Posted by terrepruitt on June 3, 2022
Ok, so it is not really a frozen heart, it is a frozen strawberry shaped like a heart. I know I am not the only one who enjoys seeing hearts in the world. I see pictures all the time of hearts people see. Here is a strawberry heart. I am glad I found this and could use it for my Friday Photo.
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Friday Photo, frozen fruit, Frozen Heart, hearts in the world, strawberries, strawberry heart, Wine cooler | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 14, 2017
I think I might have mentioned that I am not a strawberry fan. I will eat them, but I don’t go all gaga for them. Usually if they are in a fruit salad I will give them to my hubby. But we were invited to a Fourth of July party at the last minute and I didn’t know what to bring. I didn’t think about the Champagne Strawberries, but even if I had it was so last minute that would not have worked. I wanted to bring something cool since it had been hot and I wanted to bring something colorfully patriotic. And, of course, since it was the last minute I wanted to bring something easy. So I opted for strawberries, raspberries, yogurt, and blueberries. Red, white, and blue. Basically using the yogurt like a dip and dipping the fruit into it. Well, a little out of character (I’m usually running late), we arrived right on time. Which is always a bit shocking for hosts. There wasn’t much food out at the time because no one else was there. I thought I would try a strawberry in the yogurt (I like raspberries and blueberries even less than strawberries). Much to my surprise I liked it. I really liked it. The yogurt was Honey flavored Greek yogurt. Then this past weekend I was going to go to a friend’s so I bought some strawberries and yogurt thinking we could snack on that. But then I didn’t end up going. But, I did end up eating the strawberries and yogurt. So it got me thinking about the nutritional value of strawberries. I had thought I had heard something about them having a lot of fiber.
Of course one place I found information on strawberries was Wiki. Wiki says botanically the strawberry is not even a berry because the actual fruit (flesh) doesn’t come from a plant’s ovaries.
Several sources state that strawberries may help prevent heart disease. The World’s Healthiest Foods, says: “Research on the antioxidant content of strawberries is providing us with stronger and stronger evidence about their ability to lower risk of cardiovascular disease.” One website mentioned a study showed that young and middle-aged women’s risk of heart attack was reduced by 32 percent by regularly consuming one of the flavonoids found in strawberries. In animal studies, the anti-inflammatory flavonoid, quercetin, showed to “reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and protect against the damage caused by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.”
They may also help lower blood pressure with their high potassium and polyphenol content. High potassium, might help lower the risk of strokes. Their antioxidants might help lower the risk of strokes and cancer. The anti-inflammatory flavonoid, quercetin – as mentioned before – might even help with some allergy symptoms.
Strawberries are high in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
Nutritional breakdown of strawberries according to the United States Department of Agriculture
Serving Size: 1 cup halves fresh strawberries (152 grams)
Calories: 49
Protein: 1.02 gram
Carbohydrates: 11.67 grams
Sugar: 7.43 grams
Dietary fiber: 3 grams
Calcium: 24 milligrams
Iron: 0.62 milligrams
Magnesium: 20 milligrams
Phosphorus: 36 milligrams
Potassium: 233 milligrams
Vitamin C: 89.4 milligrams
Vitamin A: 44.82 international units
So many people love strawberries. And they can be eaten so many different ways. They can be eaten fresh and all by them selves or added to any variety of dishes. They can be cooked, canned, preserved . . . so many ways. I normally don’t like fruit in my yogurt, but I liked dipping the strawberries in it.
Do you like strawberries? Were you aware of the many perceived health benefits of strawberries? How do you like to eat them?
Posted in Food, Fruit | Tagged: blueberries, easy dessert, fruit high in fiber, fruit high in vitamin C, fruit in yogurt, healthy fruit, quick snack, raspberries, strawberries, World's Healthiest Foods, yogurt | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 16, 2014
One of the reasons I got a super blender was to consume more vegetables. In addition to more vegetables I also wanted to consume veggies and fruits that I normally wouldn’t eat but that I have come to believe would be a health benefit to me. One food I have come to believe is a healthy benefit to a diet is blueberries. I don’t like blueberries. If you know me and my love for the color blue you might be a bit surprised that I don’t love one of the only blue foods there is. But I don’t. The flavor is not that great to me, but it is really the texture I don’t like. They are mushy and mealy. Not a texture I enjoy. But they are considered a “super food” so something I wouldn’t mind adding to my diet. But since I won’t just eat them raw and I don’t like baked fruit in desserts, I was hoping to use my Blendtec to get some blueberry goodness into my diet.
According to the website, World’s Healthiest Foods:
“In terms of U.S. fruit consumption, blueberries rank only second to strawberries in popularity of berries. Blueberries are not only popular, but also repeatedly ranked in the U.S. diet as having one of the highest antioxidant capacities among all fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings. Antioxidants are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA. We recommend enjoying raw blueberries — rather than relying upon blueberries incorporated into baked desserts — because, like other fruits, raw blueberries provide you with the best flavor and the greatest nutritional benefits.”
I think most fruits that are added to baked goods lose a lot of their nutritional value, if not from the cooking themselves, but it might be considered to be “canceled out” due to the added sugar and fat. But, as I mentioned I am not a fan of cooked fruit in desserts.
With all of the nutritional benefits in mind I finally bought some blueberries with the sole intent of putting them in a smoothie. I thought I had better go with a mild, yummy green so I would be stacking the deck to help the blueberries. I used spinach.
I actually made a very yummy smoothie.
I used:
_______________________________
Blueberry Green Smoothie
1 cup water
1/2 container of blueberries
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 (1/2) frozen banana
10 ice moons
1 scoop protein powder
_______________________________
It was very good. My husband is pretty amazing when it comes to tasting the ingredients. He tasted the blueberries right off. I knew they were in there and I didn’t seem to taste them. He pointed out that you can see them. Little tiny flecks of blueberries were in the smoothie. And yes, I know the were in there, I made it. Silly man!
So now that I have tried blueberries in a smoothie and liked them I can try using other greens. Now that I know they don’t ruin it. Tee hee.
What about you? Do you put blueberries in your green smoothies? What “recipe” might you have to share?
Posted in "Recipes", Food, Smoothies | Tagged: antioxidants, baked goods, Blendtec, blueberries, damage to cellular structures, DNA, free radicals, green smoothies, nutritional benefits, smoothie recipe, strawberries, super blender, U.S. diet, Vegetables, World's Healthiest Foods website | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 3, 2014
It is the Fourth of July . . . .well tomorrow, but if you are going to a Fourth of July party you might have your “dish” decided upon. Or you might not. What are you bringing? Not that you have to bring something, it just seems very traditional to have a BBQ potluck type of thing on Fourth of July. So I was wondering what you were bringing. I saw something on Facebook that I want to bring to the party I am attending, but then the hostess has indicated that she is having a “homemade cake that is red white and blue. (Strawberry, blueberry & almond, with stars & stripes inside!)” That KIND OF is what I wanted to bring . . . . strawberries with red, white, and blue. So I decided to bring “my” bean salad which is funny because it is really is a recipe from a friend of the hostess. (Click here for the bean salad recipe.) That friend is not attending . . . . . whew! Naw, she wouldn’t mind that I was bringing “her” recipe. But I really want to bring that “dish” I saw on Facebook, too. Since I am unable to really think about being creative for a potluck, I am going to bring it. It is a dessert type dish that needs at least 24 hours to “percolate”. So we will see how it comes out. And, I will be sharing about the adventure of it. Even though it is really simple I have already taken pictures of the first step with the intention of posting about it. Of course, it will be after the Fourth of July . . . . . but these treats are festive and can be “adjusted” color-wise to make a pretty plate for any occasion.
I needed something simple that I didn’t have to think about. I have some work to do and I am gearing up for a really busy month of subbing and I am dealing with that “stuff”. So the post on Facebook was perfect, until I received the menu. So I did look for other ideas, but was not feeling very inspired.
Even though I had already purchased the ingredients for the “other” strawberry thing, I was doing a search for things to make that would be festive I found this an “American Flag” made of kabobs of blueberries (as the stars portion of the flag), strawberries, and bananas. The strawberries and bananas made up the stripped portion of the flag. It looks so easy to do, and really very pretty and patriotic. Click over to Menus4Moms to see the full picture and get some ideas on how to do it. I am providing a tease of it so you will be sure to click over. I am making a note of it here . . . . . like I often do so I won’t forget about it. My blog is the easiest place for me to make notes of things. I use it all the time for my recipes. And grocery shopping when I want to make the recipes.
So, enough about my Fourth of July potluck party situation . . . . . what about you? What are you making? What are you taking? I am excited to hear. I know that if you comment and tell me I will be able to refer to it for next year . . . that is if you are doing a “Patriotic Dish”. If you are doing something yummy, but not red, white, and blue, I can refer to it the next time I want to make something yummy. So what do you got?
Posted in Food | Tagged: 4th of July, American Flag food, blueberries, easy potluck recipes, Fourth of July, kababs, kabobs, menus4moms, Patriotic Dish, potluck party, red white and blue, strawberries | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 14, 2013
Oh my!!! Easy-peasy, just takes forethought of freezing the bananas!
The recipe is from the Blendtec website – I am not sure it is in my recipe book because I think the Twister Jar is new!
Appliances: Blendtec blender and Twister Jar
INGREDIENTS
2 bananas , peeled, quartered and frozen
INSTRUCTIONS
Peel and quarter bananas; freeze until solid. Add frozen, quartered banana pieces to Twister jar, and place lid on jar. Hold lid firmly with one hand, and with the other hand press “Pulse” 15–20 times or until smooth. Turn Twister lid counterclockwise during blending. Serve with fresh berries, drizzle with syrup, or sprinkle with granola for a little crunch.
——————–
Well, I don’t have a twisted jar and for $200, I probably won’t until I am rolling in the dough. But I did look at a video of someone making “ice cream” with just fruit (bananas and strawberries) . . . . so somewhat the same thing as this, but with strawberries . . . and the twister jar is cool. I makes the fruit very creamy AND I think it does it without heating it up too much.
I just made this recently and it was a little melty. I think that might be because the blender does get a little warm. That is why it can make hot soup.
Anyway . . . . I made it with two frozen bananas and a little splash of milk in my Wildside Jar. I just let the blender blend on 1 until it was only blending “smooth”, then I stopped it and pushed the bananas close to the blade, then blended until it was only blending “smooth”, etc. I probably did it about four times.
I was thinking if I didn’t want the bananas to be melty I could put them back in the freezer for a bit.
I had my bananas with almond slivers and chocolate port wine sauce. My hubby skipped the almonds.
We don’t usually have dessert so when I told him after dinner we were having dessert he said, “No thanks.” I knew he would say that because I told him RIGHT after dinner. So we were full from dinner. But I also knew that by the time I made it he would want some AND he would be interested because it was frozen fruit. He is not much of a dessert eater and does not like cake and things like that so I know that won’t interest him, but he really likes bananas. Also he is very supportive of my experiments with the blender so he was more than willing to try it. I waited a couple of hours before making it. He was happy and a bit surprised that it was JUST bananas (oh, the little bit of milk — I bet it was only about two tablespoons. Next time I will measure.)
Of course, as I mentioned about the video I saw with the twister jar in it, they used strawberries. I imagine you can use any berry you want. You could probably use any fruit you want. I am not a berry person or a sherbet person, so I will stick to bananas. Awww, well, I guess, I should try some other fruit because my hubby likes it. Yeah, I’ll do that . . . eventually.
The next time I make this though I am going to use three bananas! And I will measure the milk and report back.
So what do you think about fruit ice “cream”? Could you see yourself enjoying a dish? What would you put in yours?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: almonds, Blendtec, cake, cold fruit dessert, fresh berries, frozen bananas, fruit smoothie, granola, ice cream, port wine sauce, strawberries, twister jar, WildSide Jar | 6 Comments »
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