Heather loves to get in the kitchen with her kids, and she wants you in the kitchen with your kids too! Kids in the Kitchen with Girl in the Kitchen shares tips, recipes, and ideas to get you and your kids cooking together.
Kids in the Kitchen with Girl and Her Kitchen
So when the holidays come around, we as parents always try to color coordinate everything with the holiday colors. 4th of July? Everything should be red, white and blue…including our food! Wait, doesn’t everybody do this?
One problem. If you are like me and like to limit the number of artificial dyes I feed my children, this red, white, and blue thing become pretty challenging. Sorting through Pinterest, you can find many of the cutest holiday ideas ever, but many of them include dyeing different foods with artificial dye.
Now, I am not on my soapbox or anything right now. My kids have had artificial dyes. I even have a 4th of July recipe on my blog for a layered drink with dyes’ beverages. I am just saying that I do like to limit their consumption of these dyes and opt for more natural snacks as much as possible. So, I set off to try to find something I could treat the kids with dye-free.
Dye-Free Red, White, & Blue Ice Cream
Finally, I came up with a plan. What is better on a hot July day than ice cream? Isn’t that the first thing you think of when you think of summer? I love the idea of ice cream and so do my kids. I could come up with a delicious patriotic frozen treat, and with the help of my kids-we did!
This patriotic frozen yogurt (call it ice cream!) is not only perfect for the holiday, dye-free and delicious-it is also easy as can be. My kids could have made this entirely on their own! I just gave them a little help here and there. So what if it looked more red, yellow, and purple instead of red, white, and blue? The kids didn’t even flinch, so neither did I! Bottom line-it is hard to get a bright blue color from anything that you can call natural.
Four simple ingredients for each batch, a food processor, and some hungry kids, and you are set! Give this a try and you will be enjoying a dye-free, delicious treat in no time. They will probably be stealing samples from you before they can even be put in a bowl. See the photo below for proof!
Dye-Free Patriotic Ice Cream Recipe
- 4 cups of FROZEN blueberries OR blackberries
- 4 cups of FROZEN strawberries OR raspberries
- 4 cups of FROZEN pineapple OR banana*
- 1/2 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup honey
You will make each batch separately.
- First, combine the blue fruit, yogurt, lemon juice, and honey in your food processor. Process for 5-6 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer to a container and seal tightly. Store in a freezer until you are ready to serve.
- Repeat the process with red fruit and then again for the white (yellow) fruit.
- Serve together to make a cute red, white, and blue treat, or serve separately if so desired.
*the pineapple makes the “White” portion of the treat a little more yellow, and the banana gives it a little more of a white hue, although still a little yellow.
We used pineapple, blueberries and strawberries and the kids could not get enough of the pineapple flavor!
If you are looking for another, fresh, healthy 4th of July treat, check out these fruit kabobs with a dip from Girl and Her Kitchen and surprise your kids with some delicious treats, perfect for the holiday! Craving another frozen treat? This firecracker popsicle will be sure to please.
What is your favorite healthy, dye-free treat for the 4th of July? Share your ideas in the comments section!
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