Day 63 -- Berry, Berry Good For You! - Part 2

My favorite time of the year isn't Christmas or Thanksgiving.  Or even the first warm days of summer.  My favorite time of the year is CHERRY TIME!  From the moment cherries first arrive in the grocery store at a reasonable price (under $4.00 a pound), I start eating them.  In large quantities.  And I don't stop until the prices drift back above $4.00 a pound.  Even then, I treat myself to a half pound.

Now, technically, cherries are not considered berries since they grow on a tree, not a bush.  But they're always in the berry section of the grocery store, so even if they are an interloper, I'm going to talk about them anyway.  It's my blog and what I say goes, right?  And I'm going to add a picture of Ranier cherries, which I recently discovered.  They are so incredibly delicious that just thinking about them makes my mouth water!  In fact, I love cherries so much that I planted a cherry tree in my back yard.  Unfortunately, the chipmunks and the birds take care of picking the fruit before I get a chance at it, but they let me sneak a few cherries every now and then.

Cherries don't just taste good, they're good for you!  Here are the top ten health benefits of eating cherries from an article on ingredientsinc.com .  I don't need ten benefits to eat cherries.  I eat them because they are the most perfectly delicious fruit in the world.  And that's my definition of a superfood!

Ten Great Health Benefits of Eating Cherries
1. Cherries, known as a “super-fruit”, are packed with antioxidants called anthocyanins which aid in the reduction of heart disease and cancer.
2. Cherries are one of the few food sources that contain melatonin, an antioxidant that helps regulate heart rhythms and the body’s sleep cycles.
3. Cherries are an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A). In fact they contain 19 times more beta carotene than blueberries and strawberries.
4. Cherries are rich in vitamins C, E, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber.
5. Cherries are referred to as “brain food”, aiding in brain health and in the prevention of memory loss.
6. Because cherries contain anthocyanins, they can reduce inflammation and symptoms of arthritis and gout.
7. Eating cherries reduces the risk of diabetes.
8. Cherries are a good source of fiber which is important for digestive health.
9. Cherries are a great snack or dessert choice important for weight-maintenance.
10. Because of their powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, cherries are said to reduce pain and joint soreness for runners and athletes after workouts.

To celebrate the cherry, check out this recipe for "ice cream" called Chocolate Cherry Ice Dream  from the Fat-Free Vegan blog site.  And this recipe includes greens!


Chocolate-Cherry Ice Dream

If you’re used to greens in your sweets, you can use kale leaves (ribs removed) instead of spinach, but if this is the first time you’ve added greens to a dessert, stick to spinach–you won’t know it’s there.

2 cups raw spinach leaves, loosely packed (optional)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
1 tablespoon ground chia seed
1 frozen banana, cut into several pieces
2 cups frozen, pitted unsweetened cherries
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
sweetener of choice, to taste (I used a little stevia)

Place ingredients into high-speed blender in the order listed (a food processor may work if you omit the spinach). Begin blending on low and gradually increase the speed until you’re on the highest setting. If your blender has a tamper, use it to push the fruit into the blades. (This will be loud, so don’t worry if it sounds like a jackhammer fighting with a chain saw.) Blend until smooth but don’t over-blend or the friction will melt your Ice Dream. If that happens, call it a smoothie and use a straw.