Fruity Yogurt Drink

Original Recipe from Kraft Food and Family.


2 cups vanilla low fat yogurt
2 cups frozen strawberries
5 cups cold water, divided
1 pkt (makes 2 quarts) lemonade flavor drink mix (like Crystal Light)

In blender, combine yogurt, strawberries, 1 cup cold water, and drink mix.  Blend on medium speed until smooth.

Pour into a large pitcher and add additional 4 cups cold water.  Stir to combine.  Serve over ice if desired.  Makes 8, 1 cup servings.


Tips and Hints:
*Even my pickiest kid loved this refreshing combination of strawberry lemonade and a smoothie.
*Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and stir well before serving.

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Smoothie

Original Recipe from Kraft Food and Family Magazine

Not too sweet, super creamy, and very refreshing on a summer afternoon.

6 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
6 graham crackers
2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed slightly

In blender, blend cream cheese, milk, 3 Tbsp sugar, vanilla, and graham crackers until smooth.  Pour all but about 1/2 cup of the mixture into a liquid measuring cup and reserve for later.

Add strawberries and remaining sugar to mixture in blender.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into 4 glasses.

Pour reserved cream cheese mixture gently over strawberry mixture in glasses.  If desired, crumble another graham cracker and sprinkle over top of smoothie.

Serve immediately with a straw.


Hints and Tips
*I was completely unsure about mixing graham cracker into a smoothie, but they blended in beautifully and made it really taste like strawberry cheesecake with a graham cracker crust.  Make sure you pulse the mixture several times to get all the large chunks of cracker mixed in.
*You could make this with other frozen fruit too--raspberry or peach would be delicious.
*My two picky middle children didn't like this because of the cream cheese, but the oldest and youngest slurped it all down in no time.
*Because of the cream cheese, this is a very rich smoothie.  You may want to either cut the recipe in half to make smaller portions or divide it into 6-8 glasses instead of 4 if you're looking for a lighter snack.

Lemon-Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Originally from Cooking Pleasures Magazine

Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

3/4 cup butter, chilled, cut up

Filling

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp flour

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp grated lemon peel

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, room temperature

Topping

1 pint strawberries, sliced

3 Tbsp strawberry jelly, melted

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 13x9 inch baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Place 1 1/2 cups flour, powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp lemon peel in medium bowl; mix until combined.  Add butter and use pastry blender to combine until mixture is crumbly.  Press into bottom of pan.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.

Meanwhile, place cream cheese, 2 Tbsp flour, condensed milk, lemon juice, 2 tsp lemon peel and vanilla in large bowl.  Mix until smooth.  Scrape sides of bowl and add eggs.  Mix until just blended.  Pour filling into crust.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is set and edges are slightly puffed.  Center will look less done but will firm during cooling.  Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour.  Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Arrange overlapping rows of sliced strawberries over top; lightly brush with melted jelly.  Cut into bars.  Serve cold.

Thoughts and Tips:

You can mix both the crust and the filling using a food processor if preferred. 

These were delicious, but really not very lemony.  I would add extra lemon juice to the filling (probably 1/4 cup) and definitely make sure that you use fresh lemon peel.  Otherwise, they end up being no different from any other cheesecake with strawberries.