giveaway
We’ve talked a lot about imitation fruit-on-your-doorstep type delivery services lately. But what about actual fruit on your doorstep? Lots of it. $100 worth.
Today’s your chance.
I’m cohosting a giveaway with All About Gifts & Baskets. You can enter to win a fruit basket or box worth up to $100. You can choose from over 30 different fruit basket designs. Think fresh apples & pears, kiwis, mandarin oranges, and more. Or even chocolate covered fruit, gourmet cheese, nuts, cider, or gourmet chocolates.
It’s a lot easier to snack healthy when you have an abundance of fresh fruit on your counter, right?
The contest runs through April 28th. Rules: Must be 18 & live in the continental U.S. Complete any or all of the tasks listed in Rafflecopter below to enter. {If you’re in Reader you’ll probably have to click over.}
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What’s your favorite tropical fruit?
Recipe
As a dietitian, you might think my diet gets an A+ all of the time.
So not true.
Especially when it comes to fruit.
I know I’m supposed to love it and eat it all the time, but in all honesty, I don’t.
It’s not because I don’t like it. It’s because I’m so temperamental about it- it has to be the perfect ripeness, the right texture, the optimal season.
Basically I’m just picky.
But one way I always love fruit, even the imperfect pieces, is grilled. Grilled pineapples, grilled plums, grilled peaches… even bananas!
It may be an abnormally warm winter, but it’s still not grill season this days. When that’s the case, I turn to the next best thing: the broiler.
Broiling fruit is great for fruit that doesn’t sit on the grill well, plus it’s super fast- perfect for sneaking in while taking care of a newborn.
The perfect candidate: grapefruit!
A little cinnamon. A little vanilla. A little sugar.
A few minutes under the broiler and you have a dessert or snack that tastes like it took a lot of preparation. It’ll be our little secret how easy it was.
Tart, tangy grapefruit dressed up with a thin layer of caramelized sugar and spices. So good. So easy. Spice it up even more with a sprinkle of cumin.
by Heather Neal
- 2 grapefruit
- 1 Tbsp demerara sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
Preheat broiler.
Slice grapefruit in half. Using a small knife, cut between grapefruit wedges to make for easy eating later.
Combine sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Sprinkle on grapefruit halves.
Place grapefruit on baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes on high or until sugar starts to bubble or brown.
Serve warm.
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Recipe
Fruit is fabulous. It’s nature’s dessert- it’s sweet, it’s succulent, it’s juicy, and the flavors are bold, exciting, and unique. Yet for some reason I shy away from some of the most basic varieties.
Like pears. I like pears- out of a can. I walk by the pile of pears in the grocery store bins, hesitate for a minute, then keep walking. There are less than half the choices of kinds of pears than there are apples, yet I continually pass them by, not knowing what type of pear would be good to bite into.
I finally figured enough was enough. I’d grab a couple pears, taste them, and then I’d forever know if I was an Anjou or a Bosc or a Bartlett fan.
But the night I brought my selection of pears home was the one chilly night we’ve had so far, and because I had 3,495 other things to do that night, I thought it’d be a great time to experiment with poached pears.
Not a bad decision- a poached pear is like a baked apple- a delicious fruit made even better served warm and juicy.
Ingredients
- 3-4 pears {I used Bosc & Anjou}
- 1 cup cranberry pomegranate juice {or any no sugar added variety}
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves
Instructions
- Peel pears and core from the bottom.
- Place in deep pan with juice and spices.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer about 30 minutes, or until pears can easily be pierced with a knife.
- Optional: After removing pears from pan, continue simmer juice until it reduces by half into a syrup. If you want, toss in some dried cranberries to plump up with juice.
- Serve syrup warm on top of pears.
3.1
https://www.sideofsneakers.com/poached-pears/
So the verdict in the battle of the Bosc vs the Anjou. The Bosc was the clear winner from the first bites; the husband and I agreed. I’m a save-the-best-for last person, so I ate the Anjou pear first. When I returned to the Bosc pear, I decided the Anjou was the winner. The husband stuck to his guns with the Bosc.
So the moral of the story is, don’t be scared of pears. They just taste good. 
Holidays
It’s that time of the year when all I can think about is what unique and fun gift I’m going to get for all the people on my list. I love getting people exactly what they ask for, but there’s nothing better than coming up with that perfect gift all on your own.
Here are some ideas I have so far for the foodie in your life:
For the Fruit Lover
Fruit of the Month club: Fresh fruit delivered to your door every month. How perfect!
Now admittedly, that’s a kind of big gift, so perhaps just a box of these delicious looking HoneyBells instead- a limited edition citrus variety available only in January. They’re a hybrid of a tangerine and a grapefruit- doesn’t that sound delicious?
For the Coffee Lover
A French press to go! Die hard coffee lovers will expound the glories of a French press over a traditional coffee maker. Now they can hit the road without waiting for their coffee to finish. Give them Bodum’s French press travel mug gift set or just the French press travel mug by itself.
Or if they’re in a real hurry, how about this electric French press? The best of both worlds. It even comes in fun colors like red, green, and orange.
For the Reader
Food Books. Cookbooks are old news. Why not try a book about food this year, like the newly illustrated hardcover edition of Michael Pollan’s Food Rules.
For the Cupcake Lover
Jump on the “Keep Calm” bandwagon: Keep Calm and Eat Cupcakes
Or if you’re totally over the trend, perhaps this would be a better option {although it has nothing to do with being a foodie}:
For the Green Foodie
Lunchskins Reuseable Lunch Bags: Forget throwing away tons of sandwich and snack baggies {or washing them out like your grandma} – these are lunch bags both cute and reusable.
For the Trendsetter
A Lollihop Snack Box Subscription: A different box of food goodies on your door step every month- it’s a foodie’s dream to discover and try all the new snacks before anyone else!
For the Bacon Lover
Sir Francis Bacon Peanut Brittle
What are your best foodie gift ideas?!
P.S. The winners of the Torani syrup coupons are…
Sarah who wants to try the Peanut Butter syrup and TK who wants to try the Amaretto syrup! Please contact me with your info- enjoy your syrup!
Recipe
There’s simply nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than an icy cold, tropical smoothie.
It may be too hot and humid to want to eat, but it’s never to hot for an ice cold drink. Especially of the banana peach variety.
Summer Sunrise Tropical Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1 small peach
juice from 1 orange
1/4-1/2 cup ZICO Pina Tropicale coconut water
I suggest slicing up some bananas and popping them in the freezer. Then when it’s smoothie time, you have a delicious, creamy, cold base waiting for you. If you don’t have frozen bananas, through in a few ice cubes- though it won’t be as thick and creamy.
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend away until smooth.
Banana + coconut water? Talk about a potassium powerhouse.
Couldn’t possibly be more simple. Yet delicious. I will likely be making this 2,394 times this summer. At least.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for the first wakeboarding run of the summer. Fingers crossed my knee can hold out this year!
