Fruit

Have Your Dessert and Eat It Too

admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 23:32:24 +0000

In various countries and cultures, meals typically end with a dessert dish. A sweet treat is a nice way to round out a nutritious dinner. The nutrition doesn’t have to end with the main course, though. Plenty of dessert dishes can be healthy alternatives to heavy cakes and ice creams. During the holidays especially, it’s helpful to remember that these lighter alternatives can make for healthier holiday feasts.

Getting Fruity

Fruit-based desserts are a great way to replace more sugary and starchy meal cappers. Beyond their natural sweetening and higher fiber content, fruits offer a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These benefits mean less guilt about grabbing a dessert plate and digging in.

In addition, a fruity dish can often be a cheaper option, since it often requires less sweetening and thickening agents, like sugar or flour.

Sweet through a Straw

Dessert doesn’t have to arrive on a plate. You can have lots of fun designing desserts to serve in a glass. Dessert beverages allow for similar flavor profiles of traditionally heavier recipes, like cakes, but are often lower in calories and a lighter option after a meal.

Coffee makes a great base for a liquid dessert, and it’s versatile, so you can spice it up in a variety of ways. Plus, it will give you a little pep in your step for cleanup duties. Add a dollop of lightly whipped cream, and you’ve got a surprisingly healthy and satisfying dish.Here’s a great recipe that allows you to feature the flavors of gingerbread in a coffee cup.

Sugar-free Without Sacrifice

Hardly anyone can deny the wonderful taste of sugar. However, sugar consumption is often linked to health risks like tooth decay, obesity, and diabetes. Replacing the sugar in your recipe with a naturally sweet alternative can provide a healthier way to indulge in dessert.

Maple syrup, honey, and molasses can all be used as replacements for traditional white sugar in baking, and coconut sugar can stand in when a recipe calls for granulated sugar.

Remember that Neighbors Emergency Centers are here for you to treat any emergency you may have. We are open 24/7/365, and we have short wait times to get you back to doing what you love most. Find your nearest Neighbors at nec.24.com.

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Try Some Unique and Creative Treats This Halloween!

admin — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 09:00:45 +0000

Whether you’re hosting your own Halloween party, bringing bites and snacks to a friend’s pumpkin carving party, or if you are just tired of giving out the same old candy like you do every year, Neighbors is here with a few crafty, but surprisingly simple treats you can make easily to liven up your Halloween this year!

Don’t worry – they don’t involve flax seed or wheat germ, but they are healthier substitutes for many Halloween candy staples.

First off, let’s start with some simple recipes you can throw together in no time! You, of course, are familiar with Hershey’s kisses and Vanilla Wafers, but did you know that you can make these adorable Halloween snacks by combining them?

All you do is bind the kiss and the wafer with a little frosting (or cream cheese if you like) and do the same with the wafer and the chocolate chip! You can even substitute caramel, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips if you want!

If you’re looking for a snack that’s full of flavor, but lower on calories, try some spiced pumpkin-raisin cookies! You can even substitute stevia for the raw sugar. If you’re not a raisin fan, try these apple cup crisps for a festive, one bite snack! Remember that substitute applesauce for butter trick we mentioned before? Well, you can do it here, too!

As pictured at the beginning of the article, you can make witch’s broomsticks (or “Sorcerer’s Apprentice brooms) very easily! All you need is cheese sticks, pretzel sticks, and some chives. You cut the cheese sticks into thirds and then slice “straws” into the ends of the cheese. Then, you stick that on the tip of the pretzel and tie a fresh chive around the top of the cheese for more authenticity!

Yet another creative and easy option for a Halloween themed snacked are banana ghosts! All you do is cut a banana in half (after peeling it, of course) and use a regular chocolate chip for the nose and eyes. You can use mini chips for the eyes if you want some added cuteness. Could it get any simpler?

You’ll easily tackle any Halloween sweet tooth with these snacks and bites. For spookier options, check out these other great and simple recipes for even more creative alternatives to ordinary Halloween candy.

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Spring Season Fruits and Veggies

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 14:12:44 +0000

It’s finally spring again and that means more delicious fruits and vegetables are in season! Here’s a list of taste bud treats:

Apricots
Bitter Melon
Broccoli
Chives
Fennel
Limes
Mango
Oranges
Pineapple
Red Leaf Lettuce
Spinach
Strawberries
Watercress

If you’re afraid of running out of time to enjoy all of these delightful foods, try canning, drying, juicing, or freezing what’s in season now for later use. Neighbors encourages you to try new healthy meal alternatives, and there’s no better time than the beginning of the harvest season.

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Fruit Puree Ice Cream

admin — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 20:18:55 +0000

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ––Mae West

Sometimes we have to be a little decadent, but here’s a clever way to include fruit in your ice cream! Does your child (or spouse) love ice cream, but you want to include those healthy fruits in there, too? Try making a fruit puree ice cream swirl!

Line a baking pan with plastic wrap while the ice cream softens. Make sure it doesn’t melt at this stage. Spoon half of the ice cream into the plastic-lined pan. Spoon half of the blueberry puree swirl mixture in dollops over the ice cream, then use chop sticks to swirl the fruit sauce into the ice cream. Try not to cut or damage the plastic lining in the process.

Add the rest of the ice cream and then the rest of the fruit puree on top of the swirled mixture. Repeat the same swirling process with chopsticks, cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 5 hours. Voila! Now you can have your ice cream and eat it, too.

Neighbors Emergency Center is always interested in your health questions. Make sure to stop by or call anytime, 24/7, for more information about our emergency medical services.

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