Family Recipe: Fruit Salad with Pudding

This recipe is passed down from my husband's side. It started with my mother-in-law Kathy and this weekend my brother-in-law Chris made some for the family. Of course, just to clarify for him, this is his take on the the family recipe and by golly me, it was delicious!

Our fruit salad calls for pudding and since we will be using cans of pineapple and mandarin, we also reduced the amount of sugar by using a sugar-free and fat-free vanilla pudding mix. This dish is a great addition to any summer barbeque spread as a refreshing dessert. Plus, you can sneak in that recommended fruit intake with the little ones. Trust me on this...I just witnessed a three year old eat a bowl of fruit salad like it was ice cream sprinkled with jelly beans and garnished with an enormous jaw breaker.

How fruit ecstasy is made:

1 can of Pineapple chunks
1 can of Mandarin Oranges
2 Green Apples, bite size
2 cups of sliced Strawberries
4 Kiwis, skin removed and sliced
1 1/2 cups of seedless Grapes, purple for color
2 sliced Bananas
2 Pears, bite size
2 packs of the large Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding, fat-free/sugar-free
1 Strainer
1 large bowl

• Strain Pineapple and Mandarin Orange cans into large bowl. Keep juice in bowl and set fruit aside.

• Prep the rest of the fruits into bite-sized chunks or slices.

• Empty both packs of pudding into the large bowl with pineapple and mandarin fruit juice. Whisk pudding until blended well.

• Add strained pineapples, mandarins and all the prepped fruit into the bowl. Mix well and chill in refrigerator until pudding thickens. Decorate the top if you prefer. *If you make this overnight, omit bananas until it's time to serve...no one really appreciates brown bananas unless they're hankering to make banana bread.*

Enjoy and relish the long days of summer. Happy Tuesday!