Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Whipped Cream Fruit Salad

I love this salad now, and I loved it when I was a kid! My brother was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 3 (I was 6), so we didn't get to eat sweet stuff! And my parents are from the midwest, so when we visited our extended families, there was always a picnic! And always, always, someone would bring Ambrosia, the sweet salad with marshmallows, jello, and canned fruit! I'm sure there's other stuff in it, but I never got to eat it, either, so I don't know! (My mother fed us only what Mark could eat. A serendipity was that I didn't get cavities, so there's always an upside! Ha!)

This is my mother's version of a diabetic "Ambrosia."

1 15 oz can unsweetened pineapple bites, or tidbits (rings cut into bite-size pieces), drained
1 14 oz. can unsweetened peach slices, drained and cut into bites
1-2 (depends on the size) bananas, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/8"-1/4" slices
1-2 cups whipping cream, whipped and sweetened (my mother used saccharine) with Splenda or xylitol, if you don't want to use sugar!

Mix the drained fruit and bananas. There will still be juice on them, so mix in 1 cup whipping cream, whipped and sweetened. This should be plenty for a dressing! The 2nd cup is for people like me, who like the whipped cream more than the fruit! Ha!

I've actually tried this with fresh everything. Ironically, I think this is the only fruit salad that I like better with the canned fruit. I wondered if it has something to do with the canned juice! I may try it again with fresh, because it goes against my "grain" to recommend canned anything! Ha!

Also, I've been dealing with my dad's failing health and heart for quite a while now, and "easy" is almost my middle name! The last few salads have been what I think of as "refrigerator salads," which means open the fridge and see what one can add to lettuce to make it at least more interesting! Also nutritious! Also tasty! Sleep is out, so I'm using food for energy these days!

Happy eating!

2 comments:

  1. LoL, you ladies and your whipped cream!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My aunt is diabetic, and I grew up with "diabetic-friendly" ambrosia at all our big family events, too. In fact, it sort of doesn't feel like Thanksgiving or Christmas without some. Ours included canned mandarine oranges instead of peaches, and shredded coconut mixed into the whipped cream.

    As you've observed, fresh fruits don't work as well in ambrosia - maybe because the fruit's been cooked in the process of canning? What about trying it with cooked and chilled fresh fruit?

    ReplyDelete

Leave a comment! (Come on. You know you want to. Everybody's doing it.)