Cool Semi-Healthy Summer Desserts

What to Avoid!
Now that it is finally warm outside (*crosses fingers*), I have begun to crave cooler desserts. While most of us love cold desserts like ice cream and/or popsicles, the brands you can find in the store are usually not healthy and filled with sugar. Luckily, my mom taught me some nice alternatives!

Homemade Jello:
JELL-O brand snacks usually contain a good bit of sugar and very little nutritional value. When I was a kid, my mom avoided JELL-O brand snacks by making homemade jello. Our homemade jello was made from fruit juices (whatever kind caught our fancy for the week) and Knox unflavored gelatin. Not only were we able to cut back on bad sugar, we got be creative with our juice choices and enjoy a fun activity!

Frozen fruit:
Some store bought popsicles are better for you than the Fireworks popsicles I loved getting on the 4th of July. However, if you are not able locate them or make your own popsicles, a nice alternative is munching on frozen fruit.

As a kid, my favorite fruit to freeze were grapes. They were automatically bite sized and were just plain fun to eat. I also enjoyed eating frozen peas – which most people find weird, but it was normal in my family. LOL Frozen fruit is delicious, and even if you do not eat it by itself, they can make many other delicious snacks, like smoothies.

Frozen Yogurt Pie:
This is one of my favorite recipes from my mom, and it is also one of the easiest to make! The resulting pie is light, creamy, and refreshing. It’s also easy to decorate it with fresh fruit and bring it to a party or cookout.

All you need are the following ingredients:

Filling

• 2 16oz containers of Cool Whip (get the low fat kind to save a few extra calories)
• 2 8oz yogurt containers (any flavor, or mix and match! My favorite is usually the Yoplait low-fat strawberry.)

Graham Cracker Crust

• One package of crushed graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons of sugar (you really do not have to add this)
• 1/3 cup of melted butter (you can use margin, but real butter is the best)

Mix the crust ingredients together thoroughly and form into the bottom of a pie pan. Mix the filling ingredients together and pour them into the pie crust, smoothing out the top. Put the pie in the freezer for about 8 hours and serve cold. This pie never disappoints, so be sure to try it out!

Hope you all enjoy the warm weather and sunshine!