Mini Fruit Ice Cream Pies
PIN IT!These mini fruit ice cream pies are an easy make-ahead dessert that will brighten up your Mother’s Day brunch or dinner! Plus, they are very low in calories thanks to the addition of Arctic Zero in place of Ice Cream!
Do you guys want to hear something sad? I haven’t spent Mother’s Day with my mom in years. Like, I can’t actually remember the last Mother’s Day we spent together. I actually think it was over 5 years ago during my graduation weekend. From college.
Ever since then, the timing has never been right. I’ve either been out of the country, working full or part time or swamped with deadlines. And this year, well, the same story goes. I’m leaving for 2 weeks (Iceland – England – Peru) on Wednesday and I have to finish over 20 recipes for a deadline on Monday. Even though as I type that I realize how busy I’m going to be, I still feel a pang of guilt for not trying harder to get to Indiana to see my mom.
Luckily though, we got to spent all weekend together in beautiful San Francisco. Even though the purpose of the trip wasn’t to celebrate Mother’s Day, we still had plenty of time to drink wine, laugh and talk about food. Plus, we even had a few hours to do some cooking together, which is always my favorite thing to do alongside her.
Even though we won’t be together, I’m celebrating with some mini fruit ice cream pies in her honor. Granted, she’s not a huge ice cream fan, but I think she’d appreciate how cute these pies are regardless. She always has such an eye for making an ordinary dish look like art, and every time I’m baking or decorating, I try to replicate her techniques. Even though my dishes turn out pretty, they just don’t hold a flame to hers.
No matter what, she’ll always be the most incredible cook, baker and mother I’ll ever know. I just hope someday I can measure up.
Mini Fruit Ice Cream Pies
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 4 pies (serves about 8).
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Freeze time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
For the pie:
- 1 pint vanilla maple Arctic Zero, softened* (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Blueberries
- Strawberries, sliced
- 1 banana, sliced
*Sub in regular low-fat vanilla ice cream if you want to!
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 4 mini Le Creuset tart plates with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, mix the graham crackers, butter, sugar and nutmeg. Stir until it stars to clump. Using a spatula, press the mixture into the pie crusts. Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let chill slightly and then freeze for an hour.
- Press about 1/2 cup of the ice cream into each pie crust. Using a knife, smooth it over. Freeze for another 45 minutes, or until set.
- Meanwhile, make the whipped cream by beating the heavy cream, honey and sugar together in a stand mixer. Beat until fluffy.
- Once the pies have set, remove from the freezer. Top with whipped cream. Add a sliced banana, sliced strawberries and blueberries to the top of the cream.
Nutritional information per serving (1/2 pie):
Calories: 336
Fat: 14 grams
Carbohydrates: 29 grams
Fiber: >1 gram
Protein: 1.6 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Ahi Tuna Tacos with Homemade Tortillas
Nothing says Cinco de Mayo like a taco, and these ahi tuna tacos with homemade tortillas will blow your mind! You’ll never want a regular ground beef taco again, I promise.
I think every girl needs one day a year where it’s entirely all about making her feel beautiful.
Where she spends 3 hours getting her hair professionally styled and make-up perfectly applied. Where she dresses up with big statement jewelry and fancy dresses and plays in front of a camera getting glamour shots. This is what I spent all day doing yesterday and let me tell you, I never felt more incredible. Here’s a sneak peek photo!
Granted, it definitely helped that I had Kita behind the camera. This girl, as you already know from her incredible food photos, is a photography genius. But she’s not just great at styling tomatoes. She know show to capture people in the real moments. The moments when they’re not expecting to have their photo taken and they are lost in thought or concentrated on cleaning a bowl. There were so many moments she captured that I didn’t even think to pose for. And honestly? They are when I look the most glamorous.
As you can tell, I’m DYING of excitement to see how they came out. Although I love having my photo taken, I don’t always feel 100% comfortable in front of the camera.
Because of a recent weight gain, I don’t feel beautiful or sexy most of the time. I’m always sucking in or tilting my body just right so I don’t look as big as I feel. But you know what? I didn’t feel any of that yesterday. For the first time in a long time, I actually felt beautiful, gorgeous and happy. And so much of that has to do with Kita, who was encouraging and incredible, and the hair and make-up.
I’m not a make-up girl, but there’s something about having fake eyelashes on and bright red lipstick that makes you feel invincible. Even if you’re not having your photo taken, do it for fun. Get glammed up and surprise your husband on date night. Or just do it for the heck of it and prance around your local mall.
Every girl needs one day where she just feels perfect, don’t you think?
Ahi Tuna Tacos with Homemade Tortillas
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 6 tacos & 8 – 10 tortillas. Tortilla recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes for tortillas and 5 – 6 minutes for fish
Ingredients:
For the tortillas:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup cold butter
- 1 cup hot (110 degrees) water
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- Dash of salt
For the tacos:
- 2 (5 ounce) ahi tuna filets
- 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
- 2 orange sweet peppers, chopped
- 2 plump tomatoes, sliced or chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 3 ounces soft goat cheese
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
For the avocado cream sauce:
- 1 avocado
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Start by making the tortillas. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Using a pastry knife, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse sand (much like a pie crust). Gradually stir in the honey and the hot water, mixing until a soft dough comes together. If you need, add a bit more water if the dough is still dry.
- Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 4 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll into a soft ball. Place on a baking sheet and cover with greased saran wrap or a damp towel. Let rest for about 45 minutes.
- Once rested, heat a griddle to high heat (I used this amazing all in one Cuisinart griddle). Working with two balls of dough at a time (if you have a two part griddle), roll them out to about 8 inches. Place the tortillas next to each other on the griddle and heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until browned spots appear. Move to a plate and cover until ready to use.
- Preheat your broiler and lightly grease a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of the ahi tuna with salt and pepper. Place on the broiler pan and broil (on high) for about 5 – 6 minutes, or until the outsides are browned while the insides are pink. Let rest for a minute and then slice into thin slices.
- To make the tacos, fill each tortilla with lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapeño and sliced tuna (about 3 – 4 slices on each). Sprinkle with goat cheese, cracked pepper and fresh cilantro.
- Scoop out the seeds and flesh from the avocado. Place in a blender. Add the almond milk, greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper. Blend until thick and creamy.
- Drizzle sauce on each taco and serve immediately!
Nutritional information per taco:
Calories: 297.5
Fat: 10 grams
Carbohydrates: 26 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 21.2 grams
Weight Watchers points: 6
Claire
Tags:ahi tuna tacos, Cinco de Mayo recipes, easy taco recipe, homemade tortillas, quick homemade tortillas, taco recipe
Fresh Pineapple, Raspberry & Orange Margaritas
Get into the festive Cinco de Mayo spirit with one of these low-sugar, fresh pineapple, raspberry & orange margaritas! So creamy and naturally sweetened, you’ll never miss the ones you get at restaurants!
The travel season has officially kicked off for me. I’ll be in 5 US states, 4 countries and over 20 cities all before the fourth of July. The fun doesn’t stop after that though. Right after the 4th, I’ll be in 8 more countries before Labor Day. It’s going to be a crazy summer but I couldn’t be more excited.
While on my trip to Thailand, one of my fellow traveling friends asked me when I first fell in love with traveling. And unlike many others, it wasn’t the first trip I took abroad. In fact, I didn’t leave the country for the first time until I was 23 years old. My love for traveling has been engrained in me for as long as I can remember. Even though we didn’t travel internationally as kids, I always dreamed of it. I’d write these stories in my notebook about far away places I couldn’t wait to visit. I’d daydream about European vacations and what it would feel like to see the Great Wall of China for the first time.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had this desire to see everywhere and experience as many new cultures as I could. I’m just one of those people born with a wanderlust soul, a person that’s never comfortable sitting still in one place.
And to many people, that kind of lifestyle is crazy. Times like this summer, I’ll most likely be living out of a suitcase and will be in a state of perma jet-lag. But to me, that leaves my heart fluttering. My life may be crazy but I couldn’t imagine doing anything other than what I do. I crave long plane rides and world travel the way other people crave potato chips. With each country I visit and each new, incredible person I meet, my craving deepens. When I’m 95 years old and am close to my end, I want to have walked, tasted and touched my way through every single country.
It’s not an easy life, but it’s a beautifully inspiring and meaningful one. And in the end, isn’t that something we all wish for in our own lives?
Fresh Pineapple, Raspberry & Orange Margaritas
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 3. Inspired by Gimme Some Oven.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups fresh pineapple
- 1/2 cup low-sugar cranberry raspberry juice
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 3/4 – 1 cup high quality tequila*
- 1/4 cup Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
- 4 ounces raspberries + more for garnish
- Sugar for the rim
*Mine were great with 3/4 cup, but you can add an additional 1/4 cup if you like them boozy!
Directions:
- Place two glasses into the freezer to chill. Place the pineapple in a blender and pulse until smooth. Stir in the juices, tequila, Cointreau and raspberries. Pulse until just combined.
- Dip your cold glasses into water and then into sugar. The easiest way to do this is pour a bit of sugar into a shallow bowl.
- Pour the margaritas into the glasses and garnish with fresh raspberries.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 332
Fat: 0 grams
Carbohydrates: 38.6 grams
Fiber: >1 gram
Protein: 2.6 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
Strawberry Lemon Cake Bars
These fluffy strawberry lemon cake bars literally melt-in-your-mouth. Soft, fluffy and so incredibly moist, you’ll have trouble eating just one!
Like clockwork, the day before I leave for a trip, I always get hit with this innate desire to bake something. It’ll be 3pm, I’ll be done with my work and all of a sudden, I’m being pulled by some Betty Crocker magnet, to my kitchen. I’m pulling out cake pans, measuring flour and cracking eggs. Before I realize what I’ve done, I have a cake in the oven and I’m halfway through a rich buttercream in my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer. It’s almost like the ghost of bakers past are using my body to create these fluffy, delicious concoctions the day before a trip.
My husband and his coworkers don’t complain, as they get to eat the end results of my black out baking. But me, whose left with a sink full of dishes and a mess on my photo board to clean up, I’m a little less than pleased. It makes sense though. I hate packing and my subconcious knows that. So instead of telling me to march upstairs and find my suitcase, it tells me to bake. The better of both evils, I guess.
At least with this I’m left with cake to eat, or in this weeks case, strawberry lemon cake bars. Which almost didn’t make it past 6pm on Wednesday night. I’m not a fan of using the word literally, but with these, I have to. They LITERALLY melt in your mouth with each bite. The centers are moist and chewy, almost like brownies and the glaze drips into the cake, making it even more moist than before.
They definitely made the late-night packing (or scramble) worth it, even though my tired husband would probably disagree with that.
Strawberry Lemon Cake Bars
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 16.
Prep time: <10 minutes
Cook time: About 32 minutes
Ingredients:
For the bars:
- 1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Dash of salt (about 1/3 teaspoon)
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
For the glaze:
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
- About 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt together. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, applesauce, eggs and lemon juice together. Add the flour mixture alternating with the lemon zest and mix until fully combined.
- Pour about half of the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with chopped strawberries, evenly sprinkling them over all corners of the pan. Pour the remaining batter on top to completely cover the strawberries.
- Bake for about 30 – 36 minutes or until golden brown. (You want the middle to be moist, but solid). An easy to way to test is to shake the pan just a little to ensure the middle isn’t still liquidy.
- Let cool completely. While they cool, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, heavy cream and lemon zest together. Once the cake has cooled, pour over the glaze. Top with chopped strawberries and slice!
Nutritional information per bar:
Calories: 238
Fat: 9.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 33.5 grams
Fiber: > 1 gram
Protein: 3.25
Weight Watchers Points: 6
Mixed Fruit & Cilantro Vodka Smoothie
This mixed fruit & cilantro vodka smoothie is the perfect spring and summertime cocktail. Cold, refreshing and full of natural sweetness, it’s also one that won’t weigh you down!
I had the hardest time figuring out what to call this.
It’s not a margarita because it doesn’t have tequila. It’s not a mimosa since there’s no champagne. It’s a blended fruit cocktail with a heaping splash of vodka. Last time I checked, that’s not a very SEO/Google friendly title. So I googled “boozy smoothie” and was pleasantly surprised when I found a bunch of recipes for vodka smoothies. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks frozen fruit and vodka make a fantastic drink idea.
Surprisingly, Martha did too. Which shocks me since this recipe is not refined, classy or elegant. It’s just a smoothie with vodka instead of milk. It doesn’t scream Martha. But then again, neither did prison and we all know she spent some time there. BADA-BING.
My disdain for M Stewart aside, this sweet and frozen cocktail is as good as it is easy. You simply put items into a blender, add vodka & juice and blend. It’s kind of embarrassing how easy it is. But, when a craving for margaritas hit and you’re sans tequila, you start thinking outside of the box. Since our bar currently has 6 bottles of vodka, I knew exactly what would be in my frothy, frozen concoction. However, I wanted it to be slightly more natural, so I used American Harvest, which is an organic, all-natural vodka made in the US.
See, I get a lot of liquor sent to me for my job and I don’t actually drink liquor, so it just sits. I’m a wine girl, through and through. This explains why I never have any wine and have over 12 bottles of liquor sitting on the bar. Unopened. So, if anyone wants to come over for a vodka party, the door is always open.
Just be sure to bring some fruit so we can make some Martha smoothies.
Mixed Fruit & Cilantro Vodka Smoothie
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 3.
Prep time: <10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen mixed berries* (I used one that was a mix of cherries, pomegranate arils, raspberries and blackberries)
- 1 cup small ice cubes
- 1 1/4 cup low-sugar cranberry juice
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau
- About 1/3 – 3/4 cup fresh cilantro *
- Additional sugar to taste
- Frozen fruit & lemon wedges for garnish
*totally optional.
Directions:
- Place the frozen fruit, ice cubes, juice, vodka, Cointreau and about 1/3 cup cilantro into a blender. Pulse on low until mixture is blended and smoothie (about 30 – 40 seconds). Add ice cubes, more juice, added sugar or more/less cilantro based on your preferences.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 147.5
Fat: 0 grams
Carbohydrates: 18.3 grams
Fiber: <1 gram
Protein: 1.3 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 2
Claire
Tags:easy cocktail recipes, juice recipes, summer cocktails, unique juice recipes, vodka smoothie recipe
