FOOD: The Case For Breakfast Popsicles

Guys, I just invented the best thing.

True, "invented" might be a little suspect; "realized" might be more appropriate. And my use of "best" could be dubious, too, because remember, I've already made a pretty strong case for cooking everything in bacon fat. But despite those two things, this is still a very great idea: popsicles for breakfast.

I've recently discovered the infinite joy of popsicle-making, but after going to town last week with some (mind-blowingly delicious) Black Cherry Roasted Plum pops, I was feeling something a little easier for the next batch. I also didn't have any ingredients other than what I'd come home from the last Trader Joe's trip with, and was too lazy to go out again to change that. You know how it is.

But what I already had seemed like a good enough combination to begin with: bananas, blueberries and—why not?—almond milk. As I blended them together, I thought, "I wish I could have this for breakfast, because really, what I'm doing is making a smoothie and freezing it and wouldn't this be great in the morning?" And then I remembered that I'm an adult, and I can do what I please. And when you're an adult and you want a popsicle for breakfast, you can make that happen.

So I made it happen. I'm one step closer to eating everything this summer in frozen form and if you'd like to send me a thank you card for bringing this idea into your life, please contact my editor for the address.

Banana Blueberry Breakfast Popsicles
Yield: 10 standard size frozen pops

Ingredients:

2 small ripe bananas
1 cup ripe blueberries
1.5 cups vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoons simple syrup or agave

Instructions:

1. Blend everything together in a blender. Or, if using a hand-blender, blend the ingredients in steps: first, blend bananas and 1 cup almond milk together until smooth. Then add 1/2 cup of blueberries and again, blend until smooth. Add remaining almond milk, blueberries and the simple syrup or agave and blend until smooth.

2. Pour the mixture into a liquid measuring cup with a spout for easier handling. Fill the popsicle molds (no need to chill beforehand), leaving at least 1/4 inch space at the top (IMPORTANT, or the pops will be extremely difficult to remove).

3. If you need to add popsicle sticks, chill the pops for up to two hours, then insert the sticks. Chill for an additional 4 hours before removing the pops from the molds.

4. To remove the pops from the molds: fill a large pot with warm water. Dip the molds into the pot for 20-30 seconds. Remove from the water, wiping up drips if necessary, and then carefully remove the pops from the molds. Do not leave the pops in their molds for more then 24 hours, as it may become increasingly difficult to remove them after.*

*To store the pops, I lined a sheet tray with plastic wrap, pulling tightly, so the pops don't get creases, laid the pops down on it and covered them with another piece of plastic wrap.