Cherries & more cherries..what to do with them?

[Katie]

We have a bounty of cherries in our freezer. These are delicious, organic Ranier cherries. I didn't have time to deal with them when we received them, so they were tossed in the freezer. Some have been pitted, others have been frozen pit and all.

Any suggestions? I'm open to just about anything. If you can include actual recipes, that would be wonderful. We need to get through nearly 20 pounds of them.

Thanks so much!

[Mom2boys]

ahem! You could ship some to me! How about cherry smoothies or make the cherry smoothies and then freeze them in popsicle molds and eat them that way. The first thing that enters your stomach in the morning should be fruit, so start making those breakfast smoothies. Let me think some more on it. Do you need a smoothie recipe? That's a great way to use the coconut cream concentrate too. Did you ever use that?

[Katie]

The coconut cream is in my cupboard...waiting for me to figure out what to do with it.

Ahh, smoothies...I confess I haven't dabbled with them. I'd love a basic recipe when you have time, no rush. In the meantime, I'm going to check in one of my SG cookbooks. I think dh & the girls would LOVE cherry smoothy popsicles.

Learning opportunity for me! Why do we want fruit first in the morning?

If you were closer, I would definitely share the cherries!

[Mom2boys]

You want fruit first in the morning because it is alkaline. Protein is acid. You want 75 percent of your diet to be fruits and veggies so that you can digest the 25% acid protein. Fruits are high in natural sodium , so you always fill your tank with those first. I'm going to go into it more under alkaline/acid balance.

Smoothie recipe

1 cup yogurt (preferably raw milk or goat)
2T ground flax
1 T ground bee pollen (high source of potassium)
1 banana
additional fruit to desired consistency
fruit juice or water
2 T coconut cream concentrate (great source of lauric acid)
2T whey protein

whiz together and add juice or water until desired consistency.

I use strawberries, but you could use cherries easily.

[Judy]

Katie
I would love some cherries here too....

Judy ;D

[Katie]

Ladies,

I highly recommend Ranier cherries if you can get your hands on them. Ours were given to us by some friends that run sort of a health food/co-op type store. So sweet, absolutely luscious!

[flboysmom]

::)I thought you said cherrios!!! ;D ....and then couldn't figure out the smoothie idea, duh!

[Katie]

Cherries - Cheerios.....it's kind of like asking about hybrids!

[Paula]

Okay, Tina, where in the world do you find raw or goat yogurt, bee pollen, coconut cream concentrate, and whey protein? You're speaking way out of my league.

We're fixing to get a brand new big health food store here (replacing the little hole-in-the-wall behind the hospital that you needed a map to find) and I'm really looking forward to it. I know it's expensive, though. Are the above things available from a co-op for a cheaper price? If so, do you have to get them in bulk?

Ozark delivers here to our homeschool group, but I'm such a novice. I guess I can just do some research around here and ask a few questions.

Thanks for your help!

P.S. Katie, do you still have cherries?

[Mom2boys]

I make my own yogurt Paula You can do it with a mason jar and a heating pad and it's much cheaper than buying it. I use raw cow's milk. You would have to find out if you can buy that in your area. Here in Florida, it's for pet consumption only, but we get it anyway ;D

I buy the bee pollen through our honey co-op. I get a 1 lb bag for $10. You can get it through Ozark. Try to find a local bee keeper and you may get it cheaper and you will definitely get more benefits.

Call Katie and get her coconut cream concentrate since it's just hanging out in her cupboard! Seriously you can order it from www.tropicaltraditions.com .

You can get whey protein from the health food store in the protein powder area. Read the label and make sure that there's no aspartame or MSG in it. If it says artificial or natural flavorings, it's most likely MSG.

I think I answered all of your questions. Let me know how you like your smoothies. Don't forget the flax seed. It will help take out the trash ;D