With summer comes fresh fruit!

I love the simplicity of this fresh fruit salad!!

1 (29 ounce) can peach slices
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 (3 1/8 ounce) box dry vanilla instant pudding mix
1 lb of strawberries, (quartered)
1 banana, (sliced)
1/2 pint blueberries
1 bunch grapes (I use the red ones)
1 -2 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine peaches, pineapples, and vanilla pudding mix. This includes the juices from the cans. Mix well until pudding is dissolved. Stir in strawberries, banana, blueberries, grapes, and sugar if desired. Chill.  

Of course, you can mix and match various fruits, depending on your taste preferences.  If you use bananas, you might want to cut them, put them in a bowl and splash a bit of lemon juice on them first so they don't turn brown, or add them right before serving.  

Enjoy!

Tomato Sandwich!

Stack tomatoes, some mozzarella cheese, basil and asparagus and drizzle with some balsamic vinaigrette.   How easy is this?  This is a great recipe to change up a bit if you'd like.  Replace the asparagus with pesto or avacado (sliced or as guacamole).  Enjoy!

Amish Cinnamon Bread

No kneading, you just mix it up and bake it

Batter:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:
2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions
Cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs. Add milk, flour, and baking soda. Put 1/2 of batter (or a little less) into greased loaf pans (1/4 in each pan). Mix in separate bowl the 2/3 c sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the 1/2 batter in each pan. Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with last of cinnamon topping. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min. or until toothpick tester come clean.
Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

Chocolate Filled Pretzels

So easy and so fun!  This is a great one to let your kids or grandkids help with :)

Small Pretzels
Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped) 
M & M's

Directions: Top each pretzel with a Hershey’s Kiss, and place in a preheated 200ºF oven for 10 minutes. Remove and immediately press an M & M into the top of each kiss. Let cool completely! Enjoy!

Sugar Free Brownie Bites

My boyfriend is diabetic but loves sweets, so I took a favorite - Chocolate Crinkles - and modified it a bit.  It doesn't flatten out like the original, so we renamed it "Brownie Bites".  It's just as good but without all the sugar!

½ cup oil
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (you can buy this in melted packets)
2 cups sugar substitute
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 – 12oz package unsweetened chocolate chips
Pecan (think I used ½ cup, but you can use more)

Mix oil, melted chocolate and sugar substitute.  Add 1 egg at a time.  Add vanilla. (I used an electric mixer)

STIR in flour, baking powder and salt.  When well blended, stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

Chill several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.  Roll a teaspoon size of dough into a ball.  Place on greased baking sheet.  Bake 10 – 12 minutes.  Do not over bake.  Enjoy!

Ice Cream Bread

ICE CREAM BREAD Seriously? Only 2 ingredients!

Who out there has ever made ice cream bread? If you haven't, what are you waiting for? You use only two ingredients and two steps. All you have to do is mix self-rising flour with softened ice cream of choice and bake. Poof! You have bread!

You need ice cream that is not sugar free or low fat...just regular full fat ice cream. This one is made with just chocolate but just imagine how awesome a loaf of Ben and Jerry's Rocky Road or Cherry Garcia bread could be. I have made it with Chunky Monkey and it is delicious. I will include that recipe too so you can try it. Go with bold flavors of ice cream such as peanut butter or butter pecan. Don’t forget, you can also add extra ingredients into the mix to make it less plain and more flavorful. Experiment and have fun with it!


Ice Cream Bread

2 cups of your favorite ice cream, softened
1 and 1/2 cups of self rising flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8×4 inch loaf pan. Mix the ice cream and flour together in a bowl just until combined. Smooth it out so it looks even. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for a while and then serve.

Chunky Monkey Ice Cream Bread (2 loaves or 1 large loaf)

2 pints Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, softened or melted
3 cups self-rising flour
1 very ripe banana, chopped
1 chocolate bar, chopped
Handful of walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bread pan, or line with parchment paper. Mix melted ice cream and flour until well combined. Add chocolate, banana and nuts. Pour into prepared bread pan. Bake for 45 minutes per loaf or 60-90 minutes for a larger double loaf. If the top starts to brown too much, cover it with aluminum foil and continue to bake. The bread
is done when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Infused waters!

Still drinking SODA, DIET SODA, VITAMIN WATER, PROPEL AND OTHER DRINKS WITH ARTIFICIAL COLORS, FLAVORS AND SWEETENERS?????
TRY THESE INSTEAD!!!

Infused waters. Here are their benefits to help with detoxification energy and hydration. Put as much fruit in water as you like and let the water sit for at least 30 minutes before drinking.

1. Green tea, mint, lime-fat burning, digestion, headaches, congestion and breath freshener.

2. Strawberry, kiwi-cardiovascular health, immune system protection, blood sugar regulation, digestion.

3. Cucumber, lime, lemon- water weight management, bloating, appetite control, hydration, digestion

4. Lemon, lime, orange- digestion vitamin C, immune defense, heartburn, (Drink this one at room temperature)