March for Life Dinner Boxes

About 50 of my church family members take a trip to Washington DC each January.  No, it's not a pleasure trip, though everyone has a great time on the bus.  They go to join and to participate in the March For Life with other 400,000+ marchers .  

This year marked the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.  

As my staff and I were packing 50 dinner boxes for the marchers to eat on their way to DC, words from an article I had read written by John Piper kept popping in my head, and I questioned: 

Does being in the womb disqualify person-hood?

Does undeveloped reasoning disqualify person-hood?

Why is it that some fetuses undergo surgeries to be saved and others do not?

How is it that our law protects bald eagle eggs but not human embryos?

It's a strange world, really.  

 Chocolate Peanut Butter Mound Bars tucked in dinner boxes were a huge hit among the marchers on this trip.
Click here for recipe!

It's my honor and privilege to make dinner boxes for the IPC Marchers each year.

Here is the standard March For Life Dinner Box Menu:

Fried Chicken Sandwich with Basil Aioli

Garden Salad with Savannah Mustard Dressing

Fresh Fruit Salad

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mound Bar

Kosher Dill Pickle Spear

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for Snack

Creamy Mandarin Mousse

This is a delicious and simple dessert recipe which can be made ahead. The combination of whipped cream, cream cheese. and intense flavor of orange-lemon Jello with bits of Mandarin oranges will satisfy any adults and kids alike.

This recipe was one of two dessert recipes which I submitted to RWoP (Real Women of Philadelphia) video contest. And let me tell you, though we love cream cheese, my family and I have eaten way too much cream cheese lately.

You can really fancy it up by putting them in individual serving dishes or a large trifle dish.

Serve this unique dessert after a good, spicy Asian meal.

Print This Recipe!

Creamy Mandarin Mousse

Serves 8

1 Jar of 24.5 oz Mandarin Orange slices in juice
1 Pkg of 3-oz orange flavored gelatin
1 Pkg of 3-oz lemon flavored gelatin
1 cup(s) of hot boiling water
1 tsp. of unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cup(s) of cold orange juice
4 ounce(s) of Philadelphia Cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup(s) of granulated sugar
1 cup(s) of heavy whipping cream

Open and drain Mandarin orange slices in a colander. In a measuring cup, add 1 ½ cup of cold orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin. Stir to dissolve.

In a medium size bowl, add boiling water, orange and lemon flavored gelatin, and stir until completely dissolved. Add orange juice/gelatin mixture.

For quick chilling, submerge the bowl of gelatin mixture in a large bowl of ice water for 10-15 minutes until almost jelled.

In the mean time, using a hand mixer, beat heavy cream until firm peaks form; set it aside.In another small bowl, cream together softened Philadelphia cream cheese and sugar.

Combine jelled orange juice mixture and cream cheese and whisk until uniform in color. Gently fold in whipped cream, then Mandarin orange slices (Reserving some for garnish).
Pour into a trifle dish or any pretty small, individual glass dishes. Cover and refrigerate until firm; time will vary depending on the size of the container you use (35 minutes to several hours). Can be made up to two days ahead. When ready to serve, top with extra whipped cream and reserved Mandarin orange slices and serve.