Archive for Fruit

Strawberries.

May 12, 2012 · Filed under Fruit, kids · Tagged , ,

Spring and summer mean fresh, organic strawberries are everywhere I go…my FAVORITE!  I am not sure there is anything that tastes much better than a perfectly ripe strawberry! 

The first thing you need to do is make sure your strawberries are organic.  They are pretty high up on the “Dirty Dozen” list (number 3) and one strawberry can have up to 13 different pesticides.

Once home, remember to store them in your refrigerator because they go bad fast…and only wash what you plan to use, as water accelerates the decomposition!  You also want to be sure and wash them BEFORE you remove the stem as once the cap fills with water the strawberry loses some of its flavor.

Added bonus:  Strawberries are full of antioxidants and have more vitamin C than oranges!

This is our version of strawberry shortcake and a family favorite!  Plus I get a lot of smiles for 2 minutes of work, can’t beat that!

Ingredients:

  • Strawberries
  • Lemon shortbread Cookie (I buy gluten/wheat free ones, 120 calories and only 5g of sugar)
  • Can of whipped cream, soy cream, rice cream…whatever your family uses

 Wash the strawberries and remove stems

Place a small amount of whipped cream in the bottom of the glass and add the cookie

Add Strawberries all around the cookie

 

Add just a touch more whipped cream and voila! 

Under 200 calories, 6g of fat, 6 g !

 

 

 

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Pineapple Delight!

February 8, 2012 · Filed under Fruit, Kid Tip, kids, Shake It Up!!! · Tagged ,

We are big pineapple fans!!!  If ever there was a food that can instantly transport a person to a place and time, it has to be this one!  Pineapple=Hawaii!  An instant burst of sunshine, a tropical breeze, and hula music playing in the background!  ALOHA!!! 

I love it when they are ripe and in season because they are CHEAP!  $2 or $3 for so much deliciousness!  It must be that time of year because they are popping up in all the stores!  I also love how easy it is to tell if a pineapple is ripe.  You want to look for a golden-yellow color that has started at the bottom and is making its way up towards the top.  Then, of course, smell it…it should smell sweet!  I have always pulled on the leaves at the top.  If you tug and it slips right out your pineapple is ready to eat.  However someone told me this is a myth…I don’t know, it seems to work for me!

Pineapples are such a nice break from apples, bananas, and oranges this time of year.  Remember they have a thick skin so no need to buy organic or worry about any of that.

1 Cup of Pineapple has 80 calories, 2g of fiber and 1 g of protein, not bad for such a sweet treat.  There is 16g of sugar, but all natural from the fruit! And check it out-ALL the Vit C you need in one day in one serving!  Not bad, especially during cold & flu season!

Nutrients in Pineapple
1.00 cup (165.00 grams)
Nutrient%Daily Value
vitamin C 131.4%/manganese 76.5%/dietary fiber 9.2%/vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 9%/copper 9%/vitamin B1 (thiamin) 8.6%/folate 7.4%

The “Pineapple Boat” is a favorite treat in our home!

Served with awesome chopsticks for easy picking!  Throw a few frozen berries on top and VOILA!

Now if I can do this, anyone can.  I use an ice-cream scooper to get the extra’s out after I cut some of the bigger chunks out.  Here is the best part.  Any of the stuff scooped out, or any pieces that don’t look so great at the end…DON”T toss them!  Put them in a ziplock for the next night! You can also use the other half to fill it all the way up.

So two nights ago was the “Pineapple Boat” and last night was the:  

“Hawaiian Breeze Milkshake”

1/2 cup raspberry Kefir (any flavor or just plain will work), 1 cup almond milk, and the leftover pineapple.  I have to admit it was pretty darn good!  All good stuff, healthy, fun, kid food and two THRILLED kiddos!

Kids chopsticks.  These make eating everything way more fun!!!  Click on the picture and you can see them on the Amazon site.  We received them as a gift-great gift by the way!

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Happy Hearts

February 3, 2012 · Filed under Fruit, Kid Tip, kids, Veggies · Tagged , , ,

I LOVE Valentine’s Day!  I love all things red, pink and heart-shaped!  This is a holiday that took on a whole new meaning for me when I had kids.  They get so excited about all the hearts, all the love…and I get a whole month of spoiling them with all things heart-shaped!  The down side of all this love is it has, like every other holiday, become all about the candy and cupcakes…which is great, in moderation, but sometimes I start to feel overwhelmed…my 90/10 philosophy starts to feel a little more like 50/50 as the sugar creeps in.

But healthy can still be fun, and if anything it shows even more love as we watch out for their little hearts and minds.  Today I made some heart-shaped fun for four little ones and honestly you would have thought I had served pink cupcakes with extra sprinkles…they were thrilled and the plate was cleared in under 5 minutes!  I think we sometimes under-estimate what will put smiles on their little faces!

Ingredients:  Fruit & veggies, cheese, pretzels

I used watermelon, strawberries (cut in half already look like hearts), & cucumbers

Tools:  Heart-shaped cookie cutters (you can get a set of all sizes at Michael’s for under $5) & an apple corer

 
Also try coring an apple, slicing it and filling it with cheese.
 
Or just stick to plain old crackers & cheese.
 

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Banana Banna Bo Fanna

July 29, 2011 · Filed under Fruit, kids, Sweet Treats · Tagged , ,

A few weeks ago my Sister tells me she has a new nighttime addiction. Frozen bananas. Hmmmm. She said in one of her magazines she read that if you peel a banana, slice it, freeze it and then throw the frozen banana chunks into the blender with a few blueberries or a squeeze of lime you have a pretty satisfying dessert. I am really not a banana fan (me personally, my family goes through about 6 a day), but thought it was worth a try.

So it took me a while to get this blended because the first night I went to try it the phone rang. When I came back the bananas had defrosted just enough that when I stuck one in my mouth and bit down I thought I had died and gone to heaven. What the heck? How did I not know that frozen bananas were so DEVINE! So I started just eating frozen banana slices. I put them on oatmeal, in with my greek yogurt, and just have been noshing on them plain. They take a while to eat, and leave you feeling like you had a little somethin’ somethin’.

Alas I made the concoction and she was right, really yummy, and the kids loved it!

One Banana…

Healthy Snack: Frozen Banana with Dry Roasted, Sliced Almonds

Need a fat-free creamy snack that will keep you out of the ice cream aisle? Aside from being loaded with potassium and vitamin C, bananas also freeze smooth. Grab a frozen banana toss it in a food processor, pulse it a few times, sprinkle with sliced almonds and dig in with the biggest spoon around. (Whole Living)

Calories: 189

Two Banana…

Whipped Sorbet

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 3 bananas, peeled and frozen
  • 1 cup frozen berries

Directions

  1. Puree ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Serve immediately.

Three Banana…

Magic Banana Ice Cream

Magic Banana Ice Cream

One ripe banana per person; the riper the banana is, the sweeter the “ice cream” will be.

1. Peel and slice the bananas, place on baking sheet and freeze

2. Remove from freezer and slightly thaw enough to remove from baking sheet

3. Place frozen bananas in a strong blender/food processor or juicer with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. It comes out creamy and delicious. Sprinkle to your liking with nutmeg or cinnamon and sliced berries.

This works equally well with frozen mangoes or frozen berries or a combination of fruit. Experiment to see what you like. If using a blender, it may be necessary to thaw the frozen bananas a little longer than in a juicer. This recipe is from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.

My finished product!

Just banana's nothing else!

Four,

So this got me thinking. You know what I did love back in the day? Banana pudding, DELISH! The cook in our Sorority (yes I did a brief stint) made the most amazing banana pudding. I shudder to even think about how fattening that dish was, and how much of it I ate. I found this photo online and it looks about right!

I am not going to post THIS recipe because I am pretty sure it could be classified as “bodily harm”. But here are just a few of the ingredients: cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla pudding mix, whole milk, frozen whipped topping; vanilla wafers (oh ya, and 3 bananas). I gained weight just TYPING that out.

So the hunt was on, there had to be a healthier version! Sure enough it wasn’t even hard to find. Is it the same, no….thank Goodness. But pretty darn good and fun for the kids!

Banana Chocolate-Chip Delish!

(The website I found this on called it “Greek Yogurt Surprise” The word “Surprise” when Mommy cooks, no longer goes over well with my Children. S0 I have renamed the dish!)

Ingredients:

  • 8 -4 oz cups Non-Fat Honey Greek Yogurt
  • 2-Boxes Madagascar Vanilla Wafers
  • 8-Large Bananas
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

  • Open yogurt containers and mix yogurt in a bowl.
  • Cut all bananas into small slices.
  • Pour wafers into a bowl and smash them until crushed.
  • Get a clear large bowl for the layering process. Start with the cookies on the bottom, then yogurt, then bananas, repeat three about three times. End with cookies on top. Then sprinkle chocolate chips on the very top!
  • Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours.

Four Bananas make a bunch
and so do many more.
Over hill and highway
the banana buggies go.
Comin’ on to bring you
The Banana Splits Show

Makin’ up a mess of fun
Makin’ up a mess of fun
Lots of fun for everyone

Tra-La-La, La-La-La-La
Tra-La-La, La-La-La-La
Tra-La-La, La-La-La-La
Tra-La-La, La-La-La-La

Four banana, three banana
two banana, one.
All bananas playing
in the bright warm sun.

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Be Green, on the inside.

January 4, 2011 · Filed under Fruit, kids, Organics, Shake It Up!!!, SuperFoods, Veggies · Tagged , , , ,

The New Year usually means DETOX!  Lord knows I need it!  My gem of a husband knows me too well and for Christmas I got a shiny, red, revved-up machine!  V6 baby!  Ok, not a car, a Vita-Mix blender.  I have eyed this for 2 years, pretty much since I started eating clean, and let me tell you it was worth every red-cent he spent!

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!  My kids have had more kale, flat leaf parsley, tomatoes, carrots, arugula and spinach since Christmas Day than they have had since birth…and the best part is they have no idea!  Add one apple or pear and all they taste is sweet!  SCORE!

Now that said I have felt a bit guilty not sharing all of the awesome smoothies and concoctions we have been drinking -but I know from experience that a normal blender just cannot do to veggies what a Vita-Mix does…and I pretty sure 99% of you, and your kids, would GAG if you had a green paste for a snack!

So in the spirit of giving I set out to find a Green Drink that is “regular blender friendly”, and can allow you to Detox, or just load up on some phytonutrient-rich GREEN yumminess and give your liver a good rinse…(incase like mine it was bathed in red wine over the last month)!

Kid Approved

Green Smoothie

1 cup kale or collard greens firmly packed, stems removed, coarsely chopped (4 oz.)
1 Granny Smith apple, coarsely chopped
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 1/4 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more water.

The 411 on the Green Smoothie (Serves 2) Per serving: 105 calories; 0 g saturated fat; 0 g unsaturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbs; 32 mg sodium; 2 g protein; 4 g fiber.

For 25 more of these, please visit the 28 Day Action Plan at http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/smoothies#slide_1

 Tip:  Stick with the Green/Red ones for more nutrient dense options, and watch the sugar!  Also note most of the calories listed are for 2 servings, if a smoothie has a 100 calories drinking the whole thing is a great snack…at 400 calories you just shot your day-and could have had a KILLER milkshake!

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Clementines? Tangerines? Mandarins?

October 17, 2010 · Filed under Fruit, kids, Snacks · Tagged , , ,

Fall Again.  Originally posted 10/21/2009

I always know Fall has arrived when I start seeing bags of small “oranges” lining the aisles of the grocery stores!  Clementines?  Tangerines? Mandarins?  Who knows and who cares!  They all taste GREAT and are GREAT for you!  The best thing about these little gems is that kids ADORE them and can even peel many of them all by themselves!  I always have a bowl of these little yummers on my kitchen counter and they don’t last long!

I also love that because they have a skin I do not have to worry about whether or not they are organic, nor do I have to wash them!  I can buy them in bulk at Costco and keep them handy at all times (it is not rare to see them rolling around my car or find one in the bottom of my purse).

Nutritional info (give or take depending on type)

calories: 53/Fat: 0/Sodium: 2mg/Total Carbs: 13g (fiber 2g/Sugars 11g) Protein: 1g Vitamin A = 13%   Vitamin C = 44%  Calcium 3%

If you really want the 411 on all the differences here you go:

Clementines: the clementine is a seedless mandarin.
Kumquats: the kumquat is like a citrus fruit and has an edible skin. It is the most well known of the sort fortunella which is closely related to Citrus.
Mandarins: type of small orange with loose skin. The mandarin got its name because it was exploited by high-ranking government officials in China (mandarins).
Minneolas: are a crossing between a tangerine and a grapefruit and can be recognized by 
“the little nose”. Can be peeled manually. Is a type of Tangelo, a minneola is a specifically marketed tangelo.
Oranges: There are different types of oranges: navel oranges, Valencia oranges and blood oranges are the most cultivated races.
Tangelos: a tangelo is a crossing between a tangerine, a grapefruit and an orange. A specific kind of tangelo is the Ugli which is described further on this page.
Satsuma: is a very special seedling from Japan. Its skin is a bit tighter than the clementine and it doesn’t have seeds as well.
Tangerines:  a tangerine is an orange-red mandarin with a particular citrus taste. Can be peeled manually.
Uglis:  a specific kind of tangelo, easier to peel.  A crossing between a tangerine, a grapefruit and an orange. Can be peeled manually.

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Sticker Shock, 9 is the numer we are looking for!

March 19, 2010 · Filed under 411, Fruit, Organics, Veggies · Tagged , ,

You know those annoying little stickers you have to peel off your fruit?  Well they are ACTUALLY super-secret code that we were probably never meant to decifer….but guess what?  It is the 21st Century and it is time to stop looking the other way and ask “Why is this sticker on my apple?”

The sticker is there my friends to tell you:

1)  I am clean to eat 

A five digit code starting with “9″ means the product was organically grown (that’s right organically!!!)

so 9-4-2-0-3 = GOOD FOR ME

2) Enjoy me, I am covered in tons of pesticides and other things you can’t pronounce

Produce that is conventionally grown with synthetic pesticides, etc. is a 4 digit number starting with a 4  as in 4265

& 3)  (This is my favorite)  I have been tampered with and I am GMO’s…Gentically Modified My friends!!

A five digit code starting with “8″ means the product is genetically modified (can we all say LAME Mr. Fruit Grower!  I feed this stuff to my babies!!!)

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A Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

March 17, 2010 · Filed under Advice from the Experts, Fruit, Grocery List, Store Fav's, Organics, Veggies · Tagged ,

Print it and take it with you when you shop!!  (Great tip Tracy)

This list gives you the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15, as well as some basic info.

http://www.foodnews.org/EWG-shoppers-guide-download-final.pdf

This list gives you a more comprehensive overview of 47 commonly eaten fruits and veggies

http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

The Full List: 47 Fruits & Veggies

 

RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE
1 (worst) Peach 100 (highest pesticide load)
2 Apple 93
3 Sweet Bell Pepper 83
4 Celery 82
5 Nectarine 81
6 Strawberries 80
7 Cherries 73
8 Kale 69
9 Lettuce 67
10 Grapes – Imported 66
11 Carrot 63
12 Pear 63
13 Collard Greens 60
14 Spinach 58
15 Potato 56
16 Green Beans 53
17 Summer Squash 53
18 Pepper 51
19 Cucumber 50
20 Raspberries 46
21 Grapes – Domestic 44
22 Plum 44
23 Orange 44
24 Cauliflower 39
25 Tangerine 37
26 Mushrooms 36
27 Banana 34
28 Winter Squash 34
29 Cantaloupe 33
30 Cranberries 33
31 Honeydew Melon 30
32 Grapefruit 29
33 Sweet Potato 29
34 Tomato 29
35 Broccoli 28
36 Watermelon 26
37 Papaya 20
38 Eggplant 20
39 Cabbage 17
40 Kiwi 13
41 Sweet Peas – Frozen 10
42 Asparagus 10
43 Mango 9
44 Pineapple 7
45 Sweet Corn – Frozen 2
46 Avocado 1
47 (best) Onion 1 (lowest pesticide load)

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Sweet treat!

February 22, 2010 · Filed under Fruit, Recipes, Snacks · Tagged

So if you are NOT a GRAPEFRUIT fan, you probably will not like this!  If you are lukewarm on GRAPEFRUIT this may help you turn the corner!  If you think GRAPEFRUITS are FAB, this will leave you wondering “Why didn’t I think of that?”

I saw this in a magazine a few years back and never got around to trying it. I then saw a variation of it again in my Tosca Reno, Clean Eating cookbook a few days ago and given I had a new, HUGE, bag of Grapefruits from Costco, I went for it!

DELICIOUS!

The kids actually enjoyed it too!  I love any sweet treat in the later hours of the evening that I can have for minimal caloric intake!  (208 full/ 104 for half)

Spiced Broiled Grapefruit

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 grapefruit per person
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup for each half
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract for each half
  • Pinch each ground cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon per grapefruit
  • (you can also use agave, honey, brown sugar)

DIRECTIONS

  • Position rack 4 inches below broiler
  • pre-heat to broil
  • cut grapefruits in half, remove seeds, and section with a grapefruit knife (you are not removing the fruit, just loosening it)
  • set grapefruits in baking dish and cover with toppings
  • broil for 5 minutes, or until edges are brown and fruit is bubbling

Serve warm, BUT ALSO they taste great cold, as I had a left-over half for breakfast the next day!  You could also add leftovers to a salad!

The 411 on Spiced Grapefruits:  Calories 104/ Fat 0/Protein 1g/ Fiber 2g

 Here is some proof that the little ones were digging it!

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Are Organics Worth Their Price?

February 18, 2010 · Filed under 411, Advice from the Experts, Fruit, Organics · Tagged

That is the title of a GREAT article in this month’s Oprah magazine!

The Environmental Working Group, EWG sorted data from over 85,000 USDA and FDA tests to help us figure out when we should throw down the dough for organic, and when it is ok to go mainstream…NICE!

 Check out their list here!

http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

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