Strawberry Rhubarb Popsicles with Coconut Cream

Healthy strawberry rhubarb popsicles swirled with maple coconut cream and covered in dark chocolate.

As winter turns to spring (which, in Arizona, rapidly turns to summer), candy-colored rhubarb and strawberries begin to pop up at the farmer’s market. It’s difficult to resist their charm: rhubarb, with its deeply-hued stalks topped with bright green leaves, and strawberries, with their intoxicating aroma.

These two make a lovely pair. Rhubarb is lively, with a tart and earthy flavor that perfectly compliments the sweetness of strawberries.

Mix them with some honey, lemon, and a little basil, swirl with sweet coconut cream, and you’ve got yourself an afternoon dream in these healthy strawberry rhubarb popsicles.

Strawberry rhubarb popsicles: a match made in heaven

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This recipe is a celebration of spring, and it’s definitely helping me ease into the summer months. The temperature has been up and down, and thanks to a lovely rain storm and a touch of magic, we’ve evaded the looming, intense heat of Arizona summers – for now.

Tonight, I stood on the patio, bare feet dusty with dirt from gardening, and watched the sun light up the sky. Peach-toned puffs of clouds slowly morphed into a brilliant pink and the whole world was electrified, washed in the warmth of the fading day.

I’ve had my hands in the earth a lot lately. If you’ve seen my Instagram stories, you know that I have a deep, magnetic pull to my parents’ garden. It’s so bursting with life that they have to frequently cut it back. Making a meal from plants that were just picked from the dirt is magical; it’s one of the closest connections we can have to Mother Nature.

Eating living food brings us to life.

Nature so perfectly constructs the building blocks on which human life can not only exist – but thrive. It’s no wonder that as we began to step away from eating from the earth and towards eating what Michael Pollan refers to as “food-like substances,” human health began a steady decline.

Last Saturday, I looked down at my bowl of salad – tender butter lettuce, crunchy and spicy watermelon radishes, juicy tangerine wedges, herbs and micro greens, and black sesame seeds – and I cried tears of gratitude. Yes, really. How fortunate are we that nature provides, yet she asks nothing in return. All we have to do is take care of her, and humanity can thrive for lifetimes.

Have you ever contemplated how miraculous nature is?

Plants grow out of dirt, reaching up for sunlight, air, and water. They attract all kinds of species that drink from their nectar, eat their fruits and leaves, and seek shelter from the elements. Today, we seek shelter out in the elements and away from city life.

Trees are the best example. They stand tall in our forests and parks, shade us from the sun, give shelter and safety to countless living things, provide nectar and nourishment to all who seek it, and ask nothing except that they get to continue living alongside us; a silent request flowing in the undercurrent of Mother Nature.

It makes me sad to see how much nature is mistreated these days. Next week I’ll be releasing a blog post with all of the simple ways I treat the earth with love and respect day in and day out.

For now, I’m leaving you with this strawberry rhubarb popsicles recipe. Consider it a celebration. Tart rhubarb and plump strawberries dance with honey and lemon before swirling together with sweet coconut and a hint of basil.

Recommended consumption: strip down naked and lay on your pool chair/bed/couch, turn off your phone, and eat your popsicle. Nowhere to be, nothing to do, but live in the present moment.

Enjoy.

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A post shared by Nicole Small (@nourishingwild) on May 2, 2019 at 9:29pm PDT