When I first found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted a boy! There is a photo of me crying out of pure joy with a little sign that says “It’s A Boy!” I had heard it was hard to raise boys when they are young, but harder to raise girls in the teen years. I’m sort of a tomboy in disguise so I didn’t need any prissy girl roaming around the house. BOY, oh BOY… I got what I asked for. My boy is a ruff and tumble lad who has very little fear installed in his heart. He does things on a daily basis that make me cringe. He’ll take a spill and immediately follow it with “I’m okay!” Meanwhile I’m holding my breath on the verge of a heart attack and tears. Rarely does he cry, and if he does I know it must be bad.

With the ending of the school year and summer walking through our lives I know there are going to lots of active moments that may be met with scrapes and bruises. Instead of waiting for them to happen I’m gonna prepare myself now. I made a list of everything I need. Ointments, band-aids, gauze, hydrogen peroxide, and baby aspirin. I already cleaned out my medicine cabinet of old outdated meds to make room for my personal Summer first aid kit. Here’s the catch, my son Max gets uneasy whenever I have to tend to an open wound. He’d rather I leave it alone and allow it to scab up solo. We all know that’s not gonna happen. I figured out a method that works really well for me. PALETAS! I hand him a paleta and that gets his mind off the cut at hand. I combined a few of his favorite flavors to make something that will ease the pain and the heat of summer.

Ingredients for strawberry banana horchata paletas:

• Fresh strawberries (sliced)
• Banana (cut into wedges)
• Horchata (store bought)
• Popsicle mold
• Popsicle sticks

Directions:

1. Drop a few pieces of strawberries and banana into the Popsicle mold.
2. Pour in horchata to reach the top. 
3. Top mold with cover and insert Popsicle sticks.
4. Freeze overnight.
5. Fill basin with warm water and dip mold into water for 15 seconds to loosen from mold.
6. Pull straight up toward sky on paleta. 
7. Eat This Now!

We are heating up in Los Angeles, and 4th of July is around the corner… that can only mean one thing…. Paleta time! These strawberry, blueberry, and chia seed lemonade paletas had to be made.

Ingredients for Paletas:

• 3/4 – cup fresh strawberries
• 1 – cup sugar
• 2 1/2 – cups water
• 5 – lemons (juiced)
• 1/2 – tablespoon chia seeds
• 3/4 – cup fresh blueberries
• Paleta mold

Directions:

1. Add blueberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 3/4 cup water to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
2. Pour the first layer into popsicle molds filling them only 1/3 of the way up.
3. Place in the freezer to set first layer for 3 hours.
4. Next mix lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Mix until sugar is completely dissolved. Add in 1 cup water and chia seeds to lemon/ sugar mixture. Set to the side for chia seeds to expand while you wait for the first layer to freeze.
5. Now pour the chia seed lemonade mixture into the molds and fill up to the 2/3 mark. Place sticks into the paletas and place bak into the freezer for 2 hours.
6. Add strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 3/4 cup water to a blender, and blend until pulpy but slightly smooth. Pour the strawberry mixture into the paleta molds to the top. Place in the freezer overnight.
7. To unmold paletas by placing molds into a bath of luke-warm water for 20 to 25 seconds then gently pull out.
8. Enjoy!

I live in Southern California, and yes it might be a little chilly at night sometimes, but for the most part it heats up during the day. It’s not uncommon for the heat to reach up to 85 degrees on any given day in February or March so the paleta making has started to take course. Plus my son is obsessed with paletas so it’s a great way to sneak fruit that he won’t normally eat into his diet. Here is my Melon Raspberry Paletas for you to enjoy when ever mother nature decides it’s going to be a hot day.

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