Banana Applesauce Muffins

I made these today and my sugar-loving child stated, "These are good, Mom!"  There's not much sugar in these, so feel free to add more, up to a 1/2 cup.  Each muffin is about 100 calories.  You could add blueberries, strawberries, peaches, etc.

Banana Applesauce Muffins

2 ripe bananas

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a bowl, mash bananas with sugar until well combined.  Add all other ingredients and stir until just blended.  Pour batter into muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Makes approx 10-12 muffins.

Fruit in a Cloud

This salad is a crowd pleaser and most often it's the first bowl emptied at get togethers.  The recipe comes from my husband's family.  It's so fresh, yet sweet and creamy it almost doubles as a dessert!

 While I'm sure you could do many variations on this salad, my tried and true fruits are: strawberries, bananas, kiwi, and peaches.  I use canned peaches and pat them with a paper towel so they don't make the salad runny.  The secret ingredient I've added to the faves is huckleberries.  But I realize most of you don't have access to those, so they weren't included in my original fruit pic.

Start by combining the yogurt with the dry pudding mix.  Blend with a hand mixer for a minute or so until pudding is dissolved.  Stir the cool whip into the yogurt mixture.  Then toss in fresh fruit.

 

 Gently fold fruit into "cloud" mixture.  Serve immediately or you can chill for an hour or two. 

Fruit in a Cloud

1 large carton vanilla yogurt

1 large box vanilla pudding mix

1 8-oz cool whip

1 lb strawberries

2 bananas

2 kiwi

1 peach

Beat yogurt and dry pudding mix together for 1 minute.  Stir in cool whip.  Cut up all fruit into bite size pieces, then fold into yogurt mixture.  Serve immediately or you can chill and serve later.

Banana Cream Pie

I've just come to a realization--it's possible I have an addiction to desserts in a 9x13 pan. Typically Banana Cream Pie is well, a pie. But not for me. I guess I like the idea of square desserts!
I made this for Valentine's Day since one of my valentines doesn't care for chocolate. As you can see, though, I found a way to work some chocolate onto my piece!! This recipe makes pie for a crowd. It's also possible to make this super low fat. I've found my family doesn't taste a difference between regular pudding and the sugar free when it's in a layered dessert. You can also decrease or omit the butter in the crust and use bigger chunks of cracker for the base. And I always use lite cool whip.

Banana Cream Pie
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp melted butter
4-5 bananas, sliced into thick circles
1 large box banana cream pie pudding mix
2 1/2 cups milk
1 8-oz cool whip

Mix together graham cracker crumbs with sugar, then toss with butter. Pat into bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix together pudding mix and milk, then set aside. Arrange sliced bananas over top graham cracker crust. Pour set up pudding over top and spread evenly. Spread cool whip over top pudding. Chill for 2 hours.