“Perhaps if we all just slow down a little, we might actually notice something extraordinary among the ordinary. ” -Author Unknown
One of the inspirations behind this blog was simply to practice mindfulness. I had an idea where I wanted to combine: cooking & quotes. Cooking helps me to: slow down, be present in the moment and to look at what is. Reading quotes is a way for me to: connect, reflect and motivate myself. These two things help me to be present in the moment. When I am cooking I am connected with my mind and body. My mind is in tune with the moment: to each ingredient, the look and feel of the items, the sound of the spoon banging against the bowl, the sound of the knife as it sharply hits the cutting board, the warmth of the heat as the oil simmers, the fragrant aroma of the garlic…etc. It such a wonderful feeling, when you can be present in the moment. With the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, worries about tomorrow, plans for the future and taking care of ourselves and our families we often forget to simply just exist in the moment.
And that brings me to these Strawberry Basil Lemonade Poptails! This is how I practice mindfulness. I concoct recipes & share them! These poptails –> popsicles but with the juice of the gods (aka alcohol) = poptails. Once again, as many of my recipes, these are super duper easy to make.
These are THE perfect pops to make to get any party started, especially for all your summer bbqs !! I used the old orchard lemonade from concentrate can sweetened with Truvia. I decided to omit any extra sugars and used honey instead. Feel free to use sugar and a regular can of lemonade from concentrate but do try it this way, you can’t taste the difference! The zipzicle ice pop pouches are AMAZING! Simply cut off the top portion when you are ready to eat these treats!
Strawberry Basil Lemonade Poptails
A light, tangy, refreshing summer treat
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz can Old Orchard lemonade from concentrate prepared according to directions
- handful of fresh basil leaves
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup honey
- 4 oz gin
- 24 Zipzicle Zip-Top Ice Pop Pouches
Instructions
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In a large juice jug, prepare the lemonade from concentrate as per the package instructions. Add in basil leaves and let sit for 15 minutes. This will allow the lemonade to soak in the flavor of the basil leaves.
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In a blender, pulse together strawberries, water and honey. Add in gin and pulse again. Combine gin mixture into the lemonade mixture and mix well.
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Using a small funnel, slowly pour in poptail mixture into the zipzicle pouches. Fill only up to the fill line. Repeat as necessary and freeze for 4 hours.
Recipe Notes
- For a stronger gin taste, add in 6oz+ of Gin. I wanted a subtle refreshing taste, but feel free to add as more or as little as you like! Or simply omit the gin!
- This makes a great lemonade as well! No need to freeze it if you do not have popsicle molds.
- I used the Old Orchard can that was sweetened with Truvia.
