Watergate Salad

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Drain pineapple reserving juice.  In a large bowl, mix together pudding mix, pineapple chunks, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, marshmallows, and nuts. Fold in whipped topping. Chill.

How To: Freezing Raspberries

from thriftyfun.com

Selecting High-Quality Fruit Raspberries:

Once frozen, berries do lose some of their texture, but they are still good for use in dishes and desserts. Select firm, mature, well-colored berries that are fully ripe. Avoid leaky, mushy, or discolored berries. Remove those that are immature, moldy or damaged.

Preparing for Freezing:

Put raspberries into a colander and dunk in cold water to wash gently. Lift and drain. If possible, until you're ready to process them, store raspberries in a single layer in the refrigerator to avoid crushing. They will stay fresh for 1 or 2 days.

Best Freezing Methods(s):

Unsweetened (Plain) Pack

Place raspberries in a single layer on a cookie sheet and tray-freeze. Once frozen (within 24 hours), pack them into suitable containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze. Raspberries can also be packaged and placed directly into the freezer, although berries that are tray-frozen are likely to freeze together in clumps.

Sweetened (Sugar) Pack

Combine 1 quart (1 1/3 pounds) of raspberries and _ cup sugar. Mix carefully to avoid crushing the berries. Stir until most of the sugar is dissolved. Pack into suitable containers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze.

Syrup Pack

Pack raspberries into containers and cover with cold, light syrup (2 cups sugar to 4 cups water). Pack in suitable containers leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and freeze.

Suitable Packaging:

Freezer containers should be moisture and vapor resistant and should not be prone to cracking or breaking at low temperatures. Containers should provide protection against absorbing flavors or odors and should be easy to label. Suitable packaging for freezing raspberries includes freezer-grade plastic bags, rigid plastic containers or glass containers and heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Maximum Storage Time:

Up to 12 months at 0ºF.

Thawing:

Add frozen raspberries directly to dishes and desserts.

Tips & Shortcuts:

Raspberries frozen in a sweetened (sugar) pack are best for pies. They will retain their texture better in sugar than if frozen in an unsweetened (plain) pack.

Banana Oat Muffins

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas

Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

I made mini muffins, cooking for 12 minutes

Banana Split Bread

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. beat in egg. In a small bowl, combine bananas and milk. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
2. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

This is a REALLY GOOD banana bread recipe take or leave the chocolate chips :)

No Sugar Added Cookies

From allrecipes.com

3/4 cup butter
2 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream the butter or margarine until light and fluffy. Add the bananas and mix well. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon. Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the oats and the chopped nuts. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.

Drop chilled teaspoon-sized rounds of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet (they don't really expand much, so you can place them close together). Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

I tried these cookies because I had some extra bananas I needed to use. After mixing the dough, it tasted terrible and I was VERY skeptical. However, after chilling in the fridge, the dough was much better and the end result was surprisingly good for containing no white or brown sugar. Because I was scared of how they would be, I added some chocolate chips. While they were good, they weren't necessarily needed.

Frozen Cranberries

Adapted from Cooking With Stephanie

8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
8 oz Cool Whip
1 Can Whole Cranberries
1 Can Crushed Pineapple with juice
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Mix cream cheese and cool whip thoroughly. Stir in cranberries, pineapple and marshmallows and freeze. Take out of the freezer about 1 hour before serving.

Frozen Strawberry Margaritas

From allrecipes.com

6 fluid ounces tequila
2 fluid ounces triple sec
8 ounces frozen sliced strawberries in syrup (or 1 can strawberry daiquiri concentrate)
4 fluid ounces frozen limeade concentrate

Fill a blender with ice and crush. Pour in the tequila and triple sec. Add the strawberries and limeade. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. Serve in glasses with the rims dipped in the margarita mixture then in sugar.

Frozen Grape Mold

From Dorothy Richards

1/4 cup mayo
4 oz cream cheese
1 small can chunk pineapples, strained & juice reserved
2 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups red & green seedless grapes
1/2 pint whipping cream

Whip together mayo, cream cheese and 3 tablespoons pineapple juice. Slowly fold pineapples, marshmallows and grapes into cream cheese mixture with a spoon. In a separate bowl, whip cream until stiff and fold into the grape mixture. Use mayo as a grease in a round pan and freeze. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw part way before serving. Serve cold.

Non-Fat Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

6oz fresh raspberries

2 cups non-fat yogurt
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/3 cup of Splenda

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove seeds and place in an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions (ours was 20 minutes in the mixer and 2+ hours in the freezer).

This a tart yogurt, not a sweet yogurt, but it is very yummy!

Oatmeal Banana Bread

From: Weight Watchers

Makes 10 servings / 4 points each

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
2 medium egg whites, beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 ripe large bananas
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients (except oatmeal). Add whole egg, egg whites, and oil; mix thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add bananas and oatmeal to batter.

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes.

4th of July Parfait

6 oz box of jello (any blue variety)
strawberries
whipped cream

Make jello according to package 'jiggler' instructions. In a tall glass layer strawberries, whipped cream and jello repeating until you reach the top. If available, use a star cookie cutter to make jello star shapes and top parfait with jello star.

Red, White & Blue Scones

Adapted from: Hungry Girl

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup uncooked oatmeal

2/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Baking Mix

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. light whipped butter

2/3 cup non-fat milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup blueberries

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Set oven to 400 degrees. Mix first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Fold in berries & chocolate chips. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and form 8 mounds of batter on sheet (leave room in between 'em -- they expand!). Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 8 large scones.

This is an amazing (and healthy) scone recipe! You can substitute the berries and chocolate chips for whatever your little heart desires :)

Strawberry Blossoms

From: Familycorner.com

12 large, fresh strawberries, rinsed
1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp sour cream

Remove stems from strawberries to form a flat base. Place berries on cutting surface, pointed end facing up. With a sharp knife, carefully slice each berry in half vertically to within a 1/4 inch of base. Cut each half into three wedges to form 6 petals. (Don't slice through the base.) Pull petals apart slightly.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and sour cream; beat until light and fluffy. With a pastry bag and star tip, a zipper sandwich bag (squeeze out extra air before sealing and carefully cut off one corner of the bottom of the bag) or small spoon, fill strawberries with cream cheese mixture.

You can use strawberry flavored cream cheese as well.

I tried this once with non-fat cream cheese and I would not recommend it.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

I am pretty picky about what I feed my kids, especially at breakfast. I like to make sure they start off the day right with something filling and nutritious. My boys, and their daddy, love pancakes. After a little trial and error, I have found a way to pack my pancakes with nutrition, but still keep it quick and simple. The boys enjoy these blueberry pancakes almost every Wednesday morning, but ask for them all week long.

1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart pancake mix
2/3 cup of non fat milk
2 TBS egg substitute
1-2 servings of Motts Healthy Harvest (no sugar added) Blueberry Applesauce
3/4 cup dry oatmeal

In a small bowl, wisk together Bisquick, milk and egg substitute until well mixed. Add applesauce and oats; stir well. Pour batter by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot greased griddle. Once edges start to look cooked, flip and cook until golden brown.

These do take a little longer to cook through than regular pancakes and have a softer consistency due to the applesauce.