Fresh Fruit alternatives

Sharon_73

Where I live, we have a shorter supply of (Affordable) fresh fruits during the winter months. I am looking for some creative and new suggestions on what to do with frozen or dried fruits to supplement the fresh fruit in the winter. Does anybody have any fun ideas to share?

melsinct

Dried fruit:

Chop it up and add to oatmeal *before* cooking. It will absorb some of the water and plump up in your oatmeal. I do this all of the time with dried apple, raisins, blueberries, etc.

Chop it up and add to muffin batter, scone dough, quick bread batter, etc.

Mix it with nuts for trail mix

Snack on it as-is


Frozen fruit:

Smoothies

Add it to muffin batter

Add to plain yogurt

Frozen can be used in fruit cobblers and crisps

Fruit salsas

harmonyh10

Canned fruit is good too, if it is in water. Or rinsed.

Ashleysh22

browse the internet for some homemade granola recipes using dried fruits. I really like the recipes by mywholefoodlife.com - and anything that says "shredded coconut" - I substitute with dried fruits. I don't like coconut though

caseythirteen

I'll defrost some blueberries and add it to my plain greek yogurt. Or I leave them frozen and use it in a smoothie. It's kind of like ice and fruit all in one that way. You could do the same with any kind of frozen fruit.

Rambo529

Something I read (sorry, can't remember where so I'm hoping you don't ask me that) was stock up on fresh fruits when they are in season, lay out on a cookie tray, and place in the freezer for a day or two. After that, you can put them in a different container (ziploc bag, tupperware, etc) and store in the freezer in a more convient (and less messy if you bump it) manner. Take out and use as needed. I use this for various berries and then use the frozen berries in smoothies or in my yogurt.

VanessaHeartsMasr

Buy bags of frozen fruit and make smoothies. I heat up frozen blueberries almost every day and throw it in my oatmeal.

Sharon_73

I like the input! I so rarely use frozen or dried but I need to increase their use due to the cost of fresh fruit in the winter!

kschr201

Something I read (sorry, can't remember where so I'm hoping you don't ask me that) was stock up on fresh fruits when they are in season, lay out on a cookie tray, and place in the freezer for a day or two. After that, you can put them in a different container (ziploc bag, tupperware, etc) and store in the freezer in a more convient (and less messy if you bump it) manner. Take out and use as needed. I use this for various berries and then use the frozen berries in smoothies or in my yogurt.

I do this when there is a particular fruit that is "buy one get one free" at the store (it would be such a waste to leave it, but I know I won''t finish it before it goes bad. So I automatically take one pint of berries and wash and freeze them on cookie sheets and store in freezer bags.

They also sell frozen fruit in the freezer section. There's a lot of varieties at my grocery so I make sure I pick the unsweetened one. preferably the only ingredient should be the fruit itself (no added sugars or preservatives)

kokoforskinny

bump........Does any one have any alternatives for Veggies. SO sick of salads.

CharlieBarleyMom

I use frozen berries and cherries in my smoothies.

I use dried figs in my kale salad - mix kale, strawberries, figs & dates, chopped walnut pieces and avocado and spritz with the juice of a couple of juice oranges and enjoy! (I've also added feta cheese crumbles to this and it is yummy!)

kschr201

bump........Does any one have any alternatives for Veggies. SO sick of salads.

I'm not a huge salad person. I tend to buy frozen veggies of multiple types and stir fry it with a protein.

bcf7683

Be careful if you go the dried fruits route. Many have a lot of added sugar, so watch the content when shopping for them.

I would recommend frozen fruit. I've actually read a couple places that there are higher levels of nutrients in frozen fruits (not really sure why, I just know I've seen it stated in more than a couple places). Frozen fruit is good in yogurt, in smoothies, in oatmeal, etc... I especially like frozen strawberries- when you thaw them you get a really good juice that comes out that makes it really good to mix into things.

Madholm

You could also buy fresh fruit in bulk while it's in season and can it yourself for the winter months. I've done some bulk canning with a couple of friends and it made for a fun way to spend a sunday afternoon.

There's a pdf with some good information on canning fruit; it's really not that high in sugar (3/4 cup per 9 pints of fruit).

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn174.pdf

nellyett

bump........Does any one have any alternatives for Veggies. SO sick of salads.

I'm not a big fresh fruit or veg person, so I make protein smoothies with frozen berries, half banana, and 1-2 cups of baby spinach. I cram as much spinach as I can in there!

Sharon_73

I use frozen berries and cherries in my smoothies.

I use dried figs in my kale salad - mix kale, strawberries, figs & dates, chopped walnut pieces and avocado and spritz with the juice of a couple of juice oranges and enjoy! (I've also added feta cheese crumbles to this and it is yummy!)

This salad sounds great!!

Sharon_73

You could also buy fresh fruit in bulk while it's in season and can it yourself for the winter months. I've done some bulk canning with a couple of friends and it made for a fun way to spend a sunday afternoon.

There's a pdf with some good information on canning fruit; it's really not that high in sugar (3/4 cup per 9 pints of fruit).

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn174.pdf

Great idea! Thank you!

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Fruit crisps. It's still the same shape/size as regular fruit, just dehydrated. I like them because they're light and puffy instead of dense like dried fruit.