How to Freeze Peaches Naturally

I have enjoyed a wonderful natural treat this week. I bought a couple boxes of the most delicious peaches they were firm, and yet were amazingly sweet. I have eaten more than one some days. They are the kind that are dripping with juice when you bite into them.  I want them to stay the way they are so that I can just have them to eat each day. Unfortunately we are not able to freeze time, but we can freeze fruit,  and try to capture the flavor. This is a wonderful way to do that with keeping them as natural as possible. I have been known to freeze a lot of peaches through the years and this is the best process and easiest process I have found. I got this idea from the peach grower himself. This keeps them from turning brown too. Yes!
 

The peaches after they have been frozen.

Ingredients

 2 C fresh pure orange juice (no sugar added)
peaches

Directions

1. First wash the fruit and then peel or leave the peel on the peaches. Slice in thin slices.
2. Place in orange juice. Let them sit as you continue to slice more. They should be completely covered in the juice. They should be in the juice at least a few minutes.
2. Lift up the peaches and let the juice drain off. Place on cookie sheets and place in freezer. Falsh freeze. Take out once they have frozen.
3. Scoop into ziplock bags and place them back in the freezer. It is that easy and now they are ready to enjoy. You can capture the flavor.

Caramelized Peaches with Toasted Quinoa

 So it is a great time to enjoy fresh peaches. I buy frozen peaches all year long, but nothing captures the flavor of a fresh peach if it is ripe. This is a fun way to incorporate peaches into your breakfast.

Toasted Quinoa

Ingredients

1 C washed quinoa Bob Red Mill
2 T coconut oil
1 C almond milk
1 C water
2 T honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
caramelized peaches
almond milk


Directions  Serves 4

1. Pour washed quinoa and oil into a sauce pan. Turn on to medium heat and stir and toast the quinoa until a light golden. 

2. Pour in the milk, water and honey and cinnamon. Stir until all combined. Bring mixture to a low boil. Turn down the heat and cook on low about 20-30 min. The mixture will be thick and the quinoa will be cooked. 

3. Take off the heat and serve. Top with some additional almond milk and caramelized peaches.

Caramelized Peaches

Ingredients

4 peaches sliced thin

3 T honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamon *optional

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat a small skillet on medium heat.  Put all the ingredients into the skillet and heat until it thickens to your desired thickness. It will take a couple minutes. Pour on top of the cereal. 

They would also taste great eaten with just almond milk too. 

 

Peach Quinoa Smoothie

This  is delicious and great for a quick breakfast or a yummy snack. The flavors combination is perfect. It was a refreshing treat.


Ingredients

1 C almond milk or milk of your choice
1 C frozen peaches
2 frozen bananas
1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 C cooked quinoa

Directions   Serve 1-2

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender and blend until all smooth.
2. Serve right away.

Baked Peach Cobbler Wedges

 So I did a spin off of this yummy recipe. Since peach season is upon us this is a great time to make this recipe.  Great after school snack. They tasted so good with some Greek coconut yogurt. They would also be yummy alone or with cream. They would make a great breakfast, snack, or dessert. Yum!

1 large egg beaten 

 1 T. almond milk

3 T coconut sugar or brown sugar

1/2 C. Old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 C quinoa washed and dried (not cooked)

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground ginger

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cloves

1/4 C. cashew pieces

2-3 ripe peaches but firm

Directions  Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Beat eggs and milk together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put all the dry ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until there are just small crumbs. Put in small bowl. 

2. Peel the peaches and cut them into large wedges so they are about 1 inch thick. Dip them into the egg mixture and then roll them in the crumb mixture. Place them on a pan.

3. Bake about 30-35 minutes or until fork tender, not mushy.

4. Serve with Greek yogurt, with cream, or alone. 

Try these yummy apple wedges too. 

Guilt Free Peach Ice Cream (No added sugar)

 So it is that wonderful time of year when peaches are in season. They taste wonderful in ice cream. I came up with a guilt free peach ice cream. I work hard exercising and I am sure you do too. So this is a great way to enjoy peach ice cream with out sacrificing the flavor. Yum! So easy to make.

Ingredients

1 C frozen peaches

1 frozen banana chopped up

2 T plain greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla *optional

Optional cut up fresh peach

Directions  serves 1 or 2

1. Place peaches, banana, yogurt, and vanilla  in the blender. Stir and blend until creamy.

2. Scoop into dish and fold in fresh cut up peaches if desired.  

Wonderful refreshing treat. 

Amaranth and Oatmeal Hot Cereal with Peaches

Amaranth and Oatmeal

 I woke up to snow this morning. It hasn't melted over the grass for several weeks. We just haven't had new snow lately. It is one of those days it is nice to be home for. I enjoy snow more when I look out my window and am in my nice warm home as opposed to driving in it. 

So it was a nice day to have a nice bowl of hot cereal. It sends warmth and goodness through my body. I love throwing some fruit on top as well. The nutmeg and cinnamon were a nice addition. I have found that if I make a large amount I can store the leftovers in the fridge and it is ready to go in the morning. For a quick breakfast.  

Ingredients

3 C water
1 1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal 
1/4 C amaranth (You could toast it ahead for extra flavor)
frozen peaches (thawed)
cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg (grated on top with a zester or powdered spices)
1/2 tsp honey (if desired per bowl)
almond milk  (poured over on top)

Directions

1. Boil the water on high heat.
2. Stir in the oatemeal and amranth while water is boiling. Let it boil a couple of minutes. Turn down the heat to low. Place the lid on top. Cook until it reaches your desired consistency. In about 5 to 10 min.
3. Put on your favorite toppings.  Enjoy a great way to start your day. Store the remainder in an airtight container.

Creamy Peach Pie Smoothie

I hope you had a nice Halloween. We had over 100 trick or tr-eaters so it was a big night. I have given out microwave popcorn packets the last 2 years. They are a big hit with almost all of the kids. It is something different. I got the idea from someone else and I have enjoyed it.

I was pleasantly surprised when I went to Sprouts this week and they had fresh peaches. They didn't have a lot. They were $1.49 a lb. It was a fun splurge. They didn't taste like the ones at the end of Summer, but they were still very enjoyable. It made me feel a little bit of Summer in my mind. :) Simple pleasures in life are good. It is wonderful that we can enjoy peaches all year with the blessing of frozen peaches. So I thought it would be fun to make a peach smoothie, and this is what I came up with. You could add some spinach or oatmeal to make it even healthier. Have a peaceful weekend.     

Ingredients

3/4 C nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3/4 C 1 percent milk
1 1/2 C frozen peach slices
2 T honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of fresh nutmeg or dry nutmeg
dash of ginger
1 tsp of vanilla or 1/2 tsp of almond extract would be fun 
optional healthy additions: 1 C fresh spinach or 1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal    

Directions  (Serves 1 to 2)

1. Pour all the ingredients in the blender and blend until nice and creamy. Enjoy!

Raspberry Peach Banana Smoothie (no sugar added).

It is warm around here. I am not going to complain because I love when the sun comes out and there is blue sky. It is fun to find ways to cool off. I have been enjoying the lake and sticking my feet in the river. I love water. It is so fun to enjoy the different activities of Summer. What are you doing to make it a great Summer.

This is another way to cool off by enjoying a smoothie and keeping it light at the same time. Frozen Fruit is a must in a smoothie if you want it nice and thick. :)

Ingredients

1 C almond milk
1 Cup  Sliced frozen peaches
1 C frozen raspberries
1 frozen banana
juice from 1/2 a lime
*If you want to make it green add a handful of spinach

Directions:
1. Pour in the milk first and then add the rest. Blend until smooth. 
* I couldn't leave out the raspberries. :)

Green Peaches and Cream Banana Smoothie

Peaches! :)

Green Peaches Cream Banana Smoothie

It is peaches time again Yeah! I have been finding some really sweet ones already. They are smaller, but they taste wonderful. I mixed up this green smoothie with them. The riper the peaches the better the smoothie will taste. It is a great way to get in a serving of fruits and vegetables. :)

Ingredients:
1 C milk of your choice
1 C plain low fat yogurt
4-5 small peaches pitted and chopped up
1/4 tsp of vanilla
10 ice cubes
1 frozen banana
1/2 T of honey * optional
10 ice cubes
1 C spinach

Directions: Makes 2-3 servings
1. Blend in all the ingredients at the same time, until it is blended smooth. Serve!

Oatmeal with Peaches and Almond Milk (Yum!!)

Peaches are a yummy fruit. I had some and kept thinking they would be wonderful with my oatmeal. So I put them to the test and tried them. They passed with flying colors. The nutmeg adds an extra nice touch as well. I love nutmeg! It would be wonderful to have fresh peaches all year. Canned peaches don't tastes the same. It is a wonderful way to start your morning. :)

Ingredients:
2/3 C old fashioned oatmeal
2 C water
1 T coconut oil (Makes it creamier.)* optional
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg grated or 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 to 2 T honey
1 peach peeled and sliced in thin slices
1/2 C almond milk
nutmeg and cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Directions: serves 2
1. Boil water, then stir in oatmeal, oil, nutmeg, cinnamon. Boil a couple minutes.

2. Turn down the heat let boil a couple more minutes, until it reaches the desired consistency.

3. Take off the heat. Serve into 2 bowls and then pour on the almond milk. Then top with cut peaches and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Yum!