Looking for a new way to fuel your muscles after a workout? Make some Pomegranate Chia Popsicles with pomegranate juice – they are full of antioxidants and potassium!
Summer seems to have stolen away: school just started this week for us, and my daughter just started junior high. Where did the time go?!
Now that we’re back to a more regular routine with school, I’m looking forward to getting back into a more regular workout schedule. Summer is so fun, but the coming of fall signals a tighter schedule, which can actually be a great thing for sticking to your workouts.
But summer isn’t officially over yet, and we’re going to make the most of this last bit of summer! Before the weather cools down too much, I wanted to make another popsicle recipe, so I whipped up these Pomegranate Chia Popsicles with delicious POM Wonderful® to fuel your body with plenty of potassium and antioxidants.
Pomegranate juice makes a great drink for post-workout since it has plenty of potassium (one 16 ounce bottle has as much potassium as 2 bananas), and it has lots of polyphenol antioxidants as well. Since whole pomegranates are seasonal and hard to get year-round, pomegranate juice is a great way to add that in to your diet.
Pomegranate Chia Popsicles, and ones without chia seeds
Even when the weather begins to cool off, popsicles are still a great way to get your post-workout recovery drink: popsicles help your body cool down after a workout while still providing those post-workout nutrients! These popsicles not only have pomegranate juice, but they also have a little bit of protein, omega-3’s, and fiber from chia seeds. Score!
You’ll notice the chia seeds didn’t want to distribute quite evenly in the popsicles, which is funny since I tried soaking the chia seeds in the juice for over an hour! Typically the chia seeds swell up and end up being fairly evenly mixed, but they didn’t want to do that this time. They ended up with an almost layered look, which is cool!
If you’d rather not have chia seeds in your popsicles, you can make these Pomegranate Popsicles without chia seeds if you like, too. I made a batch of each (with and without chia seeds) and they both are great. I used white chia seeds in my popsicles, but you can use black ones too.
POM Wonderful®
POM Wonderful® Juice is 100% pomegranate juice, a a great source of antioxidants and potassium to help maintain healthy muscles. Each 16 ounce bottle of POM Wonderful® contains the pure juice from four pomegranates and nothing else – no fillers, sugars, or any “extras” added!
If you need a little help with exercise recovery, pomegranate juice has plenty of polyphenol antioxidants, and a 16 ounce bottle has as much potassium as 2 bananas. Potassium is an essential electrolyte necessary for proper muscle function, making pomegranate juice a great option.
Pomegranate Chia Popsicles
Ingredients
- 16 ounce bottle of POM Wonderful®
- 1 cup apple juice unfiltered, not from concentrate, OR more POM Wonderful for a stronger pomegranate flavor!
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- Popsicle molds
Instructions
- Stir together the POM Wonderful® juice and the apple juice (if using), and add the chia seeds.
- Set aside in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the chia seeds to soften a bit.
- Pour the juice into popsicle molds, making sure you leave a bit of headspace (about 1/4-inch) at the top to allow the juice to expand as it freezes.
- Freeze overnight.
- Release the popsicles from the molds by rinsing the mold under warm water.
- Store in a sealed freezer bag or sealed freezer container.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
POM Wonderful® has continued their partnership with American Ninja Warrior to fuel contestants after tackling crazy obstacles, and we are partnering together to give away a prize pack of POM Wonderful® goodies so you can be #CrazyHealthy too! Enter the giveaway below
P.S. The sweatshirt and towel are the same ones used by the contestants and audience during American Ninja Warrior. How cool is that?!
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and healthy living blogger based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
My chia seeds didn’t plump up, either! I read on a different blog that they won’t plump in acidic juice like pomegranate or grape. 🙂 Maybe I’ll try plumping them in water next time before adding to the molds.
That’s interesting! I was wondering about the type of juice affecting whether they would plump up or not.
I heart Chia seeds and POMWonderful! Thanks for the opportunity to WIN this AMAZING giveaway!
Thanks for entering Kimberly, good luck!