Healthy Patriotic Pie

Healthy Patriotic Pie (only slightly melted in the sun)

Just before July 4th I found a recipe on Pinterest that I wanted to try. Of course, that recipe came with an amazing photo and a promise for a super simple and quick creation of Jell-O pie that flies the patriotic colors of the USA. So I just had to try it out!

The picture here is my version of the pie. It might not be as pretty as the glamourous photo on Pinterest, but it was super duper delicious!

I changed up the recipe a little bit (of course!) because that's just what I do. I made it a bit healthier by using sugar free Jell-O and gave it some additional texture by adding fruit to the layers.

Obviously to make this pie WLS friendly and more healthy, you'll need to swap out some regular ingredients for sugar-free and low-fat varieties. Unfortunately blue Jell-O doesn't come in sugar free, so I had to use the regular kind for this pie since you can't make a patriotic pie without it being red, white and blue.

But think of the fun possibilities that this pie could present at other times of the year -- you're not just limited by red, white and blue. How about orange and lime green pie? Or lemon yellow and peach pie? Seriously, this pie is SO delicious that you won't want it just once a year, so get creative in your healthy eating!

You can get the original recipe from Kraft (and watch the video). Here is my variation:

Ingredients

• 1pkg. (3 oz.) Jell-O Berry Blue Flavor (I tried to find sugar-free blue Jell-O, but it doesn't seem to exist, so I had to use the regular kind.)
• 1pkg. (3 oz.) Jell-O Strawberry Flavor, or any red flavor (I used sugar-free strawberry Jell-O)
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1-1/2 cups boiling water, divided
• 1 cup ice cubes, divided
• 1 graham cracker pie crust (Keebler makes a great lower-calorie option with only 6g sugar per serving)
• 1 cup thawed Cool Whip (I used "lite" for fewer calories and sugar)
• RediWhip -- canned whipped cream - for garnish (notice in the photo that mine melted in the sun)extra blueberries for garnish

Instructions

ADD 3/4 cup boiling water to blue gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add 1/2 cup ice cubes; stir until melted. Pour into crust; refrigerate 5 to 10 min. or until set but not firm. (NOTE: It took my blue Jell-O a bit longer to set up - about 15 minutes. I added the blueberries about halfway through the setting process.)

MEANWHILE, repeat to dissolve red gelatin mix in separate bowl; stir in remaining ice cubes. Cool 5 min. or until slightly thickened. (NOTE: I added the strawberries just before I poured the red Jell-O as the top layer of the pie.)

SPREAD COOL WHIP over blue gelatin layer; cover with red gelatin. Refrigerate 2 hours or until set.

GARNISH with Redi-Whip and blueberries. (NOTE: I added the garnish way too early and the whipped cream all melted and I was just left with blueberries sitting lonely on top of the pie. Wait until the last minute to add the garnish -- or add it to each slice of pie as it's being served.)

 Enjoy!
~Pam