I’m probably late, but I am SUPER excited about my discovery of frozen fruit! There’s nothing worse than purchasing a ton of fresh produce, only to visit your refrigerator several days later and see it all rotting away. Well, while picking up groceries today, I peeped a bag of Dole Brand frozen strawberries priced at $5.99. In spite of my excitement, I wavered a bit. I wondered if the nutritional value would be comparable to fresh produce or if the frozen stuff was garbage. Ultimately, I decided to pass and continued with my errands. The story doesn’t end here though!

Moments later, while leaving PetSmart, I remembered that there was a Dollar Tree nearby and decided to make a “quick” stop. Anyone who’s ever shopped at a Dollar Tree knows first hand that it is impossible to go into that store with tunnel vision and walk out only with the items that you originally intended on purchasing! Thankfully, I didn’t know why I was there so I was open-minded! After piling an unnecessary amount of stationary, household cleaners, and Easter cards into my cart, I stumbled upon the grocery aisle…and what do I see….frozen fruit! Strawberries, mixed berries, mangos, pineapples…the whole nine! And how much do you think each bag cost? $1.00! I was ecstatic–I mean who doesn’t love a good deal right? My concerns of nutritional value went straight out the window and I immediately began to stuff what I assumed was a week’s worth of smoothie ingredients into my cart. I’d do the research on benefits/detriments of consuming frozen fruit later.

Now I have a freezer full of affordable frozen fruit and I am happy to say that while some nutrients may be broken down during the freezing process, frozen fruit seems to be a great alternative to fresh fruit! Of course it isn’t the same as consuming fresh produce, but if you are on a budget and still want to have relatively healthy and easy breakfast and/or snack options, I personally think that this is a great way to go!

Check out the recipes below and let me know how things work out if you decide to try this out! To make life easy, you can always prep several days in advance. I will definitely let you know how it works out for me!

Smoothie (variety of flavors)

1/2 Cup of frozen fruit (personal preference)

2 Teaspoons of sugar (may substitute with honey)

1/2 Cup of milk/yogurt

1 Cup of ice

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth

Other Ways to Incorporate into Your Breakfast

For a delicious and nutritious breakfast, let thaw, and serve your choice of fruit over oatmeal or other favorite cereal, add to pancake or waffle batter, or stir into your yogurt.

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©joezettesjourney/Mar2017