[Snowdogs]

I'm not a fruit person, trying to become one - but up until recently I was lucky if I had a piece of fruit every few months.

Are there rules to freezing fruit? I'm mostly wondering about strawberries, raspberries and bananas. Just cut them up, or leave whole and throw in the freezer?

How about other fruits - are there others that freeze well - for use in the BC mixer.

Are frozen fruits you buy at the grocery store okay to use -or do you need to watch for salt etc?

[JerseyMadchen]

Yes! Good question, I have been wondering the same thing! I use frozen fruit all the time to make smoothies, and was curious too.

[Get n healthy]

Check the nutrition guide on the label to see about sodium and stuff is being added. If you are buying prefrozen.

(I love your snow dogs pic by the way, i LOVE huskeys).

If you are going to freeze fruit, to me, it works best if you freeze them on a cookie sheet, separated. Then put them in a bag together, so you can take out what you need for each meal/snack. If you freeze them all together in a bag, sometimes you cant get them back apart in single servings.

Some fruit suggestions, my dd loves to eat blueberries while they are frozen as a nice summer treat. But I am recently obsessed with a whole grain bagel, topped with whipped cream cheese then topped with fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries. I beg you to just try it, it is THE best, freshed start to a day.

[bizlawchik]

Frozen fruit that you buy in the store is perfect to use. It's picked and flash-frozen at the plant so a lot of times it contains even more nutrients than the fresh stuff you get at your stores. Just check to make sure that the only ingredient is that fruit. Salt is usually not added, nor are other preservatives, but you want to make sure you don't get fruit that is in heavy syrup.

Pre-LAWL I wasn't a fruit person either. But now I buy whatever is in season and I've found that I've come to love it. I love fresh pineapple, blueberries and cherries the most. I love fuji apples, but not McIntosh. Try different varieties of apples and pears. Try different citrus besides oranges. Try tangelos, tangerines, etc. One of the best things about fruit is that it's usually sold loose so you can buy just one of a bunch of things to try.

[Snowdogs]

Thanks Stacy - They're actually Malamutes :-) (Don't worry, most people don't even know of the breed, just Huskies) I'll try to get more pics up of them - otherwise you can visit my website (work in progress) - I'll put a link in my signature. I love showing off my kids ;-)

So can you freeze peaches?

Living in ND a lot of fruit is very seasonal - only for a few short months, and after that the stuff we get isn't always the best quality - as far as things other than apples, bananas.
So I'd like to be able to stock the freezer up before the end of the summer so I can have fruit smoothies all winter :-) It's an easy way to get in fruit for me.

Can you freeze apples? Anyone try using them in a smoothie????

We have an apple tree and raspberry bush at home.

[Jrny2aNewMe]

Peaches freeze very well. It is best to use the peaches while still frozen. If you prefer to let the thaw a little before use, it would be best to coat the peaches with something like Fruit Fresh, otherwise as they thaw they turn brown. I haven't tried it with apples, but I assume it would be very similar.

I freeze bananas all the time to use in my smoothies. I just peel them, break them in half and throw them in a zip loc bag then throw them in the freezer. They are very easy to break up frozen to put in the blender. I don't break them up ahead of time as if I leave it in 1/2 banana portions, I know exactly how much I'm getting.

Frozen grapes also make a nice refreshing mini-popsicle like treat - very yummy. However, you definitely have to eat them while they're still frozen as they turn kind of yucky when they thaw.

[mgresso]

I'll trade someone a veggie for a fruit! They're starting to take away my fruits! I keep asking if they'll let me trade and they keep telling me no!

[Snowdogs]

Guess what happens to frozen fruit when your fridge/freezer dies.....

Ours died yesterday - lost all my fresh & frozen fruit, veggies...
Bananas turn into brown mush, frozen berries & strawberries turn to mush... YUCK !

doG help me this week stay as close to plan as possible with out some of these things - i'm going out of town as well so I can't really buy a lot until we get a new fridge which may be 3-4 days.