Meal Planning Monday ~ Bountiful Berries!



Yes, I know it’s not Monday!  With this Monday being Memorial Day, I wanted to post the meal planning early and share a patriotic dessert with you – The “Red, White, & Blue.”  While you're enjoying the Holiday weekend, don’t forget to take some time to remember our military heroes.  Here is this week’s Meal Planning Monday.

  I love the selection of fresh fruit in the summer, especially berries!  When I was in grade school, we had raspberry bushes behind our house.  My brother and I always enjoyed helping my mom pick them.  Nothing feels more like summer to me than biting into fresh ripe raspberries!  Of course, I don’t discriminate…  I love blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries too!  The good news is that they are all super-healthy for you – low in calories and high in antioxidants and vitamins.    

I try to keep a container of berries washed and ready to go in my refrigerator during the summer months.  Since many people I know, myself included, are trying to eat healthy and slim down, I thought I would provide you with some low-calorie alternatives to berry favorites like strawberry shortcake and blueberry muffins.

This week I’ll show you how to add berries to every day of the week, whether it’s for breakfast, a snack, or a light dessert!

Monday ~ “ The Red, White, & Blue” Dessert.  Take a store-bought angel food cake and cut it into 1 inch square pieces.  Put in several dessert or martini glasses.  Add blueberries and cut-up strawberries to the glasses.  In a separate bowl, mix equal amounts of thawed Cool Whip and lemon yogurt.  Top the berries and angel food cake with a generous dollop of the yogurt mixture.  This is a light and tasty dessert that’s perfect for hot summer days.

Tuesday ~ Blueberry whole-grain pancakes with reduced sugar syrup.

Wednesday ~ Strawberries dipped in the leftover Cool Whip/ lemon yogurt mixture for dessert.

Thursday ~ Raspberry and Blackberry yogurt parfait with granola for a healthy snack.  Because of the sweetness of the berries, you can use plain low-fat yogurt.

Friday ~ Berry Waffles for breakfast.  Toast two multi-grain waffles.  Top with enough low-fat vanilla yogurt to cover the top of the waffle.  Add walnuts, blueberries, and raspberries. Another variation of this recipe is what I call “Hawaii Waffles”: use macadamia nuts and pineapple instead of the walnuts and berries.  Both variations are delicious!

Saturday ~ Add your favorite fresh berries to your oatmeal or cereal.

Sunday ~ Raspberry and Peach Smoothie (recipe below)

Raspberry and Peach Smoothie (From RaspberryRecipes.net)

Ingredients List:

½ cup of Apple juice.
          ½ cup of Low fat vanilla yogurt.
          1 cup of Partially frozen sliced Peaches.
          ½ cup of Partially frozen raspberries.
          1 ½ cup of Ice chips.

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender.
          Blend until smooth.