Here Comes The Sun Doot’n Do Do

By Megan

My Grandmama used to make this wholesome, delicious, refreshingly citrus-y little frozen dessert snack for my sister and me and our two cousins when we’d all descend upon her of a summer weekend. It was truly sunshine in a bowl, and makes the perfect, PERFECT healthy alternative to those sugary frozen treats our kids will be asking us for all spring and summer long. You can make this recipe in cups or as, um, frozen bars on sticks (ahem, rhymes with flop-pickles). Either way, kids love it, Moms love it, heck, even Dads approve.

Plenty of fruit, no added sugar.

I got Bean to help me make some Fruit Freeze one summer not too long ago, and she loved it. Here’s how we did it.

Grandmama C’s Fruit Freeze

1 12 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate (make sure it’s 100% juice, no added sugar), allowed to thaw and soften slightly
2 20 oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained
2 large ripe bananas
Juice and zest of one lime (or a lemon if you prefer that flavor)

Place all ingredients in large food processor and process on high until smooth. Spoon or pour mixture into plastic dessert cups (I am happy to report that I have the actual same Tupperware™ fluted plastic cups Grandmama used to make our Fruit Freeze twenty-odd years ago) or frozen pop molds (insert sticks according to directions). Freeze overnight. Place dessert cup portions (slightly thawed for removal) in pretty bowls. Just before serving, pour 1/2 cup cold gingerale over Fruit Freeze. If you make the pops, you can skip the gingerale part as that would be sorta tricky! It makes just under 10 4 oz. servings of fruity frozen goodness.

We had a fun time making it and I’m pleased to say that after a cursory search I have seen no puree’d sunshine on the ceiling. I let Bean dump all the ingredients into the processor and then I actually controlled the whirring-it-up process. She helped me spoon the puree into the cups (and she did a pretty good job — I made more of a mess than she did) and put on the lids.

I let her taste some of her creation but hmm… I’m not sure if she liked it or not. What do y’all think?

Yeah, maybe a little.