Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Best Selection of Fruits for Growing Teens and Kids

By livelifeandlove on October 24, 2019

One way to encourage a family member to eat fruits regularly is to buy some and store it in the refrigerator. Once they arrived earlier than expected especially during hot days,they go directly to the refrigerator and see something refreshing that will attract their taste buds, it would be tempting for them to take a bite of fresh cold fruits. Another way to make it easier for them to pick it up, make it readily available and ready to eat.

While it’s simply tempting to young kids and growing teens from buying junk foods, fruits make the best alternative for them, it is a good source of fiber, vitamins and natural compounds that helps the body to fight against diseases. For moms out there, when shopping food or planning family meals, vow to be organized, explain the nutritional value and make buying fruits a weekly habit. Be open to special requests, you ask your kids to make a list of their favorite fruits. It’s good to serve fresh fruits any meal of the day better than turning into unhealthy junks or fast food items.

Sliced fresh fruits with some selection. For the kids, it’s a choice of their favorites. Choices to choose from; kiwi, strawberry, dragon fruit, oranges, apples, grapes, avocados or any fresh fruits with the natural sweetness.

Shown here, our daily selection of fruits for good health and everyday freshness.There’s no substitute to self-prepared fresh fruits, it requires only 10 to 15 minutes of your time to serve these kind, just a short time preparation without cooking at all. What a handy effort to rush on. You may also want to add more ripe fruits and additional drops of Pineapple sauce, Yogurt, Ice cream, Cherry syrup and Sweet honey flavor is good too.

Have fun and enjoy eating fruits!

Thank you readers/ viewers for visiting my website! See you next posts!

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My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Creative Ways to Serve Fresh Strawberries

By livelifeandlove on August 2, 2019

Strawberries that are picked fresh have the best flavor. They also look perfectly ripe and moist with redness. Often, we only consider the fruit’s sweetness, which is significant, but many fruits have additional qualities as well; they may be sweet, scented, nutritious, colorful, and healthful. Strawberries have everything!

The nice kind of strawberries grown in La Trinidad, Benguet, were all planted in rows, a foot apart from one another. La Trinidad has good soil and a climate that is conducive to various types of crops. Strawberries are popular, and they are also my personal favourite.

At the La Trinidad strawberry farm, you can pick your own strawberries. Owners will guide strawberry pickers and charge 500 pesos per kilo. It is expensive when compared to the public market prices in Baguio City. Heavy farming and collecting takes place from March to April, when the fruits are abundant. The benefit of picking on your own is that you can feel the enthusiasm and fresh aroma surrounding you, which gets you even more enthusiastic. It’s worthwhile!

Strawberry fields of La Trinidad, Benguet

Growing in numerous rows, the strawberry field is a great illustration of a tidy environment. The white blossom that is visible here is the strawberry flower, which will shortly develop into a white fruit. Details: The fruit next to the blossom is not entirely white, rather it is partially red and white. Fruits are white while they are unripe, but they progressively turn red as they ripen. A strawberry can only be picked when it is completely ripe.

Freshly picked strawberries in a box

I’ve made a variety of arrangements with fresh strawberries, including the traditional grouping of strawberries, letters made out of strawberries, and heart-shaped strawberries on a platter. Here are some suggestions for serving it at the center table on a platter. Serving strawberries in the garden or backyard while having a barbecue outside is also a good idea when guests are present.

I made delicious fruit salads with these fruits, and they also look good when combined with other fresh fruits. Along with being a tasty dessert and a healthy snack, it works well in shakes, ice cream, jams, and jellies.

My Valentine masterpiece

I’ll show you an example of how to please your loved one on Valentine’s Day. This is a simple piece of art that features fresh strawberries as the centerpiece of the table. It is appropriate to serve strawberries on this special day because the red color and heart shape, as well as the sweet fragrance, represent love; it is similar to serving your love with these fragrant fruits.

Strawberry Valentine

This is a big Valentine party arrangement on the table.

Heart-shaped Strawberries

Lovely Strawberry Hearts

A heart-shaped arrangement strawberries on a platter.

Modern Ways to Serve Strawberries

Rounded Form or Circular-Shaped Strawberries

To create a circular form, it is best to choose the firm and the ripe ones.

Strawberry Robot

My illustration of a Red Robot using strawberries, this is a big strawberry robot. It’s just a funny arrangement of fruits.

Strawberry Alphabet

I’ve arranged strawberries using the letter M it represents the first letter of my name on a platter, you can create one for you too.

Strawberry Pink Sprinkles

Strawberries in a Cocktail Glass

Unequal-sized strawberries, the big one must always at the center. This kind of arrangement will create specific mood on the table.

The freshness inside, strawberry slices with other fruits.

Strawberry Cocktail Delights

I used a pristine white plate to highlight the red hue of the strawberries and show off new ideas for serving them on a platter.

Serving fresh strawberries on the table without removing the stalk, it serves as a holder as you eat and it would be easier to pick it up, that’s the natural way to hold a piece of strawberry.

Strawberry Fan

Strawberries with other fruits.

The trendy arrangement of strawberries.

This method of serving will highlight the freshness of the fruits.

One way to introduce strawberries as a visually appealing snack and dessert on the table.

Individual serving of fresh strawberries

You will enjoy the freshness in its natural state more if you pick your own strawberries and eat them with your hands. You can serve it fresh by simply washing it, leaving the stem and calyx intact to demonstrate freshness and to show the entire fruit. It’s just a ready-to-eat fresh fruit. You only need to pick, wash, and consume. I sincerely hope you will find ways to give this presentation a try at home.

Thank you for reading my blog!

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

How to Arrange Fresh Fruits in a Small Glass

By livelifeandlove on March 23, 2018

It’s an easy way to serve dessert or a pick-up healthy snack that’s refreshingly good and in addition, the simplest individual touch to catch your own mood. Here’s how to arrange all-time favorite fresh fruits in a small glass, Fruit medley on the table gives you the freedom to choose your best favorites as well, a few slices of Kiwi, fresh pineapples, red strawberries, green/red apples and pomelo as the best example of my favorites.

You can try-out mixing different kinds of fruits to enjoy the balance of sweetness and refreshing taste.The basic arrangement and good combination applies here, fruits on the served should be fresh, bright and not cluttered.Using the appropriate size and right glassware for individual serving, it looks elegantly clean and at the same time, it’s safe for your health better than the plastic containers. I’m avoiding using plastic containers at all cost. Check other fruit servings and arrangement next posts..

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Biggest and the Longest Avocado I’ve Ever Seen

By livelifeandlove on March 15, 2018

I haven’t seen a fruit like these before, it was exceptionally long and big avocado ! I was lucky to discover such a huge one. Awesome! It was shiny greenish skin, firm and hard fresh. When I bought it, it was still hard and green, it aren’t ripe yet. Day after, the color starts turning into a reddish one and the next day, it was already dark reddish and purple in color. That means, it was already perfectly ripe. However, some varieties when ripen stays the same in color but this one undergoes color changes.

Avocado is good when ripened on and off the tree. Ripening affect the flavor and texture so, it is good to eat when it is still firm and perfectly ripe. When underripe, it tastes bitter, however, when overripe, starts to become soft and the taste you might not like it. For a sweeter version, it is best eaten raw with honey and all purpose cream. Others, they like to eat it with a full cream chocolate milk. Other uses; avocado is good for snacks, salads, soup, sandwich, dressing and sauces.

Avocados nutrition facts is good. It is rich in potassium and vitamins. It is also very rich in fat and high in calories. My dietitian always reminds me of some benefits you can get with it and at the same time, it is bad to people with high cholesterol level and high blood pressure. You must also think of what you can get for the calories that counts also, just eat moderately to be safe.

Here’s the funny thing, I’ve measured it with a piece of foot rule, one foot in length or 12 in inches I’m curious, I want to find out how long?

Got 2 big avocados to measure. Amazing! You can see the foot rule here in between 2 avocados. The foot rule is by inches and centimeters. The measurement of one avocado is 12 inches in length while the other one is merely closer.

Viewing per piece, both avocados has tapered neck and this one is longer than the other one.

It was completely ripe inside, the color is just right, the flavor is perfectly great. The big size is just enough for the whole family to enjoy. Now, I want to prepare something using these fruits, there were many uses and what I have in mind is to make Avocado shake.

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Sinabalu / Piat Cagayan

By livelifeandlove on March 9, 2018

Sinabalu is a local specialty famous in Cagayan Valley especially in Piat and neighboring towns of Tuao and Rizal. Sinabalu is a staple of local cuisine; it’s made by roasting glutinous rice flavored with salt and coconut milk in a bamboo tube over a low fire while wrapped in banana leaves.The subtle flavor is wonderful and pairs perfectly with brewed coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. I’m confident that you’ll enjoy it because it has no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. When cooked over real wood charcoal, the aroma and flavor are at their peak.

Cagayan residents have spent generations perfecting their distinct regional cuisines and delicacies. Sinabalu and other local specialties like Pawa, Puto, and Patupat (all dekats fairly beginning with letter P), to name a few, are essential components of each Christmas, wake, fiesta, wedding, or other special holiday celebration. I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid, and not just for breakfast or midday snacks. Because I live in the city and don’t get to eat the same favorites all the time, I always look forward to my brother and his wife’s monthly visits, because they always bring some local specialties from Piat. A relaxing way to spend time with friends is over a cup of freshly brewed coffee and some Sinabalu slices.

The good quality you can buy it fresh in Piat Public Market first hour in the morning and food stall vendors near “Basilica Minore de Nuestra Senora de Piat Church” You can find the best Sinabalu in a reputable source from Barangay Accusilian, according to my relatives from Tuao, a 2nd class Municipality in the Province of Cagayan.

Both the traditional White Sinabalu and the more recent Brown Sinabalu are available, with the latter offering additional health benefits, particularly for diabetics, thanks to the use of brown glutinous rice in the cooking process. It has a very short shelf life and can only be frozen for 2 days before rapidly losing quality.

Visit my birthplace Piat Cagayan to taste all local specialties. I’m sure you’ll love it!

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

My Chopsticks-Special and Memorable Collection

By livelifeandlove on November 27, 2017

I’ve been keeping different kinds of chopsticks for quite sometime now. I know for sure that’s it’s not that valuable but it holds a memorable value, a very sentimental one that I will cherished forever. I inherited this chopsticks from late ancestors, we’ve been keeping it for centuries passing from hand-to hand and it has been in the family for generations. Some of it was more than a hundred years old, it is already a traced of history. Let me show you. Here are my beautiful chopsticks collection.

Everyone in Asia loves chopstick. Nowadays, It is already common to all. According to my grandmother, it was first introduced in China throughout the Ming Dynasty. What is chopstick anyway? How do you use it? I can just simply describe it as,” 2 small sticks use to pick up foods”. If you want to know more about chopsticks history here.

How to use

Hold the top stick like a pencil, a little above the middle, small end down. Grip loosely between the tips of index and middle finger; anchor gently with the thumb. Hands must be relaxed and flexible. Do not hold and pressed it too tight. Practice to move sticks few times till you get it.

Next slip lower stick into position. Rest it lightly in V-formed by your thumb and index finger and on the first joint of the ring finger. Resist temptation to watch the lower stick with the middle finger. Do not move the lower stick. Keep it still.

The most challenging to pick up is a whole peanut, it’s slippery and quite hard to hold but constant practice makes it perfect.

Beautifully prepared. We used chopsticks for most foods just like this. It’s the proper way and easy to pick-up foods using chopsticks and spoon for the soup. In using chopsticks, rice is usually served on a bowl. It would be easier per serving on a medium bowl, just like this.

A modern classic colored with a very unique design. A beautiful black/red bamboo inspired chopsticks. Engraved as an art of Southeast Asia.

See how beautiful it is!

A unique ceramic chopsticks. It’s a bit heavier compared with the traditional ones. This is durable and an attractive reward selection. It was a delicate art design , It’s my favorite.

This type of chopsticks reflects the style of old tradition. This piece was inspired by a late eighteenth century. It is made of fine wood, lighter in weight, and has its own box holder with a Chinese art design. I prefer to use the lighter ones for everyday use.

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Fruit Farm

By livelifeandlove on October 11, 2017

With so many kinds of fruit and vegetables to choose from; Kiwi, banana, strawberry, red watermelon, papaya and grapes. With a combination of different kinds, I’ve made the right selection suitable for my design to complement everything. Combining fruits and vegetables looks attractive with the striking effects even though, it was irregularly shaped forming all kinds in many shapes and sizes to a beautiful farm effect. All fruits was arranged and shaped according to today’s theme, full view of landscape farm on a plate .

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Fruit and Vegetable Art

By livelifeandlove on October 10, 2017

A lot of things that you can do while waiting for the food to be cooked. Tough foods like the beef ribs will cook longer and even takes more time than expected even though they may be sliced into the same sizes. Sometimes, the more foods you have to cook, the longer will it take for you to wait especially if you are not using pressure cooker.

Yesterday, while waiting for other foods, I’ve made myself busy by making something funny. It’s just a jolly ideas using fruits and vegetables, it is an art of creativity, it’s fun and enjoyable that will even make my hands and mind busy for a while. All pieces here is not difficult to make, it’s very easy and will only require a little time, attention and a bit of creative imagination. If you make use of your imagination to design any selections it will surely work it right for you and you’ll get it right in many forms and sizes.
Some pieces of creations was made of carrots, radishes, pumpkins, eggplant skins, red/green bell pepper, bananas, oranges, kiwis, green papayas, bitter melon and many more which also includes the stem, leaves and roots attached. Days ago, I’ve created some funny images such as; Penguins , Flower Garden, Beautiful Hula Dancers, Bicycle, Fashion Outfit, and the Zoo-Caged Salad. All my fruit and vegetable art looks stunning with the contrasting texture and colors.

My jolly creations using fruits and vegetables, it’s just a festive and funny ideas for the kids, the smaller is easy and enjoyable to make. While getting busy, you can even chat with friends around you and relax to have a good time creating it. I’ve used 3 different backgrounds; white and black, these plain colors will emphasized the neatness and brings out the full color as a whole. Let’s check the result!

Bicycle is made of only 3 different kinds; Kiwi, carrots and bitter melon.

Penguins is the funniest among my crafts.It i made of carrots, radish, eggplant and peppercorns for the eyes.

Fashion outfit for ladies is the most elegant and fashionable of all. Using pumpkin and seeds, red bell pepper skin and seeds, eggplant skin, carrots, papaya and chayote or christophene .

Hello Kitty fashion for the kids. (with white chopping board background)

Beautiful hula dancers is the cutest. Using papaya, radish, green/red bell peppers, peppercorns, eggplant skin and spring onion leaves for the grass background.

Flower garden is cool. It really looks like a real one.Using parsley leaves and stems for the whole plant,carrots,red bell pepper and eggplant skin for the flowers.

Reminders:
1. All fruits and vegetables must be fresh and must be in a cool room temperature.
2. Don’t forget to clean up later, always leave the table clean and spotless.Put all the things away as you finished and get ready for the next craft.

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