recipe of the week: fruit skewers and tropical fruit dip

so it's beautiful and sunny

and HOT

and i'm trying so hard to be a fruit lover

(i love love love veggies. and i like most fruit. i just don't eat it all the time)

but i went to the store last week and picked up a few organic treats

strawberries

(ps, these were also amazing in the mojitos this weekend...)

kiwi

blueberries

pineapple (that one wasn't organic but i bought the real deal...and i figure not much can get through that tough skin)

peaches

and i got a message from our friend who hosts the small group on thursdays that i've been going to for awhile.

i had asked if i could bring anything and she said "something with fruit."

to which i had replied "just fresh fruit?"

and she said "whatever you want to do that involves fruit. i love your creativity in the kitchen"

(uh-oh.

now i feel the need to be creative-esque)

so because i didn't want to mess up the fruit

(because it's already perfect the way God made it)

i decided to enhance it with a fruit dip.

only i couldn't stand the thought of marshmallow fluff...

processed the heck out of

so i sought an alternative

and of course what i ended up with was very far removed from the actual recipe that i found

this one pictured was made with cool whip

however i'm most definitely going to make it with actual whipping cream next time

at least i'll feel better about it then :)

here's my new and improved recipe:

tropical fruit dip

1 (8 oz) block of reduced-fat cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar or stevia (please don't use man-made chemicals as sweeteners...soapbox moment!)

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

1/4 cup almonds, plus a few for decor on top

1 tsp vanilla

optional: about 1/4 cup shaved coconut (i'm not a fan but i put it in and people went CRAZY over it)

beat cream cheese and sugar together until creamy and combined well. mix in whipped cream, almonds, vanilla and coconut (if using) until well blended. pour into serving bowl and garnish with almond slivers/slices. refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours so that flavors will blend. serve with freshly sliced fruit

OR

you can make fruit kabobs like i did :D

(i think those are pretty self-explanatory)