5 Quick and Easy Fruit Purees

Fruit purees can taste great, be easily prepared with the use of a blender or food processor, and provide visual appeal as well as good nutrition. They can also be beneficial at those times when you want a change or some variety in your daily snacks, or at times when you might not be able to chew or swallow well, due to a variety of reasons such as illness or surgery. Keep in mind, too, that besides fruits, almost any food can be pureed.

Not one to have time to fuss in the kitchen, I tend to create recipes that taste good but do not require a lot of time, ingredients, or efforts. This includes fruit puree recipes. Here are five simple recipes that you can try. Each provides two servings:

#1. Milk and Peaches Puree
1 cup frozen peaches, 2 cups milk

Combine ingredients, puree well, and serve.

#2. Yogurt And Blueberry Puree
6 tablespoons milk, 2 bananas, 8 ounces plain yogurt, 16-18 ounces blueberries

Combine ingredients, puree well, and serve.

#3. Banana And Ice Cream Puree
3 scoops vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup half and half, 2 tablespoons dry milk powder, 1 banana

Combine ingredients, puree well, and serve.

#4. Banana Yogurt Puree
2 medium bananas, 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons honey, 16 oz. plain yogurt, 8 tablespoons cottage cheese.

Combine ingredients in a blender, puree well, and serve.

#5 Tofu, Fruit, And Wheat Germ Puree
4 ounces firm tofu, 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, 3 and 1/2 tablespoons wheat germ , 1 banana

Combine ingredients in blender, puree until a fluffy texture is achieved, serve.
Note: This puree is good on toasted bread or crackers if chewing or swallowing is not a concern.

You can, of course, modify any of the above to meet your own particular needs. Decrease or increase the ingredient amounts if you need less or more than two servings. Decrease or increase the amounts of the individual ingredients listed to suit your own particular tastes and preferences. If you find that you enjoy the time you spend preparing these foods, you may wish to try different combinations and types of fruits as well as additions such as honey or a dash of spice here or there.

Keep in mind that we eat as much with our eyes as with our mouths. Try to make the food look as visually appealing as possible. Examples include placing food items in bowls and cups that are colorful and attractively shaped. Even the eating of the simplest food item becomes that much more of an enjoyable experience when it not only tastes good but looks good as well.