Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Fruity, Fruity, Frooty

Wow, how does some much time manage to pass between when I post? I haven't even been out of town or anything. The only excuse I can muster is that any time I've gotten on the computer lately has been devoted to online drivers ed which I completed this morning. Whoo!! I will be getting my license very soon! :)

I have made many yummy things lately; I'd love to tell you about them all but that would be a bit much for one post. Today, I want to focus on something we all know and love: fruit.



As I mentioned in my last post, I made Katie's Fudge Babies. I made the original recipe, but substituted cashews for walnuts and rolled them in a mix of cocoa powder and coconut. These were really good! Super simple to make, too. With the only ingredients being dates, nuts, cocoa powder, and vanilla, they are very healthy, too. I was amazed at how sweet they were without having any added sweetener. All in all, super yummy. I encourage you to try them! I didn't take a picture but Katie's has lots of Fudge Baby pictures and many other great recipes.

I made another fruity recipe recently courtesy of Chocolate Covered Katie. This flavorful recipe was in the form of a pizzert. Not sure what that is? Head of to Katie's blog to find out.
I  made the blueberry pizzert and topped it with cashew butter and halved grapes to add even more fruity goodness. Yummo! (so what if yummo isn't a word..neither is pizzert :))



Speaking of yummy things involving blueberry, in my last post I mentioned something about blueberry muffins. You see, the other morning I woke up and upon walking into the kitchen I was greeted by fresh baked blueberry muffins courtesy of my wonderful mother. As appealing as they were, I decided I better make myself something else as surely these muffins were  surely loaded with lots of white flour and sugar. My mom soon informed me that she had "cleaned up" the muffins. She substituted whole wheat flour for regular flour, used unsweetened applesauce instead of oil, and because of the natural sweetness of the applesauce she was able to use 1/4 cup of raw cane sugar instead of the 1/2 cup regular sugar the recipe called for. My mom and I both really enjoyed these. My brother said he didn't think they were that great; of course, he said this after consuming 2 and learning that they were healthy....besides what does he know?

Here the recipe.

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour + I Tbs Gluten (the gluten probably isn't necessary if whole wheat pastry flour is used)
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg slightly beaten
1 Cup blueberries

Combine oats and orange juice to moisten oats. Add remaining ingredients. Drop batter into a greased or lined muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

My last tribute to fruit is in the form of a restaurant I dined at today called Froots. Upon entering, I immediately loved the place. The atmosphere felt very fresh and welcoming. Trouble occurred when looking at the menu. Too many things sounded good; I couldn't decide! Luckily, I was dining with my wonderful friend Kat. She suggested we each order something and trade half. Great idea Kat! I ordered the Mediterranean Wrap (hummus, feta cheese, onion, tomato, black olives, cucumber, spinach balsamic vinaigrette). She ordered the California Turkey Wrap (turkey breast, bacon, Monterrey jack cheese, tomato, onion, sprouts, avocado, spring mix, ranch dressing). I really enjoyed both wraps; if I had to pick a favorite though, it would be the Mediterranean.

We also both enjoyed small Razz Attack Smoothies (raspberries, strawberries, strawberry-kiwi juice, fat-free vanilla yogurt). These were super tasty too! The total for my order was $7.55, not bad for a wrap and smoothie. My only complaint is that they asked if I wanted a white or wheat tortilla for my wrap and naturally I said wheat. The tortilla of the wrap they gave me looked pretty white. All in all, I really enjoyed this place and can't wait to go back. I'm thinking next time I"ll order a Go-Go Veggie Wrap (tofu, blue cheese, tomato, onion, sprouts, black olives, cucumber, spinach, balsamic vinaigrette). I highly recommend Froots! Check their website for locations near you!




All this time dedicated to fruit, I think our wonderful vegetable friends are feeling a bit deprived! My next post will feature some much needed vegetable appreciation! Check back soon.

Thanks for reading,

Question of the day: What is your favorite recipe involving fruit?

-Ann Claire

6 comments:

teenagehealthfreak said...

fruit pizza!!!..i made some for my birthday..((all natural of course))..and it was great..but fruit, and yogurt is almost always a daily thing..so that is another fave!

Ann Claire said...

Oh my goodness I love fruit pizza! If you don't mind, I'd love to have your recipe as I've never tried making a natural/healthy verision

Anonymous said...

Ever since I learned how to use my blender properly, I'm addicted to fruit smoothies!

Erica said...

Isn't it amazing how quickly time and posting can get away from you? I feel like I have to plan my posts out to make sure I get them up! Love fruit. The muffins sound glorious. I am a huge fruit crisp fan. I've made several varieties. I think my favorite was a tropical fruit crisp I made for easter.

Kelsey @ CleanTeenKelsey said...

Oh wow, those muffins sound soo good. I'm really craving breakfast-y muffins/bread right now. I wish I had blueberries! :(

No way, you went to Froots?! I love that place. Isn't it cool looking? I posted about it here (at the bottom) http://cleanteenkelsey.com/2010/03/14/week-long-post-part-2-tons-of-original-recipes-oatmeal-french-toast-guilty-pleasures/ and here http://cleanteenkelsey.com/2010/04/20/busy-week/ I get the Go-Go veggie wrap, but sub the cheese for hummus. It's so good. :)

Chocolate-Covered Katie said...

Aww you're so sweet. Thanks for the shout out!!
And the chocolate in your next post looks great too :).