5 Creative Ways to Add More Fruit to Your Diet

Get Creative with Fruit

There are so many amazing reasons we should be eating more fruit. Fruit is an amazing source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, all of which protect us against heart disease, diabetes, stroke, even some types of cancer.

Since fruit is also absolutely delicious, there’s really no reason to not get in at least the daily recommended serving. Whether it’s part of a meal, served with dessert, or a snack all by itself, there are so many ways to enjoy fruit, but sometimes it can be hard to think of new ideas.

That’s where we come in! Here at Stemilt, we grow so many varieties of this incredible superfood. We’re constantly snacking on cherries, developing recipes with apples, and dreaming up cocktails with our bounties of peaches. We have so many ideas for you and recipes ready to go on our website so you can get all the fruit into your diet and never get bored relying on the same old things.

Here are a few creative ways to add fruit to your diet!

Salads and Slaws

Fruit makes a delicious addition to your fresh veggies! Some fruits, like dried cranberries, may seem more common or obvious than others, but we encourage you to get creative here. Any fruit (we mean it: any!) is perfect in a salad or slaw.

Apples add crunch to salads and slaws. Cut them into slices, dices, or matchsticks for different effects. Try them in this Apple Cabbage Cauliflower Crunch Salad!

Cherries can be pitted and chopped for a tart burst of sweetness and they’re also delicious as part of a salad dressing.

Peaches and pears offer a lovely, light sweetness. We love these two in a salad with cheese! If using peaches, try mozzarella or burrata. If using pears, try gorgonzola or brie.

Smoothies

You might be used to adding frozen fruit, like berries and pineapple, to your smoothies, but fresh fruit is also delicious. Think peaches and cream, apple ginger cinnamon, and so much more!

In fact, if you find you maybe let that peach sit on the counter a little too long or an apple has seen better days, as long as it’s not moldy or rotting, don’t throw it out! Making a smoothie with these fruits is another creative way to add fruit to your diet.

To get you started, try our Pear Almond Milk Ice Smoothie. It’s simple, icy, and delicious: you’re going to love it.

Grilled Fruit

Have you grilled fruit before? We bet not! Veggies aren’t the only produce that deserve a spot on your grill grates. Grilling fruit is so simple. Simply brush slices with butter and place directly on the grill grates over medium heat. Grill until browned!

We recommend reserving this method for heartier fruits that won’t fall apart easily: apples, pears and peaches that aren’t too ripe, pineapples, etc.

Now you might be wondering: how would I use grilled fruit? Add it to those salads you’re going to be making more of, put them on a cheese plate, or, our favorite, use them as the world’s best ice cream topper with a little drizzle of caramel sauce.

Fruit Salsas

Fruit salsas are a fun twist on the classic dip. There are many ways to approach this: they can be on the sweeter side with sweeter things to dip in them, like cinnamon sugar chips, or as an addition to a more traditional salsa served with tortilla chips, like this Green Apple Salsa.

Fruit like apples offer a great crunch and little bit of tartness to salsas, while peaches and pears give them a good hit of sweetness. Cherries are excellent, too!

Fruit salsas also make a great sauce for meat and fish. In fact, if you’re grilling, grill the fruit along with your protein before adding it to the salsa for even greater depth of flavor!

Marinades and Sauces

Speaking of pairing fruit and protein, fruit is a great addition to marinades and salsas. It can serve as a replacement for other sweeteners or be a source of acid.

Cherries are great with chicken, fish, and pork. Try apples with pork and chicken. Pears are often used in marinades in Korean recipes for beef and are delicious with chicken, too. There’s nothing like peaches with grilled meats, like chicken, pork, and even fish! Try it all and see which pairings you like best.

This Apple Cranberry Sauce is a great place to start. Serve it with pork chops and use leftovers as a topper for your breakfast the next morning, like oatmeal or pancakes!

Ready to Get Creative?

Check out the video below for some inspiration on creative ways to add more fruit to your diet!