Archive for Eat More Fruits and Veggies
Should I Get a Juicer?
Posted by: | CommentsMy friend Valerie is traveling quite a bit this summer. I miss her already, but while she’s gone…she left a little piece of her behind for us to remember her by.
Yep, she left us her juicer. Isn’t that exciting? (Well, it’s exciting for me. I’m weird though, remember?)
For the past couple of years, we’ve tossed around the idea of investing in a juicer. Would it help us get more fruits and vegetables in our diets? Would we use it enough to get our money’s worth out of it? Do we want to deal with one more appliance in our kitchen? Is it even good for us, since drinking just the juice of the fruit has the potential to make us overdo our intake of fruit sugar?
So, with Valerie’s juicer in our home for a few weeks, we’re playing around with different yummy combinations of juices. We’re using it to help us decide whether or not we may want a juicer of our own some day.
So far, I’m having a lot of fun with it. I ordered a big 40 pound box of oranges from Azure Standard. Plus, I ordered 25 pounds of juicing carrots. Um, that’s a lot of carrots.
Here I am, making orange-carrot juice. And yes, I am just about to overflow my glass.
But check out my fascinating photography ability.
See that drop of juice just about to drip off of the spout?
It takes a lot of skill to get a shot like that. Simply amazing.
(And very, very lucky since actually I am as good at photography as I am at soccer.)
The kids weren’t big on the orange/carrot juice combo. Matt and I liked it just fine though. And, I used the leftover pulp that the juicer caught to make an orange/carrot cake. The results on the cake were so-so. I think I should have run the pulp through my blender first to make it less chunky. It’s all about experimenting. Trial and error.
The juicer we’re using is a Jack LaLanne JLPJB Power Juicer Juicing Machine. It is very reasonably priced and seems to be very high quality. So far, I’m very impressed with how easy it is to use and how easy it is to clean up. All of the parts go right into the dishwasher! Well, except for the motor. That would be a bad idea.
So, for all of you juicing kind of people out there, I’d love to hear what you have to say about this. Do you like your juicer? Do you use it often? What do you make with it? What do you do with the leftover pulp? Do your kids like it? What kind of juicer do you have?
What to Do With All the Strawberries in Your Kitchen
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve been blessed with tons and tons of fresh strawberries this summer!!! Some of you have been asking what I do with all of them.
This was what we picked the first time.
We went back three more times!!
First…we eat as many fresh ones as we can. There are only a few weeks during the year that we can do this, so we’re not holding back!
Second, I’ve been flash freezing them (shew, I think I’m almost done now!). I have enough in my freezer now to last me the year (at least)!
Third, I cooked some of them down and made a “strawberry spread” of sorts. I didn’t want to add sugar or pectin to make a jam, so I just experimented with straight strawberries. It’s a little tart…but we like it on toast just fine. I only made one small batch of this, because we really just like strawberries fresh or frozen better!
Now…here’s a list of all the other yummy things I like to make with fresh or frozen strawberries…
- Strawberry-peach slushies (our favorite way to eat the strawberries!)
- Strawberry-kefir smoothies
- Strawberry yogurt
- Strawberry-yogurt fruit dip
- Strawberry cheesecake
- Strawberry shortcake
- Strawberries on whole wheat waffles
- Strawberry milkshake
- Strawberries and cream (either whipped or just poured over the berries!)
- Fruit salad
- Strawberry bread (several of you have requested this recipe…I actually don’t have a recipe because my friend made it for us and brought it over. I’ll try to get it for you! And for me!)
- Strawberry ice cream (just crush strawberries in a blender and add to ice cream mix)
- Strawberry rhubarb pie (a great recipe in the FREE pie ebook!)
What am I forgetting here? What are some of your favorite ways to eat strawberries?! Besides just…you know…eating them.
———————————–
This post is linked to Tammy’s Recipes.
Eat More Fruits and Veggies: Link Up!
Posted by: | Comments
It took me 35 years to learn to like avocados. It wasn’t until a friend of mine brought a dip similar to the one below to our Sunday night Bible study that I actually decided that I liked avocados.
Now…I can’t get enough! I order them from Azure Standard all the time!
Avocados are SO good for you. They contain a good healthy fat…vitamin K…vitamin C…potassium…folate…Vitamin B6…fiber…good stuff!
I’m eating my avocado with tortilla chips…so maybe that’s not the healthiest (because no, a corn chip does not count as a vegetable), but at least I’m getting this good fruit into my system somehow. (BTW, I didn’t know if an avocado was a fruit or a veggie. A quick swagbuck search told me that it was a fruit that tastes like a vegetable. Alrighty then. Oh, and I even earned a swagbuck!)
For the record…this recipe will not only help you along in the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge…it’s also a High Five Recipe. Yippee!
Spicy Avocado Dip
2 avocados
3/4 cup salsa (more if you want)
juice of one lime or one lemon
½ cup sour cream or kreme fresh
Scoop out the insides of the avocados into a bowl. Add salsa, lime or lemon juice, and sour cream. Stir well until completely mixed. Serve with tortilla chips (we really like the Kettle Brand).
I happen to like this recipe more with lemon juice instead of lime…Matt likes it better with lime. You take your pick. Shucks…add both. Yum!
So…what ideas do you have to inspire us all to eat more fruits and veggies? Share a recipe or a great idea on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment sharing a great fruit or veggie idea!
Get Ready for the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Link-Up!
Posted by: | Comments
I hope you’ve been challenging yourself to eat more fruits and veggies!!
Whether you’ve been doing great…or just getting started with the challenge…get ready, because on Thursday, June 4…I’ll be posting a Mr. Linky so that we can all share our favorite ways to eat fruits and veggies!
Post a recipe…share ideas to get your kids to eat fruits and veggies…talk about your favorite fruit and veggie snacks. SHARE ANYTHING that you think will inspire all of us to Eat More Fruits and Veggies!
I look forward to reading all your great ideas on June 4!
Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Ideas
Posted by: | CommentsLookie what’s growing in my garden! Those cute little lettuce leaves will soon be cute big lettuce leaves. I can’t wait!
I was very excited to see that Tammy is hosting a special recipe swap featuring lettuce recipes. Also, Allyson is hosting A Slew of Summer Salads carnival as a way to learn more main dish salad ideas. Between the two, none of us shall ever be lacking a salad recipe again!!
I don’t actually have an exciting salad recipe for you. I’m not terribly creative like that. My salad recipes almost always look something like:
- Wash and tear up a bunch of lettuce or spinach and put it in a bowl.
- Add whatever other raw veggies you have.
- If you’re feeling especially crazy, throw in some dried cranberries or raisins.
- If you want your salad to be your main dish, add some chicken, cheese and hard boiled egg.
- Grab a fork.
This is why I’m so excited about the above carnivals. However, I do have a fun idea for a salad dressing that I discovered one day when I was dinking around in the kitchen. Are you ready? It’s a novel idea.
Orange juice. The juice from an orange. Fresh squeezed orange juicy goodness.
It’s refreshingly simple. And yummy. And it contains no high fructose corn syrup or MSG.
Now that I’ve shared that enlightening salad tid-bit…I’m very excited to share another healthy salad dressing idea!
Rhonda sent me a wonderful Ranch Dressing Mix recipe!! I used to use Simply Organic brand because I trust it more than other brands. But now, thanks to Rhonda, I can make a super healthy (and much, much less expensive) Ranch Dressing any time I need to!
Ranch Dressing Mix
5 Tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoon parsley flakes
4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix together and store in an air tight container.
For dressing: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream. (I use buttermilk.)
For dip: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream or kreme fresh.
Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend nicely.
The jar on the right is the mix, which costs pennies compared to a packaged mix! The jar on the left is the ranch dressing all made up and ready to go on our salad.
You HAVE to try this dressing! It tastes so…so real. And fresh. And pure. It’s delicious, simple and healthy! And…obviously…you eat it on lettuce and other veggies…so that gives you wonderful, healthy…healthiness. (And of course, great servings of more fruits and veggies!)
Rhonda even suggested using this ranch dressing mix in my Ranch Potato Wedges recipe. It works GREAT!
I shall never buy another ranch dressing packet again. Rhonda…you rock!
And try squeezing an orange onto your salad sometime! See what you think! (Ever tried it before?)
[print_link]
Have Your Fruit…And Veggies Too Ebook Sale!
Posted by: | CommentsI am too tired from a full day of being at a track meet with my kids…followed by going to a birthday swim party with my kids to share much about my past few days of the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge.
I’ve been doing a good job though eating lots of steamed veggies, raw carrots, apples, oranges… I appreciate you holding me accountable during this challenge. Because of you, I choose carrots instead of cookies. THANK YOU! (Oh, except at the birthday party tonight, I chose Doritos…) :)
I hope you’re doing well. Please leave a comment letting us know how you’re doing with the challenge!!
To inspire you to keep on getting enough fruits and veggies…I’m offering my Have Your Fruit…and Veggies Too ebook for a special weekend offer of only $3!
Click here to grab this helpful ebook that will encourage you with tips, recipes and ideas on how to eat more fruits and veggies! Sale ends Monday night!
High Five Recipes: Justus’ Shaved Ice
Posted by: | Comments
I’m not sure how often I’ve emphasized to you how much Justus (my nine year old) LOVES cooking. He wants to be a “restaurant worker” someday…he calls himself a chef (I am sometimes privileged to be his assistant)…and he really just can’t get enough of the kitchen. He LOVES it.
Of course I love it too. While the other boys mostly love to cook so that they can lick a beater, Justus truly loves everything there is about cooking.
He got a new cookbook for Christmas and has been waiting for a warm day to make the shaved ice recipe he found in it. We adapted it to make it healthier (ah yes, I’m teaching him how to change a recipe already!) and here’s what he came up with:
Justus’ Shaved Ice
1 cup fresh or frozen peach slices
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honeyIf your fruit is frozen, place it in a bowl with warm water (not the water mentioned in the above list of ingredients) for about fifteen minutes to thaw. Drain.
Put fruit, water, orange juice and honey into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Poor mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 6 hours.
Remove from freezer and allow it to sit on the counter about ten minutes. Use a large wooden spoon to “shave” icy mixture into serving bowls.
The “bummer” about this recipe is that we had to wait for SIX whole hours before we could eat it. Not much instant gratification there! However, it was worth the wait!
All the boys (and the parents) loved this treat! It was super refreshing on a hot afternoon.
And, of course, it’s a wonderful recipe to help you get another great serving of fruit. (Are you taking the challenge?!)
Any other recipes you’d like Justus to come up with for us?!
Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge: Check Point
Posted by: | CommentsJust checking in with you again after a couple more days of the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge! Hope you’ve been working hard to eat lots of these good foods!
Here’s what I’m always struck by when I focus on fruits and veggies: They are SO PRETTY!!! God made such wonderfully colorful foods for us to enjoy! Go God!
Here’s a picture I took last week when I decided to start this challenge for myself (and then for you). Look at all the color! Red strawberries with green kiwi…orange peppers…red potatoes, green asparagus…yellow place mat (oops, got carried away there)… It was too pretty not to take a picture.
My boys are really having fun with this challenge too. They are quite determined to get lots of servings each day. Involve your kids in shopping and preparing your fruits and veggies. You may be surprised at how much they’re willing to eat. (Okay, but I will tell you that I have one particular picky boy who isn’t enjoying the challenge as much as the others. He’d love it if I followed this challenge up with a Eat More Ice Cream and Brownies Challenge.) :)
Here’s how I’ve done the past two days…
Tuesday:
clementine – 1 serving
apple with homemade peanut butter - 2 servings
kimchi* – 1 serving
grapes – 1 serving
carrots and potatoes with roast – 3 servings
Tuesday’s total – 8 servings
It was Matt’s idea to eat our apples with peanut butter! Why do I forget this great snack idea? And…the homemade peanut butter with the apples? Amazing! Have you tried making peanut butter yet?! You HAVE to try it. YUM!
Wednesday:
clementine – 1 serving
mixed veggies – 2 servings
raw carrots – 1 serving
strawberry-peach slushie – 1 serving
potato salad – 1 serving
grapes – 1 serving
Wednesday’s total – 7 servings
*Kimchi – I know you’d love to know more about this dish. Um, let’s just say my husband eats just about anything. Anything but kimchi. It’s a fermented veggie dish (like sauerkraut) that has kind of an acquired taste. I made it a couple of weeks ago because it’s a super healthy food…the fermentation process releases oh so many nutrients. Anyway, my family cheered for me when I finished the whole serving. Anybody out there tried/like kimchi? Really…I HAVE eaten worse things. It’s not THAT bad. :)
Okay…everyone! How’s it going? Are you eating lots of fruits and veggies? Are you enjoying the challenge? Are you still with me? Have you been hearing my voice cheering for you everytime you eat a fruit or a vegetable?!
Anyone new want to join us in this challenge? You won’t regret it!
I’ve got a new fruity recipe for you tomorrow! And…it’s a High Five Recipe! Easy and Healthy….YAY!
Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge: Check Point
Posted by: | CommentsSince we’re just getting started with this Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge, I wanted to touch base and see how your day went!
Our day started out with fresh strawberries and whipped cream on top of whole wheat waffles.
Oh boy, were these good. Or so I was told. I decided to wait to eat until I read the boys’ Bible lesson to them. By the time I was finished, there were no strawberries left…no waffles left…and the whipped cream could barely be scraped out of the bowl. Don’t worry, I’m used to it. :)
Instead I ate a clementine, which I eat almost every morning anyway (either that, or an orange). Then, mid morning I had an apple.
1 small clementine – 1 serving
1 apple – 2 servings
I told the boys about the challenge and well…anything that has to do with competition, challenge, sport, race…they’re all over it! They’ve been counting their servings all day long and eating extra carrots to make sure they get a big enough serving… It’s been great! I should have “challenged” them long ago!
I loaded up on a bunch of veggies at lunch with my sloppy joe. It’s amazing how easy it was for me to get FIVE whole servings at lunchtime!
3/4 cup creamy cole slaw plus 2 bell pepper spears - 2 servings
6 baby carrots – 1 serving
1 cup green beans – 2 servings
That’s eight servings by two in the afternoon! It was painless (and actually quite delicious!).
For dinner I changed my menu plan a bit (how shocking!) and made chicken fajitas instead of enchiladas. There were peppers, onions and salsa in my fajita…but altogether, that was still only one serving. In order to get one more serving into all of us, I made delicious strawberry-peach-chocolate milkshakes to go with dinner. Oh…the joy of forcing down fruit in a milkshake! I’ll be sure to share the recipe soon!
peppers, onions and salsa – 1 serving
strawberries and peaches in milkshake – 1 serving
Total for today – 10 servings of fruits and veggies!!
I doubt I’ll be able to hit that mark each day…but who knows?! It wasn’t hard at all. I’ll check back in with you later in the week to see how things are going. In the meantime…anytime you want to, come check in here and leave comments answering the following questions:
How has your day gone? Have you been enjoying all the colorful foods? Have you found it easy or difficult to eat more fruits and veggies? What’s your favorite thing that you ate today (I’m talking about your favorite fruit or veggie of the day, not your favorite piece of chocolate!)? :)
The Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge! (revisited!)
Posted by: | CommentsI hear from so many of you that you want to eat healthier. You want to start making positive changes for yourself and for your family. You want to feel better. You want to have more energy. You want to help your families make good healthy choices.
But you don’t know where to start.
Let me first encourage you by saying that if you WANT to eat healthier…you’ve already taken the first step. Really. Having the desire to eat better and feed your family better is so great!
You wanna know what I think is one of the EASIEST first steps to take when it comes to becoming healthier? Eat more fruits and veggies.
ANYONE can do that! And it’s absolutely painless. Seriously, eating a fresh strawberry doesn’t hurt at all. You can do it!
Take the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge with me!
I feed my family a pretty good, healthy diet…and yet I’ve been feeling lately like we should be getting more fruits and veggies into our bodies. I’m starting this challenge for myself…and hoping that you’ll jump in too!
About a year ago, I held a challenge similar to this one and found it to be SO HELPFUL knowing that others out there were joining me. It’s a great thing to know that others are working toward the same goals you are!
Here are a few details you might be wondering about:
- It is recommended that we all eat at least five servings of fruits and veggies each day. I plan to try for five to eight servings each day (because the more the better, right?).
- If you are used to eating very few fruits and veggies during the day, just shoot for any number that is bigger than what you are currently eating. For instance, if you’ve been only eating one serving a day, go for three. (Or more of course…I’m just suggesting that you set a reasonable goal for yourself and your family!)
- How big is a serving size? Not as big as you think!! Read more about that here!
- If you already feel like you eat plenty of fruits and veggies…take the challenge anyway and work on expanding your fruit and veggie variety!
For the next several weeks, I’ll write posts filled with lots of fruits and veggie information, recipes and encouragement. Sometime within the next couple of weeks, I’ll put up a Mr. Linky for all of us to share how we’re doing with the challenge…and to share our favorite fruits and veggies recipes. (I’ll give you fair warning about when that will happen so you can plan ahead!)
Jump in with us and take this challenge! Can’t you just taste it? Fresh pineapple…yummy veggie stir fry…strawberries and cream…grilled veggie kabobs…juicy peaches…
Will You Take this
Challenge with me?!
