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Fun to Be Fit!
PearBear Starter,
PearBear Picnic Blankets and
Sunrise for PearBear
 (Family Features) - With a recommendation of 5 to 9 servings of fruits and
vegetables a day, there is plenty of room to add variety to
a child's fruit choices. And kids love fresh pears! Here are
several ideas on how to easily incorporate this fresh choice
into children's meals. In fact, they are so easy, your kids
will have fun making these pear treats for themselves!
Power-Packed With Good Nutrition
Fresh USA Pears grown in Oregon and Washington are sweet,
juicy and nutritious. For such a sweet compact package, USA
Pears are loaded with good-for-you stuff. Pears are a good
source of fiber, vitamin C and potassium, yet they have no
cholesterol, saturated fat or sodium and are low-calorie,
with only 100 calories per serving.
Nut `n' Pear Sandwiches — These easy-to-create, bite-sized
sandwiches are as fun to make as they are to eat. Use your
favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes from whole wheat
bread. Spread a teaspoon of nut butter (peanut, hazelnut,
almond, etc.), add a teaspoon of fruit jam and top with a
cube or slice of fresh, ripe pear. Serve open-faced or top
with a matching bread shape.
Pear Stack Snacks — Kids love stacking and snacking! Core
and slice/cube a fresh pear. Sliver fresh cheese into bite-
sized pieces. Stack a small pile of whole wheat or rice
crackers on a plate and present all three to kids to stack
into snacks.
Quick Pear Sundae for Any Day — Add a healthy sweet burst
to a favorite dessert by coring and slicing a fresh pear.
Arrange the pear slices vertically in sundae dish or small
cup with the bottom points touching. Place a scoop of
vanilla or chocolate frozen yogurt in the middle. Kids can
use the pears to scoop up the last melty bites of yogurt!
Yummy!
Check the Neck for Ripeness!
Pears are a unique fruit that ripen best off the tree
(without getting technical, pears left to ripen on the tree
can become gritty); they are meant to be ripened after
purchase.
So, if you are faced with a bunch of rock-hard pears, follow
this easy 1, 2, 3 process to get your pears to their ripe
and juicy perfection:
- Place hard pears in a paper bag or a covered fruit bowl,
and leave at room temperature.
- Every day, "Check the Neck for Ripeness." To do this,
apply gentle pressure to the stem end of the pear with your
thumb. When it yields to the pressure, it's ready to eat
(usually takes a few days).
- Enjoy your ripe, juicy pears now, or store them in the
fridge until you're ready to use them. The fridge will slow
down the ripening process, but won't stop it. Ready-to-eat
pears will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Our "Kids" Help Teach Your Kids!
Our mascots help us teach kids of all ages about sweet and
healthy USA Pears. PearBear, a lovable and friendly bear
from the Pacific Northwest (who just so happens to love
pears!), teaches kids about the importance of eating
healthy, how to be a good neighbor and other ways to be a
good citizen. The PearBear Chronicles, a series of eight
books, shares the adventures of PearBear and his friends.
The USA Pear buddies like to say "fruit plus fitness equals
fun," and they show it by encouraging kids to learn about
and eat pears, and to participate in active play to get and
stay fit. USA Pear's nutrition spokesPEAR, Auntie Oxidant,
presents pear nutrition information in a way that kids can
understand. A Pear Buddy activity book called "Power Up With
Pears" offers games and activities that kids can play.
Visit www.usapears.com and navigate to the "Just for Kids"
pages for fun information about pears, stories, activities,
games and more!
PearBear Starter
1 medium Northwest pear, cored and diced
1/2 cup low-fat fruit-flavored yogurt
2 to 3 tablespoons granola
Stir diced pear into yogurt. Serve in small bowl with
granola over top. Makes 1 serving.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving: 286 calories, 7.4g
protein, 5.9g fat (18% calories from fat), 54.9g
carbohydrate, 5mg cholesterol, 6.0g fiber and 67mg sodium
PearBear Picnic Blankets
1 medium Northwest pear, cored and cut into 8 wedges
Lemon juice (optional)
8 thin slices cooked turkey or lean ham
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
Dip pear wedges in lemon juice, if desired. Spread each
turkey or ham slice with cranberry sauce. Wrap each pear
wedge in turkey or ham. Makes 8 snack servings.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving: 52 calories, 6.5g protein,
0.6g fat (10% calories from fat), 5.3g carbohydrate, 11mg
cholesterol, 0.7g fiber and 408mg sodium
Sunrise for PearBear
1 medium Northwest pear, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium orange, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup orange juice
Combine fruits and orange juice; mix well. Refrigerate 1
hour. Makes 2 servings.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving: 94 calories, 1.1g protein,
0.5g fat (4% calories from fat), 23.6g carbohydrate, 0mg
cholesterol, 3.8g fiber and 0mg sodium
SOURCE: Pear Bureau Northwest
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