Guest Author - Jill Valente

This past weekend one of my dearest friends Nicole had a fabulous Super Bowl party. We all had a great time eating and hanging out and of course watching the best possible outcome to an historic game. She and her husband Dave are actually Patriot’s fans but we won’t hold that against them. After many servings of some pretty unhealthy foods that I can’t even mention on this site, dessert ended up being a low calorie and yummy surprise. Kimi, another great friend, made her take on a Banana Cream Pie and it was delicious. Bananas are packed with potassium which helps lower blood pressure and protect against heart disease and strokes. She used regular Jell-O Instant pudding but you could definitely swap it for fat free or sugar free pudding. She also used regular Nilla Wafer but they too have a reduced fat version that would work as well. Kimi made good use of an ice bucket and turned it into a trifle bowl but you can essentially use any type of clear bowl or container. I enjoy serving parfaits in martini glasses or even brandy glasses. That way you can make individual desserts which eliminate leftovers and they look great too. Check out my version of Kimi’s sweet treat!

Strawberry and Banana Cream Pie Parfait
The addition of strawberries adds a refreshing twist to this classic dessert. Use a few strawberries as a garnish by slicing small vertical cuts but leaving the hull on and then fanning out the slices. Place a few on top of the parfait and you are all set!

Ingredients
• 2 boxes Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 1 container strawberries, sliced
• 1 large tub of Cool Whip Lite
• 4 large bananas, sliced
• 1 box of Nilla Wafers or Mini Nilla Wafers

Directions
Make Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding as directed. In a large trifle bowl layer pudding, strawberries, Cool Whip Lite, bananas and Nilla wafers until the pudding and Cool Whip have all been used. Refrigerate overnight and serve. Makes 8-10 servings.

Notes
For an extra banana taste try 1 box of vanilla pudding and 1 box of banana cream pudding. Also, you can serve this after only a few hours in the fridge although overnight is recommended. The longer you chill it, the softer the Nilla wafers become and the more the flavors combine.