Layered Blueberry Breakfast Parfaits Serves: 4
- 4 champagne glasses or small, clear juice glasses
- 2 cups Cheerios cereal
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- 2 8-ounce containers blueberry yogurt
- Rinse and dry blueberries.
- Spoon ¼ cup yogurt into bottom of each glass.
- Add ¼ cup blueberries and top with ¼ cup cereal in each.
- Repeat layers.
- Serve immediately.
**Tip: Use sliced strawberries with strawberry yogurt or sliced peaches with peach yogurt for variation.
Easy Caramel Apples Serves: 6
- 6 apples (try McIntosh, if you can find them, for a tangy-sweet treat)
- 6 popsicle sticks
- Waxed paper
- 1 14-ounce bag caramels
- Wash and dry apples; twist off stems.
- Push one popsicle stick into each apple in place of stem.
- Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with waxed paper.
- Melt caramels over low heat on the stove or in the microwave.
- Dip apples into caramel. Use a spoon to help cover the entire apple.
- Place apples, stick side up, onto waxed paper-lined pan.
- Refrigerate until caramel is firm, at least half an hour.
Frozen Bananas Serves: 4
- 4 ripe bananas
- 4 popsicle sticks
- Waxed paper
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Peel bananas and cut a small piece off one end of each banana.
- Insert popsicle stick into flat portion of banana.
- Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with waxed paper.
- Place bananas on lined pan and place in freezer for 1 hour.
- Melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat on the stove or in the microwave.
- Dip frozen bananas in chocolate.
- Store in the freezer in a sealed container.
**Tip: For added fun, you can decorate your bananas with chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips or other toppings. Simply roll the bananas in the topping of your choice after you’ve covered it with chocolate, and then freeze it.
Melon Refreshers Serves: 8-10
- Cookie cutters in a variety of shapes
- 2-3 seedless watermelon slices cut ¼-inch thick
- 1 8-ounce container vanilla yogurt
- Fresh mint leaves
- Lay watermelon slices flat on a cutting board.
- Use cookie cutters to cut shaped “cookies” from the melon.
- Place watermelon “cookies” on a serving plate.
- Top each slice with a tablespoon of yogurt.
- Wash and dry mint leaves. Place one leaf on top of each yogurt-topped watermelon slice.
Festive Fruit Salad Serves: 8
- 1 16-ounce can pineapple tidbits or chunks
- 1 pint strawberries
- 2 ripe peaches or nectarines
- 2 ripe kiwifruit
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- ¼ cup orange juice
- Open canned pineapple and drain juice; pour fruit into a large mixing bowl.
- Rinse and dry the peaches, kiwi and strawberries.
- Cut green stems off strawberries, then cut each strawberry into slices.
- Cut the peach in half; twist the pit until it comes out.
- Cut peach halves into slices. Cut slices into smaller pieces, if desired.
- Cut kiwi into coins, then cut each coin in half.
- Add strawberries, peaches and kiwi to pineapple; stir to mix fruit.
- Gently stir in blueberries and raspberries.
- Pour orange juice over mixed fruit.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Orange-Banana Smoothie Serves: 2
- 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1 banana
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup milk
- 12 ice cubes
- Scoop frozen orange juice concentrate into a blender.
- Peel and slice banana; add to blender.
- Pour water and milk into blender.
- Blend mixture until well combined.
- Add ice cubes 1or 2 at a time through lid of blender; process until smooth.
- Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Banana Dream Boats Serves: 4
- 4 bananas
- ½ cup chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Peel back (but do not remove) one strip of peel on each banana.
- Cut banana in half lengthwise being careful not to cut through bottom part of peel.
- Pull open banana halves slightly; fill with chocolate chips and marshmallows.
- Replace peel.
- Wrap bananas in foil being careful to seal edges.
- Grill over hot coals until chocolate and marshmallows are melted.
- Remove from heat; let cool 2 minutes before eating.
