit: Karen DeGrazio

What I like about having these on hand is they act as a “special treat/dessert” even though they aren’t really a dessert at all. I mean… the way I make them they are pretty straight forward. I like to buy a large tub of organic pasture raised plain whole milk yogurt and flavor it myself but you can also buy the flavored ones. I will add fresh or frozen fruit purees, fresh or frozen fruit and some spices if I’m feeling naughty.

Photography Credit: Karen DeGrazio

These are one part organic pumpkn puree, two parts whole milk yogurt and a few sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg. Very PSL minus the L and 100% basic b again. Milly loves them! They aren’t sweet at all but super flavorful. A quick hack for making them even easier is just alternate squeezing a pouch of yogurt with your favorite fruit pouch and freeze! No excuses for not making your babes something semi-homemade!

Photography Credit: Karen DeGrazio

I love these popsicles so much. Some days they are breakfast pops, other days an afternoon snack, her appetizer for dinner. I just love she’s getting another source of calcium in addition to other calcium rich foods she eats like greens, tempeh, almond butter, broccoli, pinto beans. Plus how freaking cute are these ring pop molds. Don’t think I wasn’t going to gush about how stinkin adorable these are!!!

Photography Credit: Karen DeGrazio

Super affordable and didn’t need all 18 so we gave a set to our friends. The molds I got for my sis when her boys were small are these and I think I might like them better but you get half the amount of pops so just depends on what you need.

Photography Credit: Karen DeGrazio

I love that they’re the perfect size for little hands and so soothing for swollen gums and teething mouths! Milly has fun trying to get to the frozen blueberries hidden inside so in some ways it’s a bit of an activity her.

Photography Credit: Karen DeGrazio

I’d love to know what combinations you come up with. Let me know in the comments below and post your ring pop pics on IG and tag me @BrandiMilloy #BrandisBites.