Finally!! It seems as though summer has decided to arrive in Ohio...with a humid entrance! It is time to stock up on those wonderful fresh fruits and veggies we all love-leave the processed ones at the store! Head out to local farmer's markets & produce stands; support your local farmers, while possibly getting some exercise? Sounds good to me!
Our bodies crave the natural nutrients that are found within our fresh friends! I have read that our bodies should crave the season's produce. For example in the winter we should crave potatoes, squash, pumpkin, apples, oranges, cranberries-think starch! And in the summer -spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, melons-think waterbased! Do not ignore what your body is telling you!! Now some of you might take this another way-if I crave ice cream, then my body must want it...woo! Nope-wrong! What do you think is in ice cream that your body might be trying to tell you it needs-dairy! So put down that bowl and pick up a glass of milk or a piece of low-fat cheese! This can be applied to several of our naughty cravings! Anyways...back to produce!
If you find yourself in an overabundance of certain fruits & veggies-freeze/blanch them yourself! We do this with corn, broccoli, string/green beans, butternut squash, apples, & strawberries. Other possible items to blanch are potatoes, pumpkin, squash, lentils, dried beans, peas, & chickpeas, apricots, the berry family (black, blue, red,etc), cherries, melons, peaches, pears, & rhubarb. With veggies, it's good to keep in mind that starchy is good to freeze & waterbased is not so good to freeze (so stay away from lettuce, spinach, radishes, cucumbers, etc). When you freeze the foods yourself, you have the control as to how much salt or sugar you use-a healthier option than buying the store processed foods!! There is tons of info out there about freezing-check it out! Just be smart & make sure to eat them before they expire in the freezer!
Make it a goal this summer to eat healthy & to eat fresh! Add some color to your plates with summer's delightful array of fruits and veggies!
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