Ode to the Zoku

For Chribirthday, I got the hubs a Zoku. I didn't really need another gift for him but my reasoning for buying it was twofold.

1. He loves popsicles and frozen treats that are fruity, not chocolaty.

2. I get sick and tired of random boxes of popsicles, fruit pops, and ice pops hanging out in my freezer.

3. The hubs likes to buy boxes of treats, eat a couple and then the box sits for, oh say a year, meantime purchasing new boxes of treats.

I had seen the Zoku on some blogs and on Pintrest and thought it would just be another useless kitchen appliance. But it wasn't that pricey and I thought it would solve all of those problems I mentioned above, so I got it - just the two pop one.

We tried it out during the holidays and it was SO FUN! We are fortunate that we keep a stash of frozen fruit in the freezer year round, and the hubs makes his own yogurt, so we were good to go for some healthy, low fat/cal treats.

The results have been so tasty! We've been primarily using frozen fruit we chop up in the mini-chopper, a T or so of OJ, a T or so of plain yogurt, some milk, a little honey and that's about it. And for fun, I like to drop some mini chocolate chips in to mine for an extra special treat!

To be honest though, we haven't been using it all that much - mostly because, well it's winter. But we do keep the Zoku on the door in the freezer so it's there anytime we want to use it - and I think we will use it more come summer time. Now we do have an ice cream maker, but I have to say, this takes up a lot less space in my freezer, can make much lower fat options, and fulfills that immediate need without leaving a quart of ice cream to deal with later!

Overall, we do love it. I would highly recommend it for anyone who has a popsicle lover in your home. And a tip - there are a TON of recipes on the web for popsicle flavors and Zoku flavors - just search for those instead of getting the cookbook right off the bat. And you don't need all of the fancy accessories if you just want to use it for a quick treat - just a basic pop will do ya!

The Zoku in Action

Mmm Yummy Banana Pops!!