Tag: Fruit

Categories
Recipes

Rice and Fruit Salad

Rice and Fruit Salad

If you’re making rice for dinner, why not a bit extra to make this salad the next day? This is a great recipe for when it’s just too hot to cook. And it uses fresh fruits that are in season this time of year.

If you are taking this dish to a potluck dinner, wait until you arrive to add the fresh fruit. It will not have to be heated or refrigerated.

Rice and Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of cooked long-grain rice, cooled
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoon vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chopped shallots
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup chopped fresh peach
  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
  • 3 Tablespoons chopped almonds

Directions:

  1. Heat a small, dry skillet. Add almonds and stir until toasted.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, juice, vinegar, shallots, salt, and pepper.
  3. In a large salad serving bowl, toss together gently the almonds, cooked rice, peach and berries.
  4. Add dressing to salad and toss gently again.
Categories
Creative Cookery

Rainbow Fruit and Veggie Plate Ideas

Rainbow Fruit and Veggie Plate Ideas

As the days get warmer, more and more wonderful fruits and vegetables become available. Since June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, I decided to share some creative veggie plate ideas. Whether you are creating one for a gather or just the family, making your display beautiful is always a good idea and makes the food look even tastier!

Rainbow Fruit and Veggie Plate Ideas

Everyone knows the traditional veggie plate: Cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes arranged around a bowl of ranch dressing. But when you unleash your kitchen creativity, you can come up with a variety of veggie plate ideas that put that one to shame. In this post, I suggest you add a little fun to your fruit and veggie plate by turning it into a rainbow.

There are so many possibilities for putting this plate together and whether you are completely authentic and do all 7 colors of the rainbow or just 5 or 6, it’s completely up to you. Here are some ideas to get you started:

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Red

  • Strawberries
  • Red peppers
  • Radishes
  • Red skinned apple slices
  • Huckleberries
  • Raspberries
  • Rhubarb
  • Tomatoes
  • Watermelon

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Orange

  • Carrots
  • Orange pepper
  • Oranges
  • Cantaloupe
  • Squash
  • Peaches
  • Papaya
  • Apricots

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[one_half_last] orange veggie plate ideas [/one_half_last]

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Yellow

  • Yellow tomatoes
  • Yellow watermelon
  • Yellow peppers
  • Yellow-skinned apples
  • Baby corn
  • Pineapple

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[one_half_last] yellow veggie plate ideas [/one_half_last]

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Green

  • Celery
  • Green pepper
  • Avocado
  • Green-skinned apples
  • Peas
  • Honeydew mellon
  • Kiwi
  • Broccoli
  • Zucchini

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[one_half_last] green veggie plate ideas [/one_half_last]

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Blue / Indigo / Violet

  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Black currants
  • Plums
  • Purple grapes
  • Egg plant

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[one_half_last] Blue / Indigo / Violet veggie plate ideas [/one_half_last]

Arranging Your Veggie Plate Ideas

When going with a rainbow theme, the obvious arrangement would be an arch. But you don’t have to be obvious. You can arrange your platter in a wide variety of ways, depending on the platters you have available.

You could do concentric circles, or have the various colors arrayed as if they were rays terminating from the dipping bowl in the center. You could even give each ingredient its own serving bowl or platter and arrange them either straight across your table or in an arch pattern, again with he dipping bowl in the center. Get creative with the space and platters you have.

Categories
Healthy Living Product Reviews

Product Review: Solely Fruit Jerky

Solely Fruit Jerky

I’ll admit it, when I first heard of Solely Fruit Jerky, I did not have high hopes. I figured it would be some sort of fruit roll, like the ones I had as a kid. They were always a bit too sweet for me — and I have a serious sweet tooth! But I was dead wrong.

Solely Fruit Jerky

About Solely Fruit Jerky

Solely products follow a “Clean Label” philosophy, which means what you see on the label is what you get. Their fruit jerky contains one or two ingredients with no added sugars, additives, colors or flavoring.

They claim to select the ripest fruit at the farm, and it certainly tastes like it.

Currently, Solely makes six flavors of fruit jerky, all of which are available on Amazon.

  • Organic Banana
  • Organic Banana with Cacao
  • Organic Banana with Pecan
  • Organic Mango
  • Organic Pineapple
  • Organic Pineapple with Coconut

What I Liked About Solely Fruit Jerky

They were surprisingly delicious–in fact, so addictively so, I ate all six in one sitting! Yum.

My favorite flavors were the three banana strips, with Organic Pineapple with Coconut coming in second. The Mango and plain Pineapple were a bit too acidic for my palate.

The texture was nice. Not too chewy like so many dried fruit products are, and not as sticky as I remember fruit rolls being.

I really like that what I was eating was basically a piece of fruit. Nothing else was added, and the flavor supported that claim.

I don’t usually say this, but I also like the packaging. They are easy to open–there is a pull strip in the bottom right corner. And the design aesthetically is pleasing.

What I Didn’t Like About Solely Fruit Jerky

I found the pineapple and mango strips too sweet and acidic for my taste. But I could totally see someone else really digging them.

I wish I had known how tasty they would be. I would have hidden some to eat another day. They are deceptively small. I basically ate six pieces of fruit in one sitting! Yikes!

Overall Comments on Solely Fruit Jerky

I would whole heartily recommend this product. They are tasty. They are organic. They don’t have added sugar, additives or fillers. However, I would make sure that they aren’t easily accessible or you might find yourself with a binge eating tummy ache.

What Is Solely Fruit Jerky Good For?

Because they are basically dried fruit, they are great for taking on the road. Put them in your (or your children’s) lunch box. Take them on a road trip. Take them when camping or hiking. They make a great portable, healthy snack.

And, because they are so tasty, you could probably use them for dessert, as well! Hmmm. I wonder if they would taste good with whipped cream?

For More Information Or To Order Some of Your Own

Solely products are available at 365 by Whole Foods Markets nationwide and select Sprouts Farmers Markets. More retailers are being added, so visit their website to find a location near you.

They plan on upcoming promos and giveaways. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to get in on those goodies!

My Video Reaction

Score: 5 out of 5

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NOTE: I received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest review. If you’ve read past product reviews, you’ll know that I don’t pull my punches when I believe they are warranted. I also try to provide balanced information so you can make your own decision to buy or not buy this product, even if you disagree with my opinion.

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[one_third] Healthy Eating Worksheet [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

Download Now [/two_third_last]

Categories
Creative Cookery Special Occasions

Must-Serve Cocktails For Your Next Party

Summer cocktails make an excellent addition to a fun outdoor party. And, because of the selection of fresh fruits available during this time of year, you can incorporate them into your drinks to make them even more refreshing. Keep reading for inspiration.

summer cocktails
Image Source

Strawberry Wine Punch

There’s nothing like a fresh batch of summer strawberries, and you’ll love them in cocktail. Wine makes a great base for punch and strawberry wine adds a little sweetness that goes well with a light summer salad. With very few ingredients required, strawberry wine punch can be made in advance, or quickly for last minute dinner guests. You might even make some to unwind on Friday nights after a long week at work.

bloody mary
Image Source: Pixabay

Bloody Mary

Is your party going to be a lavish brunch instead? Then the perfect cocktail is a Bloody Mary. Don’t limit yourself to just drinking it to treat hangovers; if they’re made with chilled Clamato juice and the perfect Bloody Mary seasoning, these cocktails will be a real a treat for your guests.

To make them even more exciting, experiment with different types of garnishes. You could opt for a classic celery stick, or you could expand the range to include pepperoni, smoked gouda, sweet cherry peppers, baby dill pickles, or even stuffed olives. Each garnish complements the spicy flavors of the Bloody Mary, and makes a simple cocktail into a delightful appetizer. You’ll never go back to the old garnishes ever again.

sangria
Image Source: Pixabay

Sparkling Lemonade Sangria

Nothing conjures up the image of holidays in Spain like sipping a cold glass of sangria. This delicious sparkling lemonade sangria is the perfect refreshment to serve at a BBQ.

The night before your big party, marinate Moscato wine, berries, lemons, lemonade, and sugar in a pitcher. If you want to get a little creative, add in different kinds of fruits such as oranges, pineapples, and kiwis. You could also add some pink lemonade to your sangria to give it a little more color. I like to use frozen fruit instead of ice to keep it cold.

Ginger Beer-Pineapple Rum Punch

For those who want something sweet and spicy, this ginger beer and pineapple rum punch is guaranteed to delight the taste buds. Rum punch makes everyone feel like they’re on a tropical getaway in the Caribbean, so this is the perfect drink to serve with jerk chicken or seafood. This is yet another simple cocktail, requiring only fresh lime juice, ginger beer, dark Jamaican rum, and pineapple juice. Simply combine all the ingredients in a pitcher, stir well to combine, then pour over ice to serve.

Cider Rum Punch

As the warm weather begins to wane, a cider rum punch is perfect for warming the soul and holding onto the heat of the summer for a little while longer. Cider combines the fruity, fresh taste of summer with the warmth and depth of fall.

I hope these ideas inspire you to get creative in the kichen and develop some summer cocktails of your own — and remember, they don’t need to be alcholoic to be enjoyed!

Categories
Recipes

Triple-Berry Breakfast Smoothie

Triple-Berry Breakfast Smoothie
Photo courtesy of Manuel Villacorta, author of Whole Body Reboot

Triple-Berry Breakfast Smoothie
Photo courtesy of Manuel Villacorta, author of Whole Body Reboot

Recipe from Whole Body Reboot by Manuel Villacorta, HCI Books/December 2014 – ISBN: 9780757318214. Read an interview with the author here.

Note from Carma: Pichuberries also called golden berries, have an abundance of vitamin C, probably the highest among all fruits and plants. It is also a powerful antioxidant and is effective in boosting the immune system. In addition, blueberries are excellent sources of antioxidants. Add in the probiotics found in kefir and this smoothie becomes a great way to start your day.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup pichuberries
  • 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup plain, nonfat kefir
  • 1 scoop protein powder

Directions:

  1. Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
  2. Add water, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.
Categories
Healthy Living

Organic Living: Change your buying habits

Buy foods that are in season

Buy foods that are in seasonSometimes living organically is just a matter of changing your perspective … or your buying habits. By changing when you buy certain foods (what season) or where you buy them (at a farmer’s market instead of the big-chain grocery store), and you may find that you are not only eating more healthy and nutritious food, but your are saving money on your grocery bill, as well!

Here are five more tips in my Organic Living series that will help you creatively incorporate healthier food into your lifestyle.

 

1. Buy better beef
Not only do you want to pay attention to what you eat, but if you eat meat, you need to pay attention to what you eat eats, as well. Most “grass fed” beef are still grain finished. Grass-fed beef is more nutritious than grain-fed beef. For 100% grass fed beef, look for a local farm you can buy from. If you’d like information about buying local, grass-fed beef, check out You Can Afford Grass-Fed Beef! – The ultimate guide to saving money by eating high-quality, local meat.

2. Watch the Glycemic Index of your fruit.
Foods on high on the glycemic index (GI) put more sugar into your digestive track and blood stream. This can cause problems whether you’re healthy or have diabetes. And although fruit can be healthy, you want to monitor how much and what kinds you eat. Most fruits have quite a high GI. The exception are berries (including strawberries) which are low GI and very healthy. Here’s a quick list of the top 5 low glycemic fruits:

Low Glycemic Fresh Fruits

  • Berries (an average of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries) – 47 GI, 7g carbs and a glycemic load of 3
  • 2 whole plums – 24 GI, 14g carbs and a glycemic load of 4
  • 1 large peach – 28 GI, 14g carbs and a glycemic load of 4
  • 1 slice of a large cantaloupe – 70 GI, 5g carbs and a glycemic load of 4
  • 1 medium nectarine – 43 GI, 13g carbs and a glycemic load of 5

3. Shop smart for organic produce
It is a common myth that buying organic is more expensive. I know I’ve often thought, “I’ll buy organic when I make more money.” But this is often a fallacy. If you think you can’t afford organic, try buying foods that are in season. It’s both more inexpensive and healthier. You can find all sorts of inexpensive, fresh and organic produce at your local farmers market.

4. Store food for out of season
Have a favorite seasonal food? Buy it when it’s in season, then freeze it or can it. It’s healthier than buying it out of season. Foods being sold out of season can have a number of things going against them:

  • They traveled farther to get to you.
  • They were stored longer.
  • They many have been treated in order to survive the longer travel and storage time.

All this leads to lower nutritional value of the product, and sometimes an increase in unhealthful qualities, as well.

 

5. Be careful with seafood.
Eating fish used to be a pretty healthy way to go. However, the aquatic and marine environments are becoming less and less ideal with increasing pollution. There are two ways you can get around this:

  • Don’t need fish too often, and
  • Avoid large fish like tuna.

Large fish eat small fish and build up higher concentrations of mercury.

 
Missed previous posts in this Organic Living series? Check them out here!

[divider]

[one_third] Healthy Eating Worksheet [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

Download Now [/two_third_last]

Categories
Healthy Living Special Occasions

Fun with Fruit Pizza

fruit pizza

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I stayed at friend of his home and for a treat Saturday morning they served us Fruit Pizza.

fruit pizza

The smell of the crust reminded me of going to a State Fair and the resulting dish, as you can see above, was beautiful. I asked for the recipe and she delightedly told me was Diabetic Friendly. Here’s a version of that recipe followed by some ideas I’ve had for when I make it not to far in the future.

fruit-pizza-topINGREDIENTS

CRUST:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cold butter

SAUCE:
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPINGS:
2 cups halved fresh strawberries
1 cup halved fresh kiwi fruit
1 cup fresh blueberries

“CHEESE”:
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1-1/4 cups unsweetened orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

CRUST
In a large bowl, combine flour and powdered sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press into an un-greased 12-inch pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

PIZZA SAUCE
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.

TOPPINGS
Arrange the strawberries, kiwis and blueberries on top.

“CHEESE”
In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, orange juice and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes, until thickened. Cool slightly. Drizzle over fruit.

Refrigerate until chilled.

Yield: 16 servings.

fruit-pizza-sideCARMA’S TWEAKS, TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
Note, some of these tweaks and tips may reduce the “diabetic friendliness” of this dish.

Crust Ideas: Use sugar cookie mix for a similar crust. Want to get more creative? Try different cookie mixes for the crust. Gingersnap mix will spice it up. Snickerdoodle mix will give it a touch of zesty cinnamon flavor. Fruit-flavored cookie mixes will up the fruitiness.

Sauce Ideas: If you want this to be more like a dessert, use vanilla frosting instead. For a creamier sauce, add in half an 8-oz tub of Cool Whip and reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. Want a lighter frosting (and only if the dish will be served and consumed quickly)? Use unsweetened whipped cream. Want to be bold and different? Experiment with adding chocolate to any of these suggestions!

Topping Ideas: Use different fruits for the topping. I’m not partial to kiwi, so I’d probably substitute with Mandarin oranges, papaya (red or regular), baked apple, banana, cherries or any other favorite fruit du jour.

“Cheese” Ideas: I found the glaze that mimics the cheese to be too tart for my taste. So I’m going to experiment with other juices such as pineapple, apple, white grape and perhaps even guava.

[divider]

[one_third] Healthy Eating Worksheet [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

Download Now [/two_third_last]

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