Creamy Coconut Pineapple Popsicles

Perfect for those who follow Weight Watchers and/or a vegan diet, these popsicles are the perfect treat on a hot summer day!

Creamy Coconut Pineapple Popsicles

yield: (12) 3 ounce popsicles

13.5 ounce can coconut milk (use lite coconut milk for Weight Watcher version)

20 ounce can chunk pineapple, packed in pineapple juice

1 large ripe banana

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place all ingredients into a blender; blend until everything is mixed well.  Pour mixture into popsicle molds and place into freezer for at least 8 hours or until frozen solid.

WW points: 1 point if using lite coconut milk, otherwise 2 points per popsicle

Recipe source: Laloosh.com

Image source: pixabay

Grill Time! Easy Barbecued Country Style Ribs

One of the many joys of summer--cooking on the grill.  These barbecued ribs could not be any easier!

 Easy Barbecued Country Style Ribs

3-4 lbs country style ribs
salt
pepper
18 oz. bottle barbecue sauce  (any brand you like)

Let the meat sit out for one half hour or so, while you preheat your grill. Prepare the grill for indirect grilling:  this simply means that the gas burner (or charcoal) is one one side of the grill; the inactive side will be used for cooking. Lightly oil the grids where the meat will be placed.

Salt and pepper the ribs before you place them on the grill.  If your ribs are still one piece of meat, place it in the center of the inactive cooking area.  If they are already cut apart, arrange them on the inactive part of the grill so that the smallest pieces of meat are farthest away from the heat, just to keep them from burning during the long cooking time.

Close the grill cover and leave the meat undisturbed for about an hour and a half. After the 90 minute period has passed, generously coat the "up" side of the meat with barbecue sauce.  Allow to cook for 15 minutes, then flip the meat and coat the other side of the meat with more barbecue sauce.  Allow to cook for 15 minutes more before serving.

This is very tasty with steamed broccoli, coleslaw, fruit salad or watermelon and some crusty bread.

Image source: wikipedia

Never-ending Fruit Salad

Now that summer is in full force, and all kinds of fresh fruits are plentiful at the market, here's an idea for fruit salad that's easy on the cook, and always on hand.

Start with some of your favorite fruits. Avoid fruits that brown easily after peeling, such as bananas, pears, or apples.  I like to start with a good cantaloupe, honeydew or pineapple, cut into chunks.  Watermelon is another good choice. Add some seedless red grapes, navel orange or clementine segments, sliced strawberries, and maybe a couple of sliced kiwi fruits. The idea here is to get a good variety of colors in the salad.

Even after you've eaten some of the original fruit salad, you can add more-- or different fruits to the leftovers to make a new and different salad.  When you are at the point of using up what's left of your salad,you could add bananas, pears or apples because the browning issue is of less concern. You can even add drained canned fruit if you desire. (Note: Choose water-packed canned fruits if you are calorie conscious.)

With a little forethought, you could make a fruit salad that continues to reward you and your family for several days, or even a week!  Most of the effort goes into the planning and initial prep. What's not to like about that!

WW Points: ZERO

Image source: FLICKR