Hot Fruit Salad Recipe and A Little of This and A Little of That...

I have four days  off, in a row, this week. I've been looking forward to this time, this break in the action of working the overnight shift. This past work week was tough, with lots of things to get done at night and I was really looking forward to a break!

I must admit, I spent most of my first day off this week sleeping! I came home from work yesterday morning so exhausted that I was falling asleep sitting up at the computer. That means one thing.....I need sleep!

So, I got a good night's rest, which is good, BECAUSE......

Today, I'm gonna go to Pittsburgh with one of my closest friends to her doctor' appointment and just spend time hanging out together! LOVE it!

I haven't been doing as much baking lately, because of the heat. What can I say, making the house warmer just isn't my idea of fun! BUT I have been using my slow cooker/crockpot and have a new cookbook for slowcooker recipes! Very exciting stuff, honest!

The new addition to my collection is Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good with the American Diabetes Association. There are several people in my overall family who are diabetic and I was also diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes several years ago.

With Type 2 diabetes, your body is either not making enough insulin or is not using it well. A lot of people, some of the the triggers for Type 2 are being overweight (which I have been most of my life) and being sedentary (which when I was working in an office and then coming home and crashing, no exercise in between). So what I have been trying to do since that diagnosis is try to help my body use the insulin my body produces by losing weight and being more active. Sometimes, I am successful...sometimes, not!  

There's some confusion that sugar is a no-no. Actually sugar is just another carbohydrate to the body. It's this way: An equal serving of brownie and of a baked potato will raise your blood sugar the same amount. Part of the problem comes from when you consume it. If you wait and eat only at the end of the day, it will cause your blood sugar levels to rise. So eating healthy balanced meals is important, as it eating regularly.

I have to admit....eating regularly with my working the overnight shift is not an easy thing! So what I've tried to incorporate instead is eating healthier and finding ways to get more active.

Thus....yeah, I feel the cookbook was a blessing of sorts. I love to cook and bake and using my slow cooker, especially in the summer months, seems like a good addition to a plan to be healthier!

The first recipe I've done from the cookbook, oh, my....yummy!!!! It's called Hot Fruit Salad and here's the recipe (which was submitted by Sharon Miller from Holmesville, OH).

Hot Fruit Salad

1. Combine the following in slow cooker (ideal size for this recipe is a 5-quart cooker) and stir gently:

25-oz jar chunky unsweetened applesauce

21-oz can light cherry pie filling

20-oz can pineapple chunks, packed in juice

15 1/2-oz can sliced peaches, packed in juice

15 1/2-oz can apricot halves, packed in juice

11-oz can mandarin oranges, packed in juice

2. Combine:

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Brown sugar substitue to equal 1 Tbsp

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar combo over fruit mixture.

4. Cover and bake in slow cooker on LOW for 3-4 hours.

Makes 16 servings

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I tweak recipes to suit me. It's my way of being creative and making it my own. So here's the scoop on what I did when creating this deliciousness in bowl!

Instead of chunky applesauce, which I couldn't find anywhere, I used cinnamon applesauce instead and eliminated the cinnamon sugar mixture altogether.

I think the chunky applesauce would have made the mixture a little less....hmmm...runny? And I think the next time, I will use either apple pie filling or a can of fried apples instead to get the chunkiness/texture of the apples.

I couldn't find canned apricots either, and so, just left them out! I was going to dice up dried apricots and use those, but decided it would good even without them...and I was right!

And let me tell you! While this was delish hot and warm out of the crockpot, it's been even better (for me, in my humble opinion), cold! The cinnamon taste comes thru just great! I'll be doing this one again and again!

I'm so glad fresh fruit season is here.....I have been enjoying blueberries lately and grapes and strawberries....and I have a watermelon chilling in my fridge for later this week....yummo!

Another fave that I have done alot of lately is peppermint tea! And all I am doing is steeping 3-4 peppermint tea bags in a large jug of water and then removing the bags and adding Splenda to the mix. It is so refreshing cold, not to mention, downright relaxing! I don't know what it is, but sipping that ice cold peppermint tea relaxes me!

So, there ya go....A recipe and little of this and a little of that. Now, I am off to get ready to spend the day with one of my besties and enjoy the time off and away!

May you be blessed beyond measure today and always!

Sue