Food For Thought

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Homemade Freezer Burritos

Aaah! Summer is calling my name to be outside. It's so beautiful this time of year. But there is so much to do! 

Strawberry patch fenced and netted. Check!

Garden planted. Check! 

Grape arbor built. Check! 

Grapes and Roses planted....not yet!

Weeds...check and check and check, but never done...

And I won't even mention the watering...

I love living on a large lot, but it sure makes for a lot of yard work.

So in case you need some time savers right now like I do, here's a great recipe that I recently discovered for freezer burritos. These things are great to have on hand to pull out for a quick lunch or on the go dinner. 

We used them just the other day at the school carnival (and my husband and I couldn't stand the thought of trying to gag down cold hot dogs they were trying to sell..). So I ran home, warmed up some of these guys and we ate them instead. A lot of people were looking at us like, "Um...which booth are they selling those at?"

Brandon has also taken them on camp outs. It's nice because they're already wrapped in foil. Just stick them over some hot coals and turn them until they smell done. They work great.

Homemade Freezer Burritos
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
Tortillas - here's some of our favorite whole grain homemade tortillas
Aluminum Foil
And your choice of filler ingredients. The more variety, the better they are:
Mexican Black Beans
Refried Beans
Hot sauce
Salsa
Rice - Make spanish rice, use plain brown or white rice
Other Grains - use white quinoa or another cooked grain of your choice!
Grated cheese
Fresh chopped cilantro
Canned corn, drained
Cooked taco beef or chicken (optional)
sour cream/yogurt/ranch dressing

DIRECTIONS:
First wrap 5 or 6 tortillas in a damp dishtowel and microwave for 1 minute. This makes them easier to fold.

On a large sheet of aluminum foil, layer the tortilla with your choice of refried beans, Mexican Black Beans, hot sauce, salsa, rice, grated cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, canned corn, cooked taco beef or chicken (optional), and sour cream/yogurt/ranch dressing.

Then fold up the tortilla in burrito fashion.

Next cover with the foil, being careful not to get the foil in between the burrito or it will freeze that way, making it difficult to remove before microwaving.

Label and freeze! That's it. This is a great way of using leftovers that you have in the fridge already.

When you are ready to eat the frozen burrito, just unwrap it from the foil. Then wrap it in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Recipe Source: Adapted from this shutterbean recipe

We also like to make them enchilada style. Just lower the cooking time in the microwave to 2.5 minutes, top with your choice of enchilada sauce and cheese and stick under the broiler for a minute or two until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Yum!

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Black Bean Mango Salad

We're still talking about black beans this week and today I'm going to share with you a recipe that combines black beans with white quinoa in a wonderful, fresh, and delicious salad. Perfect for a light lunch or a BBQ or other side dish. 

Black Bean Mango Salad
Printable Recipe

*Note: Red quinoa would be delicious in this recipe too!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup white quinoa, uncooked (or use 2 cups cooked and chilled quinoa)
2 Cups cooked and chilled black beans (or 1 14 oz. can, drained and rinsed)
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 Cup chopped cilantro, or more to taste

Dressing:
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Put 1/2 Cup quinoa in saucepan and add 1 cup water (or chicken broth). Heat on medium high until water starts to boil. Turn down heat to medium low, put a lid loosely on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until water is dissolved and quinoa is cooked. Remove quinoa to a large bowl and put in the refrigerator for an hour or two until quinoa is chilled.

When quinoa is chilled add to the bowl black beans, chopped mango, red pepper, green onions, and cilantro. In a separate bowl, combine red wine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk together until it reaches a smooth consistency, then pour in the large bowl on top of the salad ingredients. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Delicious for a BBQ side dish or serve with bread or rolls for a lunch. Enjoy!

Recipe Source: adapted from ourbestbites.com

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Mexican Black Beans

I love Mexican Food! Well, I should clarify...I love unauthentic American Mexican Food! :) And these beans are my favorite! They are one of my tried and true recipes that even my kids love - which is saying something in my family of picky eaters... They are perfect to make for a vegetarian or meatless meal: quick, easy, and delicious! Our family's favorite way to eat them is in this Mexican Black Bean salad. Today I'll share the pressure cooker instructions as well as the recipe using canned beans in case you don't have a pressure cooker.


Mexican Black Beans {Pressure Cooker}
Printable Recipe

*NOTE: The Pressure cooker is my favorite way to make these beans! It enhances the flavors and it's so simple!

*Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups dry black beans, rinsed and sorted
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
3 1/2 Cups water
1 regular onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cumin powder (or less if you want it less spicy)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients in a pressure cooker. Heat to high pressure and then cook for 50 minutes. Then release the pressure naturally. Serve plain, over rice, in a burrito or taco shell, or with chips in a salad.

Recipe Source: adapted from greenereating.com


Mexican Black Beans {Stove Top}
Printable Recipe

*NOTE: The Stove top method is a great option for when you're in a real hurry!

*Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 regular onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 14-oz. cans undrained black beans with lower sodium*
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 Tbsp. salt*
2 Tbsp. cumin powder (or less if you want it less spicy)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in medium saucepan on medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Then add to the saucepan the undrained beans, tomato sauce, salt and cumin powder. Heat until mixture is bubbly, then turn down the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring often. Cook about 20 minutes or until flavors develop. Serve plain, over rice, in a burrito or taco shell, or with chips in a salad.

*NOTE: if you use regular canned beans, you will have to decrease the amount of salt. Just adjust the amount to taste.

Don't forget dessert! How about yummy fruit salsa and baked cinnamon chips? It goes perfect with the Mexican Black Beans!

How about some fresh garden lettuce for that salad? 

Isn't it beautiful? I love this time of year when the garden is growing! We've almost got it all planted now...and...we're harvesting lettuce, spinach, chard, radishes, turnips, and green onions (from the onions we left in the ground last year). And more to come!! :)

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Monday Meet Whole Foods: Black Beans!

Today's whole food is:

Black Beans!

What are Black Beans? 

Black Beans or Black Turtle Beans are small beans that are black in color and especially popular in Latin american dishes. They have a rich, meaty flavor and hold their shape well during cooking.

How do I use them?
Dry black beans should be cleaned and sorted before using, picking out any small pebbles, split and withered beans and any other foreign matter. Black beans can then be cooked in the pressure cooker or on the stove top.

To shorten the cooking time, black beans can be presoaked using a couple of different methods. Place the beans in a sauce pan with 3 cups of water for every cup of beans. Then place the pan in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. For the quick soak method, place the pan on the stovetop and boil for two minutes. Remove from the heat, put a lid on and let stand for two hours. After soaking, drain the soaking liquid and rinse the beans.

Stove Top
To cook black beans on the stove top just add 3 parts water to 1 part black beans in a saucepan.  Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, partially covering the pot. Then cook for about 2-3 hours (un-soaked) or 1.5 hours (pre-soaked). The time may need to be adjusted a bit depending on how old the beans are and how soft you want them.

Pressure Cooker
To cook black beans in a pressure cooker (either electric or stove top) just add 3 parts water to 1 part black beans in the pressure cooker.  Heat to high pressure and then cook for 45 - 50 minutes (un-soaked) or 10-15 minutes (pre-soaked). The time may need to be adjusted a bit depending on how old the beans are and how soft you want them. Then naturally release the pressure.

Whole black beans can be used to make soups, salsas, refried beans, salads, or even desserts. They work great as a meat substitute or extender. Black beans can also be ground into flour and put into breads or used to thicken gravies, sauces, or soups.

Where can I buy them?
Black beans are easy to find in most grocery stores. The dry beans can be bought in prepackaged containers or in bulk bins. Most grocery stores also sell canned (already cooked) black beans, which are convenient for fast meals. Some canned beans, however, have added salt or other additives so be sure to read the labels.

How healthy are they?
Black Beans are high in fiber, protein, and folic acid. Along with these they also contain lots of important vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Black beans have been shown to help lower blood cholesterol levels, aiding in cardiovascular health and decreasing risks of heart disease. Black beans because of their high fiber and protein help to steady digestive processes. Black beans help regulate blood sugar, benefiting in type 2 diabetes prevention and regulation. Black beans also help decrease the risk of different kinds of cancer. As you can see, black beans are wonderfully nutritious for the body!

Got a recipe?
This week and next, I'll be sharing some more of my favorite recipes using black beans. If you have a favorite black bean recipe, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail!

Recipes with Black Beans:
Black Bean Taco Filling
Black Bean Corn Salsa
Mexican Black Beans
Mexican Black Bean Taco Salad

Sources: whfoods.com

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Food For Thought

 Quoted From: Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank)

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Frugal Friday: Frugal Exercise Ideas

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and a healthy family. Some people think they need to get all dudded out with designer exercise clothes, treadmills, gym passes, or other work out materials BEFORE they can get in shape. From my experience, those people are only partially committed to a healthy lifestyle. And those commitments fade even sometimes before the clothes do. Don't get me wrong, nice equipment is great in a workout program, but it's not essential. And if you don't have or don't want to spend the money on it, here are some ideas for exercise that you can do without all the extras.

1. Work in the yard - Especially during springtime there is so much yard work to do. Mowing the lawn, picking weeds, tilling and planting the garden. All of those count as exercise and are fun to do together with your family.
2. Bike rides - Got some old bikes lying around unused? Pump up the tires and go for a bike ride. Nothing fancy, just ride around the neighborhood. This is one of our family's favorite things to do together. I love it because we count it as family time AND exercise.
3. Walking - This is something you can do for free just about everywhere. If you live withing walking distance of the park or playground or library, walk instead of drive. It may take a few minutes longer, but it's not time unused. We love to go on walks as a family, at night especially. We've found that having a destination always work best.  
4. Hiking - There's something about hiking that is so fulfilling and invigorating. You're not just running on a treadmill going nowhere. You're seeing things, going places and making memories. We love to hike with our kids, but sometimes it can be challenging. We like to have a pocket full of "turbo boosters" (dried fruit, trail mix, nuts, etc) to help the lagging kids get a "turbo boost" of speed.
5. Swim, run through the sprinklers, or have a water fight - There are lots of places around you can swim for free - lakes, rivers, the neighbor's house, etc. Swimming is excellent exercise and fun too. If you live somewhere where those options aren't available, then turn on the sprinklers and run around or start a water fight with your family.
6. Play - Tag, soccer, kickball, baseball, basketball. All of those are great ways to spend time with kids, make memories AND get your exercise.
7. Turn on some music and have a dancing party - In our family we love to play the piano and the kids love it when one parent plays and the other gets up and starts dancing around with them. It's so much fun (and it really wears you out!). If you don't have a piano, turn on the radio or ipod. Good music is good for the soul and good for the body if you get up and move!
8. Play the Penny Game - If you live in an area that has tall buildings, you might try out this game that we love to play. Find a building that has a large stairwell (we use one with 13 stair flights but 8-10 would be fine too). The stair flights have to be open in the center for this to work. Climb up the stairs. Each family member selects a penny with a different year (that's how you'll distinguish between them). Each person drops their penny down the center of the stair well from the very top. Then everyone walks down the stairs looking for their penny. Find out who's went down the farthest. Then repeat over and over until your legs give out from walking up and down the stairs. You can have prizes for whose went the farthest on one drop, who had the least number of drops to the bottom, etc. It's really fun and you don't even notice you're getting exercise going up and down the stairs.

Well I hope that gets your wheels turning. A healthy lifestyle is more about getting into healthy habits than it is about having costly workout equipment on hand. Our grandparents and great grandparents never had to have it. They were just active every day of their lives and didn't look for ways to get out of it like we sometimes do. For example, I've seen people circle parking lots dozens of times to find a close parking space rather than just walking a couple of extra feet. These kinds of people are always looking for the "easy way". The least amount of effort for the most gain. The quickest, fastest, fad diet to lose weight. The exercise program that does the work for you.  What they are really looking for won't be found in these shortcuts. Healthy lifestyles and healthy families don't come ready-made, prepackaged, or in instant packets where you "just add water". Healthy lifestyles and healthy families take work and they take effort, but the payoffs are rich. Yes, it really is worth it! And yes, YOU CAN DO IT!

Linked to: Frugal Friday, Thrifty Thursday, Homemaking Linkup

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Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips

We had a fun Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday with lots of yummy Latin-themed food. I say latin-themed because I'm quite positive that none of it was even close to authentic, but it's fun to celebrate! ;) We like to invite our neighbors and friends over occasionally to get to know them better and make fun memories. This time we had some widows in our neighborhood over as well as one other family. The widows are so cute and we love to spend time with them. They arrive on time (or early!) and dress up for the occasion. It makes you feel appreciated when they take the time to show that they care about your invitation. One thing that I love about the older generation is how grateful they are. Each one individually probably thanked me 2 or 3 times since then and I'm sure they will continue to do so for weeks afterwards. There's so much to be learned from their wonderful example. I think they were a little nervous when we told them it was going to be a Cinco de Mayo party, but they all seemed to have fun.

We had taquitos, a seven layer dip and this yummy fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips that I will share with you today. The fruit salsa is especially pertinent for this week because it uses lots of strawberries and this strawberry jam that I showed you how to make last time...But if you don't have time to make the jam, you can just use any strawberry jam or preserves. This recipe would be perfect for any party or shower or brunch! It's a wonderful, low-sugar dessert. The baked cinnamon chips are really good plain for an after school or midnight snack. I've made them with pre-made store-bought tortillas and homemade whole-wheat tortillas and they are great either way. Enjoy!

Fruit Salsa

Printable Recipe

*NOTE: As a variation, use different kinds of fruit.

*Serves 10-12

INGREDIENTS:

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 large ripe mango, diced

1 lb. strawberries, diced

1 Tbsp. white sugar (optional)

1 Tbsp. brown sugar (optional)

3 Tbsp. strawberry jam

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, mix kiwis, apples, mango, strawberries, sugars (optional) and strawberry jam. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes and not more than 8 hours or the salsa will get too runny. Serve with baked cinnamon chips.

Baked Cinnamon Chips

Printable Version

*NOTE: These cinnamon chips can be made sugar free by sprinkling with plain cinnamon instead of cinnamon sugar.

*Serves 10-12

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 Cup white sugar

1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas (for a healthy alternative use these yummy homemade whole-wheat tortillas)

1/4 - 1/2 Cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with canola oil. In a small bowl, mix the white sugar and cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. Using a pizza cutter, cut the tortillas into wedges into desired size and shape. Arrange the tortilla wedges in a single layer on the baking sheet. Coat top of the flour tortillas only with melted butter. Sprinkle tortillas with desired amount of cinnamon sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool completely, approximately 15 minutes. Serve with fruit salsa.

Recipe Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

EAT UP!

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Preserving Strawberries

I love this time of year when strawberries are in season! There are so many wonderful foods to make with juicy, red, ripe strawberries. And they are good for you as I mentioned last week when I introduced these awesome fruits.

Last week I also shared with you one of my favorite dessert recipes: Strawberry lush (with a whole grain crust). And today I'm going to teach you how to preserve them by freezing whole or making jam. Either method you choose, you need to first prepare the strawberries.

Preparing

1. Select strawberries to preserve that are good quality: ripe and firm, with no soft or moldy spots. Poor quality fruit will make horrible preserved fruit!
2. Wash the strawberries

3. Drain them

4. And cut off the caps (green stems)

That's it! It's very easy.

Freezing

Freezing Strawberries is the easiest way I know to preserve their delicious goodness. I like to freeze them whole because it's so quick and they don't stick together as much after they are frozen. It's easy to pull out just the number you need when making a smoothie or unthawing them for a dessert.

All you need are some prepared strawberries and heavy duty freezer bags (any size you want).

1. Place prepared strawberries in the freezer bags
2. Remove as much air as you can
3. Seal and label the bags
4. Store in the freezer 

Frozen strawberries will keep in the freezer for at least a year. We love to use them in smoothies, lemonades or desserts!

Strawberry Jam

The easiest way to make strawberry jam is the freezer jam. You simply buy a packet of freezer pectin and follow the instructions on the package, ladle the jam in freezer containers and freeze. Really simple and very delicious! Since my freezer happened to be about full after freezing my whole strawberries, this time I decided to venture out of the box and make canned strawberry jam. 

One of the reasons I love to make homemade jam is because you can control the amount of sugar that you add to the jam. You do have to be kind of careful though because if you adjust the sugar in a recipe, sometimes it will not set up right (staying too runny, or too thick). So I'm going to share with you my recipe for strawberry jam that our family loves because it has the perfect amount of sugar. It's sweet enough to enjoy, but not so sugary that you can't taste the berry flavor. 

If you're not used to canning, you can see my general canning instructions here to help you get started or this jam can be made according to the recipe and frozen in freezer containers (or glass jars). I've done that too and it works just great!

Strawberry Jam

Printable Recipe

*NOTE: Be sure to use no sugar needed fruit pectin! This is what allows the jam to set up without as much sugar.

*Makes about 8-10 8-oz. jars

INGREDIENTS:

5 Cups crushed strawberries (approximately 3 1/2 lbs. strawberries)

2.5 Cups white sugar

1 Cup water

1 pkg. OR 3 Tbsp. no sugar needed fruit pectin

Jars, lids, bands, canning equipment, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

1.        Wash jars, lids, bands and rinse well. Heat jars and lids in boiling water. Heat up water in your boiling water bath canner.

2.        Wash and prepare strawberries. Crush one layer at a time until you have five cups. Important: do not put in the blender or food processor - I used a potato masher and it works great. 

3.        Put the crushed fruit and water in a tall sauce pan. The jam will spit, so the tall pan will keep it in the pan and not all over your kitchen.

4.        Gradually stir in the no sugar needed fruit pectin into the fruit/water mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is at a boil, add the sugar and return to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly (and use oven mitts to protect your arms from spitting jam!). Remove from heat, then skim foam if desired (I never do).

5.        Take jars out of simmering water, one at a time and ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the rims and threads of each jar with a clean, damp cloth. Center the heated lid on jar and screw band down until fingertip tight. Then place jar in canner and repeat with other jars.

6.        Once canner is full, add water if necessary to cover jars by 1 or 2 inches. Place lid on canner and bring water to a boil and lower heat until water stays at a gentle boil. Process according to times below (based on your current elevation).

Processing Times:
10 min (0-1,000 ft) 15 min (1,001-3,000 ft) 20 min (3,001-6,000 ft) 25 min (6,001-8,000) 30 min (8,001-10,000)

7.        After processing, turn off heat and remove the lid for 5 minutes before removing jars from the canner. Set the jars upright on a towel to cool for 12 to 24 hours. Once jars are cool, test jars for a seal by pressing the center of the lid. The lid should not flex up and down. If it does, immediately refrigerate or reprocess with a new lid for the full length of time. Clean jars and remove bands. Label and store in a cool, dry, dark place for up to one year.

We've enjoyed this jam on pancakes, waffles, rolls, bread or toast, bagels, or to sweeten plain yogurt. Lick the spoon and enjoy!

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Frugal Friday: Being Content Right Now

Enjoying the beauty all around us

Many of us live life just on the edge of happiness. We are waiting for those "somethings" to happen before we can be truly happy. Everyone's "somethings" are different. These sneaky "somethings" sit in the back of our minds and sometimes we don't even notice that they are blocking out the happiness we could be enjoying right now.  In the fast-paced, consuming world we live, so many of these "somethings" involve needing more money - a new house, a new car, a remodel, the latest fad or fashion, etc. I could go on and on...And it seems like just as soon as we satisfy one "something" another one comes and creeps in it's place.

To me part of living a frugal life means being content right now. Not focusing on what we don't have or what we think we need.  Rather, focusing on what we DO have and making our lives beautiful with what is all around us. It means enjoying the happiness already within our grasp.

I love what Deiter F. Uchdorf said about this in his article, "Forget Me Not":

"In the beloved children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the mysterious candy maker Willy Wonka hides a golden ticket in five of his candy bars and announces that whoever finds one of the tickets wins a tour of his factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Written on each golden ticket is this message: “Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this Golden Ticket … ! Tremendous things are in store for you! Many wonderful surprises await you! … Mystic and marvelous surprises … will … delight, … astonish, and perplex you.”

In this classic children’s story, people all over the world desperately yearn to find a golden ticket. Some feel that their entire future happiness depends on whether or not a golden ticket falls into their hands. In their anxiousness, people begin to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket.

So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket—the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about. For some, the golden ticket may be a perfect marriage; for others, a magazine-cover home or perhaps freedom from stress or worry.

There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings...The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event—our golden ticket—to appear.

...The lesson here is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots [flowers] that are all around us.

This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals. Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.

The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."

Truly Happy. Isn't that what we all want? And to me the key is found in that last statement, "The happiest people I know...are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of everyday moments." 

As I think about the happiest times of my life, I can see the truth of what he said. During those times I was content with the beauty that was already around me in my life. And not only that, but I had goals that I was pursuing - dreams and hopes and desires that I was seeking for. I was content, but I was ambitious. I was satisfied, but I had hope for more great things to come in the future. Rather than letting those goals get in the way of my happiness, I let them add to my happiness.

Being content means unlocking the happiness that is already there, just waiting to be found. It means pushing aside the dark "something" clouds we are waiting for, and enjoying the bright sunlight of life right now.

Linked to: Hearts 4 Home, Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Friday

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Delicious Strawberry Lush with Whole Grain Crust

Well you just can't talk about strawberries without talking about all the yummy desserts you can make with them. After making this the other day, I said to Brandon, "I can't make this again for a long time." Because I eat it. And not just a little...it's so good...

I probably justify it to myself by saying, it's semi-good for me...because it DOES have a whole grain crust! But...since it's only "semi" good for you...and that will probably be a stretch when you see the other ingredients...it's really not something you want to make every day. Darn it!

But, it would be perfect for a Mother's Day dessert. And Mother's day is coming up in a few weeks...Hint, Hint Brandon if you are reading this! ;) So I'll share it with you in case you want to drop a few hints of your own...or make it for yourself...

If you read my previous post on Chocolate Lush, you might think this one sounds very familiar. Probably because it is very similar. But, like I said, I have healthified the recipe a bit to ease your conscience a little and I think it tastes better this way anyway.

And just a note for all you GFers - my Dad included. Yeah, Dad this is for you. This would be a great  Mother's day dessert to make Mom. And do you know what makes it even more nice? You can eat it too and you only have to change one ingredient: the flour in the crust. Instead of Wonder Flour (which does have gluten in it), you can try oat flour or brown rice flour or a combo of the two or any other GF flour that suits you.

Strawberry Lush with Whole Grain Crust
Printable Recipe

*NOTE: This dessert is put together in 5 layers.

*Serves 12-15

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Wonder Flour

3/4 Cup butter

1 Cup chopped walnuts

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 8-oz. Carton Cool Whip, divided

2 small packages instant vanilla pudding

3 Cups milk (whole is best)

8 oz. fresh ripe strawberries

DIRECTIONS:

Crust Layer: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the Wonder Flour, butter and chopped walnuts with a fork. Spread in a 9 x 13" ungreased pan. Bake 15 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool completely before adding the next two layers.

Cream Cheese Layer: In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 Cup Cool Whip with an electric mixer until smooth and spreadable. Layer on top of cooled crust.

Pudding layer: In a large bowl, add vanilla pudding packages and milk. Using an electric mixer, beat on high for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Then spread pudding layer on top of cream cheese layer.

Cool Whip Layer: Spread the remaining Cool Whip onto the top of the pudding layer.

Strawberry Layer: Wash and slice the strawberries in thin slices and arrange on top of the Cool Whip layer.

Chill strawberry lush until ready to serve.

 

Eat up and enjoy! I love strawberry season, don't you? I can't wait till we get some in the garden - we've got lots of flowers right now!


And here's a sneak peak and one of my latest projects in the works - updating the strawberry covering from the stuff on the back (just chicken wire) to a little fence like you see in the front. It's not all the way done yet as you can see, but I'm excited about it.

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