This Week’s Menu: Summer Fruit

Posted on by Laura & Brett

One of the joys of summer is the abundance of fresh fruit options that are both available and (more) affordable. Melons, peaches, nectarines, apricots, berries and cherries show up at Costco, and even though we have to pay more for them, way more actually, than we ever did back on the mainland, the occasional indulgence is worth it for the sweet taste of summer.

We also buy quite a bit of frozen fruit at Costco – I am currently addicted to organic frozen dark sweet cherries and have a cup every evening. We also keep bags of organic blueberries, strawberries, and mango chunks in the freezer for having with cereal or yogurt, and replenish as needed. And then there are all the local fruits we can find at the farmers’ market: bananas, mangoes, papaya, dragon fruit, lychees, pineapples and other tropical fruits too numerous to list. It really is paradise here when it comes to fresh fruit.

So, can you guess what we’re eating a lot of these days for dessert and snacks?

Here’s what’s on the menu this week (with fruit every evening for dessert):

  • Tuesday (this evening): Spaghetti with meatballs; steamed artichokes; garlic bread (zoodles for me)
  • Wednesday: Grilled teriyaki chicken meatball, pineapple & green pepper skewers; rice pilaf (no rice for me)
  • Thursday: Slow cooker chicken adobo with bok choy; steamed rice (no rice for me) – this got bumped from last week
  • Friday: Grilled beef Polish sausages; fresh sauerkraut; corn on the cob
  • Saturday: Leftovers
  • Sunday: Deviled eggs; pickled beets; fresh vegetable platter; bread
  • Monday: Chili pork burritos; yellow rice; grilled zucchini (I’ll be having beans with chili pork sauce, and skipping the rice)

We’ll need to get zucchini, cucumbers,and  tomatoes at the farmers’ market as well as ginger, green onions, a papaya, and bananas. Fingers are crossed that there’ll be dragonfruit!

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Published by Laura & Brett

Slow traveling the world with a sense of adventure!

9 thoughts on “This Week’s Menu: Summer Fruit”

  1. I Wish I liked the fruit-chocolate combo because this – “organic frozen dark sweet cherries” – sounds delightful. I usually graze on a bit of trail mix in the evenings.

    Your menu sounds wonderful, especially the chili pork burritos.

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    1. The cherries don’t have any chocolate – they’re just frozen (pitted) cherries and totally delicious. I put them in a cup and then spear and eat them with a toothpick – they’re so refreshing here on a warm evening.

      Here is the recipe for chili pork burritos -it’s a family recipe and not published anywhere:

      1 pound lean pork chops
      1/4 cup flour
      salt & pepper
      one medium onion, sliced
      1 7-oz can diced green chilis (NOT jalapenos)
      1 8-0z can tomato sauce
      olive oil

      Cut pork chop into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Add salt & pepper to flour, place into a plastic bag, add pork pieces and shake to coat.

      Heat about 3 TBSP olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add onions and pork, and cook until onions are soft and pork is browned. There will be lots sticking to the pan, but keep it! Add the tomato sauce and 3 cans of water to the pan; stir to combine with pork & onions. Add the chilis. Bring sauce to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reduced by 1/3 to 1/2, and thickened (the stuff that was stuck in the pan will have loosened and helped thicken the sauce).

      To make the burritos, in a flour tortilla place some refried beans, a little grated cheese, and then top with a generous spoonful of the chili-pork sauce before rolling the burrito. After it’s rolled, cover the burrito with more sauce.

      Any leftover sauce is wonderful over rice, or over eggs.

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      1. Isn’t that funny how i interpreted “dark” as “dark chocolate”. Chocolate on the brain!

        Thx for the recipe. I look forward to making this. And i have a can of fire roasted green chilis. Can you imagine how spicy hot that would be if i used jalapeños? Caliente! 🙂

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  2. We love the summer fruit too. Aldis has been quite good this summer. I picked up 10 one pound plastic containers of strawberries yesterday for $1.25 pound. Most will be sliced and frozen. Cantaloupe have been 99 cents each. Also, fresh cherries were a bargain while they lasted. I like the Costco frozen fruit too, especially in the winter. You always have such wonderful and varied menus.

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    1. Thanks! I am very lucky that I have a family that enjoys eating a wide variety of foods. I don’t spend as much time in the kitchen as I used to, and try to keep the menus (and cooking) simple these days. I was lost a couple of weeks ago when I didn’t menu plan – that surprised me. I thought I’d be better at it by now ;-).

      I wish we had a cheap(er) source for summer fruit, but I’m happy we can get it at all here. I adore watermelon, honeydew, peaches, etc. but they’re only here for a very short time during the summer. We pay anywhere between $7 -$10 for a watermelon (that were $3 back on the mainland), and $13 for a flat of peaches (the same flat was $4 on the mainland). But, we pay just $3 for huge, RIPE pineapples from Maui year-round, so I can’t complain too much.

      The frozen fruit from Costco has been a lifesaver. Those big bags are expensive upfront, but they last a while, even if we’re eating from them every day.

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  3. Did you put that platter together? It is gorgeous! Reminds me of the fruit platters we put together at a restaurant I worked at. I need to grab a plum out of the fridge now that I’ve seen this.

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    1. I love most fruits with a couple of exceptions. There was a huge apricot tree in our backyard when I was little, and my mom canned them every year, but I do not like fresh apricots! Also, I used to love oranges and tangerines, but don’t care for them much these days – have no idea why. Otherwise, I love all fruit!

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