Strawberry Almond Breakfast Pops

These fun breakfast pops are essentially a frozen smoothie on a stick. Creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, with a subtle sweetness that comes mostly from the fruit itself, they are a playfully cool way to start the day.

1 cup hulled strawberries

1 medium very ripe banana

½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons low-fat milk (1 percent)

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey, or more as needed

¾ to 1 cup slivered almonds

2 teaspoons boiling water

You'll need six 2½-ounce popsicle molds or small paper cups. Combine the strawberries, banana, yogurt, milk and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth. Taste, and add a little honey, as needed. Divide the mixture among the popsicle molds and insert the sticks or handles. Freeze for about 5 hours, or until solid.

Toast the almonds in a small, dry skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until browned and fragrant, shaking the pan to avoid scorching. Let cool completely, then pulse in a mini food processor or use a knife to reduce them to the size of small pebbles.Transfer to a plate.

Once the pops are frozen, stir together the tablespoon of honey and the boiling water in a small bowl. Cut six 10-inch-long pieces of wax paper.

Working with one at a time, hold the closed side of the popsicle mold under running hot water just long enough to unmold the pop. Brush it generously with the warm honey mixture, then coat it with one-sixth of the almonds. Wrap the popsicle in wax paper and place in a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Repeat with the remaining five. Seal and freeze for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 months.

Makes 6 pops

Nutrition | Per serving (with 1/2 cup slivered almonds): 110 calories, 4 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 8 g sugar

Ellie Krieger