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Summertime Fruit Fun
Rated by 2 members
"Who wants a banana?" I ask. Silence. "How about an apple?" You could hear a pin drop.
I turn to face Julia and Henry, who have been regularly tuning out my fruit offerings. Even Baby Miles, who used to get excited at the prospect of a banana, is playing with his ball, ignoring me.
But with summer's arrival, I hope to take advantage of a new variety of fruit offerings and reinvigorate our kids' enthusiasm for fresh fruit snacks. After getting a recommendation of a special farmer's market that specializes in great produce, I take the kids with me to pick out some interesting and exotic new fruits.
"What's this, Mom?" Henry asks when he spots an Asian pear -- a type of fruit we don't eat regularly, but that I love. After our search, we return home with pluots, kiwis, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, apples, and three different varieties of grapes. Next, we do some fruity investigations and slice up the fruit to examine their texture, colors, tastes, and seed types. For Henry, slicing and mashing fruit far surpasses eating it, and he enthusiastically mushes his pluot slice into pulp.
For the summer season I have decided to try out some new fresh fruit recipes and the kids are really excited to try out something new and different. On our list for the season are the following:
After-School Snacks:
- Frozen bananas dipped in yogurt and granola. Peel a banana and stick a popsicle stick through the end of it, dip in yogurt, then granola. Wrap in wax paper then plastic wrap and put in the freezer for a few hours.
- Frozen grapes dipped in sugar. Wash seedless grapes and remove the stems. Dip the grapes in apple juice or grape juice to wet and then roll in sugar and freeze for about four hours.
- Lime Jell-O with slices of fresh kiwi. Pour Jell-O into individual Dixie cups and add small slices of kiwi. Refrigerate.
- Apple slices lightly drizzled with honey.
Fruity Desserts:
- Cupcake and sundae toppings: Instead of candied sprinkles, we use berries and peaches for ice cream and cupcake toppings.
- Caramel fondue with fresh pineapple chunks, apple slices, and strawberries for dipping.
Breakfast Surprise:
- Red, white, and blue pancakes. Blueberry pancakes served with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.
And you can bet your bananas that my fruit snacks are a lot more popular now.
Member Comments On…
Summertime Fruit Fun
Toddler Treat: Blueberries N' Banana Cream
Blueberries are great finger foods for toddlers. Try making this recipe as a surprise snack or for dessert.
Age to introduce: Over 12 months. All berries contain high allergen properties and should not be introduced to babies under 12 months old. This recipe also contains honey, which should not be introduced before age 1.
Ingredients:
â?¢ 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
â?¢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
â?¢ 1 banana, peeled and sliced
â?¢ 2 tablespoons milk
â?¢ 2 tablespoons honey
â?¢ 1 1/2 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained
Directions:
1. In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients except the blueberries. Puree until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Pour into a medium size mixing bowl and fold in the blueberries gently. Serve in bowls with a big spoon!
This recipe does not keep well. Refrigerate leftovers and use for breakfast the following day. Makes 4 servings.
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Look no further! This fruit pizza recipe is the best :) Combine 4 oz cream cheese + 1/3 cup butter until well blended. Add 1 1/4 cups flour + 1/4 tsp salt. Wrap with plastic & chill 1 hr, then roll out dough and place on pan. Bake 425 degrees for 12-15 mins. While crust is baking, combine 12 oz cream cheese + 1/3 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp lemon juice + 1 cup whipped topping. After crust has baked and cooled, spoon over crust. Arrange fruit & enjoy ASAP!!! (10-12 servings)
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I love the dip recipe--anything dippy holds my kids interest! We also love fruit "kabobs" drizzled with vanilla yogurt and berry "caterpillars" and for my little guy, I load up his little dump trunks with blueberries or grapes and he loves to unload them into his mouth. Hey whatever it takes! Right?
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Great ideas. Don't ruin the grapes by putting sugar on them, they are sweet enough already. Roll them in crushed up nuts and see what happens!! Also, how bout "ants on a log". Take a banana and drizzle some peanut butter on top. Poke some raisins on for ants and voila. Also, start adding some exotic fruit to ice cubes. Add an ice cube to the drinks your kids eat. They get a tase of something new. If they like it, then you serve more in the days to come. If not, then no harm but they did try something new. Don't forget about veggies as well. Summer is a great time to add new veggies to the diet. Take some tin foil, let them chop and add to their hearts desire, add a few spices and herbs along with either some water or some butter, then place on the grill. Great!! The possibilities are endless.
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We don't roll the grapes in sugar before freezing - they taste wonderfully sweet without sugar added!
Also, my kids love home-made popsicles all summer. First, I make a fruit smoothie with frozen fruit, yoghurt, milk, juice, honey, etc. (watch out for added sugar in ingredients). Once blended, pour into popsicle molds or paper cups & add wooden popsicle sticks from a craft store. Freeze & enjoy a tasty, nutritious frozen fruit treat. My kids don't even realize how good this is for them! You can even sneak in a sprinkle of wheat germ or flaxseed meal - they won't notice among the strawberry seeds :)
Hint: tired of throwing away half-eaten bananas or bananas the kids deem too bruised to eat? Break them up into 3 or 4 ice cube-sized chunks and wrap in plastic wrap, place in the freezer and pop in the blender to add richness and potassium to any smoothie.
I think I'll head to the freezer to get a guilt-free frozen treat right now!
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I would be hesitant to try the lime jello with kiwi....have been told that the enzymes in the kiwi don't allow the jello to set up. As for fresh fruit ideas....my kids will eat anything they can poke. Cut fruit into bite size pieces and give them each a toothpick.
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How about banana S'mores? Cut a banana, with the peel on, in half, lengthwise. put some mini marshmellows and chocolate chips in between the halves. Close it up, wrap in foil and put on the grill till its warm enough to melt the filling! Ymmm....
2 |
Great ideas! I also make fruit smoothies for the kids in the summer - vanilla frozen yogurt + strawberries, blueberries, and/or bananas in a blender.
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