Frozen Yogurt Fruit Hearts

Ice cream, ice cream, we all scream for ice cream… until the scale starts screaming at us to stop! Whether you have already given up on your new year’s resolution and are looking for any excuse to have a cheat day, want an alternative to a belt busting treat or are looking for something easy that requires little effort for a “wow” reaction, this recipe will meet all those needs and more. I decided to create a recipe that would encourage my kids to get in the kitchen and be easy enough to avoid any frustration tantrums like mommy not allowing them to cut strawberries with a butcher knife. Dessert is an easy sell for my two little rascals. In fact, they both willingly volunteer to be the taste testers within seconds of mentioning that we are making something sweet. I wonder if they would be just as eager if I ask them to pick up their rooms….my guess is probably not. Unless….there is a treat waiting for them when they finish! I have no shame, its all about the bribe. I might be guilty of assisting in the development of their negotiating skills just a wee bit. One day it will pay off for them, right now it drives me bananas!

I went to the Haile’s farmers market and to my surprise, the only stand selling fruit was from a little farm called Crawford Farms out of Lawtey, FL. They looked too delicious to pass up. Don’t they look sweet and juicy?! I bought a pint and began thinking of recipes to create while I said hello to lots of familiar faces and walked back to my car.

 

 

I developed a recipe that would be great as a dessert or served as a course at a plated brunch. My recipe this week is Frozen Yogurt Fruit Hearts, click on recipe title for link to recipe. This recipe can easily be shaped into whatever silicone food molds you have at home or you could even use popsicle molds. I chose the heart mold because of its versatility to all sorts of holidays and celebrations like valentines day, mothers day, anniversaries or just to show someone that you love them. This frozen yogurt is basically like eating ice cream but I chose to use fat free vanilla greek yogurt instead of your traditional ice cream ingredients. I came up with three variations of this frozen yogurt…… Strawberry Cocoa Nib, Blueberry Lemon and Honey Pistachio Kiwi. This way you please all the nut, fruit and chocolate lovers.

 

 

Making these frozen treats is a cinch. You mix the ingredients with the yogurt, place the yogurt in the molds and finish it off with more toppings. Freeze the molds for 2-3 hours and they are ready! If you serve this at a brunch, I suggest you serve it as soon as you plan to eat it. It will start to melt if you leave it out too long. This treat is a nice alternative to your standard yogurt parfait you see at a brunch buffet or perfect for a snack on a hot summer day. Either way you will be pleasantly surprised at the simplicity of this recipe and how your mind tricks  you into thinking that you are eating something sinful when it is really a guiltless treat. The boys loved it as much as non-greek yogurt lovers did and I promise you there were no bribes necessary to convince them.