Quick Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits with Strawberries

I’m backkkk! I whipped up these super quick cheesecake mousse parfaits and can see them showing up on occasion since these are so tasty and so simple. They’d be easy to customize. I nabbed the end of strawberry season which made me love these that much more but top as you like your cheesecake- any berry, chocolate sauce, caramel drizzle, or whatever!

The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits

Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits with Strawberries

Ingredients: (for 4-6 servings)

1 box cheesecake pudding mix (prepared according to package)
2 cups strawberries
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sugar
4 oz cool whip (1/2 of a container)
1 cup granola

Directions:

Mix the pudding according to the package and refrigerate.
Slice the strawberries and stir in water and sugar. Refrigerate until serving.
The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits
Before serving, mix in the cool whip. Serve mousse with strawberries and top with a sprinkle of granola.
The Three Bite Rule - Cheesecake Mousse ParfaitsEnjoy!

Swap out the granola for graham cracker crumbles or vanilla cookie crumbles too.

I had this on the brain for awhile but whipped it up (literally, whipped the pudding! Ha!) on a random weeknight. Now I’d be ready to bring this anywhere. It’d pack really well to mix just before serving.

Psssst! Use the rest of the cool whip for this lemon fruit dip!

August 2008 Recap & Baby Arrival

Baby girl is here! She arrived 6 loooong days late but we’re all doing great and are glad to be a family of 4! She’s so snuggly and sweet. August was so hot and humid and so hard to wait. The little boy was off to the beach for the week while we waited for her. After 15 hours of contractions at home, we went in to the hospital that night not sure if she was really coming and early the next morning, here she was!
Baby C

I may be back to blogging sooner than I thought. I’m anticipating doing more while on maternity leave than after going back to work so stay tuned! I have a few things lined up and I’m thinking maybe once a week might be the new norm. We’ll see!

I didn’t do meal prep before she was born but I put together some freezer kits to have dinner ideas and ingredients all set. Freezer food in the summer is tricky! I’m also lowering my expectations and focusing on everyone eating all the food groups. Also, the Trader Joe’s staples have helped with dinners- everyone’s favorite is the Orange Chicken over brown rice with edemame.

Freezer kits:

sausage & peppers: chicken sausages; sautéed onions & peppers; and rolls
meatball sliders: chicken meatballs & beef meetballs; pesto; tomato sauce; mozzarella; and slider rolls
taco kit: shredded pork; cheddar; roasted corn (needs tortillas & lettuce & salsa)
T&C

The Little Guy:

He seems so big! He got to go on the fam vacay to the beach while we waited for the baby. He’s adjusting pretty well. Week one was rockier, but it feels a bit better now. I can’t tell if he had a tough week just coming off the beach vacation, or just back to a schedule, or just life as a 3-year-old, or an adjustment to the baby. He is so funny when he talks about the basement reno and when he pretend calls the plumber and contractor. He made slime at school and really loves playing with it. Food-wise, he was thrilled to have edemame in the pods…he LOVES popping them out of the pod. PB&J is still his fav of all time. I have my fingers crossed that he stays in his crib awhile longer- until the baby sleeps through the night. Maybe? That would be awesome.

The Baby Girl:

She’s doing so well! She’s eating and sleeping quite well! Week 2 we got to transition from feeding every 2-3 hours at night to every 4-5 hours. Woohoo! Nursing is going well, and much easier than last time, so far, (knocks on wood!). I forgot that infants can sleep without having been being awake for long. Once a day she reminds us that she’s a newborn and she’ll do what she wants- even when she doesn’t know what she wants.

This Year’s Goals:

Year of the candle: this month it was a citronella 
Cook more appetizers/snacks:
nope 
Taking time to blog thoughtfully:
nope
Journal the cute moments of my little one: how he pronounces The Hulk as “the Julk”
What I’m reading: 
 I read a ton! I read Sweetbitter & A Reliable Wife & Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook; & Tender at the Bone & A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
What I’m watching:
nothing super special- Bachelor in Paradise, America’s Got Talent, a special about The Royals in preparation for The Crown that I plan to start.

July 2018 Recap

July was different. I’m so so so pregnant and waiting and hoping for this baby to come! I haven’t cooked much and am really focused on fast & easy meals that don’t require too much work. I grabbed a few things at Trader Joe’s being mindful of complete meals, not just items and that has been so helpful. We loved potstickers and fried rice and mini chicken tacos with fire roasted corn and orange chicken to go with rice & peppers. I think I need another haul before the baby comes! I haven’t prepped a bunch of food like last time, so maybe that’ll happen, or not. We’ll see!

This might be it for awhile- with any luck, the baby will be here soon and I don’t know that I have grand plans to blog anything! (hear that baby girl, come on out!)

Favs this month:

Flavored cream cheese was a fun and gave me lots of ideas. I made Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese and put it on BLTs before it being bfast. Then I made a different one that I’ll make again and blog for you.
Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese on BLTs - The Three Bite Rule
Life isn’t complete without a rice bowl like this Kielbasa Grain Bowl. I can’t stop. This one wasn’t the most creative, but it was so addictive and hit the spot.
Kielbasa Grain Bowl - The Three Bite Rule
I made a Light Lemon Dip that is ideal for this season of produce!
The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Fruit Dip

Bump Update:

Last one! Ohh I can’t wait for the baby- especially with my due date in the first few days of August. I’m done being pregnant. Can you tell? Have I mentioned that? I posted something on FB and wanted to slap the 2 people who apparently thought I needed perspective. pshhh. I think sage advice is to just encourage a pregnant person. I doubt any want your unfounded realism- no uterus, no opinion. Sleep is hit or miss and I’m so uncomfortable by the end of the day. I’m in a surviving-not-thriving state. We’re ready with everything so I’m in countdown mode.

The Little Guy:

He’s such a swimmer! We got him to try a different swim float. He wasn’t interested initially and I didn’t want to push it since all I cared about right now was comfort at the pool. Plus, there’s a lot changing in our lives so I didn’t see him wanting something different once he was committed to the boating-style life jacket. He tried it and success! He’s so proud of himself and it is much better so he can move around better and do more himself. Foodwise, he’s been quite into pesto and has surprised himself liking things he wasn’t thinking he’d try….we knew he’d like ’em, but hey- to be 3. He got some hand-me-down toys and is obsessed: a very loud fire truck that moves w/ lights & sirens; k’nex which are so fun and we make lots of monsters; duplos or what he calls “big legos”; and a track & vehicle set that might be less annoying when I’m not pregnant.

This Year’s Goals:

Year of the candle: nope, just enjoying the few that seem seasonal-ish. 
Cook more appetizers/snacks: 
I made Lemon Dip for Fruit
Taking time to blog thoughtfully: 
ehh, this wasn’t really something I focused on.
Journal the cute moments of my little one: I like when he says “maybe this should go here, maybe I want to use this train, maybe we should play ___”
What I’m reading: 
 I’m not sleeping super regularly so I’ve read a lot! I read Before We Were Yours and The People We Hate at the Wedding and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine 
What I’m watching: 
we watched Chappaquiddick which was fascinating and well done.

I think I’m done blogging until the baby comes and we’ve surfaced for air. Whenever that is. Find me on Instagram in the meantime!

Cherry Mango Smoothie

This one is a keeper! I whipped it up for breakfast but it could definitely be your dessert, or add a splash of a fruity liquor and you’ve got yourself a very frosty beverage! The fruity flavors really stand out and feel summery, without being exactly tropical. I wanted to add some pineapple but pregnancy heartburn is no joke so I kept it simple. I loved it so much that now I want to add this to my popsicle molds! It is mid/late July and I haven’t made popsicles yet! Where’s the time going???
The Three Bite Rule - Cherry Mango Smoothie
The little guy liked this one a lot and asked for seconds. It was a great way to better introduce fruits we don’t have all the time. Just after this smoothie, he ate some cherries with grandma remembering he had them before!

Cherry Mango Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup mango (I used frozen)
1 cup cherries (I used frozen)
1/2 large banana or 1/2 pear
3/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (optional)
1/2 cup milk/water/juice (I used some milk & some water)

Directions:

Add the fruits, yogurt, and flaxseeds to the blender and blend.
The Three Bite Rule - Cherry Mango Smoothie
Stream in liquid until your desired consistency.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Cherry Mango Smoothie

I go thick but drinkable with my fav aluminum straws or if I’m bopping around in the morning it might melt a bit before I finish. In this summer’s heat, that doesn’t take long around here! I loved how fruity and bright this smoothie is! I was inspired by a Polar seltzer flavor- despite never drinking seltzer. I’m not so into bubbles…except for champagne! The fruit combo was great since they are both easy to have on hand from the freezer – which also means, no slicing & dicing!

Kielbasa Grain Bowls

Ohh you know I love a good grain/rice bowl! I wasn’t planning on blogging this one but it is too good not to add to the repertoire…and it is always helpful for me to remember my own ideas! I used turkey kielbasa with fresh pineapple, raw green bell peppers, and brown rice which were so great together with the easiest sauce drizzled over the top.
Kielbasa Grain Bowl - The Three Bite Rule
The rice went into the pressure cooker, because it does magical things to brown rice. The turkey kielbasa is already cooked, but just got a little caramelization in a cast-iron skillet when it was too hot to even turn on the grill. The sauce is just a few quick ingredients. The little one loved everything about this combo. He’d be glad to live on rice.

Kielbasa Grain Bowls (for 4)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups brown rice
13 oz turkey kielbasa (or Polish sausage or chicken sausage)
1/2 green bell pepper
1 cup fresh pineapple
3 tablespoons bbq sauce
1 teaspoon teriyaki sauce
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:

Prepare the rice and set aside.
Slice the kielbasa into 1/2 inch disks and sear in a medium skillet with a drizzle of oil, over medium heat, until warmed through and it begins to caramelize around the edges a bit.
While the kielbasa cooks, chop the pepper and pineapple.
Whisk (or shake in a jar) the bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, and maple syrup.
Assemble the bowls with rice, kielbasa, pepper, and pineapple. Then drizzle the sauce over the top.
Enjoy!
Kielbasa Grain Bowl - The Three Bite Rule
Kielbasa isn’t an ingredient we have all the time but it was fun for something different and I loved the flavor. It already being fully cooked was also a perk! The little guy is not always into meat lately but he ate a bit of this. I want him to keep being exposed to everything and we’ll see what happens.

I thought of mixing a little dijon into the rice just after finishing eating. You do it and tell me how it is!