Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles - Simple Saturday

When I can cover something in chocolate and STILL know that it's healthy - I'm a happy gal!

Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles

If you're wondering how much fruit is really in these chilly snack bars, take a good look. It's literally a slice of kiwifruit that has been dipped in a very thin, but crispy coating of chocolate and coconut oil.

That's it. I could ramble on, but that's the recipe, period.

1) Kiwi - peeled and cut in 1 inch thick rounds, with a popsicle stick in each round. Freeze on a tray in the freezer.2) 1 cup Chopped dark chocolate and 1/2 cup Coconut oil - melted over a double boiler, then cooled to room temp.
3) Dip each Kiwi-pop into the chocolate mixture (it will immediately turn crispy) and place on a tray to refreeze or pass around right now. I've had Kiwi in salads, and cakes, but when I received a box of kiwi from the Zespri Kiwi Growers (as part of a blogging program), my first thought was how much I wanted to keep the kiwi looking and tasting as true as possible.According to their reports, this year's crops are really sweet and yet still have their usual low glycemic index. That makes kiwi a great food for diabetic issues, weight conscious diets and low-fat, low-carb snacking. Here are a few facts that surprised me and made me want to keep eating those fuzzy little odd-balls.One serving of KIWI:

* contains the same amount of fiber as a BOWL of bran cereal.
* contains the same amount of potassium as a banana
* provides the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C

and...

Folate (good for pregnant women), Lutein (helps prevent age-related blindness), Zinc (healthy hair, skin, teeth), Vitamin E (antioxidant and immune system booster) AND...the enzyme found in green kiwifruit makes a natural meat tenderizer. Who knew?

Now, as good as these popsicles taste - I'd really love to eat one of those kiwifruit while laying on the beach in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. So, I'm entering Zespri's Kiwi-contest (a trip for 4 to New Zealand!) - which you can do also, just by the usual filling out name, etc and letting them know. Go check out the Great Kiwi Adventure site.

You don't have to buy anything, they obviously just want to get the word out about KIWI.Speaking of words, my teenage son (who thought he didn't like kiwi) was at a loss for words when he tasted these popsicles. He then passed them out to his friends and it was the most quiet this house has been in a while. Their mouths were full of Chocolate Kiwi Popsicles. Mmmm.