Maple Yogurt Fresh Fruit Salad

Who doesn't like fresh fruit during the summer? We eat it every day around here. As a matter of fact, it's the kids' favorite snack....with a side of string cheese.

Aside from eating it plain, fruit salad is another great way to add a low calorie dessert or snack to your day.

When I shop for fruits, I try to buy what's on sale each week. I put this salad together based on the fruits I had bought earlier in the day.

However, you could use pretty much any variety of fruit you like for this quick and easy salad.

Maple Yogurt Fresh Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

~Fruit~

• 3 peaches, sliced
• 1 mango, sliced
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup grapes

~Glaze~

• 3 tbsp plain yogurt (I used Fage Greek Yogurt)
• 1 tbsp Maple syrup
• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine fruits in serving bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients.
3. Pour glaze over fruit and toss to coat.
4. Serve immediately.

Yield : 6 servings

You'll want to wait until you're ready to serve this salad before pouring the glaze over the fruit. It has a tendency to get a little soggy after sitting mixed together in the refrigerator.

Of course, it still tastes good!

Do you have a favorite fruit salad recipe?

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

 
Move over Fiber One Chewy Oats and Chocolate Bars!!

Yes, I admit, we all love Fiber One Bars, but not because of the extra fiber. They just taste sooo good. Really, how can you go wrong with oats and chocolate?

Well, last year I found this Chewy Granola Bar recipe on Allrecipes and decided to give it a try. The bars looked like they would probably taste similar to Fiber One Bars. I was wrong....

They were way better!! Not only did they taste better, but they were homemade, without all the preservatives and whatever else the boxed ones have in them.

I had not made these bars in a while, so I decided to make them this week. However, I tweaked a few of the ingredients to make the bars a little more healthy. Here's my version:

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup raw sugar (I used Turbinado)
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, sugar and butter. 
3. In a small bowl combine honey and vanilla, then stir into the oats mixture.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Press mixture into the prepared pan. 
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. 
7. Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into bars. 
8. Once bars cool completely remove them from the pan and store in an airtight container.

Yield : 18 bars

I love the versatility of granola bars. You can switch out the chocolate chips for raisins or dried cranberries, or add nuts to the mixture for a different flavor.

Another bonus to homemade granola bars is they are much more filling than the ones that come out of the box.

What flavors would you use to make your granola bars?

Easy Applesauce

It happens all the time around here. I buy a big bag of apples, we eat a few, and then the rest sit there on the counter until they start to get ripe enough that nobody wants to eat them.

This was the story last week. Fortunately, I had a few options.  I could make apple muffins, sauteed apples or applesauce....all of which are perfect solutions for using apples that are not quite ready to throw out, but are a little too ripe to just sit down and eat.

Since I had applesauce on my "I'm-running-low-on-this" list, I decided that's what I would do with those apples.

The recipe I had previously used called for white granulated sugar, but since I'm using less refined sugars, I decided to give honey a shot.  

The applesauce turned out beautifully and delicious.

Easy Applesauce

Ingredients:

• 12 medium sized apples
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Peel, core and chop the apples.
2. Place the apples, water, honey and cinnamon in a large pot and cook over medium heat until the apples are tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.
3. Mash the apples with a potato masher or use a blender to puree them. (I like the smooth texture you get from using a blender.)

Note: Because of the amount of apples, I was only able to put about half in the blender at one time. After I had all the apples pureed, I poured the puree back into the pot and mixed it back in with the liquid. That's where all the cinnamon and honey is sitting.

Using this many apples yields approximately six cups of applesauce. Since I know we won't eat that much before it ruins, I like to store the extra in the freezer in these awesome plastic freezer jars.

Other than just eating the applesauce, one of my favorite foods to make with it is this Applesauce Bread. Yummy! It makes for a great breakfast treat!

Applesauce can also be used as a great substitute for oil in a lot of baking recipes. It's a much healthier option.

How do you like your applesauce? Do you make your own or buy it in a jar?