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If you look at the back of a Graham cracker box, chances are you’ll see their tried-and-true recipe for pie crust. It’s made with five tablespoons of butter – that’s over half a stick — and it tastes pretty darn good. But all that butter bothered Jennifer S., a mom of two from Greensburg, PA which is why she sent it to us for a Recipe Rescue.

“When I was younger, without kids, I didn’t think as much about what I put on the table.  Now, as a mom, I want to make sure every little bite counts especially because I have two picky eaters at home.  A child’s number one job in life is to grow and develop. You need to give them good nutrition to grow in a healthy manner,” Jennifer told us. 

Ah, picky eaters. We hear it all the time.  So when we sat down to “rescue” Jennifer’s pie crust, we too wanted to make every bite count.  As overachievers we also decided to create a super healthy strawberry filling for Jennifer’s new pie crust so she could treat her family to a complete (and nutritious) dessert.

For the crust, we cut the butter from five tablespoons down to just one, added one egg white (the yolk made the crust too dense and gummy so we stuck with the white only), one tablespoon of sugar versus the original four, and two tablespoons of ground flaxseed for a boost of heart-healthy omega-3 fat. 

Double Strawberry Smoothie Pie

Makes 8 Servings

Pie Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups Graham Cracker crumbs (or enough crushed Graham crackers to equal 1 ¼ cups)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Pie Filling:

• 1 ½ cups frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 cup cranberry strawberry juice, divided
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatine
• 3/4 cup strawberry lowfat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together the Graham cracker crumbs, flaxseed, sugar, egg white, butter, and canola oil until well combined.
2. Using the back of a large spoon, press the crumb mixture firmly on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool before filling.
3. Meanwhile, in a blender, blend together the strawberries and ½ cup of the juice until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally to break up any frothy bubbles
4. Place the remaining ½ cup juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine over the juice and let stand 1 minute. Add the hot juice mixture and stir or gently whisk until the gelatine completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and sugar
5. Pour the mixture into the pie plate. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 180 calories, 6g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.5g omega-3), 130mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 4g protein, 20% vitamin C

Jennifer, her family (minus 7-year old Max … but we’ll get to that in a minute), and the friends she invited for dinner the night she tried our Recipe Rescue all gave the pie two thumbs up.  “It didn’t taste like the one on the box because the ingredients changed.  It was actually better. It had a nice flavor and texture and it wasn’t greasy like it can sometimes be given all the butter,” said Jennifer. 

Five-year old Ainsley said, “Oh my gosh, this is amazing mom,” while husband Chris asked for seconds.  As for Max … “He took a tiny mouthful but I’m not sure a single molecule passed his lips,” said Jennifer.  Given that it takes a lot of perseverance to get Max to try new foods, The Meal Makeover Moms promise not to take it personally.

All in all, our Double Strawberry Smoothie Pie was a smashing success.  “It was an amazing pie and will become a dessert staple around here,” promised Jennifer.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 2:52 pm.
It is posted in dessert, Recipe Rescue.