Berried Treasure - Berry Smoothie Pie

 

Diet – it’s such an ugly sounding word isn’t it? Just mention it and people will cringe. Yup, just like you did when you read it a second ago! Mention the word in correlation to the food you just prepared or purchased and college boys will drop it and run to the pantry to find something “worth eating”. When someone sees I’ve lost weight they come up and ask, “What DIET are you on?”. Occasionally someone will see me eating a dessert or something sweet and say, “Hey! Aren’t you on a diet?”.

The fact of the matter is DIET in and of itself is not a scary word. We are ALL on a DIET. Some are on the SEE-food diet, like I used to be. They see it – they eat it. Some never worry about it, and others just don’t care. Yet the fact remains that our DIET is basically what we put into our mouths and bodies, and like Dr. Gagne, my old Computer Programming professor, used to say, “Garbage in equals garbage out.”

This dessert treat is a Berried Treasure. It’s decadent looking but doesn’t over indulge the calorie meter. It’s quick and easy to make as well. It’s from Jill Bonanno, in Taste of Home’s Healthy Cooking Recipe Cards (Feb. 2009)

Ingredients-

1 package (.3oz) sugar-free strawberry Jello

1/3 cup reduced-calorie cranberry juice

1 carton (6oz) fat-free raspberry yogurt

3 cups fresh strawberries, (washed, capped and rough chopped)

1 reduced-fat graham cracker pie crust (8 inches)

Fat-free whipped topping and fresh berries (optional)

Directions-

First, in a small micro-safe bowl, sprinkle the jello over the cranberry juice.  Let stand for a minute, then microwave for 40 seconds.  Stir and allow to stand for one minute to completely dissolve the gelatin.

              Then, in a blender, combine the jello mixture, yogurt, and strawberries. Cover and blend smooth.

             Pour into the pie shell and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. 

               Serve with whipped topping and berries, if desired.

 

The yield is eight slices at 146 calories per slice (excludes optional toppings).



Happy Leap Day!

ENJOY!!