Creative Recipes Featuring Fruit

Monique Volz, from Ambitious Kitchen, joins us each Friday in May to recap her week in our Healthy Every Week Challenge.
By: Monique Volz
fruit

Photo by: Picasa

Picasa

We’re hosting a Healthy Every Week Challenge for the month of May; a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter .

The May Healthy Challenge is almost over, and I have to say that I’ve had a wonderful time participating with all of you. The challenge has enabled me to save money, eat healthier, and stay on track with portion control. What about you? Perhaps you’ve been inspired to make healthy choices, or simply think about ways to make small changes, such as eating breakfast in the morning or getting more whole grains in your diet.

This last week of the May challenge was about eating more fruits and vegetables, but let’s face it, sometimes eating them can seem more like a chore then doing something good for our bodies. However, did you know that incorporating these good-for-you foods into meals can actually be easy and delicious? Rather then eating fruits and veggies on their own, why not try to consume them in a way that compliments your main dish? It’s a great way to get creative and eat healthier! This past week I tossed more berries in my oatmeal and yogurt, ate turkey burgers with peach bbq sauce (pictured above), and munched on healthy snacks like avocado on toast. For me, it was actually a pretty easy week food-wise.

Now Memorial Day Weekend is suddenly upon us. Hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and delicious patriotic desserts will probably be within reach, so how do you stay on track? How about by having some fun! Remember the challenge and try to make your own healthy appetizers, side dishes or dessert to share with friends and family. Think of it as an opportunity for you to break outside your fruit and veggie comfort zone during this weekend’s BBQ.

I tried out some of the following recipes out during the past week using some fresh fruit I picked up at the local farmer’s market. My family was completely impressed. I can’t even begin to explain how delightful the entire week has been with all of these unique flavors.

Creative recipes featuring fruit:

Appetizers

Sides

Dessert

My favorite was the grilled bananas. They were such a treat, especially with some vanilla frozen yogurt.

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

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