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Strawberries: 10 Ways to Eat Them

Jul7

10 Ways to Eat Strawberries

Nothing says summer like fresh strawberries!  In my previous post 9 Reasons To Pick Your Own Strawberries, I mentioned that I had been on 6 fun-filled strawberry-picking excursions with my daughters last month (and I’ve even been again since that post!)  One would think we would have more strawberries than we know what to do with, but the truth is I’ve been having trouble keeping the strawberries long enough to make anything out of them.  My girls devour them (sometimes even before we get home!)  It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to save some strawberries to make a few things. Here are 10 delicious ways to use those fresh-picked, juice-dripping strawberries!

1.  Eat them just as they are!

Of course, this is the healthiest (and our favorite) way to eat them, and they don’t last long.

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2.  Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries!

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Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and strawberries, right?  And truly, they couldn’t be easier to make! It requires 2 ingredients – Fresh picked strawberries & Baker’s Dipping Chocolate (you can find this in the baking aisle of your local grocery store – next to the chocolate chips.)

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Simply melt the chocolate as instructed, dip your strawberries, place on a tray on waxed paper, and enjoy!  If you prefer the chocolate a little bit harder (as we do), place in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.

3.  Strawberry Jam

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This was our first attempt at making strawberry jam.  Although this particular recipe didn’t go over well with my family, I’m including it in here anyway since we spent the time making it.  Based on the reviews, it is very popular and it does seem like most people enjoyed it.  We halved the recipe since I didn’t know if we would like it and I wasn’t sure how much it would make.  It ended up filling 4 mason jars (8oz each).  Since I normally try to minimize the amount of sugar I put into recipes (and this time I didn’t), for us it seemed way too sweet.  I think next time I would use much less sugar.  You can find the recipe we used here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-jam/

4.  Strawberry Parfait

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This is one of our favorite choices for breakfast.  Simply use your favorite yogurt, fresh strawberries (chopped) any other desired fruits, and granola.  Layer and enjoy!! 🙂

5.  Strawberry Banana Smoothie

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Nothing beats a refreshing, fruit-filled smoothie on a hot day!  You can use any fruit you have on-hand, but here is one of my favorite combinations:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 frozen banana

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.  Enjoy!! 🙂  Note:  Make sure at least one of your ingredients is frozen to make your smoothie cold.  In the absence of frozen fruit, you may want to add some ice to make it cold.  If this doesn’t appeal to you, try my other Strawberry Banana smoothie recipe, my Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter smoothie, or create your own yummy combination!

6.  In a salad

I love strawberries in my salad!  I also like to add blueberries, grapes, pineapple, cashews, and chocolate chips in addition to the lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers! 🙂  The fruit adds a wonderful juiciness that practically eliminates the need for salad dressing.  YUM!!

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7.  In  your cereal

We love adding fresh berries to our cereal.  Yum!!

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8.  Freeze them.

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If you have more strawberries than you know what to do with, you can freeze them for later use.  To freeze, begin by removing the stems.  Lightly rinse them and allow to dry.  Then, place them on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer.  Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag.

9.  Topping for cheesecake, ice cream, or pancakes

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My kids absolutely love this stuff!! Here is the recipe we used (next time I’m going to double it!):

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh-picked ripe strawberries
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

  1. Wash strawberries and remove stems.
  2. Chop strawberries
  3. Combine sugar, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups strawberries in a saucepan. (Set aside remaining 1/2 cup strawberries.) 
  4. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Cook until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat.  In a blender, puree mixture.  Add in the 1/2 cup strawberries you had previously set aside.
  6. Store in refrigerator.

The original recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Supreme-Strawberry-Topping/Detail.aspx

I was also hoping to make strawberry pie and strawberry shortcake with fresh-picked strawberries this year, but unfortunately strawberry season is now over in my area so I’ll have to try those out next year.

10.  Strawberry Pie

Update 7/9/15:  I made Strawberry Pie with my daughters this season, and it was delicious!  The link to the recipe I used may be found on my blog Stacy Loves here.

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11. Strawberry Ice Cream

Update 6/16/16

This strawberry ice cream, made with freshly picked strawberries, is the perfect treat on a hot, summer day!  The recipe can be found on Stacy Loves here.

Strawberry ice cream recipe

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?  Do you have a favorite use for strawberries that is not included here?  Please leave a comment below.

Strawberries: 9 Reasons to Pick Your Own

Jul2

June 6, 2014 075 a taste of summer

Nothing says summer like fresh strawberries!  After 6 fun-filled strawberry-picking excursions with my daughters last month, the season of strawberry-picking is unfortunately coming to an end in our area.

Here are 9 reasons why we love to pick our own strawberries:

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1.  It’s fun! 

Strawberry picking signals the beginning of summer for me, and it is like a little scavenger hunt finding the perfect strawberries to feed my family.

2.  It costs less.

A quart of strawberries at our local farm stands cost about $6.50, but if you pick your own and bring your own containers, you can get considerably more strawberries for the same price.  You may be able to get them “on sale” at the grocery store for much less, but the quality is nowhere near that of the strawberries you pick for yourself.

3.  They are fresher.

Can’t get any fresher than picked right off the plant!

4.  They taste better.

Picked at the peak of ripeness, my girls think strawberries taste better than candy! (LOVE that!) 🙂

5.  Great pictures.

I LOVE taking pictures, and strawberry fields are a wonderful location to get some great shots!

6.  Support local farmers.

Keeping your money in the community and helping other local families is always a good thing!

7.  Healthier – fewer chemicals.

Even if your local farm isn’t “certified” organic, many of them do not spray pesticides directly onto the fruit, especially if they are allowing you to pick your own.  Talk to your farmers to find out their exact procedures, but generally in talking with my local farmers I have found that their practices are much safer than that of commercially grown produce.   Just being able to talk to the farmer is a benefit in itself.  Although strawberries are part of the “dirty dozen” and it is recommended to always buy organic, I would buy local strawberries that are not organic over organic strawberries in the supermarket any day!

8.  It’s better for the environment.

Buying local reduces your carbon footprint.  Make sure to bring your own containers to save money and eliminate the need for packaging.

9.  You get to choose the strawberries you like best! 

There’s nothing worse than paying a premium price for strawberries in the grocery store, only to have to throw away half the container because the strawberries are rotten or not suitable for eating.  Picking your own ensures that you are only paying for the BEST strawberries.

If you’re wondering what to do with all of the delicious strawberries you have picked, be on the lookout in the next few days for the next post.  I will share some ideas of ways to enjoy all of these yummy berries!  To make sure you don’t miss it, click on the follow button in the sidebar to follow this blog.

Healthy Summer Recipe: Watermelon & Fruit “Cake”

Jun26

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Here is a fun and healthy recipe to take to any summer potluck. We’ve already made this for a few occasions, and it was a huge hit! This is a super-easy (and healthy) recipe to make and the kids love to get involved! My 6-year-old daughter designed this watermelon cake for her cousin’s birthday party. You can use any fruit you like in this recipe, but this is what we used:

 Ingredients:

1 Whole Watermelon

2 Kiwi, peeled, halved, and cut into ¼ inch slices

½ fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 can (11oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

Fresh strawberries (about 20)

Chocolate chips (about 20)

¼ cup blueberries

Red grapes (about 20)

Green grapes (about 20)

Instructions:

  1. Lay the watermelon on a cutting board.  Find the thickest part of the watermelon (the center). Cut a 3½-inch slice of the thickest part of the watermelon. Lay the slice flat on the cutting board and cut the rind off, making it as close to a circle as possible. (Ours ended up being 7 inches in diameter). Place this slice directly on the dish you will be using to serve. (We used a round cake taker because we were transporting it to a party.)
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  3. From one of the remaining watermelon halves, cut a 2 ½-inch thick slice. Lay it flat on the cutting board, and cut off the rind, forming a circle (our circle ended up being 4 ½ inches in diameter.) Center this slice on top of the larger slice.
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  5. Cut the remaining watermelon into bite-sized pieces to mix in with your other fruit if desired.
  6. Now comes the fun part, where you may want to get the kids involved! Decorate as you wish, using any fruits you like and arranging them into patterns if desired.  If you like the way ours came out, just copy the picture.  Otherwise, get creative with your designs.  The possibilities are endless!!
  7. If you’re transporting the cake to a party, you may need to make additional adjustments when you arrive.
  8. Enjoy!! 🙂

 

 

 

Recipe: Roasted Broccoli

May16

May 16, 2014 JourneyToCompleteWellness.ComI am always trying to get more vegetables and Superfoods into my diet.  Broccoli is a Superfood and cancer-fighting food.

I’ll admit, I’m not very motivated when it comes to washing, cutting, preparing, and cooking vegetables.  Especially since I’m usually the only one in my family who will eat them.  Unfortunately, more vegetables rot in my refrigerator than I would like.  I have good intentions when I’m at the grocery store, but unless I buy them for a specific purpose, I usually forget about them and they sit there until I get the motivation to do something with them.  Or they rot.  And it really bothers me when I have to throw food away.

So, I was really excited when I found this super-easy recipe for roasted broccoli.  I made it with dinner last night, and I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing in one sitting.  I easily could have!

I found this recipe on Facebook in January and tried it for the first time then.  Here is the link to the original post on Instagram:  http://instagram.com/p/i6oZ17zgvm/#

Here is my recipe, just slightly different:

 Ingredients

1 head of broccoli, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 lemon (optional)

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 375°

2.  Place broccoli, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper in a ziploc bag and shake.  Alternatively, place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

3.  Spread out on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  Bake about 30 minutes.

Broccoli will be crunchy and delicious!  If desired, squeeze lemon over broccoli.  This is optional, but I do this because I love anything with lemon.  Enjoy!

For lunch today, I served the leftovers with rice and a little bit of shredded cheese.  The broccoli wasn’t as crunchy as it was when I first cooked it, but it was still delicious!  I plan to make this again VERY soon!!  I think I could eat this every day.  Now if I could just get the rest of my family to try it! 🙂

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Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Apr7

This is a great smoothie to soothe a sore throat or cough.  My kids love the taste, and they love the pink color!  It’s also a great way to benefit from the healing properties of raw honey if you don’t like eating honey straight.  🙂

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Ingredients:
½ cup apple juice

½ cup filtered water

1 ripe banana

1 Tablespoon raw honey (local is best to help with seasonal allergies)

1 cup frozen organic strawberries

Instructions:
1.  Place all ingredients into blender except the strawberries.  Blend until smooth.

2.  Add the strawberries.  Blend until smooth.

Notes:  This smoothie is thick.  If you would like it thinner, add more liquid.  Do not feed raw honey to infants under 1.

Yield:  20 ounces

Recipe: Coconut Banana Cashew Smoothie

Mar26

My friend gave me some vanilla coconut milk the other day, so I decided to experiment and make some smoothies with it.  I found one that I really liked a lot!  I decided to grind up some cashews and add them to the smoothie for some extra fiber and protein.  Check out this website for more health benefits of cashews and see why they are one of the world’s healthiest foods.  Here is the recipe I came up with.  Enjoy! 🙂

Coconut Banana Cashew Smoothie

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Ingredients:

¼ cup cashews

¾ cup vanilla coconut milk

½ cup organic spinach, packed

1 frozen banana

Instructions:

1. Grind cashews in a food processor until fine.

2. Add coconut milk, spinach, and cashews to blender. Blend until smooth.

3. Add banana. Blend until smooth.

Yield: 14 ounces

 

Recipe: Pineapple-Orange-Banana Green Smoothie

Feb19

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In an effort to get more greens into my diet, I try to have a green smoothie every day.  When I’m running short on time, this is the one I always fall back on.  It is quick, delicious, and I usually have all ingredients on hand.

I try to keep frozen bananas stocked in my freezer at all times.  I usually buy them in the reduced-produce section at the store when they are very ripe.  I take them home, peel them, break them in half, and then put them into a freezer bag for future use.  It’s a great time saver, and also a great way to keep costs low! 🙂  Here is the recipe:

pineapple orange banana green smoothie

Ingredients:
¾ cup orange juice (I prefer freshly juiced from a juicer, but store-bought also works.)

¾ cup organic baby spinach, packed tightly

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

½ cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 frozen banana
Instructions:
  1. Blend orange juice and spinach in a blender until smooth.
  2. Add yogurt, pineapple, and banana and blend until completely smooth.

Yield:  24 oz.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Jan27

We have a new favorite smoothie in our house!  I have been on the green smoothie kick lately, but last week I decided to try something different and see if my daughters would give it a try.  My 11-year-old and 6-year-old both loved it!!  They have been finishing this smoothie daily and asking for more!  Like many moms, I am always looking for ways to get as many fruits, vegetables, and superfoods into our diet as possible.  This is an easy way to do it.  This smoothie is packed with superfoods…bananas, pumpkin, oranges and pineapple!  For a great resource and list of 50 superfoods, check out this link.  Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! 🙂

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

 Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
¾ cup orange juice (I prefer freshly juiced, but store-bought also works)

1 cup organic vanilla yogurt (I like Stonyfield French Vanilla) OR 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt and 1 Tablespoon Local Honey

½ cup pumpkin puree

½ cup fresh pineapple chunks

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice* (see below for substitution)

2 frozen bananas (make sure they are ripe when you freeze them)
Instructions:
  1. Add all ingredients to the blender except the bananas.  Blend until smooth.
  2. Add the bananas.  Blend until smooth.

Yield:  Approximately 34 fl oz

Journeytocompletewellness.com

Update:  1/31/2014 – My kids love this drink and ask me to make it for them every day.  I finally ran out of the pumpkin pie spice, and when I went to buy more I noticed that it was $5.99 for 1.12 oz.  I decided I didn’t want to pay that much for it, so I did some research and found a recipe to make it myself.  Here it is:

Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves

Store in an airtight container.