Eat More Fruits and Veggies

[Kate]

Hi Everyone!

Has anyone activated the Fruits and Veggies challenge? I've activated and have a helpful tip. At the grocery store, you can gets canned jars of fresh grapefruit, peaches, mixed tropical fruit and others. They are typically found in the fresh produce section where the refrigerator items are kept.

They are great because:

1. They taste delicious!
2. They are extremely convenient.
3. They are good for you!

Anyone else tried them? What do you think?

-Kate

[YellowRoseTex]

Yes, I've tried them. Only when I have a coupon though as I think they are a bit pricey. They are very good.

I usually buy fresh fruit and will cut everything up on Sunday and put it in tupperware containers. I find that dh will not eat some things if it isn't all ready for him. :D

[Kate]

Oh! That's a great idea! I will have to do that. That will help cut some $$$. :D

[Kyleigh]

I haven't tried those, but I have been adding frozen fruits to my plain yogurt. Sometimes I defrost them in the microwave and sometimes I leave them frozen, as they don't take long to thaw as I'm sitting here working.

I'm partial to the three fruit variety--blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Yummy, and an easy way to get my daily allocation of fruit. They make a refreshing snack!

When in season, I prefer fresh fruits such as cantelope, honeydew, and strawberries. The frozen variety aren't too bad, either. Yay for fruit!

[Kate]

I LOVE frozen blueberries. They are just like candy!

And cantelope, I can sit and literally eat the whole thing in one setting. :eek: There's nothing better than fresh cantelope!

[Kyleigh]

I love watermelon, too. Sigh..... that sounds sooooo good right now!

[Melody]

I buy fresh fruit (especially berries) when it is in season (and cheaper) and freeze it. I know it isn't as good as fresh, but it is still good. I freeze grapes for my kids to eat as snacks.

Watermelon? I think I could live on it alone. (no, it doesn't freeze)

[Sib2of11]

Kate's suggestion to buy the fruits already prepared and available in jars is a great one. I work in a supermarket and I'm amazed at the high cost of produce right now. I agree that the jars are a bit pricey, but if you buy the fruits and cut them up, especially when they are "off season", it costs quite a bit more.

Where I work we sell fruit salads that are prepared in the store, but they are much too expensive. Stick to the Dole or DelMonte brands; here they cost $3.99 a jar and that's not too bad.

The frozen berries are a good choice right now, as most are not in season. The best part is that you can open the bag, take out what you want and put the rest back into the freezer.

[Carmen]

I'm a blackberries, raspberries and watermelon gal myself! I rarely have a bowl of cold cereal, but when I do I must have sliced ]banana on it. Although I love orange juice, I never buy oranges. Too many times in the past, I've bought oranges or grapefruit only to discover they are sadly lacking in juiciness and sweetness. :( However, a vendor my company patronizes sent me a Holiday Gift Box with nuts, chocolate, oranges and grapefruits. I think the citrus fruit must have been of a higher-quality than that in the local grocery stores, because it was absolutely delicious! The flesh of the grapefruit was nearly red in color, and I didn't even have to sprinkle sugar on it for it to taste good.

I also like fresh pineapple, especially as a garnish in a tasty, icy libation! :)

[DayDreamer]

I buy the canned jars of fruits sometimes and I love them! I love fruit salad and make that myself and keep it in small tupperware containers to grab and go. I also like to add raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries to my yogurt and top with granola.

[clogaholic]

I love fruit - just about any kind. My DH and I prepare them like Kim does and he takes some to work each for his "breakfast snack". Each summer we go and pick enough blueberries at a local blueberry farm to freeze and eat all the next year. Yummy!!

[YellowRoseTex]

Y'all should try putting grapes in the freezer. Absolutely yummy!

[clogaholic]

((( Kim ))), you're right, frozen grapes are yummy. I like to eat them still frozen - a great and healthy snack!

[Kyleigh]

I love frozen grapes, too! :) I try to buy them when they are on sale and freeze them, but usually end up eating them all before they make it that far. ;)

[momofwmubuffettfan]

I love frozen grapes too. The first time I had them was at a very quaint restaurant that served you a small dish of frozen grapes after your meal. It was complimentary and very yummy!

[Melody]

My kids would rather have a bowl of frozen grapes than ice cream when it is really hot outside in the summer. They also like small pieces of frozen peaches. (you have to separate to freeze them) Frozen blueberries are my personal favorite.

[txgurl]

I love fruits and veggies. We put frozen blueberries on our cereal and eat fresh fruit mostly. I also eat plain oatmeal with dried cranberries. They are very good for you, just be careful, they are high in sugar.

I do like to make a smoothie with frozen strawberries, frozen chopped banana, soy vanilla milk, and ground flaxseeds.

I have been into using fruits in green salads lately. I make a salad with romaine lettuce, apples, walnuts, and dried cranberries tossed with a little olive oil.

[clogaholic]

Ohhh, that salad sounds good. I could live on soup and salad, there's soo much variety.

[Melody]

Yummy, that salad does sound good. I haven't put much thought into fruit on a veggie salad before, but I am going to give it some experimentation.

[Votelady]

I love frozen grapes. I used to take em for snacks for my daugher's soccer team. I also really like honeydew melon, kiwis and strawberries but I just don't buy or eat fruit all that often anymore. I'll have to change that.

[OrahDeb]

Oh one of my favorite ways to get the fruit into my diet is via the smoothie or even frozen shake route. I freeze any unused or too ripe fruits we have. Even leftover canned stuff is great. Throw about 1/2 cup into the blender with 1/2 to 1 cup of apple or orange juice for a smoothie or milk for a shake. Add about 1 cup of crushed ice (I get it from the dispenser of my refrigerator) and blend on high until relatively smooth. Yum, yum, and triple yum! If the fruit isn't sweet enough, I will occasionally add a packet of equal or splenda but often it's sweet enough as it is. My kids usually come running when I make these drinks. I don't always like to share--am I a selfish Mom or what--so I'll make them when they are mostly at school. ;)

[jones74]

Hi Ladies

I just thought I would add that I love Craisins!! My favorite ones are the cherry flavor. Just 1/3 cup of them is equal to a fruit serving. They do not cost alot. You can even get a store brand. I have no trouble eating the serving size..lol I could eat a whole bag a day but probably should not... :)

Carla

[cajungirl]

I love the frozen strawberry/blueberry/blackberry mix. They're really affordable and I don't mind that they're not fresh. I like to put them in a small bowl and pour about 1/4 cup or so of fat free half-n-half on top, letting them sit in the fridge while I eat dinner. It makes for a yummy dessert. The frozen fruits tend to freeze some of the half-n-half, so it's like a kinda fake ice cream. If the fruits are not especially sweet, you could probably add sweetner, but I like them au naturale. Very refreshing!

[chickadee]

I have been pleased to read that juices can count towards your 5 aday fruits and veggies. Much quicker and easier for me to do.

[Mori]

I love all those canned fruits in light syrup. I especially love the pinapple which is packed in its own juice & peaches as well. I usually mix them & make a nice fruit salad. I look out for when they're on special & then I stock up. ;)

[Tarabull719]

I just bought a 4 pound bag of frozen strawberries at costco for $6.99. They tasted just as fresh and were great for smoothies for the kids. Not to mention they will last us quite a while.

[Kate]

I have been pleased to read that juices can count towards your 5 aday fruits and veggies. Much quicker and easier for me to do.


Yes, just becareful as a lot of these fruit juices have additional sugar and calories. But I love juice! Especially cranberry and ruby red grapefruit! Have you tried V8? It's great for you and is low in calories. I've tried to drink it, but I feel like I'm drinking cold tomato juice. :dizzy:

[DieNarrin]

V-8 is great but it is also so high in sodium. And the low sodium one isn't as good. Also whole fruits are better since they have more fiber than juices.

Ok big question is what is a serving of fruit -

banana - one or two servings?

I know it depends on which book or diet you are reading. It just drives me nuts.

I LOVE the frozen bags of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I can and have eaten the whole bag.

I like to make fruit and yogurt parfaits with them. Very Yummy. I got hooled on them when McDonalds was doing them. Now they just do the smaller size for the dollar menu.

[annarose]

I like those fruits in jar, also. Thank you for pointing out that although the jars are somewhat expensive, they can be cheaper than buying fresh produce equivalent.

Today, at Aldi's I bought fresh strawberries in box, one mango, a bunch of bananas, and two plums.

This is for the two of us and even this is getting a little carried away.

[Kate]

Hi Ladies

I just thought I would add that I love Craisins!! My favorite ones are the cherry flavor. Just 1/3 cup of them is equal to a fruit serving. They do not cost alot. You can even get a store brand. I have no trouble eating the serving size..lol I could eat a whole bag a day but probably should not... :)

Carla

I got some of these at the store last night. I haven't tried them yet; I took them with me to work. They sound good though. I got the cherry flavor, too.

[ashanti1922]

Thanks for the tips!

[missy]

I've bought the individual serving sizes that Delmonte makes. They're also in the produce section and cost a bit over a dollar each. I take them as part of my lunch. I love them all except the grapefruit. I bought it having high hopes it would takes like ruby red grapefruit juice but that wasn't the case.
missy

[Jojo]

The fresh canned fruit sounds good, I'll have to try them. We do eat a lot of fruit in our family. But sometimes it's easier to open a jar than peel an orange. My argument for always eating sweets or baked goods in the past was that they didn't take as much time to eat as an apple. Apples are still hard for me to eat, lately I have been chopping one up and putting it in my oatmea.! My dh is the smoothie maker so we keep a ready supply of frozen fruit.

I'm not crazy about fresh veggies though. Carrots are good, but the rest of it I find hard to eat unless I dip them in Ranch, which of course adds fats and calories!

Jojo

[CocoinTX]

I buy fresh fruit (especially berries) when it is in season (and cheaper) and freeze it. I know it isn't as good as fresh, but it is still good. I freeze grapes for my kids to eat as snacks.

)

I do the same thing. I love fresh fruit when it's in season. The best are the berries; blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries.

I eat a granola ceral I buy from HEB whole foods section. It's all natural and organic and delicious. I add several of the frozen berries to it each morning. YUM!