In food-speak, a “fool” is a quick English dessert of cooked berries layered with whipped cream. Traditionalists make it with gooseberries, but strawberries and raspberries work fine. It’s rich and lovely, and you don’t need a lot to finish a meal with finesse. Serve it in a cocktail glass for the best effect.

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberries
• ¼ cup granulated sugar substitute
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• Whole berries for garnish

Directions

Put strawberries in a small saucepan. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of granulated sugar substitute and 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice. Cook on high just until the mixture starts to boil. Turn heat to medium and stir frequently, mashing berries with a spatula, to keep from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. After about 15 minutes, most of the liquid should be cooked off. When you reach your desired consistency, let it cool and pour into a container to refrigerate.

To make raspberry sauce, combine raspberries, 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar substitute and ½ teaspoon of lemon juice to a boil. Let thicken and cool slightly. Press mixture through a fine strainer. This will take patience and about 20 minutes of mashing, but you will be rewarded with a rich, seedless sauce. Discard seeds.

For each fool: Put 2 tablespoons of cooked strawberries at the bottom of a cocktail glass. Whip the cream with the remaining sweetener. Put 2 tablespoons of whipped cream in each glass. Add 1 tablespoon of the seedless raspberry sauce. Top with more whipped cream. Garnish with whole berries.

Makes 4 servings
Each contains approximately 145 calories, 11 g fat, 41 mg cholesterol,  13 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, and 1 g protein.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC

Five Health Benefits of Eggs:

1. Helps to improve heart health
2. Aids in weight loss
3. Beneficial in improving cognitive health
4. Aids in growth and development of body
5. Maintains healthy hormonal functioning of thyroid

NOTE: Organic eggs can contain higher Omega-3 and Vitamin E than conventional eggs

Health Health

While there has been significant criticism in recent decades about the potential dangers of eggs on heart health, due to its admittedly high content of cholesterol, many people don’t look at the type of cholesterol, nor its effect on the body.  Most studies have actually shown eggs to protect against strokes and improve heart health, as the “good cholesterol” (HDL cholesterol) levels increase, which can help to eliminate “bad cholesterol” in the body.  By lowering LDL cholesterol levels, eggs help to avoid atherosclerosis, blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, and other serious cardiovascular conditions.

Weight Loss

Since eggs are so full of those important proteins that our body needs for development, they also tend to be a very satisfying and filling form of food.  They provide energy and nutrient stability in our body and satisfies our hunger.  Eggs can be a great way to get the healthy balance you need without consuming excess calories, which is a great way to lose weight or keep your weight down.

Cognitive Ability

One of the lesser known benefits of eggs is its impact on cognitive health, primarily due to the high levels of choline present.  Choline is often grouped with B-vitamins, but in fact, it is a somewhat unknown nutrient that helps to create critical neural pathways in the brain.  About 90% of the population is estimated to get less choline than the body requires, but whole eggs supply choline in large quantities.

Antioxidant Activity Aid in Development

It seems as though any food with antioxidant capacity is considered healthy, but many people forget that eggs contain various antioxidants, including vitamin A, lutein, and zeaxanthin.  Vitamin A works as an antioxidant in a number of areas in the body but works particularly well with lutein and zeaxanthin in the eyes to protect against macular degeneration and the development of cataracts.  Antioxidants are able to seek out free radicals and neutralize those dangerous particles (formed as byproducts of cellular metabolism) before they can cause oxidative stress on body organs, resulting in chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.

Rare Minerals Aid in Thyroid Function

The mineral composition of eggs is wonderful, but it is also unique, in that it can be difficult to obtain certain minerals, like iodine, and selenium, in our diets.  They are so versatile and universal that we can almost unconsciously stay balanced by eating eggs, ensuring that those rare minerals keep our antioxidant activity up (selenium), and maintain healthy hormonal functioning in our thyroid (iodine).

Baumgartner Organic Farms

Certified organic since 1995

We are a family-owned and operated all-organic dairy farm located in Seymour, Wisconsin.  Our farm currently operates under Nature’s International Certification Services (NICS).  We raise organic dairy cows which are fed only organic feed that is also produced on our own 250 acres of farm land.  New additions to our farm this year are our organic steers that will be used to feed our community healthy, lean beef.  The laying hens we care for are Rhode Island Reds and we are hoping to order another 50 hens to keep up with the growing demand for organic eggs.  We also offer broiler chickens which are Cornish Cross chickens and are raised for meat.  Our family believes in providing your family with wholesome, quality dairy, beef, and poultry products.

Above information provided by Dan Baumgartner of Baumgartner Organic Farms.

Are you interested in picking up organic eggs on campus?  Mary Valitchka will have eggs for sale and can take payment.  Cash is preferred, but checks can be made out to Dan Baumgartner.  Mary and the eggs are located in the Graduate Studies Office, room 835 on the 8th floor of the Cofrin Library.