My all-time favorite fruit is berries, and my all-time
favorite veggie
is sweet corn on the cob, so let's just say summer is
my favorite
time of year when it comes to eating fresh!
Now is the time to get your strawberries, blueberries,
raspberries,
blackberries... If you can, get out to a
pick-your-own farm and pick
them right off the plants. (We're going next
week.)
Berries are known for their health benefits, including
antioxidants.
Blueberries are known to improve brain function and
memory.
What's not to love about berries?
But what do you do when you get all that juicy
goodness home?
Here are 10 yummy, healthy ways to enjoy those fresh
berries:
1. Wash and eat right out of the package!
2. Add to whole-wheat pancake batter for berry
pancakes. Even
better, top your pancakes with berries and all-natural maple syrup.
3. Top with fresh whipped cream.
4. Sprinkle over all-natural vanilla ice cream.
5. Layer in a parfait cup or glass with organic
vanilla yogurt and
crunchy granola or cereal.
6. Speaking of cereal, make sure your summer
breakfast cereal
always has berries on top!
7. Place berries individually on cookie sheet
and freeze. When
frozen solid, put berries in a freezer bag. Now
you can enjoy fresh
berries in February!
8. Use some of those frozen berries now, as
delicious "ice cubes"
for your water, iced tea, lemonade or other summer
beverages.
9. Use to decorate the tops of cakes and
cupcakes.
10. Add to a fruit salad with apples, bananas, grapes,
melon and
kiwi for a refreshing side dish.
And there you have it! I bet you have a few
other ideas yourself.
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If you're looking for a fast and easy dessert this
Fourth of July,
nothing says "red, white and blue" better than
strawberries,
blueberries and whipped cream. Let the kids add sprinkles!
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It's going to be 90 degrees and humid here today, so you
can expect me to quit whining about the
weather. :-)
Now that school's out and summer is officially here
(as of June 21),
I hope you're enjoying a great beginning to your best
summer
season yet.