Grilled Peaches and Cannoli Ricotta #NNM #healthy #dessert @Fruits_Veggies

Grilled Peaches and Cannoli Ricotta

with Cocoa-Balsamic drizzle

Serves 5

Ingredients

5 peach halves (fresh peaches in season or canned peaches in juice)
1 cup part skim Ricotta
1 Tablespoon (Tblsp) powdered sugar
1 Tblsp Vanilla Soy Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
mini chocolate chips garnish - optional

Putting it all together

Wash, pit and cut fresh peaches in half. If using canned peach halves: drain and save juice to store extra grilled peaches.

To grill: spray the cut side with cooking spray. Place cut side down on hot grill and cook until grill marks are imprinted into the peach. Remove and let cool on plate or in reserved juice.

In mixing bowl mix the ricotta, sugar, soy milk and vanilla ext. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Make Cocoa-Balsamic Reduction and transfer to a small squeeze bottle when cool.

Serve one peach halve topped with 1 oz. scoop cannoli ricotta and drizzle with reduced cocoa-balsamic. Garnish with a few chocolate chips and/or mint leaf.  

Enjoy and Savor the Flavor!
Good source Vitamin A and Calcium
Recipe and photo Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Plantain Nutrition and Questions about Plantains versus Bananas #GardenCuizine

Plantain Nutrition
Good Source dietary Fiber

Today, Harry and I had some food photography fun shooting some fresh fruit on the table. In the arrangement we included plantains. Plantains (Maduros) are enjoyed in Latin America and many parts of the world; including the USA, Africa and throughout the Caribbean. Our family never really bought them before. Questions that we had were:

1) Do plantains taste like a banana?
2) Can you eat plantains raw?
3) Do you eat plantains green?

Plantains have thicker skins and are larger than bananas. Like bananas, plantains are a carbohydrate food, but unlike bananas, they are not as sweet so plantains are usually served as a starch rather than a fruit and are cooked before being eaten. Most people do not eat plantains raw. 

As you can see in the photo, plantains can be pretty green compared to the bright yellow lemons. Go ahead and cook them when green, but they taste better if allowed to ripen. At any stage of ripeness, plantains can be boiled, fried or grilled*. To peel plantains, cut off each end then score the thick skin lengthwise with your knife. The skin can then be easily peeled off.

Since we are still celebrating the New Year, we plan to fry our plantains and serve them with black-eyed peas for good luck!

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

*update: 1/4/15- last night we made Nigerian Ewa Dodo with fried plantains. In just one day after I took the above photo, the green plantains turned yellow. We should have let them ripen a few days longer. After cooking the yellow plantains, we thought they tasted too starchy and dry. We learned that for best flavor, allow plantains to ripen to the point of showing black spots before peeling and cooking. 

GardenCuizine Nutrition Data Plantains
Good Source: dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium

1/2 cup cooked mashed Plantain 100g = 116 Calories; total Carbohydrate 31g; dietary Fiber 2.5g (9% DV); Protein 1g; Vitamin A: 909 IU (18% DV); Vitamin C: 11mg (18% DV); Vitamin B6: 0.2mg (12% DV); Folate: 26 mcg (6% DV); Potassium 465mg (13% DV) 

For Comparison 1 small Banana raw = 101g; 90 Calories; total Carbohydrate 21g; dietary Fiber 3g (11% DV); Protein 1g; Vitamin A: 65 IU (1% DV); Vitamin C: 9mg (15% DV); Vitamin B6 0.4mg (19% DV); Folate 20mcg (5% DV); Potassium: 362mg (10% DV)
Photo and blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Healthy Snack: Fresh Fruit. Pears anyone? #GardenCuizine Nutrition Data Pears @Fruits_Veggies @eatright @kidseatright

Enjoy Fresh Fruit 

for a Healthy Snack

PEARS

Good source Vitamin C and dietary Fiber

We recently received a welcomed gift of a dozen fresh pears from a special friend. We allowed them to ripen at room temperature on our counter top and then put them in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening and preserve them long enough for us to eat them all. Ripe, fresh pears taste juicy and naturally sweet. 

To encourage more family members enjoy fresh fruit daily try this healthy eating tip: after a meal or in between meals ask your family, "Who wants some Pears?" Then use a corer separator gadget to core the pear and make it blossom into individual serving slices. Serve on a small plate on the table and I guarantee you that your family will all want to be first in line for their fair share! 

One small pear is considered one carbohydrate serving (about 15 net grams carbohydrates) for those who are counting.

GardenCuizine Pear Nutrition Data: One small Pear (148g):  Calories: 86; Total Fat 0g; Sodium 1mg; total Carbohydrate 23g; dietary Fiber 5g (18% DV); Vitamin C: 6.2mg (10% DV);

Related Links
Pears and Diabetes: A Sweet You Can Eat
Photo and blog post Copyright (C)Wind 2015. All rights reserved. 

Pawpaw Fruit #GardenCuizine What is Asimina triloba? #gardenchat Eastern US Native

American Pawpaw Fruit

On a recent South Jersey Wildlife Garden Tour we explored Shoshana's garden, a homeowner in Cumberland County NJ. She greeted us with exotic Pawpaw fruits (Asimina triloba). I had only seen them in a garden catalog years ago and didn't know you could grow the trees in New Jersey.

According to Shoshana, "They sucker beautifully," meaning they can form a grove. Pawpaw trees produce the largest fruits native to North America. Typical to most fruits, pawpaw fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin C. Kentucky State University researchers report that nutritionally, pawpaw fruit has about as much dietary fiber as an apple and is most similar in composition to bananas. Rutgers New Jersey Agriculture Experiment Station reports that it's rare to see pawpaw fruit in markets and come to think of it, I never have.

The fruit Shoshana gave us weren't ripe yet (they ripen in the fall), so I don't know what they taste like; she said they taste good. Writers for Kentucky State University's Pawpaw research project* describe the taste as a blend of tropical fruits such as banana, pineapple and mango. Sounds delicious! I bet they would taste great in a healthy fruit smoothie.

Scientific studies in 1980's and 1990's by researchers at Purdue University discovered compounds from pawpaw bark extracts may have beneficial effects on killing cancer cells. Since then there has not been enough scientific evidence to make claims supporting the effectiveness of pawpaw for any condition.

For those interested in growing native Pawpaw fruit trees: the trees are attractive and small and can be considered "edible landscaping" - they bloom in the spring. The blooms are among my favorite colors, deep, dark, chocolate. 

Related Links

Kentucky State University Paw Paw Program

Jersey Local, Exotic and Native

Growing Pawpaws

Blog post and photo Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Today in Our Garden * Grape Jelly time! #GardenCuizine #gardenchat

Today in Our Garden

South Jersey
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b)

August 9, 2014

Harry picked a colander full of organic red grapes this morning. We plan on making grape jelly. Also, we finally spotted a few more swallowtail butterflies this morning. This year we haven't seen as many butterflies as we usually see - have you?

Hummingbirds are more active at the feeders now, and flowers are blooming all over the place, except for dahlias and goldenrod. We noticed meadows of yellow goldenrod blooming now in the Adirondacks, which is further north. Here at home, even Mom pulled out her cell phone camera to snap a few flower photos this morning.

Some of our NJ blooms include:

• Buddleia (the few we have left after die back from last winter)
• Sunflowers (from bird seed)
• Limelight hydrangea (shown next to Harry in top photo)
• Green-Headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata (yellow blooms shown)
  
• Coronado hyssop (my new hummingbird favorite! check out my Dave's Garden article Hummingbird favorite: Coronado Hyssop) 

greeter at the garden gate

• Four o'clocks, Zinnias, red Cannas, Cosmos
• Hostas, Hibiscus
• Apple mint, Phlox, Black-eyed Susans
• Salvias (including lady in red, Yvonne's, black and blue)

yesterday's harvest

The veggie garden is full of heirloom tomatoes, basil, potatoes, chia and both sweet and hot peppers. 

We have the BIGGEST TOMATO that I've ever grown or seen ripening on the vine now. It's a gigantic yellow heirloom tomato. An award winner for sure. All our tomatoes were grown from saved seeds from the largest tomatoes of the previous year. Guess it works!

We're looking forward to seeing the actual weight of our largest heirloom tomato ever along with large, dinner plate dahlia blooms - all coming soon.

Hope you are having a happy and healthy summer

Related Links
Homemade Reduced Sugar Grape Jelly
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Photos and blog post Copyright (C)2014 Wind. All rights reserved.

Fiber and Vitamin C Whole Cranberry Jelly #GardenCuizine #HappyThanksgiving

Whole Cranberry Jelly

Add dietary fiber and vitamin C to your Thanksgiving table with homemade whole cranberry jelly. Homemade cranberry jelly can be prepared in under 10 minutes. You can reap even more fiber and antioxidant benefits from using more whole cranberries than canned cranberry jelly when you make it yourself at home.

We've used Ocean Spray Cranberries; this year we came across Paradise Meadow Cape Cod Cranberries. Select any brand, just read the label and look for just one ingredient - Cranberries. You can find whole cranberries at your grocery market in the produce section. Bags of whole cranberries can be frozen for later use in baking and cooking.

• Most commercial cranberry recipes call for using one cup of sugar; you can reduce the sugar as low as desired. This year we cut the sugar in half. Using less sugar will result in slightly more tart flavor and looser texture that is more like compote than jelly.
• Persimmons or other fruit can be added to your cranberry jelly for a variation. 
• Also, Splenda can be substituted for sugar for those who must avoid sugar after bariatric weight loss surgery.

Ingredients 
12 ounce bag of whole cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp ground)

Putting it all together
Rinse and drain the cranberries. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to simmer. Cover and periodically uncover, stir and squish the whole burst berries along the side of the pot using a spoon. When most of the berries are smashed, turn off heat and cool for a few minutes before pouring into your serving bowl. Set aside to cool a little more before moving to the refrigerator until serving.

Cranberry Nutrition
Cranberries are a good source of dietary Fiber and Antioxidants including Vitamin C
2 ounces (56g) fresh cranberries: 2.6g dietary fiber (10% DV); 6.8g carbohydrate (2% DV); 7mg vitamin C (12% DV)

Happy Thanksgiving!
Related Links
Cranberry Anti-Inflammatory and Cardiovascular benefits 
Photo and blogpost Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved. Updated 11/25/2021

Ho Ho Ho Grinch Kabobs #GardenCuizine #Christmas #eatmorefruit

Grinch Kabobs

Made Grinch Kabobs tonight for our calendar party at Trinity Church. Our month was December and the theme was Christmas Afternoon Tea with berry scones, lemon curd, tea sandwiches and of course dessert. These were served on the dessert tray. Got the idea from Pinterest and gave them a try. The fruit was a tight squeeze on the toothpicks, so excess was trimmed off the large grapes and strawberries. Also, the mini marshmallows were cut in half. The sliced banana was tossed in a drizzle of fresh squeezed lemon juice to keep the fruit from browning. 

Because of the banana slices, they won't hold up long; make them as close to your party as possible. I made these about an hour before the event and kept them in an airtight container until serving time. Also, buy extra strawberries because some might not be cone shaped and won't work well as a Santa hat. These were a big hit! Serve them at a Christmas party or for a healthy holiday snack.

Have fun party planning this holiday season! 
Photo and blog post Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.

What in the world are these ginormous green seedless GRAPES? #GardenCuizine

"I've never seen grapes this large!" 

says Junetta, my 82 year old mom

In a time of super-sized sodas, fast foods and portion distortion, finally an over-sized food dietitians and the public can embrace. A grape bigger than any grape ever seen makes me wonder, what kind are they?  

Giant Seedless Green Grapes
Super-sized, enormous green grapes seen in markets September through December are most likely Autumn King - an increasingly popular table grape variety released by the US Department of Agriculture in 2005. Autumn King grapes ripen late season, later than Thompson seedless, expanding the grape varieties available for fall. The grapes are so large, it's hard to imagine what they must look like growing on the vines!

Note to Carb Counters
Remember fruit is a carbohydrate, so if you are diabetic or counting carbs, do not go by 17 grapes equals one carbohydrate serving with these big boys. Instead, go by weight of 3 ounces for an estimate of one carb serving.

Related Links
Introduced just eight years ago, Autumn King now dominates late season green market
Why Grapes are Good for You 
Portion Distortion Quiz
Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Grapes 
Blog post Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.

Orchards of pink peach blooms now throughout New Jersey! #GardenCuizine

Throughout New Jersey, early April is when you start to see Peach trees beginning to show off their blooms. Fields of pink blossoms caught my attention on my way to work last week as I traveled south on Route 55 through Gloucester and Cumberland counties. Today, we decided to take a family drive through some of those areas in South Jersey to see some peach orchards and enjoy the beautiful spring day.

As we followed our self-guided tour, we managed to see several breathtaking fields of pink peach blooms with vibrant yellow forsythia scattered throughout the landscapes. We followed a tour map provided by Rutgers NJ Agriculture Experiment Station several years ago. We noticed that due to increased housing developments, sadly there was a decline in acreage dedicated to growing peaches. Farms still exist, even though they were somewhat sandwiched in between new homes and commercial businesses built on what used to be exclusive NJ farmland.

The NJ Peach Promotion Council reported in 2010 that the US census listed around 6,600 acres of New Jersey land dedicated to Peach farming. New Jersey, produces 68,000,000 pounds annually. And, of that, about 65% of the acreage is located in Gloucester County.

According to the NJ Peach Promotion Council, New Jersey ranks 4th among the top peach producers - following California, South Carolina and Georgia. I'm always amazed at the wide variety of cultivars among common fruits and vegetables. There are 40+ varieties of Jersey Peaches!

What are your favorite recipes using peaches? 

Peaches

A nutritious fruit to look forward to this summer.  

Jersey peach season starts late July through September.

GardenCuizine Peach Nutrition data: coming soon...
Related Links
NJ Peach Promotion Council 
A History of the NJ Peach 
South Jersey Self-Guided Peach blossom tour map
Peach Facts courtesy of Colorado State University Extension
Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Peaches 
Buy some Just Peachy Salsa support the Food Bank of SJ
Photos and blog post Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.

Pomegranates > buy at Christmas and enjoy POMS for months ever after! #GardenCuizine

Pomegranate Seeds

Did you know Pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) have incredible keeping quality and storage capacity? According to Purdue University, the pomegranate is similar to an apple in having a long storage life. They say pomegranates can be stored up to 7 months without shrinking or going bad and if maintained at a temperature of 32º to 41º F (0º-5º C), the fruits actually improve in storage - becoming juicier and even more flavorful. 

We discovered that this indeed is true. The pomegranates that we had from Christmas stored in our refrigerator are still just as juicy, if not even more juicy, then the day we bought them! So next year stock up on pomegranates so you have plenty of POMS for your sweet Valentine ♥

To extract the seeds, simply wash the pomegranate and cut it in half. Then get a small bowl of water and dip the fruit into the water and gently squeeze it. For the most part, the seeds will fall into the water. You may have to poke and pluck out a few. Then, pick out any big membrane pieces that may have fallen into the water. Strain the seeds and save the liquid and the seeds to use in recipes. I haven't tried it yet, but according to POM Wonderful, the seeds (Arils) can be frozen for even longer storage.

Pomegranate seeds are an acquired taste. Some people are not too thrilled with them (like my husband, Harry). But they are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C. And a few here and there make for a lovely gourmet food presentation. We use them atop salads; tonight we are tossing some in to a side dish of cous cous.

GardenCuizine Pomegranate Seed Nutrition data
Good Source: dietary Fiber and Vitamin C
Pomegranate seeds 1/2 cup arils (87g): 72 calories; dietary Fiber 3.4g (14% DV); Vitamin C 9 mg (15% DV); Folate 33 mcg (8% DV) 

Related Links
Pomegranate Purdue University 
Pomegranate Recipes 
Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Pomegranates
Blog post and photo Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved. 

Antioxidant-rich Cranberry-Persimmon Jelly Recipe #GardenCuizine #Thanksgiving @OceanSprayInc

Homemade Whole Berry 
Cranberry-Persimmon Jelly

Vitamin C, Antioxidant-rich, Dietary Fiber

Ingredients 
1 12-ounce package Ocean Spray® fresh (or frozen) Cranberries
1 Japanese Persimmon (Diospyros kaki 'Hachiya')
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
zest of 1/2 an orange

   

Putting it all together 

• Wash and rinse cranberries in a colander. Pull out any stems or rotten berries. 
• Wash, remove stem and chop persimmon (leave the skin on - that's where most of the dietary fiber is!) 
• Place berries and chopped persimmon in a pot
• Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until berries get soft and start bursting open (about 15 minutes or so). Sometimes I help the process along and squish some of the cranberries along the side of the pot with a spoon. 
• Due to the addition of chopped persimmons, I decided to use an immersion blender to puree some of the mixture (right in the pot) so it would not be too lumpy with fruits. This is optional.
• Remove from heat and let cool slightly before pouring into a special serving dish. We like to use a crystal dish on holidays. Just be careful the jelly isn't too hot so you don't crack your dish! 
• Let your cranberry-persimmon jelly cool on the counter and then move to the fridge to thoroughly chill and set. Cranberry jelly can be made a day in advance for convenience or you can make it the same day - it sets up pretty fast.

Happy Thanksgiving! 
Related Links
Have You Tasted A Persimmon? by Diana Wind, RD
Giving Thanks for Nature's Harvest 
Photos, Recipe and Blog Post Copyright (C)2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Time to Harvest Persimmons! South Jersey @EatRight #GardenCuizine @Fruits_Veggies

Persimmons

Persimmons appear ripe and ready-to-eat now in the Fall season. One of my coworkers, the person who brought us the delicious figs I wrote about, brought us our her South Jersey neighbor's latest backyard harvest yesterday - freshly picked persimmons. Have you ever tasted a persimmon?

Persimmons are one of those fruits that many people have yet to try. No one in my family had ever tasted a persimmon before. I only had two fruits to bring home, as luck would have it, I accidentally smashed one getting into my car on the way home from work! The other ripe persimmon made it home to our tasting table. Everyone loved its natural sweet flavor. 

To learn more about persimmons 

and their nutrition profile,

Read my Dave's Gardens article: Have You Tasted A Persimmon?

Photo Copyright (C)2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

More Jersey fresh FIGS picked off the tree today! #GardenCuizine

More Jersey fresh F I G S harvested today from a local Italian family's organic backyard garden. 

Hope our little fig tree produces figs someday! 

Spero che il nostro piccolo albero di fico produce fichi un giorno!

Note: the wicker basket shown was handmade from a basket weaver in Sicily.

Fiberific FIG butter recipe! #GardenCuizine

 Homemade Fig Butter
 High Fiber * Honey Sweetened

Our young fig tree is still far from yielding fresh figs. Most of our South Jersey summer has been so dry that our little fig tree is happy just to be alive, let alone bear fruit. A recent culinary treat was coming across fresh figs being offered from an Italian woman nearby my office in Vineland, New Jersey. She shares her prolific organically grown fig harvest with the community.

One order, led to another and another. We have so many nutritious, fiber-rich figs, but you can only eat so many! And, unlike apples that have a decent shelf life, fresh figs only last a few days. No wonder you usually just find dried figs at the market. What can you do to preserve figs? Drying them was not an option, since we don't own a dehydrator. Fig jam came to mind. 

After making our first batch of Fig "Jam", Harry decided it was better named - Fig "Butter". Figs are rich and filling and make a spread that tasted rich, like apple butter. Apple butter just doesn't have the little visible seeds. And fyi, you can use store-bought dried figs to make nutritious fig butter - just add enough water to hydrate and soften the figs first. 

Using the recipes provided by Pomona's Universal Pectin, here is how we made our fig jam, aka fig butter, using fresh figs. Enjoy it in your sweet and savory recipes.

Yields: about 5 cups
Ingredients  
4 cups ripe Figs (3 1/2 cups will be okay too)

1/4 cup Lemon Juice (we didn't have any fresh lemons at the time for lemon juice, so we used Key Lime Juice and it worked just fine)

Pomona Universal Pectin (a low methoxyl brand of pectin extracted from citrus peel; it comes with pectin powder and calcium powder): 3 teaspoons pectin powder; 4 teaspoons calcium water (the calcium water recipe comes with the Pomona Pectin).
 
1/2 cup Honey

Putting it all together

• Wash the figs and trim off the stems.
• Let the figs get really ripe. We put them in a plastic baggie in the fridge and in few days they were juicy and breaking open. If your figs are not really ripe and soft, you can cook them with a little water to soften them before smashing. 
• Directly in a medium size sauce pot, smash the figs using a potato masher.
• Add the citrus juice and calcium water. Mix well. Bring mixture to a boil.
•  In a separate small bowl combine the pectin with the honey. I noticed if you don't combine the pectin with the sweetener first and add it directly to the fruit, it will clump up and not dissolve well.
• Bring back to a boil. Stir in the pectin-honey blend. Remove from heat.
• Puree the honey sweetened fig mixture in a blender or using a hand held mixer.
• The fig mixture is ready for canning. Follow water process canning guidelines. 

Buon Appetito!

GardenCuizine Nutrient Analysis Fresh Figs: calculated from USDA nutrient values
Good Source of dietary Fiber and Potassium
3 medium Figs (150g): dietary Fiber 4g (18%DV); Potassium 348mg (10%DV); Vitamin B6 0.12mg (8%DV); Magnesium 26mg (7%DV); Calcium 52mg (5%DV); Vitamin C 3mg (5%DV); Vitamin A 213IU (4%DV); Iron .56mg (3%DV)

Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a caloric intake of 2,000 calories for adults and children age 4 or older
Related Links

Uncommon Nutrition from the Common Fig - Ficus carica

Figs Fruits and Veggies More Matters
Pomona's Universal Pectin
Fig Butter, Goat Cheese and Carmelized Onion Crostini recipe

Photo collage and blog post Copyright (C)2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Cool off ~ Stay hydrated ~ Make your own Vitamin Water! @SweetLeafStevia #GardenCuizine

 Fruit Infused Vitamin Water

Went out today and bought a few Fruit Infusion Water Pitchers to take to my out-patient nutrition counseling offices. Many people I meet for weight management are looking to replace sugary sodas and juices with zero calorie beverages. Fruit infused vitamin water is fun to make and when lightly sweetened with natural stevia is ZERO calories! It's a cool and refreshing way to stay hydrated in the summer heat.
 
This is our first recipe. We used orange and strawberry; you can be creative and combine fruits that you have available. 

Try pineapple, mango, kiwifruit, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, watermelon, oranges, limes or lemons. Fresh cut herbs make a great flavor addition too. Try lemon balm, basil, rosemary, mint or monarda blooms. 

Fresh fruits add a subtle flavor and Vitamin C, which is water soluble and naturally infuses into your water along with other water soluble nutrients.
 
Strawberry Orange 
Ingredients

• half an Orange
• one Strawberry
• 1-2 SweetLeaf Stevia packets

Putting it all together
First, wash your new fruit infusion pitcher and wash the fruit you plan on using. 

1. Cut the fruit small enough to fit in the center infusion cylinder. 
2. Fill the pitcher with cold tap water and add 1-2 packets of SweetLeaf stevia
3. Give it a quick swirl to stir and refrigerate to infuse hints of natural fruit flavors 

Rethink your drink

Sure beats 130 calories in a 12-ounce soda! Two sodas = 260 added calories. It only takes an extra 500 calories a day to slip on an extra pound of weight gain per week. And, if you're diabetic, just one 12-ounce soda or one cup of sugary lemonade counts as 2 to 2 1/2 carbohydrate servings respectively. Vitamin water has zero carbs with zero glycemic index.

SweetLeaf^® Stevia products available also include Liquid Stevia Sweet Drops™ that come in 17 natural fruit, nut, cola, cinnamon or chocolate flavored drops that make a great addition to non carbonated beverage drinks, dessert sauces or foods such as yogurt or oatmeal. Ask for them at your local health food store.

Strive for a healthy body weight. Avoid sugary foods and beverages!

Related Links

Vitamin Water The Yummy Life blog
SweetLeaf.com
Using Herbs and Fresh Fruit to make Flavored Water Dave's Garden article by Melody Rose
Rethink Your Drink
Hydrate Right
How Much Water do Kids Need? 
Make Better Beverage Choices ChooseMyPlate.gov
Photographs and blog post Copyright (C)2012 Wind. All Rights Reserved.