Ice Pop Parade

It is officially the hottest day on record here in Ottawa, the humidex upped the already scorching temperature to a sweltering 46C (about 115 Fahrenheit). Since my apartment does not have air conditioning I am trying various strategies to beat the heat, some of which include icy cold baths, towel wrapped plastic baggies full of ice cubes on my forehead and lots of fans, but possibly my favourite remedy is  the simple popsicle.

1. Firecracker Ice Pops 2 Sunshine Pops 3 Vanilla Pudding Pops

I stocked up on some boxes of ice pops at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago when they were on sale and today I could not be more grateful to my forward-thinking self. While my lovely sister was visiting though, I bought myself an ice pop mold and have started seeking out recipes, since I feel like homemade versions would be much tastier, and very probably much healthier too (at least in some cases).

4. Striped Ice Pops 5. Raspberry-Yogurt Ice Pops 6. Fruit Salad Pops

I've stumbled upon a number of fantastically frosty ideas on various blogs and recipe sites. I thought I would share a few of the very most tempting looking ones (at least in my opinion) with you all. I have been planning to post on pops for a while now, but how apt that I happen to be finally posting on the hottest day, actually ever (well, according to the records anyway) in Ottawa.

7. Cucumber Ice Pops with Lime & Chile 8. Campari Citrus Pops 9. Lemon Frozen Yogurt w. Raspberry 10. Strawberry Shortcake Pops

What are some of your tips for staying cool and beating the heat on a hot summer's day? I would love to hear them - and hopefully put a couple to good and much needed use!