Did you know that July is Berry Month? Celebrate with some of these fun berry recipes and facts.

Berry Facts

• Most berries contain potassium, which helps keep your blood pressure low.
• Berries contain fiber, which is great for heart health. For every cup of berries you eat, you'll also be getting 2-3 grams of fiber.
• These fruits are chock-full of phytochemicals that may help lower your risk of cancer.
• Berries are an excellent diversion for a sweet tooth. A single cup of strawberries has just 50 calories, while 2 cookies (of about the same weight as the strawberries) contain 160 calories and 8 grams of fat.

Berry Freezer Jam

Ingredients

• 1 cup crushed fresh strawberries
• 1 cup crushed fresh raspberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 package (1.75 oz) powdered pectin
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

• Combine strawberries and sugar, then let stand for 20 minutes.
• Combine pectin and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Pour the pectin mixture over strawberry mixture, and stir constantly for 3 minutes.
• Pour jam into jelly jars or frozen food containers, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top of each jar.
• Cover at once, then let cool to room temperature.
• Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 year

Recipe Details

• Makes approximately three cups.
• Use this tasty jam to top yogurt, oatmeal, or whole grain toast.

Berry Whipped Cream Cup

Whipped cream can be a diet ally -- if you use it as a way to eat more fresh fruit, rather than adding still more calories to a bowl of ice cream. Two tablespoons of light whipped cream contain just 15 calories. That's about the size of a ping pong ball. Use a small serving of whipped cream to top berries and voila -- an elegant dessert that is made in minutes.

Berry Crunch

Slice fresh berries and top them with whole grain cereal - it will look like a fancy streusal topping and is full of vitamins and minerals.

Berry Smoothie

When berries get a little too ripe, freeze them before they go bad. Then you can blend the frozen berries with skim milk and vanilla to create a healthful and cool treat for summer.Looking for more ways to have fun with healthful foods? Check out our Nutrition Education Store! You can also browse some of our favorite products below...