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fruit

Classic Fruit Popsicles Two Ways

May 31, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. 

Nothing quite eases the scorching temperatures of summer like homemade popsicles grabbed from the freezer on a hot day. To welcome the warm season, I’ve created Classic Fruit Popsicles Two Ways: Honey Pineapple Citrus and Fresh Strawberry Kiwi. These recipes are easy for you to make and far healthier than ice cream.

From the moment I bought my Koji ice pop molds at Target ($9.99), nostalgia set in on the drive home. Less fattening than ice cream desserts and fun to make, the popsicle is on trend again. Maybe it’s because you control the flavors! You can add any ingredient to your juice base from vegetables to fruit. Some people even add fresh herbs. Why not? A citrus basil ice pop might sounds delicious.

You can easily make my Honey Pineapple Citrus Popsicles using frozen chunks of Dole Fruit-n-Spice Honey Lime Pineapple Chunks (leftover from a smoothie experiment last week), fresh lime juice, clover honey, Stevia, and grapefruit juice. You’ll want to use more Stevia than I did to cut the tangy citrus flavor from the grapefruit. Preparing these cool pops is as simple as dumping the ingredients in a blender or Cuisinart and blending it until smooth even to pour.

Honey Pineapple Citrus Popsicle Recipe: Yields 3-4 popsicles

  • 1 c. Dole Fruit-n-Spice Honey Lime Pineapple Chunks
  • 1 c. grapefruit juice
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 tsp clover honey
  • 2 tsp Stevia

Fill each popsicle well 3/4 of the way full to leave room for expansion as the fruit mixture freezes. Place your popsicle molds in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then, remove the popsicles from the freezer and gently insert the popsicle sticks. Place them back in the freezer and allow these sweet treats to harden. When you’re ready to eat one, simply run warm water on the outside of the popsicle mold until you’re able to wiggle the popsicle free to devour it.

Use the same instructions to make Fresh Strawberry Kiwi Popsicles except you will instead blend cranberry/grape juice cocktail, sliced strawberries and kiwi, and Stevia until smooth. I used less added sugar in this recipe because the fruit and juice already were sweeteners.

Fresh Strawberry Kiwi Popsicle Recipe: Yield 3-4 popsicles

  • 1 c. cranberry/grape cocktail juice
  • 1 c. sliced fresh strawberries
  • 2 peeled and sliced fresh kiwi
  • 1/4 tsp Stevia

What are your fondest memories of summer? I remember learning how to swim at the community pool, riding my yellow Schwinn bicycle (banana seat included) with abandon, and running back and forth to my neighborhood friends’ house to play.

Take a moment to enjoy the simple pleasures of summer while cooling off from the hot temperatures with one of these fruit popsicles, a sure-win with your kids and adult kiddos too!

Need to buy popsicle molds and can’t make it to Target today, I also recommend this comparable set via Amazon.

 

Filed Under: Desserts, Taste Tagged With: Cuisinart, Dole, freeze, frozen, fruit, fruit pops, grape, grapefruit, honey, ice box, ice pops, juice, kiwi, Koji, pineapple, popsicle molds, popsicles, strawberry

Berry Rum Smash with Lime Cocktail

May 29, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Determined to create a cocktail that I could use to raise a glass in honor of those who served during Memorial Day, I created Berry Rum Smash with Lime Cocktail, a blender drink topped with carbonated soda. It’s a refreshing drink that is prepared with aged rum, berries, lime juice, and lemon-lime soda.

A liter of Cruzan Aged Rum cost me $14.99, a value!

I love a cocktail that stretches my creativity. This recipe requires you to use a blender to make a smooth juice from fresh blueberries, pitted sweet cherries, lime juice, aged rum (you can use silver rum), the juice of half of a lime, and Stevia for sweetness. After blending the above ingredients on high until the pulp of the fruit is minimal, pour it into a glass filled with crushed ice.

You can find these festive straws and garnish picks for $1 at Target. (not an affiliate)

After pouring the berry mixture into the glass of crushed ice, top the glass with lemon-lime soda water until filled. That’s it! It’s a fruity, cool drink to serve to guests at your next outdoor deck party or just because you want to delight in a new cocktail made from your home bar.

Cheers, my dears!

onedelightfullife.com

2 glasses

Berry Rum Smash with Lime Cocktail

This refreshing cocktail doubles down on berries, aged rum, lime juice, and lemon-lime soda.

15 minPrep Time

15 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz. aged rum (I used Cruzan)
  • 2 tsp Stevia
  • 1/2 c. pitted sweet cherries
  • 1 c. fresh blueberries (reserve a few for garnish)
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • crushed ice
  • 1 can lemon lime sode

Instructions

  1. Blend all of the ingredients except the ice in a blender on high until very smooth.
  2. Fill a glass with crushed ice.
  3. Pour berry mixture into glass.
  4. Top with lemon lime soda until full
  5. Garnish with blueberries and a lime wedge.

Notes

You can use frozen fruit for this blended cocktail. Add 1 tsp of honey for added sweetness.

7.8.1.2
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https://onedelightfullife.com/berry-rum-smash-with-lime-cocktail/
onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

189 cal

Fat

1 g

Carbs

47 g

Protein

3 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
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Filed Under: Cocktails, Drinks Tagged With: aged rum, alcohol, alcoholic drink, berry, blueberries, blueberry, cherries, cherry, cocktail, fruit, garnish, lime, lime juice, mint, patriotic

Refrigerator Overhaul: How to reduce food waste and slim your waist

February 12, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Sometimes we have to admit that things have gotten away from us.

This week I had one of those moments when I opened the refrigerator only to find teetering takeout boxes and a lack of vegetables. I know you’ve experienced this moments at least once too.

So, how do we cut down on our refrigerator waste while trying to slim our waist? If you’re like me, sometimes you buy healthy food but don’t prep it for the week and end up tossing it later. Perhaps you don’t even know what’s in your refrigerator right now.

Reducing food waste and restocking it with healthy food starts with a total refrigerator overhaul. Follow these six steps:

  1. Toss food. You work hard for your money, which everyone can respect. But the food you buy just sits in the refrigerator and doesn’t get eaten. That’s a waste of your money. Example: Look at all those condiments! How many times a year are you going to actually use three kinds of horseradish? If it is expired or not something you’ll ever use, admit it and pitch it.
  2. Clean it. Remove all items from the refrigerator from every bin and door compartment. Use a warm sudsy sponge to remove grime. For those difficult to remove stains or bits, I spray diluted Simple Green and they scrub away with little effort.
  3. Check your thermostat settings for your refrigerator spaces. Make sure they are set to temperature for the items they house.
  4. Return items to the refrigerator by category and face them (labels towards the front.) Have a hankering for pickles? Store them on the door near the ketchup and mustard. Like items should be placed with like items. Place taller items towards the back.
  5. Visit the produce section of your local organic grocery store. Recently, I bolted to our city’s new Sprouts Farmers Market and came home with bags filled to the brim with berries to leafy greens. As you know from earlier an earlier post, I’m quite the hunter when it comes to tracking down low-cost produce and clearance grocery finds.
  6. Clean and store your prepped veggies in transparent containers with secure lids. Lettuce should be washed and completely dried before storing it in new Ziplock bags. The only way you’re going to actually make time for smoothies before work is if you clean and dice all your newly purchased fruit!
Open bags and packaging, rinse with water, and allow them to completely dry before placing vegetables in new see-through containers. Place grab and go items at eye-level.

Admitting that you’ve fell off the “healthy diet” wagon isn’t easy but the shame doesn’t last long if you own it. If you admit that you live a rushed lifestyle and that the only way for you to eat healthy on a regular basis is to have grab and go produce or meal prepped food, then make sure your refrigerator (and pantry) contain those items. Taking a couple hours each weekend to prep your refrigerator for the week, will pay off.

I’ve included two produce driven recipes that are easy to pack for lunch or prep for breakfast. Try this fruit-filled spinach salad or one of five smoothie recipes!

If I can do it, you can too. Walk over to your refrigerator, open the door, and be honest. You got this!

Let me know your tips for overhauling the lazy eater’s syndrome and getting healthy in comments section below. I’d love to hear from you.

*While Sprouts Farmers Market did recently like this Instagram photo, they are not an affiliate.

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: breakfast, clean, condiments, diet, dirty, DIY, fruit, healthy, how to, lunch, market, mustard, prep, produce, refrigerator, salad, smoothies, spinach, Sprouts, takeout, waist, waste

Watermelon Blueberry Feta Salad with Mint

July 13, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

The perfect piece of watermelon isn’t in the shape in a half-moon. It’s a cube! Cut up your ripe watermelon into one inch cubes of juicy goodness so you can pop them straight into your mouth. (I think cubed watermelon is get-in-the-tummy-yummy after it has sat in a Rubbermaid container in the fridge for at least a day.)

Tip: When selecting a watermelon at the grocery store or farmer’s market, turn it over. Look it over and check for a yellow area. This yellow spot means that it sat on the ground long enough to ripen up. Did you know a watermelon is over 90% water? The heavier the melon, the better! (It’s hydrating and you can eat it guilt-free.) Buy fresh mint in the produce section at the grocery story OR you can grow it quite easily in partial sunshine in a container pot. Don’t forget to water it, but don’t flood it. My mint grows tall and sits happily next to basil.

Watermelon Blueberry Feta Salad with Mint takes this ordinary summer fruit and makes it extraordinary. Besides, July is National Watermelon Month!

The flavor of the slightly tangy dressing coats the salad. Ribbons of mint leaves elevate its flavor giving it a brightness and the little blueberries pop with sweetness in your mouth. And who doesn’t love cheese? Add feta to this salad and its taste reaches heavenly status. You can serve this as a summer salad or as a dessert, a favorite in our household.

watermelon-blueberry-feta-salad-with-mint

Tip: Buy your berries from Aldi, if you have one in your area. These blueberries were only 99 cents a quart.

Make the salad's dressing separately and then add fruit and combine flavors.
Make the salad’s dressing separately and then add fruit and combine flavors.

onedelightfullife.com

Serves 3 cups

Watermelon Blueberry Feta Salad with Mint

These watermelon squares are like little presents of juicy flavor. Combine them with blueberries, feta, and mint to make this ordinary summer fruit extraordinary.

15 minPrep Time

15 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups cubed watermelon (remove rind)
  • 1/2 package blueberries
  • 2 T crumbled feta cheese
  • 4 small springs sliced fresh mint
  • 1/4 c. watermelon fruit salad dressing
  • Watermelon Fruit Salad Dressing:
  • 3 T light olive oil
  • 1 1/2 T. lime juice
  • 2 T. honey
  • 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  1. Remove rind from watermelon and cube the fruit into one-inch pieces.
  2. Refrigerate watermelon to chill in a large bowl plastic covered in plastic.
  3. Layer mint leaves on to each other and roll into a cylindrical shape. Run a sharp knife through the mint several times to cut the herb into ribbons. Set aside.
  4. To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
  5. Remove the watermelon from the refrigerator and drain any residual juice.
  6. Add the dressing, crumbled feta, blueberries, and mint to the watermelon and toss with your hands until well incorporated.
  7. Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve chilled.

Notes

You could also use honeydew or cantaloupe instead of watermelon. Don't trash the watermelon rind! It can be pickled in jars with and used later in a salad or as a condiment.

7.8.1.2
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https://onedelightfullife.com/watermelon-blueberry-feta-salad-with-mint/
onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

481 cal

Fat

36 g

Carbs

28 g

Protein

15 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
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Filed Under: Desserts, Salads Tagged With: apple cider vinegar, blueberries, feta, fruit, fruit salad, fruit salad dressing, mint, summer salad, summer side dish, watermelon, watermelon salad

Spinach Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

June 15, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get tired of catering to my meat-and-potatoes man and I want to lighten up my entreé. While he wouldn’t be caught dead eating this fruit loaded salad, it’s one of my indulgences. It makes a layered lunch or dinner salad that tastes tangy, sweet, and finishes with a hearty bacon flavor. And well, Spinach Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing  just looks gorgeous. Yay for pretty food!

Note: You could use a store-bought raspberry vinaigrette, but the recipe is simple if you have the time to whisk it up.

spinach-fruit-salad-with-raspberry-vinaigrette-dressing

To make the salad base, simply layer or group the following ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing recipe below.

Ingredients:

  • spinach leaves
  • blueberries
  • sliced strawberries
  • sliced kiwi
  • sliced Gala apple
  • shredded cheddar cheese (feta or goat cheese could be substituted)
  • crumbled hickory bacon
  • slivered almonds (toasted walnut could be substituted)
  • Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

 

onedelightfullife.com

Serves 2 cups

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

A light and tangy dressing, it adds a fruit forward flavor to any salad.

5 minPrep Time

5 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • pinch of black pepper
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of black poppy seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
  2. Refrigerate in a jar for one hour prior to serving, if time allows.
  3. Shake jar before serving.

Notes

This dressing will last one week in a jar in your refrigerator.

7.8.1.2
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https://onedelightfullife.com/spinach-fruit-salad-with-raspberry-vinaigrette-dressing/
onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

50 cal

Carbs

13 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
ESHA Logo

spinach-fruit-salad-with-raspberry-vinaigrette-dressing

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Filed Under: Lunch, Salads Tagged With: almonds, apple, bacon, blueberries, cheddar cheese, dressing, fruit, Gala, kiwi, raspberry, raspberry vinaigrette dressing, salad, salad dressing, spinach, spinach fruit salad, spinach salad, strawberries

5 Healthy Summer Smoothies

June 13, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

 

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com.

Looking for an alternative to your usual dash-and-go morning coffee routine? These 5 Healthy Summer Smoothies are the perfect solution to refresh your mornings and give you a natural energy jump start.

Bonus: You add servings of vitamins from produce to your diet. And if you’re making a cool fruit smoothie, there’s no need to heat up the kitchen during the dog days of summer. Fire up that blender and mix the following recipe ingredients until well blended.

Green Detox Smoothie

Full of antioxidants and vitamins, this detoxifying smoothie is the perfect start to the week.
Full of antioxidants and vitamins, this detoxifying smoothie is the perfect start to the week.

This refreshing green drink boosts your immune system. Spinach is considered an anti-cancer food.

  • 5.3 oz plain Greek nonfat yogurt
  • 1/2 cup low-fat milk
  • 1 cup ice crushed
  • 1/4 cucumber cubed
  • 1 celery stalk diced
  • Small handful fresh spinach leaves torn
  • Small handful of flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tbsp honey

Banana Blackberry Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 cup grape juice
  • 1 cup ice crushed
  • 1/2 of a banana
  • 1/2 cup fresh blackberries

Cantaloupe Mint Smoothie

You know what makes creating a smoothie for breakfast easier? Prepping the melon the night before so it can be easily added to the blender before you head off to work.
Do you know what makes creating a smoothie for breakfast easier? Prepping the melon the night before so it can be easily added to the blender before you start your day. I love how quickly my Magic Bullet blender mixes up a single smoothie at a time when I’m in a hurry!
  • 2 cups cubed cantaloupe
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 5.3 oz plain Greek nonfat yogurt
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Small handful of fresh mint torn
  • Small handful of flat-leaf parsley

Raspberry Chocolate Vanilla Smoothie

It's dessert in a glass and well, it has fruit so it's healthy right? Of course! Top this Raspberry Chocolate Vanilla smoothie with extra milk chocolate chips. It's our secret!
It’s dessert in a glass and well, it has fruit so it’s healthy right? Of course! Top this Raspberry Chocolate Vanilla smoothie with extra milk chocolate chips. It’s our secret!
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Raspberry Lemon Smoothie

www.onedelightfullife.com 5 Summer Smoothies Doesn't this smoothie look yummy? We'll take two please. Blend up this easy to make drink for a run-out-the-door breakfast or freeze a few to grab and go.

Yummy, right? Blend up this easy-to-make drink for a run-out-the-door sweet treat or to cool down.

onedelightfullife.com

5 Healthy Summer Smoothies

This thick base includes fresh, ripened fruit providing a dose of healthy vitamins to your diet. It's a great combination of sweet and tart.

5 minPrep Time

5 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh raspberries
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 5.3 oz Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients into a blender.
  2. Blend until smooth and serve cold.
7.8.1.2
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https://onedelightfullife.com/5-healthy-summer-smoothies/
onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

184 cal

Fat

2 g

Carbs

42 g

Protein

4 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
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Filed Under: Breakfast, Drinks, Non-Alcoholic Tagged With: banana, blackberries, blender drink, blueberries, breakfast, cantaloupe, chocolate, detox, fruit, Greek yogurt, healthy, herbs, honey, lemon, mint, non-alcoholic, raspberries, smoothie, smoothies, summer drinks, yogurt

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Hello! I'm Vanessa. Welcome to One Delightful Life, a blog created to add more delight to your life with delicious recipes, travel destinations, and lifestyle improvement ideas. Thanks for exploring my blog!

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