That's Fit

We know that colorful foods are best; color provides a variety of nutrients our body needs. And let's face it -- it's much more fun for our taste buds that plain old potatoes and other white foods.

How about some refreshing summer cooler drinks that will give us a fair amount of nutrition, too? Whole Foods Market has some creative recipes that will enhance your seasonal fun.

Let's start with the green Minted Lime Freeze. If you love mojitos, this is a fabulous, frozen, non-alcoholic version of that fun drink. Fresh-squeezed lime juice provides vitamin C and the mint leaves are your leafy greens.

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was fill up the ice cube trays with dubious concoctions of fruit juice and soda and Kool-Aid. I always stuck in a toothpick as a handle, but it never worked. I'd end up digging the "popsicles" out of the tray, holding them, and making a mess all over the place.

But, if you get a freezer pop tray and use a healthier recipe than I did, making your own freezer treats can be a fun activity with your kids... with delicious results! Self Magazine shares some tasty options for freezer pops Ginger-Citrus pops, Mexican Chocolate Pops, Minty Grape Pops, Strawberry-Sunflower Pops, and Wildberry Pops. My son and I have already tried the Minty Grape Pops and they're delicious. I'm planning to try to Mexican Chocolate variety soon, too.

Also, be sure to check out Jacki's Tropical Fruit Pops recipe.

One of the best parts about summer is all the fresh fruit that comes into season -- not only does it taste so much better when it didn't have to get shipped across the world but freshly ripened fruit is also full of much more in the way of nutrients, enzymes, and other health benefits. And although pretty much all fruits are good for you in one way or another, here are a few you'll want to make sure you incorporate as much as possible into your summer diet:

Something wonderful happened a couple of weeks ago at my supermarket: Fresh, ripe strawberries started appearing on the shelves, and my fridge has been full of them ever since. That's right -- it's strawberry season. I'm crazy about berries of all kinds, and strawberries are my favourite. Thankfully, my body loves them too -- they're low in calories and high in nutrients and antioxidants.

Me, I eat my strawberries au naturel -- I slice them, put them in a small Tupperware container, tote them with me to the office and munch on them all day long. But if this doesn't float your boat, here are some other ways to enjoy them:

• Add them to your morning cereal
  
• Throw a handful in a protein smoothie
• Stir some into a bowl of plain yogurt, and add just a little bit of honey for sweetness -- and some granola too if you like.
  
• Throw some in your salad
• Slice and serve with some fine cheeses
• Entertaining? Top slices of angel food cake with them -- and maybe a bit of whipped cream if you're feeling indulgent

Got any ideas you'd like to share?

I took my boys strawberry picking on Friday. We go every year. Each time, the experience gets better. When my guys were toddlers, it was a pretty daunting excursion -- think wobbly steps, sunscreen, smashed berries, dirty clothing, whining, crying, and more. Still, it was worth the headache. The sight of little fingers manipulating the fruit of the Earth was beautiful. It still is -- the fingers are just bigger and more skilled at their work. The steps are solid and purposeful. Few berries are sacrificed. And whining and crying are non-existent. The sunscreen and dirty clothing are still issues we contend with but are never a deal breaker.

Seven-year-old Joey and four-year-old Danny were in heaven walking the strawberry fields the other day. Armed with their very own buckets, they plucked perfect red berries, one by one, from the ground. "Look at this one," they'd exclaim, comparing their finds with one another. They were amazed by every strawberry they dropped in their buckets and kept picking until they could hold no more. They yielded way too many berries but I just couldn't make them stop. Happy boys, marveling at nature while collecting nutritious food, are just too hard to come by. I let them go overboard. The loved it.

Twenty-four dollars worth of strawberries sit in our kitchen. We've already made a pretty good dent in our supply, and we've delivered a few berry bags to some neighbors. Blueberries will be our next conquest. I can't wait.

Have you ever gone picking? If not and you'd like too -- I highly recommend it -- just visit www.pickyourown.org and you're sure to find some farms in your area.

Spring is here and I, for one, am glad. I mentioned to my mother the other day that I had bought a box of individually flash-frozen asparagus spears and they were really good. I told her I'd pick a box up for her. Her reply was "They sound great... but I'll buy fresh for now." And she's right! Asparagus is just one of the delicious, healthy foods that abound in spring. Depending on where you live, other delicious seasonal treats include Swiss chard, peas, strawberries, rhubarb, avocado, watermelon, apricots, spinach, Romaine lettuce, and basil.

Buying food in season not only ensures you're getting the freshest produce available, it's also good for the environment. Buying local food supports the farmers in your own community and reduces the distance food has to travel from the farm to your plate. Visit a farmer's market this spring and see what produce is in season!

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Emma

Age: 17

Occupation: Administrator

How often do you exercise? Around 60 minutes a day.

What type of exercise do you do? Jogging, walking and sit ups.

I always find it easier to work the daily recommendation of 7 to 8 servings of fruit and vegetables into my meals during the summer. All sorts of fresh produce is in season at that time of year making it pretty simple to include a variety of fruits and veggies into meals or just as a quick snack.

Now that winter is approaching, it's a bit more difficult to incorporate tasty produce into your diet each day. Strawberries are one fruit that I love which can usually be found at the supermarket all year round. The superfood is great for you as it's full of fiber, folate, vitamin C and antioxidants, which look after your heart and help protect against cancer, among other benefits.

If you'd like to incorporate more of the ripe, red berry into your meals, why not try some of the strawberry-enhanced meal suggestions offered here. For breakfast you can enjoy an English muffin topped with low-fat cream cheese and fresh, sliced strawberries, add strawberries to your favorite salad at lunch and enjoy chicken, vegetable and strawberry kebabs at dinner.

Nothing says 'Thanksgiving' like turkey and -- strawberries? Sounds a bit funny doesn't it? But I suppose if cranberry sauce compliments the holiday's traditional bird, then why shouldn't strawberry sauce make sense?

The first holiday of the season is rapidly approaching (it's this Monday in Canada and a mere few weeks away for the States) so if you're looking for a few new ideas to make your Thanksgiving-day meal a bit different or more exciting, why not give this recipe for Holiday Strawberry Cranberry Sauce a try?

The best bit about the sauce is that you get all of the health benefits of the cranberry with the additional goodness of strawberries, which are full of antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese and much more. Sounds like a worthwhile change to me.

Our football tailgate parties have taken a turn toward health. Long gone are the grilled sausages, chips, dips, cookies, and brownies. Out with the crap. In with the good -- and good for you too.

Check this out -- a recipe for a strawberry pie we've now served twice to our Gator friends and family. It's been met with rave reviews, and some are even duplicating this fruity treat at home. Want give it a try? If so, here's what you've got to do:

• Make or buy a 9" pie shell
• Grab two boxes of sugar-free strawberry jello
  
• Prep three cups of water
• Measure three rounded Tablespoons of corn starch -- leave this out and I bet you'll be just fine
• Cut up two pounds of fresh strawberries

• Then bake the pie shell and let cool
• Dump into large saucepan your water, cornstarch, and jello
• Cook this mixture, while stirring constantly, until it boils
• Cook for one more minute and cool to room temperature
• Add strawberries to sauce and pour contents into pie shell
• Refrigerate for two hours or overnight
• Serve and eat -- with a little fat-free Kool Whip if you dare

If strawberries aren't your fruit of choice, be creative. Make it a peach pie, a pear pie, a banana pie. Just match your fruit to an appropriate sugar-free jello and you'll be on your way to one healthy pie. No lie.

I don't know many people who don't eat more salads during the summer -- you have to pretty much hate them to completely avoid them this time of year. So as long as you're having salads, and especially if you love them like I do, you might as well make them colorful!

Of course bright fruits and vegetables generally have more antioxidants and necessary nutrients, not to mention throwing some extra fresh items on your salad will both help you feel fuller (so you're less likely to indulge on unhealthy snacks later) and get your daily servings in of fruits and vegetables. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

Looking for a great recipe? There are literally millions out there, but this Spinach and Strawberry Salad from Whole Foods looks awesome!

Most of us have some kind of birthmark somewhere (whether it's a tiny freckle or big "strawberry patch") and obviously most birthmarks are totally harmless. If anything, they give us character! But it's good to know the different kinds of skin discolorations because there are a few that aren't so harmless, and can signal a more serious underlying issue.

The most common potentially dangerous "birthmark" would be the mole, which looks like a raised freckle. Usually harmless, they just need to be watched closely for any changes in case they're developing into skin cancer. Other dangerous skin indicators are bluish puffy birthmarks (cavernous hemangiomas) because they can indicate vascular problems, and having several light tan marks called "cafe-au-lait spots" could signify neurofibromatosis -- a genetic tendency to develop skin tumors. And, according the article, that's it! The rest of the them are just there for looks.