And the winning recipe in FruitFast’s Berry Cherry Challenge is….

Coconut-Cashew Chicken with Spicy Cilantro Cherry Sauce

Mary Shivers of Ada, Oklahoma is the grand prize winner of the Berry Cherry Challenge with her flavorful entrée that blends an array of spices with nuts and is finished with a vibrant cherry juice sauce that audibly brought “oohs and ahhs” from the panel of judges.

Berry Cherry Challenge judges (l to r) are Ann Post, Queen Maria LaCross, Janet Underwood and Kathy Stimac

An elementary schoolteacher, Mary said winning the contest was so unexpected.  “I have been cooking a long time, having grown up on a farm in Oklahoma with six sisters and a brother.  Part of our chores were making the evening meals, so we had lots of experience,” said the 50-year old.

FruitFast products meld nicely into her winning entrée using Nature’s Hand Coconut Cashew Granola.  “I love mixing the fruity flavors in my poultry recipes and this is a variation on the sauce that works well.”

Mary will choose either a new KitchenAid mixer or $250 in cash for her winning recipe.

Second place winner:  Chocolate Cherry Croissant Bread Pudding With Sparkling Sabayon Sauce.

This unusual dessert was submitted by Margee Berry of White Salmon, Washington.  Dark chocolate mixed with premium FruitFast Dried Cherries in each ramekin was an unexpected surprise.  When combined with the sparkling champagne and tart cherry juice concentrate, this dessert recipe bubbled right to the top of the dessert list for the judges.

“I am usually not a fan of bread pudding, but this recipe brought together interesting ingredients in a perfect way — it was absolutely delicious and was not difficult to make,” said panelist Kathy.

Third place honors go to the breakfast entée, CherBerry Pancakes from Jill Drury of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Beautiful in appearance, these delightfully pink cakes are light and fluffy, thanks to the egg whites, while the tart cherry juice gives them their spectacular color.  Add the sauce that pairs either CherryFlex liquid or the cherry juice concentrate, and you literally have a winner!  And that’s exactly what the judges thought.

“Unbelievably pretty when plated and the maple-cherry juice sauce added just the right finishing touch.  I can’t wait to make these,” said Janet Underwood, company owner and recognized cook.

Special thanks goes to our talented panel of judges – Ann Post, National Cherry Queen Maria LaCross, Janet Underwood, and Kathy Stimac for their dedicated time, discerning palates and culinary expertise.

Many creative, original recipes were submitted for this inaugural contest from around the country and made the selection process difficult but rewarding for those of us involved.  The best of the best recipes will be shared here on the FruitFast website in the weeks and months to come, beginning with the winning entrée the first week of May.

Our thanks to the cooks for participating in the Berry Cherry Challenge, the judges for their thoughtful selections and to our FruitFast customers who make it all possible.

Debbie

Berkley, California … Taylorville, Utah … Arcadia, Michigan …  Eugene, Oregon … New York, NY … and Miami, Florida.

Food lovers from around the country are sending in their recipes and entering the Berry Cherry Challenge.

We are very pleased with the response so far to our first-ever FruitFast recipe contest!  And there’s plenty of time left to send your favorite original recipe to us, too, for a chance to win $250 cash or a much coveted KitchenAid mixer.

Contest entries are being accepted through Tuesday, April 5^th for Desserts and Entrées using Brownwood Acres/ FruitFast products in original recipes.

Second and third place winners will have their choice of FruitFast products valued at $125 and $75 respectively.

It’s easy and fun and the winning cooks and their recipes will be announced and featured here on the FruitFast website.

What could be better?  Lots of FruitFast fans will receive discounts just for entering, too, and we will all get to enjoy these fabulous recipes!

You’ll find all the information you need right here.  Enter today for a chance to win!

On your mark, get set, GO… whip up a Culinary Sensation!

FruitFast’s Berry Cherry Challenge is underway now through April 5, 2011.   It’s your chance to show off your cooking and baking talents and creativity in this first ever recipe contest to win $250 in cash OR a brand new KitchenAid Tilt Head Mixer.

www.speckmanphotography.com

FruitFast staffers/ cooks will judge the entries in the two categories – Entrées and Desserts.  In our first round of judging, we’ll rank the entries based on their originality, ease of preparation and creative use of the FruitFast product(s).  Those receiving the highest marks will move to the second phase of judging where we will be looking for originality, ease of preparation, taste and creative use of fruit.

Submissions may also be accompanied with photos or videos, but these are not necessary and contestants must be 18 or older.  You can find all the answers to your questions by reading the Berry Cherry Challenge rules here.  Or you may email your questions to me, debbie@fruitfast.com.

It’s simple to enter:  fill out the entry form and email as an attachment to my email address, or print and mail or fax your favorite Entrée or Dessert recipe before the deadline at midnight on April 5^th.

We’ll be featuring the winners and their creations on our website, blog and on Facebook, along with other FruitFast recipes you share.

So don’t delay!  Participate today by sending in your favorite recipes.

New Year’s Resolutions — most of us have them, but how long you can stay focused on that resolution depends on a number of things:

Are the goals realistic?  Do they fit into your current lifestyle?   And, are they easy to maintain?

We know the first point is the most important.  We should understand that setting goals of “I will lose 20 lbs in two weeks” is a set-up for failure — even if we somehow miraculously manage to lose 20 lbs in two weeks, we can’t maintain that weight loss, which leads into the second and third points.  To reach this unrealistic goal, we must drastically change our lifestyle and, therefore, it becomes difficult or impossible to maintain.

Experts say that making small changes that are easy works best.   So instead of a goal of losing a certain amount of weight this year, begin by making a pledge to change to a healthier lifestyle.   Set short-term goals that take into account your family, your likes, and your routines and the goal will become effortless.   Here are some suggestions on where to begin:

Set a monthly goal of 4-5 changes.  Then, incorporate one change each week.

Week 1: Set a goal of eating healthier meals at home.  The first change can be determining your weekly meals before you grocery shop.   Plan simple meals (30 minutes or less to prepare) or entrees that can be made in a crock-pot.    Planning and eating more meals at home will result in fewer trips to the drive-thru or the “Let’s just pick up a pizza” fix.   Knowing what you will eat and how long it will take to prepare will make a difference in your attitude.   A 30-minute quick meal takes no longer than a trip through the drive-thru and even less time than waiting for your pizza.

Set a goal of incorporating more fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Week 2: Declare one evening meal a week to be a vegetarian meal—i.e. “Meatless Mondays.”  Another way is to change how we view our meals.   Focus your attention on the vegetables as entrées and consider meat the side dish.   As a rule of thumb, our meat should be 3 ounces, so when you consider the size, it really is a side dish.   Plan desserts using fresh fruit (when available) or fruit toppings made with FruitFast Liquid Supplements that can be drizzled over low-fat ice-cream or yogurt.

More exercise.   This one is always a real killer, as it seems with our busy lifestyles we never seem to have enough time for organized exercise.   Here again, the change must work with your lifestyle or it will not be successful.

Week 3: Make little changes.   Park further away in parking lots so you have to walk a little more.   Take the steps instead of the elevator.   Make a commitment to take a walk at least one or two days per week, then increase as time allows.   Don’t count the time you spend walking, in fact, if you only have time for a 5, 10 or 15 minute walk— Do It!  Our bodies aren’t saying to us—“that was only 10 minutes, therefore, it doesn’t count.”   All exercise is beneficial and you may find that small amounts of exercise add up pretty quickly and you will soon be exercising more than you think.   Take up a new sport or hobby that involves physical activity and less time in front of the television.   Or, play those X-Box or Nintendo games with your kids (or without).   Have you ever tried Dance, Dance Revolution—that is a definite work-out.   Don’t worry that you can only do 5 minutes at first, soon you will be hooked.

The last 1 or 2 changes are for you to decide.

Week 4: Be creative and let us know your ideas on how you are making healthy changes to your lifestyle and we’ll post them on this website.  We can all learn from one-another.   Also, look for our upcoming “Recipe Contest.”   Details to be posted soon.

A HAPPY, HEALTHY NEW YEAR to All!!!

We would like to introduce you to gourmet chef, turned blogger at momgateway.blogspot.com. Her name is Ann and she’s a busy mom, scientist, and supporter of our FruitFast products as she’s all about healthy eating and recipes that are simple but delicious.

Ann is very familiar with the value of Super Fruits – dark skinned fruits known for their antioxidant values – and the importance of eating them daily.  So we were delighted when she offered to create not one, but two, custom recipes using our FruitFast Liquids!

Our thick-textured, totally fruit Liquids – both the CherryFlex and the Mixed Berry varieties – can be found in Ann’s recipe for Cherry Coconut Cream Gelee, a tempting fruit sushi dessert that is tasty and distinctive in appearance, and the entrée Roasted Lamb with Mixed Berry Sauce.

And here’s another benefit:  Momgateway is also offering readers a giveaway of our products!  Visit her blogsite, signup for the drawing before March 28, and you could win three FruitFast products of your choice.

Our thanks to Ann, and her culinary talents, and for featuring our products on her blog with a focus on healthy foods and healthy recipes.

Just in time for Holiday entertaining and gift-giving, Brownwood Acres Dried Cherries and Dried Wild Blueberries are available at discount prices.

Through the end of the year, you’ll find savings of $2 on every 1 lb bag of Brownwood Dried Montmorency Cherries, unsweetened Balaton Dried Cherries and Wild Blueberries.  Also on special are our Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate covered Dried Cherries – $2 off on 1 lb packages.

Plump, premium Montmorency red tart cherries and flavorful Maine Wild Blueberries are delicious in desserts, salads, appetizers and sauces or can be enjoyed as a snack right from the bag.  They also make wonderful stocking stuffers or much-appreciated hostess gifts.

Looking for a recipe to “Wow” your guests or bring to your next Holiday gathering?  FruitFast’s gourmet cook, Debbie Colaianni, has just the solution with this  delicious appetizer –
Baked Brie with Dried Cherries and Thyme.

Click here to find this impressive looking and tasting Holiday recipe and many others from festive punch to delectable desserts.

Need Holiday giving ideas?  Call our friendly staff toll free at 1-877-591-3101 for courteous service and fast shipping right to your door!