Natural Juice Push Pop Popsicle’s

6 homemade push pop Popsicle’s made with real fruit juice.

The Best Juice Popsicle’s

One thing that I love to have in the freezer during the summer time is a bag full of Popsicle’s for the whole family. There are so many wonderful flavors to choose from and they’re so tasty but which ones do you buy? Well, lately I’ve stuck with the old Otter Pop or Fun Pops style of Popsicle because they’re cheap, self contained (less mess) and there are a ton or flavors to choose from, including tropical. The problem is that my kids want to eat them at all hours of the day and their little bodies just don’t process added sugar the way they process naturally occurring sugars. I’m not an idiot, so I started looking at my Juice drinks a little closer and guess what I decided to do? If you’re thinking, “Start a Taco shop?”, you’re absolutely right!

3 different Natural Juice companies that make a variety of fantastic juices.

Natural Juice for Popsicle’s

I started drinking these Juice’s a while back because, let’s be honest, I don’t cook and eat the healthiest food in the world. I’ve got some great recipes on this website but I don’t appropriate and balance my diet well, with fruit and vegetables. I’m an entree eater and instead of spending the amount of time it takes to prep and prepare an entire meal, I usually just cook one amazing dish for everyone. That’s where these drinks come into play.

Now already I’m getting hounded with questions about the sugars in these Popsicle’s and drinks. I am not an expert, nor am I trained in the medical field or Nutritional arts and, while I’m at it, I’m not affiliated or receiving any compensation for advertising these products either. In my opinion, that’s what Google and other die hard blogger’s are for. So, you won’t find that information here. I will, however, tell you about my personal experience with Natural Juice.

A few years ago I was inspired to start juicing, thanks to that Netflix Show, “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead”. I purchased an $80 dollar juicer, $50 dollars in fruit and vegetables and I started a 7 day cleanse. Boy was I deleterious, literally. Not only did I not know what I was doing but I couldn’t believe how horribly expensive it was to live that way. I wanted to be healthier but not at the expense of taking food off of my children’s plates. That $50 dollars in fruit and vegetables only gave me 2 quarts of juice (64 oz). Drinking a 12 oz serving of that, 3 times a day exhausted that juice in the first 2 days! How anyone affords that life style is beyond me.

Now, I realize a juice cleanse is quite excessive with the juicing but even just incorporating one glass a day exhausts 2 quarts of juice, before the 7th day, per week. Guess what, that’s still $50 dollars a week in just fresh fruit and vegetables that I can’t afford. That’s why I buy these natural fruit and vegetable juices for $6 and $7 dollars per 64 oz bottle and I realized that they would make some amazing Push Pop Popsicle’s, too.

Natural Juice Push Pop Popsicle’s video tutorial from PoorMansGourmet.

Lime Margarita Mixer Recipe

Homemade Lime Margarita Mixer

If you’ve ever purchased a Margarita Mixer from the store, you know that they are both pricey and usually crap.  So, why do we buy them?  Because we LOVE Margarita’s!  Right?  Damn straight!  But if you’re like me, you wouldn’t mind a cheaper alternative and maybe even a better tasting cocktail and that’s what I aim for when I’m mixing a beverage with spirits.  But there are a few things you need to consider before you attempt this recipe because there aren’t just several different ways to make this.  You have to consider variable ingredients as well as apposing temperatures, as well.

Margarita Mixer Variance’s

All Margarita Mixer recipes are different and I don’t just mean swapping out fruits like Strawberries, Mango’s or Watermelon to make a Margarita.  Store bought bottles literally contain 0% juice.  And, if you try one brand to the next, both Lime Flavored for example, they’ll taste completely different from one another.  But they also have all of that shelf life crap they have to endure, with all of the ingredients, created to preserve the product, all the while trying to maintain flavor.  But the only 3 ingredients you need to worry about today are Water, Sugar and Lime Juice.

I make my Margaritas with Triple Sec in them.  Which, if you don’t know, is a sweet orange liqueur.  But, if you’re not adding that, you might want to consider squeezing in an Orange with all of the freshly squeezed Limes.  This, along with the sugar, will help balance the citrus and citric acid.

Sweetening and Heating the Margarita Mixer

This Margarita Mixer can be tweaked in several other ways and it’s important that you consider these options and understand you might like your Mixer better if it’s heated or unheated, Sweetened with Corn Syrup or Simple Syrup and made with granulated Sugar or Honey.

If you choose to make Simple Syrup, which I recommend, there’s no avoiding heat to fuse and bond the sugar or honey to the water.  Simple Syrup is, of course, 1 part water and 1 part Sugar but you can substitute honey, if you like, but consider cooling it down first before mixing the other ingredients at room temperature.  The flavor will be different than how it would taste after the ingredients are heated on the stove.  To prove my point, think about fresh salsa vs. cooked salsa.

Using the Limeade to make a Margarita Mixer is a quick fix but, once again, you may want to consider mixing the ingredients at room temperature.

Be sure to check out my Pico De Gayo, Shrimp Cocktail with Oyster Shots, Fish Tacos and my Chili Con Queso recipes so you can have something to munch on while you enjoy your Margarita’s.  The way I make a Frozen Margarita and a Margarita on the Rocks is up next.

Lime Margarita Mixer Ingredients:

Fresh Recipe
10 to 12 Limes, freshly squeezed

1 cup Lime Juice
1 1/2 cup Water
1 cup Simple Syrup (1 pt sugar, 1 pt water)
add more sugar to taste or as needed

Concentrated Recipe
1 can Limeade Concentrate
1 1/2 cup Water
1 cup Simple Syrup (1 pt sugar, 1 pt water)

Be sure to follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show exactly how to make this Lime Margarita Mixer.