Coconut Popsicles

I got a haircut on Thursday. This is not a significant event in most lives and it was not significant in my life until this year, when "getting a haircut" required scheduling coordination across three people's calendars, a Patty availability window, a Ryan day off, and a fifteen-minute transit ride to a salon I had not been to since October. I sat in the chair and the stylist asked how I was doing and I said tired but good and she did not ask follow-up questions, which was exactly correct, and she cut my hair while I sat in silence and it was the most alone I had been in five months.

I looked in the mirror afterward and recognized myself, which sounds dramatic but is an accurate description of something that happens when you have been primarily a food source and sleep manager and carrier of small humans for five months and have not looked in a mirror for more than thirty seconds at a time. I looked like myself. I am still here. Good to know.

The heat wave this week was the kind that makes Chicago particularly Chicago, where everyone is outside complaining about the heat in the way that Chicagoans complain about heat, which is while still being outside. I walked both babies in the stroller at 7 AM before it got truly oppressive and then again at 7 PM after it had loosened its grip. We have a routine. The routine is good. Nora narrates the walks now, making sounds at things she finds interesting, which appears to be: other dogs, certain trees, the fruit stand on the corner, and me.

No-cook meals this week: cold sesame noodles with shredded rotisserie chicken, caprese salads from the farmer's market tomatoes that Patty brought over, an Aldi charcuterie board assembled in four minutes that Ryan ate standing at the counter in approximately two. We are cooling down and eating well and surviving the summer and September is six weeks away.

The no-cook theme of the week didn’t stop at dinner—when it’s ninety degrees and you’ve already used up every ounce of executive function on calendar coordination and stroller logistics, turning on the oven is simply not on the table. These coconut popsicles have been our afternoon reset: I make a batch during nap overlap, slide them into the freezer, and by the time the 7 PM walk rolls around there’s something cold waiting. Four ingredients, one bowl, no heat required—which feels exactly right for a week when the smallest acts of taking care of yourself turn out to matter a lot.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes (includes freezing) | Servings: 8 popsicles

Ingredients

2 cans (13.5 oz each) full-fat coconut milk
3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Optional: toasted shredded coconut, for rolling finished popsicles

Instructions

Mix the base. Whisk together the coconut milk, honey (or maple syrup), vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl or pitcher until fully combined and the sweetener is dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
Pour into molds. Divide the mixture evenly among 8 popsicle molds, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top to allow for expansion.
Insert sticks. Place the lids on the molds and insert popsicle sticks. If your molds don’t have lids, freeze for 45 minutes until the mixture is slushy, then insert the sticks so they stand upright.
Freeze. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until completely solid.
Unmold. To release, run warm water over the outside of the molds for 20–30 seconds and gently pull the popsicles free. If using, roll the finished popsicles in toasted shredded coconut immediately before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Coconut Popsicles — The Freezer Is Doing the Cooking This Summer