Fruit tarts always look so fresh, inviting, and totally mouth watering.  Every time I spot one in the bakery section, my mouth begins to water.

I was checking out Barbara Rolek’s post, and guess what….?  She posted her recipe for this dessert, which inspired me to finally try making it myself.

I made some minor changes to the original recipe, to accommodate my personal taste.

If you prefer your fruit in a daiquiri, or a smoothie, check out these posts.

I did not have the special tart pan she was referring to, so I used my favorite pie pan, and it worked out fine for me.

I used my mixer to mix all the ingredients, but it also can be done in a food processor.

Crust Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup nuts, ground fine (I used almonds).
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup butter, melted

Crust Directions:

1. In a large mixer bowl add nuts, sugar and flour.
2. Mix just enough to blend all together.
3. Add melted butter and mix for 1 minute, to incorporate the liquids with the dry mixture.  This will form wet crumbs.
4. Pack down this mixture into the bottom and sides of  your ungreased tart baking pan (or pie pan).
5. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
6. Bake in a preheated over at 350 degrees F, for 15-20 minutes.  I baked it for 20 minutes.  You need to watch carefully, to make sure the crust stays light in color, since the nuts in the mixture will tend to brown easily.

7.  Remove from the oven, leave it in the pan to cool completely.

8.  While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling, and get the fruits ready.

Filling Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 tsp. coconut extract
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 8 0z. whipped topping, thawed ( I used Kraft Cool Whip – shown above)

Directions for filling:

1. In a medium bowl, place the cream cheese, coconut extract, and powder (confectioner’s sugar), and mix for 30 seconds to incorporate all ingredients.
2. Fold in thawed whipped cream.
3. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
4. Once the tart crust has cooled, fill it with filling.
5. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
6. Keep it refrigerated for 2 hours, to let it set.

Fruit Topping:

• You may use any fruits you like.  (I used 13 blackberries, 12 strawberries, 6 raspberries (from my garden), 12 green grapes, 1 kiwi, and a 2 clementine sections, for a splash of color).
• 4 Tbs. apricot preserves
• 1 tsp. water
• 2 tsp. clear gelatin powder (Knox).  These are my modifications to the original recipe, since I used similar coating for the strawberries on my Cheesecake recipe.

Directions for Fruit Topping:

1. Wash the fruit, and pat dry.
2. Cut the kiwi to slices, or your favorite shape.
3. Cut the strawberries in half, or use whole ones if you wish.
4. I played with my fruit design on a dinner plate, until I came up with a final version to use on the tart.  This also makes it easier to decorate the tart, since you know how many fruit pieces you will need.
5. Set the fruits aside.
6. Dissolve the gelatin in water, add to the preserves.
7. Place it in a small saucepan, and heat until melted.
8. Cool slightly, until just warm, and easy to handle.
9. Dip the fruits, one by one, into this mixture to coat, and arrange on the top of the tart filling.  You may also arrange the fruit on the tart, then brush on the glaze mixture, using a pastry brush (less messy).
10. Repeat the process until all your fruits are used up, and the design is complete.

Doesn’t this tart look almost “too pretty” to eat??

Oh, I can’t wait to have a slice!

Keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.

Let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving, for easier cutting.

Enjoy!

TIP: Fruits can be expensive, but you don’t really use that many.  I had plenty left over to use in my breakfast cereal,

making smoothies, adding to my yogurt, or just to have it as a healthy snack.  Also, if want to save money, you

may buy fruits in season, like blueberries and strawberries, rather than blackberries and raspberries, which are

always kind of expensive, in comparison to other fruits.

The crust is quite firm, so you need a good knife to slice through it.

It has been a while since I shared some useful tips with you, from ecomii website, which I find very informative.

This one is about eating whole foods, rather than processed foods.

Please enjoy this tip.

Today’s tip: Eat Whole Foods Instead of Half Foods

What?
Boost your nutrition – and reduce food industry pollution – by eating whole foods whenever possible.

How?
Is it processed?  Labeled as “low-fat” or “enriched”?  If so, skip it, and look for pure food in its natural state.  Good examples are fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Why?
The food industry emits over 24 million tons of CO2, and a large part of that comes from processing and packaging food.  Plus,  whole foods are indisputably healthier.

Did You Know?

Whole grains can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 30%.

Strawberry season is in full swing now in my garden.  This year’s crop is quite abundant.

There are so many different ways to consume strawberries, such us serving it plain, sliced with whipped cream, baking a Strawberry Shortcake, making a berry smoothie, and also cooking a very refreshing summer dish – Strawberry Soup.

The recipe for the Polish Strawberry Soup has been posted by Barbara Rolek on her blog.

This weekend,  I prepared this dish  for my family, as it only took minutes to prepare.   It may be served as an appetizer, a refreshing drink any time, or with a dessert.

Barbara suggested serving it hot, or chilled, with pasta, however my family requested it chilled, without pasta.

I tried my strawberry soup warm, topped off with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream, and it was just perfect!

We also agreed that it would be great as a base for a cocktail drink (with rum or vodka), or as a salad dressing for an exotic salad of fresh spinach with mandarin orange segments, walnuts and strawberries, maybe with a dab of vinegar to add some tartness to it.

If you had the pleasure of tasting Strawberry Soup, or decide to try some of the above suggestions, we would love to hear your comments.

TIP:  Any leftover soup can be used to make Popsicles.   Great for kids and adults!!

The weather has been so cooperative lately, just perfect for gardening.

If you read my gardening posts last year, (you my check the links below this post) you already know that gardening is one of my fun ways of spending time outdoors, and enjoying nature.

Last year I showed you my new plant, “sorrel”, which is doing very well, as it is a perennial plant, but this year it decided to grow long stalks, full of buds for blooms, thus new seeds for future new plants.

Take a look how “stalky” these plants look like this year?  See the close up on the right, it really should never come to that point, unless you want it to bloom and produce seeds for next year’s new plants.  I chopped off all the hard, long stalks, very close to the ground and discarded them, as I do not wish to have any additional seeds, but rather nice fresh leaves to use in my dishes.

So if you also planted your sorrel plants last year, and did not have a chance to check on them this year yet, you will find them looking just like mine, and need to act quickly to clear it up.

This is the most beautiful time of the year, because my flower garden is continuously in bloom.

I finally found some time to work in my vegetable garden, and seeded some red beets, parsley, dill, cilantro,basil, spinach, cucumbers, green bean, sweet peas, and zucchini.

I also planted my seedlings of tomatoes, artichokes and red and green peppers.  This sounds like a large garden, but it actually is quite small, but this year I decided to plant cucumbers in planters next to my fence, as well as zucchini, since they took lots of room last year in my garden.

I make my own compost from the vegetable scraps from my kitchen, and realized that my potato peels, tomato and pepper seeds, sprouted into nice plants.  How exciting is that?

This spring I followed the gardening rule, and trimmed my raspberry bushes, and rose bushes.

I can’t believe how nicely they are growing now.   The raspberry bushes are full of buds, which means lots of upcoming raspberries, and the rose bushes are looking very vibrant and healthy, and full of buds ready to bloom.

I also have an English Walnut tree, and can’t wait until it starts bearing walnuts.

This walnut tree is only 4 years old, so I think I still have to wait a couple more years before it will start producing nuts.

Here I have a questions to my readers, as I have these two bushes, and do not know the name for this plant.

It is from Poland from my parents garden, and they called it “Bozy Drzewek”, so if anyone can recognize this bush, please let me know if these are found here in the US and what are they called?

Here you can see what this bush looks like, and then a close up of the type of foliage it consists of.  For winter, the greenery dries up after a frost hits it, and only the bare branches stay up through the winter.  But in spring it starts all over again with new foliage, which  is very soft, and fragrant.

So, if you recognize this plant, please leave me a message or send me an email, as what is the name of this plant and does it have any other uses besides being a nice, fragrant bush in my garden, which brings my thoughts back to my birthplace and my family.

photo credit: diekatrin

I already informed you about the Fat Smash Diet, introduced you to the book, posted the food list, and hopefully convinced you to join me, so we can have fun together.

So today is the BIG day, our first day of Detox, and as with anything else in life, first is always the most challenging.  It will get easier with each passing day, believe me, because you are building up your confidence, self control, and most of all, you begin to feel better and eat healthier.

I will not bore you with this every day, but today I will share my daily menu with you,  and I am looking forward to hear about yours.

I printed out my lists of Recommended and “DO NOT” foods, and posted it on my refrigerator.  My food shopping was done on Saturday, and on Sunday I jotted down my basic plan for my daily eating routine and a quick first day menu.

Since my morning starts at 5:15 AM everyday, Monday through Friday, my eating time might differ from yours.

6 AM- Breakfast

• 1 cup of cooked oatmeal with skim milk (please check out my Tip, below)
• 1 cup of OJ
• 1 slice of Low Fat cheese
• Multiple Vitamin
• Water

9 AM – Snack

• 15 grapes
• 4 saltine crackers
• Water

12 noon – Lunch

• Tossed salad with 1 Tbs. of light dressing
• 1 cup of Brown  Rice with sauted onions in 1 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper to taste
• Yogurt – Low fat
• Fresh Fruit
• Herbal Tea, no sugar (I do not like sugar substitutes)
• Water

3 PM – Snack

• 6 baby carrots
• 6 Almonds
• Water

6 PM – Dinner

• 1 cup Brown Rice with  1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
• Steamed vegetables, with pepper
• 1 cup Low Fat Milk
• Water

8 PM – Snack

• 1 cup herbal tea
• 3 saltine crackers
• Water

As you can see, my meal plan include 3 meals per day, plus 3 snacks.  This is more food than I normally would consume on daily basis.  The portions are the right size, plus the snacks in between, plus all the water I wish to drink, really is more than enough to keep me satisfied, and I never feel overly hungry.

It is very important to stick to the recommended and excluded foods in each session, watch your portions, and exercise at least 45 – 60 minutes per day.  I take a 10 minutes walk after eating lunch, then walk again for at least 30 minutes after dinner, and climb the stairs 3-4 times after my last snack for the day.  Since I try to go to bed by10 PM, sleep is also very important to  good health, I still have enough time to settle down and relax my body after the “stair master” workout.

I alter my weekend schedule just a bit, since my day starts with breakfast around 8 AM, so I move my first snack to 10 AM, then follow the rest of the schedule as is.  I also take my long walk after lunch, rather than in the evening, and I think of house cleaning, or gardening, as an additional exercise.  It is… don’t you agree?

I am very diligent about following my eating schedule, as this is very important for the system to get used to, and help the metabolism.

For menu variation, I may use two poached or cooked eggs, but I only eat the whites, or just have a smoothie (click here for a recipe – but  do not add whey during the detox program), which I would split between breakfast and snack.  I also love veggie burgers, and use them for lunch or dinner, plus Brown Rice, which I never used until I started this program, and now prefer it over the white rice.

Here is my own testimony about the results of the Detox Phase.

Two years ago I tried this program for the first time, and after completing the 9 days of Detox, I started the Phase Two, at which time someone at work had a birthday and shared a chocolate chip cookie withe me, which I thought was OK to have one cookie.  Well, I thought it was OK, but my system did not care for it, and I experienced a very uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.  It felt as if I ate several of them, and over indulged. My body’s reaction really surprised me, but and at the same time it felt great knowing that my system was cleansed, and reacted so suddenly to the sugar and the fat in that one cookie.  This is why I am trying this program again, after slacking off for about a year.

My next post, regarding this diet, will publish on the 9th day from today, and I will provide you with the food list for the Second Phase.  Until then, enjoy your healthy lifestyle!!

Tip: If you plan to cook your Oatmeal in a microwave, you need to keep an eye on it, so it does not over boil and really mess up you microwave (Ive been there and done that…not pretty).

Here is how I do it:

1. Heat up 1/2 cup of water in a bowl,  for 1 minute.
2. Add  quick oats (I like it thick, so I use about 5 tsp).
3. Mix it in well.
4. Microwave again for 30 seconds.
5. Mix it up.
6. Microwave for additional 30 seconds, and this time keep an eye on it, because you might have to stop it sooner to prevent any overflow.
7. Remove (be careful, as the bowl might be hot).
8. Add some low fat milk (1/2 cup).
9. Mix it in.
10. Add some fresh fruits.
11. Enjoy.
12. Make sure you only consume 1 cup of it.
13. Any left over,  I use it in a smoothie for my mid-morning snack).

Did you also notice that I have WATER listed in every meal/snack selection?

You want to drink as much water as you can, since it will not only keep you feeling full, if needed, but also help you flush out the toxins from your body much faster.  I try to drink 64 oz of water per day.

As I mentioned to you in my previous post about the Fat Smash Diet, there are 4 different Phases you go through during this program, and each phase has a list of suggested and excluded foods.

Some of the excluded foods in one phase are being introduced back into your diet in the next phase, so for ideal success, you need to follow these food suggestions, eat 3-4 smaller meals per day, follow the same eating schedule, and continue to  exercise.

Just think, this phase is only 9 days long….you can do it!!

It is so worth it.

Phase One –Detox

Suggested Foods:

( in daily maximum quantities)

• All fruits in any quantity.
• All vegetables in any quantity, except:
• No white potatoes
• No Avocados
• Good sources of protein:
• Chickpeas
• Beans
• Tofu
• Lentils
• Brown Rice -  2 cups of cooked rice
• Low-Fat or Skim milk, or Soy Milk – 2 cups
• Water – as much as you like
• Oatmeal – 1 cup
• All herbs and spices
• Low-fat Yogurt (no fruit on bottom) – 2, 6-oz cups per day
• Egg whites – 4
• Herbal tea – 2 cups
• Freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice – 1 cup
• Low-fat cheese – 1 ½ slice, or 1 Veggie Burger without bread
• Sugarless chewing gum
• Low-fat Mayo – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Butter – 1 tsp
• Mustard or Ketchup – 1Tbs
• Soy Sauce – 2Tbs
• Teriyaki Sauce – 2Tbs
• Sugar substitute – 1 tsp

Snacks:

(Choose one snack for the allotted snack period in your eating schedule)

• Low-fat yogurt dip  - 1/3 cup, and  2 cups raw vegetables
• Cashews – 10 pieces
• Low-fat Granola bar – 1
• Grapes – 15 pieces, and ½ cup of low-fat milk
• Plain Low-fat Yogurt – ½ cup
• Baby carrots – 1 ½ cup
• Almonds – 10-14 pieces
• Jell-O Smoothie snacks – 1 snack
• Popcorn, air popped – 3 cups- NO butter
• Saltine crackers – 7
• Medium banana – 1 frozen
• Sunflower seeds – 2 Tbs

EXCLUDED FOODS:

• Peanut butter/jelly
• White Rice
• Meat
• Fish
• Full-fat cheese
• Bread – all types
• Raisins
• Dried or preserved fruits
• Candy
• Ice cream
• Alcohol
• Soda – regular or diet
• Coffee and all coffee drinks
• Sports drinks
• Milkshakes
• Whole eggs or yolks
• Fried foods
• Fast food

If you are looking for a nutritious, refreshing, simple, and filling snack (or breakfast on the go), nothing beats this Berry Smoothie.   It takes only 5 minutes to prepare, and it is packed with multiple high-nutrient foods, which fill you up, and taste great.  This recipe makes two 8 oz servings and only 144 calories per serving.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup instant oatmeal (prepared with water or skim milk)
• ¾ cup organic skim milk
• ¾ cup mixed fresh or frozen berries
• 2 tsp. whey powder
• 3 ice cubes, crushed

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender, and beat, or frappe, for 5 minutes, and your smoothie is ready to enjoy.

Tip. For variation I use 2 tsp. of ground flax seeds instead of the whey powder (which I also like to add to my cereal, or oatmeal).  I also like to use 5.3 oz of Oikos Organic Fat Free Plain Yogurt in my smoothie, and use other fruit like banana, strawberry, peaches, or whatever fruit I have available on hand.