This is the perfect season for fresh citrus fruits and kiwifruit. These juicy pink, orange, yellow, and green gems are packed with nutrients. They’re great as snacks, of course, but have you thought of using fruits in other ways? Check out Eat Better America’s new Healthified recipes Mexican Chicken Tostadas and Fresh Citrus Chicken, and keep reading for even more great ideas to brighten up winter with fresh fruits.
Kiwifruit Kudos
These fuzzy fruits are actually giant gooseberries – eat one and get an excellent source of vitamin C. Kiwifruits also contain potassium, fiber, and lutein, a phytochemical believed to promote eye health.
The green-flesh variety is available year-round, but you may occasionally see gold and baby varieties at your supermarket. Select firm, unblemished fruits). A kiwifruit is ripe when it yields to gentle pressure from your finger. To ripen the fruit, leave it in a vented plastic bag at room temperature for a few days
Fast fact: Kiwifruit skin is edible. Just scrub and eat a kiwifruit whole for an extra dose of fiber.
Tips for use:
- Use peeled, diced kiwifruit to top a bowl of Total® cereal, Yoplait® yogurt, pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Check out our recipe Crunchy-Topped Strawberry-Kiwi Parfaits for inspiration.
- Decorate a winter fruit tart with kiwi slices.
- Stuff a sandwich with chicken-kiwi filling: Mix diced kiwifruit with cubed cooked chicken, walnuts, chopped celery, and light mayonnaise.
- Stir ½ cup diced kiwifruit into muffin batter.
- Don’t add fresh kiwi to gelatin – the fruit contains an enzyme that prevents gelatin from setting.
Sassy Citrus
Winter is primetime for citrus fruits. Squeeze more than oranges and grapefruits into your shopping cart – try fresh mandarin oranges or clementines (with fewer than 50 calories), one makes a sweet snack, sweet-tart tangelos, or giant sweet pummelos (like grapefruit).
Citrus provides vitamin C, fiber, and a healthy dose of the antioxidant lycopene that may help reduce risk of chronic disease. Select firm fruit that’s heavy for its size (a signal that it’s juicy), then store it at room temperature for one to two days or unwrapped in your refrigerator’s fruit drawer for one to two weeks.
Fast fact: Navel oranges have a “belly button” opposite the stem end. Some sources say the bigger the belly button, the sweeter the orange.
Tips for use:
- Top oatmeal with mandarin orange segments or chopped orange.
- Buzz up a smoothie with fresh-squeezed orange juice, Yoplait® yogurt, and Cascadian Farms® frozen fruit.
- Toss grapefruit sections into a green salad.
- Top grilled fish with citrus salsa: Mix chopped orange or grapefruit with minced red onion, minced jalapeño pepper, chopped cilantro, and lime juice.
- Check out Eat Better America for more citrus recipes Citrus Fruit Bowl, Apple-Grapefruit Salad, Spiced Mixed Greens with Fruit