Strawberry Recipes: Strawberry Yogurt Surprise

I love strawberries, and I love yogurt. My favorite yogurt is Dannon Low-Fat Vanilla, which I purchase in tubs to save money.

Last year I purchased fresh strawberries at the farm for a good price. Sometimes I find them where I can pick them for free. When I was going to the food cupboard, I would get the there for free as well.

I also like to add things to my yogurt. I do not like fruit or berry yogurts, becuase I only like to eat fruits and berries fresh. Otherwise, I find them nasty. (Of course, I can freeze them for use in breads/muffins and smoothies.)

Strawberry-Yogurt Surprise:

Serves: 1

parfait or sundae cup

long handled spoon

yogurt

3 large sliced strawberries

a sprinkling of chocolate chips

1.) Layer into cup and enjoy!

Price:

One tub of yogurt can go a long way if used properly, so there is minimal cost to this recipe. I will say about .50 per serving. Less if the berries were free.

Great served with:

Toast with peanut butter or oatmeal at breakfast.

A sandwich at lunch.

Yogurt Toppers

I usually only eat one kind of yogurt. I am aware that this is a pickyness factor for me. I like Dannon Low-Fat Vanilla Yogurt. I buy the large containers when I can, which is generally cheaper than buying multiple smaller containers.

I do many things with this yogurt. Besides eating mixed with mellons and using it in smoothies, I also put toppers on it. Here are some yogurt topper ideas for you:

• Mixed dried fruit
• Granola
• Fresh berries
• Fresh fruit
• Crushed pineapple
• Tuna and diced apple
• Tuna, diced apple and diced celery

How about sharing your yogurt topper successes with us in the comments section. Thank you.

Shannon

Berry Parfaits

I love Parfaits. I like to pretty them up for the children, to turn them into special treats.

• I put them into the sundae cups for a nice treat.
• I have real tea spoons with long handles that I place in the cups.

Berries are very healthy, and should be a part of everyone’s diet, with the possible exception of babies. My daughters and the daycare children love these, as do I.

• You can use any type of berry that you like, and you can mix and match the berries.
• You can choose between low-fat vanilla yogurt and whipped topping.
• You can also add toppings such as cherries or granola.

All you do is:

• Put a tablespoon of yogurt in the bottom of the cup.
• Then layer yogurt and berries until you get to the top.
• Finally, you can add your choice of topping.

These parfaits are great for:

• Daycare children to make.
• Hot summer days.
• Party treats.

They make great:

• Snacks.
• Breakfast ideas.
• Desserts.

Enjoy!

Shannon

P.S. If you have any other parfait ideas that you would care to share, please post them in the comments section. Thank you.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like:

Fruit Parfaits

Fruit Parfaits

I love Parfaits. I put them into the sundae cups for a nice treat. I have real tea spoons with long handles that I place in the cups.

My daughters and the daycare children love these, as do I.

• You can use any type of fruit that you like, and you can mix and match the fruits.
• You can choose between low-fat vanilla yogurt and whipped topping.
• You can also add toppings such as cherries or granola.

All you do is:

• Put a tablespoon of yogurt in the bottom of the cup.
• Then layer yogurt and fruit until you get to the top.
• Finally, you can add your choice of topping.

These parfaits are great for:

• Daycare children to make.
• Hot summer days.
• Party treats.

They make great:

• Snacks.
• Breakfast ideas.
• Desserts.

Enjoy!

Shannon

P.S. If you have any other parfait ideas that you would care to share, please post them in the comments section. Thank you.

Mango Chocolate Smoothie

Yes, I am still trying to eat up all of this produce.

 Add these to blender:

1 small mango, pitted, peeled and chopped

5 large strawberries, sliced

1 cup vanilla soy milk

1 raw egg

2-3 tbsp chocolate syrup

1 tbsp wheat germ

 

Blend.

Homemade Popsicles

It is very hot here in my little town today. I went to a friends birthday party, but haven’t done much else. I just got out of a cool shower, the heat is giving me a headache.

I was thinking that a cold popsicle would be nice, and I might have one in a few minutes. But I was thinking about how much I would like a homemade one, rather than one from the store. I won’t likely be able to afford any more from the store, so I will end up making my own.

I purchased a popsicle mold at the Family Dollar for a buck, and I have two old ones, so I will be able to make plenty.

All you have to do is make your drinks as usual, and use your drinks for the popsicles. So there is no extra cost. Rather than having the drink, pull a popsicle out sometimes. This can be pretty frugal.

You can make popsicles by simply making any of the drinks below and pouring them into molds, placing the molds into the freezer:

Iced tea (cheap brand)

Koo-laid (store brand)

Juice (store brand)

Lemonade (store brand)

Pink Lemonade (store brand)

Water (takes no prep)

Crystal Lite drinks (store brand)

 

Crystal Light Mixers and Popsicles

Crystal Lite actually costs too much for my families budget, so I purchase store brands here. Wal*Mart has the most reasonable prices that I can find. I do not care much for water, and am on a diet. I do drink most of my water a day, but then I simply need something else to drink. The drinks have 0-5 calories per serving, so I drink these.

I do not personally mix mine, but my neighbor does. My daughter will likely also be experimenting with this idea.

I have decided to make posicles from these drinks as well. Each time I make a jug, I will make a few popsicles. This will be a nice, cool, low-calorie treat for me on hot days.

Good day!

Shannon

Kool-Aid Mixers and Popsicles

This is yet another area where my daughter experiments. She mixes Kool-Aids. This should be done in a gallon size jug for best results. Mix 2 packets, 2 cups of sugar, ice and water to make a gallon. Here are some interesting combinations:

strawberry-orange

grape-strawberry/kiwi

cherry-orange

pink lemonade-starwberry

 

To save money, let them have 8 ounces a day. It will keep well in the refrigerator. I know that we have one store where we have to pay $1.00 for three, and another where we pay the same for four packets.

Kool-Aid does make great, cheap posicles whether you are mixing them or not. Do this instead of giving your children the drinks, and it won’t hurt them to have one on a hot day.

Have a nice day!

Shannon

Freezer: Using up the Winter Stocks

Since it is the time of the year when we spring clean, I thought that it would be nice if we all considered our freezers for a few minutes. Do you have any leftover produce in the freezer? I know that I still have some eggs and grated zucchini in the freezer that needs to be used. Here are some pointers for using up your winter stores:

* The eggs that you purchased on sale and froze will need to be used up. Since the yolks had to be broken to freeze, you can not make boiled or fried eggs with them. You could make other things, though:

scrambled eggs

french toast

use them when baking

I tend to freeze mine in snack size baggies, which I later wash out and reuse to pinch pennies. I freeze them one egg to a baggie, then I put all of the baggies into a quart or gallon size freezer baggie until I want to bake something. The eggs I will need can be taken out the night before I need them, or the morning that I will spend the evening baking. (I wash and reuse the freezer bag when I am done with it.)

 

* Grated zucchini can be used to make:

muffins

breads

omelets

cookies

brownies

cakes

This site may be helpful: http://basic-recipes.com/veget/zucchini.htm

 

* Diced apples are great for breads and muffins, brownies, cookies and cakes.

* Sliced apples make great crisps, pies and cobblers.

* You can make a great soup from (saved) leftover vegetables, meats and liquids from cooking the veggies.

Happy eating!

Shannon

Fruit Salad

1 small jar of cherries, drained, cut into halves/fourths

2 apples, cored and chopped small

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

grapes, as many as you like, cut into halves/fourths

(optional) 1 or 2 cans of mandarin oranges

mini colored/white marshmallows, a handful or two

8 oz or less whipped topping

Mix them all up and serve 1/2 cup at a time. Will last in the refrigerator for a few days.

Purchase what you can on sale. Sometimes fruit can be found real cheap or even free at farmer’s markets if you go about an hour before closing time. If you can do this, it will be a truly frugal meal.

Serve as dessert, a snack or a side dish.