C’mon heat wave, we’re ready for you. Summer weather is off to a slow start here in Los Angeles, but we’re ready for the rising temps, thanks to Catherine McCord’s smoothie popsicles recipe that’ll have your family hooked on the good stuff. Make these pops to mix up your regular smoothie routine or to survive hot afternoons at home. Find more recipes from McCord’s latest Meal Prep Magic HERE!

Catherine’s Smoothie Popsicles

“It’s no secret that I make smoothies almost every morning for family breakfast. On the occasions that I make too much, instead of drinking more than my belly can handle or, worse, dumping what’s leftover, I pull out the popsicle molds to fill up and freeze so we can always have a nutritious snack or dessert at the ready. Especially on hot days, these Smoothie Popsciles fly out of the freezer.”

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours to overnight
Makes 4 to 6 ice pops

Ingredients:
1 large banana, peeled
¼ cup yogurt of choice
1 serving protein powder of choice
1 cup milk of choice (editor’s note: we love Almond here!)
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit of choice (acai, blueberries, blackberries, dragonfruit, figs, kiwi, mango, papaya, peaches, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries)

Optional flavorful add-ins: 2 tbsp peanut, almond or sun butter; 2 tbsp cacao powder; 1 tbsp matcha powder; ½ avocado, pitted and peeled; ½ cup pumpkin puree; 1 tsp chai spices, ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Directions:
1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Divide the mixture among 4 to 6 popsicle molds, depending on their size.
3. Freeze the ice pops for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Run the molds under water to loosen and remove the pops.

Tip: Want to get even more nutrition? Add a serving of collagen peptides, 1 tbsp of hemp or chia seeds, a tsp of bee pollen, and/or flax seeds.

Read next: 3 Gorgeous Collagen Popsicle Recipes To Beat The Heat