FruitFast News

Despite a week of rain and enduring an old ankle injury Zach is scheduled to arrive at the halfway mark of the entire Appalachian Trail on Saturday May 17th.

Zach’s mom, Cheryl Dorvinen, received word from Zach that he had arrived at Front Royal, Virginia on Mother’s Day. Unfortunately he had to slow down a little last week because of pain in his ankle. Cheryl explained that when Zach was fifteen he fell when climbing his tree blind during bow hunting season, breaking his talus bone. The Talus bone is the main weight bearing bone of the tibia and fibula.

Zach’s parents plan on picking up Zach and his dog, Max, on the weekend of May 31st to bring him home for his high school graduation. He will be spending a week at home to rest and enjoy a little down time before jumping back on the trail.

We are proud of Zach and his determination to finish the trail for such a worthy cause. We will continue to support Zach and replenish his supply of FruitFast Fruit Supplement Bars to help keep his energy and stamina up while hiking.

We are staying in contact with Zach’s family and will post any news on Zach’s progress as we receive it.

This salad can be made 2 hours ahead of time. Let stand at room temperature.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup olive oil

6 cups chicken broth
16 oz. orzo

2 cups red grape tomatoes halved or Roma tomatoes cubed
1 1/2 cups goat cheese cubed or crumbled (can substitute with Feta)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cups dried cherries
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup walnuts (or pecans)

Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and olive oil.  Set aside.
In a large saucepan bring to boil the 6 cups of chicken broth.  Add orzo,
reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, but a little al
dente.  Transfer to a large serving bowl and toss until cool.  Add tomatoes,
cheese, remaining ingredients.  Toss to coat.  Salt and pepper to taste.

In my last blog I mentioned I had a few morel mushroom recipes.  Below is
another that I enjoy.  I made this one evening and combined it with a
fabulous orzo salad.  The salad is super served either hot or cold.
Enjoy!!!

This recipe for flank steak I adapted from a recipe in the cookbook
“Hollyhocks & Radishes” by Bonnie Stewart Mickelson.  I found this cookbook
in of all places San Angelo, Texas.  I say “of all places” because the
cookbook contains recipes from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is more
than a cookbook, it is an almanac and contains letters from a woman, Mrs.
Chard, who operated a produce stand in the UP. It is a wonderful read as
well as a great cookbook.

Morel Mushroom Stuffed Flank Steak

1 1/2 lb flank steak
1 med onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
2-3 cups morel mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
2-3 leaves fresh basil (1/2 tsp dried)
2 thin slices of bread, cubed

Butter-Wine Marinade and Sauce

2 cups chopped green onions
2 cup dry red wine
2-3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

In a large, non-stick skillet saute the green onions, transfer to a large
mixing bowl and add red wine and remaining ingredients.  Use half of the
wine sauce and marinade the flank steak for one-hour.  Set-aside remaining
sauce.

Preheat oven broiler to 375 degrees
Place marinated flank steak on a cutting board and make a pocket with a
sharp knife.  Start in the center and work parallel to the board about
mid-thickness.  Work the knife through without cutting through the opposite
sides or ends.

In a large non-stick skillet, on med heat, melt the butter, saute the onion
and garlic until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until they have just begun to
soften.  Stir in seasoning and bread, stirring for 1 minute.  Fill the flank
steak pocket with the stuffing.  Secure with toothpicks.

Fill the bottom of a broiler pan with 1/2 inches of water. Put top of
broiler pan over the bottom and place the steak on the broiler pan.  Broil the
flank steak for approx 7-8 minutes.  Turn and broil an additional 7-8
minutes for medium to medium rare.  Do not overcook.  Salt and pepper to
taste.

Remove and place on carving board.  Carefully remove the toothpicks.  Cover
loosely with foil and let sit for 5 minutes.  Carve diagonally across the
grain.

Return the remaining wine sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil  Serve
warm over steak.

A hike in the Woodland searching for the elusive morel mushroom was on the
agenda this past weekend.  When I was a young girl my father would love this
time of year.  With five small pair of eyes and two pair of adult eyes, he
was sure to fill his grocery bags with many of these elusive delicacies.

Mushroom hunting has become a spring ritual in my family, as it has for so
many families.   So with our special mushroom bag in hand off to the woods
we went hoping to find enough mushrooms for at least one meal.  Walking
through the woods, watching and smelling the forest come alive, munching a
Cherryflex FruitFast Supplement Bar, ah,  life doesn’t get any better than
this.  Even if we found nothing, what a great way to spend the day.  As luck
would have it, we did find just enough for a meal.  I have found over the
years, a few fantastic recipes that incorporate the morel mushroom.  One of
these recipes pairs the morel with another rite of spring “white asparagus”.

The Germans were the innovators of the much revered “white asparagus”, also
known as “Spargel”.  It is grown with all sunlight shut out preventing
photosynthesis, hence the lack of color.  As a result the asparagus tends to
be milder, sweeter and more tender in taste than its green counterpart.  In
Germany, the asparagus is sold at roadside stands and in open air markets in
every town.  An annual “Spargelfest” is held in Schwetzingen, Germany, where
one lucky person is crowned “Spargel Queen”.   White asparagus can be
difficult to find in US supermarkets, but I found that combining the morel
with fresh green asparagus works equally well.

So while the mushroom season is in full swing, head for your favorite
“secret” mushroom haven.  Don’t forget to take along your favorite FruitFast
Supplement Bar.  They are, nutritious, all natural fruit and just the pick
me up you will need to keep you up and running.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe found in the Spring 2006 issue of Bon
Appetit.

Asparagus and Morel Saute

1 1/2 lbs white or green asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
2-3 Tbsp butter
6 ounces fresh morels, cleaned, and halved
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced; or 3/4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white
and pale green parts only)
1 clove garlic minced (optional)
2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley

Steam the asparagus, or cook in large saucepan in boiling water until just
tender.  Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat and saute
onions and garlic for approx 1 minute.  Add the thyme and morel mushrooms
and continue to saute for about 6 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.
Add asparagus, toss to coat and continue to saute approx 2 minutes.  Stir in
parsley.  Salt and pepper to taste.

It is hard to beat the taste of fresh berries, but realistically, a medley of these fragile fruits right out of the garden or woods is difficult to time with Mother Nature.
That’s why the following recipe is easy and dependable - use fresh or frozen berries.

1/2 c. butter
1 c. flour
1/2 to 1 c. sugar (reduce for tarter taste)
1/4 t. salt
1-1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. milk
2 T. FruitFast MixedBerry Liquid
1-1/2 c. fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc)
1/2 c. sugar

Melt butter in a shallow 2-qt. casserole at 350˚. Mix flour, 1 c. sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl and stir in milk and MixedBerry Liquid. Pour over melted butter. DO NOT STIR. Scatter fresh or thawed berries evenly over surface. DO NOT STIR. Sprinkle 1/2 c. sugar on top and bake 50 to 55 minutes at 350˚. The butter and batter rise to make a top crust. If not completely brown in center, broil a minute or two.

Best served warm with a dollop of ice cream. Drizzle FruitFast MixedBerry Liquid on top. Serves 6 to 8.

A sure way to awaken guests or family on the weekend at our house is with the scent of fresh brewed coffee and homemade scones right out of the oven.
Try this simple but memorable recipe using FruitFast dried cherries and CherryFlex Liquid.

Combine the following;

1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Add to dry mixture;

1/4 cup butter (cut til coarse crumbs)
1/2 cup FruitFast® dried cherries
1 Tbsp orange peel
1/2 vanilla chocolate chips

Stir in:

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 to 2 tbsps FruitFast® CherryFlex Liquid
1/3 cup buttermilk (or milk)

Shape into ball.
Pat into individual piles on greased cookie sheet.
Brush each with 1 tbsp of buttermilk or drizzle with CherryFlex Liquid
Dust tops with sugar

Bake in 375 degree oven. 20-25 minutes. Makes 8-10.

I am constantly on the lookout for fast, easy, and nutritious recipes. I was recently on a building material run with my husband. At the checkout counter at Lowes the Spring 2008 “Weight Watchers 15 Minute Cookbook” magazine caught my eye. On the cover was the most glorious looking lemon berry tart. I quickly tossed it in the pile of things to purchase and we were on our way home.

Later, with a cup of tea in hand, I began exploring the pages of my new magazine—finally spying the recipe that originally caught my eye. This one had great possibilities! Always trying to make the recipes as healthy as I can, I began searching my cookbooks and recipe files for a low-fat cookie substitute. Not only am I a healthy food nut, I also try and prepare foods from scratch, using fresh ingredients whenever possible.

After much contemplation, I decided to leave this recipe as is and to beef up the nutritional value with the FruitFast Mixed Berry Liquid. What a perfect recipe for busy moms. What better way to give their kids a huge chunk of their five fruits a day. In about 30 minutes you have a delicious and healthy dessert your family will love you for. It is also sensational enough to serve company.

Lemon Tart Pizza with Fresh Berries

1 package (16 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/ 4 cup lemon curd (available in the jam section of your supermarket)
1 pint strawberries
1 small container each of blueberries and raspberries.
2 Tbsp FruitFast Mixed Berry Liquid
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a pizza pan with cooking spray. Or for special events use a 9-inch tart pan. Press the cookie dough into the pan until evenly spread (approximately 1/4 inch thick). Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until dough is lightly browned. Cool for 20 minutes. Spread the lemon curd over the baked cookie. Drizzle the FruitFast Mixed Berry Liquid over the lemon curd. Cut the strawberries lengthwise and arrange around the edges of the tart. Add a ring of blueberries. Place raspberries in center. Cut and serve.
This is a great activity to involve your little ones.
Yield approx. 12 servings.

For decades, Brownwood Acres has been consistently encouraging people to eat more fruit.

So it made sense to us when the government and nutrition-conscious organizations got on the bandwagon. Originally, it was the highly promoted “5-A-Day healthy eating” program. That successful public relations effort ran for several years but has now morphed into a new initiative called, “Fruit and Vegetables Matter.”

So what’s the difference between the two?

The 5-A-Day program promoted servings, whereas the new Fruit and Veggies Matter campaign talks in terms of cups. The 5-A-Day goal was to eat five servings daily of fruits and vegetables, which later was amended to suggest consuming as many as nine servings a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

But the agencies (the CDC and the Produce for Better Health Foundation) want to make this science more specific. And measuring quantities by the cupful is designed to do just that. The CDC’s new website on the topic explains;

“One cup refers to a common measuring cup (the kind used in recipes). In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or 100% vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group. One cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or 1⁄2 cup of dried fruit can be considered as 1 cup from the fruit group.”

So we are really right back where we started. To get the most out of what you are eating, make sure it is the right thing to begin with – whole fruit, in our case, without additives, fillers and preservatives. Be sure to eat fruit every day and choose different kinds and colors. As their website says, “everyone needs to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.”

Check out the CDC’s website to determine the right amount of fruit and veggies for your age, sex and activity level. You will find them on the web at www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/index.html

We are delighted the word is getting out – one way or another – and applaud the effort.

For a tasty and tantalizing topping for your next bagel or sandwich spread, try this cherry variation.

Ingredients:
8 ounces soft goat cheese or chèvre
4 oz Neufchâtel cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons local honey
1 Tbsp CherryFlex Liquid Fruit Supplement
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts, pecans or almonds*

Assorted crackers, crostini, pita crisps, crisp bread sticks and/or apple/pear slices

*To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 5-8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool nuts before chopping.

Directions:
Stir together all the cheeses and honey in a medium bowl until well combined, then add CherrFlex Liquid Fruit Supplement. Stir in cherries and nuts. Serve with assorted crackers, crisp breads, on sandwiches or fruit slices.

Makes 16 (2-tablespoon) servings.

Like so many other parents of toddlers, we’re always on the look out for quality snacks that our child will enjoy. We refuse to buy the over processed fruit snacks that are marketed to children in brightly colored packaging. Somehow, those products seem to jump out and grab our son’s attention as we pass them by in the grocery aisles.

We’ve made a concentrated effort to give him healthy food options to help nourish his growing mind and body. Working at FruitFast, I am aware of the quality ingredients that go into each product and I can feel good about my child snacking on one of our bars. I know he is getting a healthy treat that is helping him to meet his nutritional needs and not a “fruit” snack that contains high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavoring or preservatives.

In fact the total amount of ingredients in our MixedBerry Bar is only 8, all being fruit of course. This new MixedBerry Bar is almost twice the size of our original fruit bars and still has only 260 calories each. It is also available with Dark Chocolate added…YUM.

Since our son’s fruit supplement program has been switched from the popular Cherry Juice Concentrate to the Liquid CherryFlex, we’ve increased his anthocyanins (antioxidant) intake from 25 mg to 100 mg. At the same time we’ve reduced his sugar intake considerably. Every single time I give him that teaspoonful, he remarks, “Mmmmmm.” Brownwood Acres and FruitFast has done it once again creating low ingredient, no preservative products, with anthocyanins - all backed by lab analysis. The best part of it all is that it’s my occupation to share this all with you. ENJOY!