My friends over at Zoobean always give me the best book recommendations and if you have any little people in your life I can’t urge you enough to head on over there and check them out. You can get curated, handpicked books and apps especially suited for your child either through a digital subscription or the real deal sent directly to your house. It’s brilliant!
I’m so excited for this month’s book + recipe because they are both Lucha-rific! If you know anything about our house, than you know we are BIG into Lucha libre, so when Hiro got Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales I knew it would be love at first fight.
How can you resist a kid that strips down to his chones during his sisters’ nap time and wrestles imaginary villains with expert moves like the tickle tackle and the skull-cracking puzzle. He even escapes the Diablo’s grasp by creating a slippery popsicle slick from his drippy, melting bandera paleta.
In Niño’s honor I made the kids their own red, white, and green paletas, which come to think of it will also be perfect for Cinco de Mayo. The vivid green, white, and red reflect the colors of Mexico and (super bonus) are made with pure fruit juice and no food coloring!
When you are done you will have a most delicious weapon…..zzzwwaapp—just look at that popsicle slick!

Bandera Paletas {Grape-Lime-Strawberry Pops} + Niño
The technicalities of layering the popsicle and inserting the stick is going to depend on the type of mold you are using. The kind that I have has a cap connected to the lid, which makes it impossible to fill with the stick attached, so I filled mine and then inserted the stick after I added the last layer, but I recommend using a mold where you can fill them with the stick in place that is open at the top. Also, if your molds are smaller (or larger) than mine, the amount of juice you will need to make the layers may vary. That being said, you could possibly have a lot of juice leftover which is delicious on its own....drink up!
Ingredients
- 2 cups green grapes
- 1/2 cup baby kale, tightly packed
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey, divided (plus more to taste)
- 1 pound strawberries (about 3 cups), hulled and cut in half if large
Instructions
- For the green layer, juice grapes and kale in a juicer and spoon 2 tablespoons of the juice into 6 paleta molds. Use a funnel if you are particular about getting even layers (you don't want any running down the sides of the mold messing up your business).
- Place in the freezer. Check after about an hour and give a stir with a chopstick to reincorporate any solids that have floated to the top. Freeze until solid, stirring occasionally.
- Combine lime juice, water, and half the honey. Whisk until honey is dissolved. Taste and add more if it is too tart.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of juice into each mold, insert popsicle sticks and freeze until solid.
- Juice the strawberries and taste. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey if the juice is tart. Whisk until the honey is dissolved.
- Remove popsicle sticks, pour 2 tablespoons of the strawberry mixture into each mold, replace the sticks and freeze until solid.
- To remove from the molds, run the paletas under warm water until they slide out of the mold. Paletas will keep in the freezer for up to a week.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 1g
I mean, these are beyond cute! I could LOVE these on any warm day here in LA!
Thanks Gaby! I’d love to make them for you. (I’d also take a warm day anywhere right now) 🙂