Product Review: Fruttare Fruit Bars

Last week I tried the Fruttare Fruit & Milk bars.  While at the grocery store recently, I saw Fruttare also had a fruit-only bar.  I tried the mango flavor, although they also come in Strawberry, Lime and Orange.  At 60 calories and 0 g. fat per bar, I thought they would make a good low calorie summer treat.  I'm not always a fan of frozen fruit bars, but I was pleasantly surprised with these.  They were smooth and creamy, almost like a frozen sorbet on a stick.  They had a "fresh" mango taste and weren't "icy" as many frozen fruit bars are.  I'd probably try them again. They weren't filling at all and were kind of small, but it was a nice treat while sitting outside on the patio. 

Product Review: Fruttare Fruit & Milk Bars

I'm still on my ice cream and frozen treats kick!  I've seen a lot of commercials and ads for these new Fruttare fruit bars and I thought they might be a nice, healthier treat to try out for the blog.  So far, I've tried the banana & milk flavor, which come in at 120 calories / 3.5g. fat per bar. A box of four bars cost $3.99 at my local Krogers.  It was a creamy fruit bar, with chunks of banana in it.  I did like them and they're a nice treat for a warm, summer day.  However, it did have a bit of a "fake" banana taste to it. Those who are not a fan of banana-flavored treats would probably not like these.  I'd potentially try this flavor again and would definitely give their other fruit and milk bars a try.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

A co-worker recently got promoted and as usual, I brought in a dessert to celebrate!  It happened to be a pretty busy week for me and I wasn't looking forward to rushing through making a fancy layer cake.  I find when I rush it not only takes the fun out of it, but I also tend to make mistakes.  I found this recipe in the Columbus Dispatch Wednesday food section.  I've wanted to try this recipe for a while now and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  I was a little hesitant to bring it in as I was slightly embarrassed how easy it was to make, but everyone LOVED it.  I was shocked how quickly it went and the rave reviews it got!  When you let the dessert sit, the graham crackers soften and combined with the smooth pudding layer and sweet chocolate icing, it's the most perfect combination.  Any pudding flavor could be used, but I liked the vanilla / chocolate combination I used below.  Try this dessert recipe out for your next get together and I guarantee you'll get positive comments on it! 

Chocolate Eclair Cake
Serves 9

34 graham cracker squares (1/2 box)
1 (3.3 ounce) package vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cup milk
1 8-ounce container cool whip, defrosted
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbs butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbs milk
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Take out an 8x8 inch dish. Arrange 1/3 of the graham crackers on the bottom of it. It's okay if you have to break them or overlap them some.  Prepare the pudding by mixing the pudding mix and milk together. Once combined and thickened a bit, fold in the cool whip until combined.

 

Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers (using about 1/3 of them) over the pudding mixture. Top with remaining pudding mixture and final layer of graham crackers.

Make the icing: Melt the chocolate and butter in a small-medium sized microwave safe bowl, in two 30-second intervals.  Stir between intervals.   Stir together the melted chocolate and butter until combined.  Add in remaining icing ingredients: confectioners sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla.  If mixture is too thick, add in an extra splash or two of milk. Spread the icing over graham crackers.  Use an off-set spatula to cover all graham crackers.  Cover and let mixture sit for at least 8 hours or over night.  Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa