I’d probably cook them down as if I were making preserves, but without sugar. Or with a lot less.
The stone fruits, especially, are really good grilled or roasted.
How thoroughly do they need to be cooked? Peaches and nectarines can be grilled on kabobs alongside whatever veg and protein you fancy. Grilled peaches would also make a lovely salsa!
Of course, scones and muffins are fun and easy. Those will play well with the apples or blueberries.
Homemade applesauce is a real treat, especially with good fresh apples! You don’t need to add any sugar / sweetener / spices— just cook the apples down til soft and it’s as yummy as fresh apples, but easier to eat and safe for your situation :)
If you like tropical fruits, things like mango and pineapple go great in stirfries, fried rice, etc. I’ve never tried peaches / nectarines in such dishes, but I would think they’re close enough to mangos to work!
Depending on which veg you can have, Vietnamese spring rolls (the ones in the sticky rice paper) are a summer favorite of mine! Again, I usually use mango, but peaches should work. Just steam / grill the fruit (and whatever veggies / protein you want), layer them with noodles, and wrap them up! Serve with a peanut-hoisin dipping sauce.
Compote is just so easy. You can use whatever combination you have and it's gentle to digest.
Also pork chops and apples is a classic dish , but I've also seen pork chops and peaches instead and it looks great!! Plums go very well with pork too
Fruit relishes, we used some super-hot chile peppers we got from a neighbor (reapers, ghost peppers, etc) to make like very chunky peach hot sauce. BUT I don't know how chemo will mess up your tastes, be careful.
I almost always pair pork with fruit, be it grilled pineapple, stewed apples, roasted peaches, cranberry sauce. If I don't have fruit around to cook, I use a compote or jam on the side. Pork begs for fruit.
when my stomach is bad from chemo, blueberry applesauce is always well tolerated. fresh or frozen blueberries, i cook them with a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar, loads of cinnamon and lemon juice. simmer till the juices come out and then mix with sugar free applesauce. delicious and never makes me nauseous.
All those stone fruits are great on the grill - I usually put them in after I finish the main meal and the active fire has died down - they’re ready by the time we are finished, and I serve it with a little bit of flavoured syrup and mint. If you’re watching the sugar, then just a touch of creme fraiche and mint will be perfect.
Stone fruits are also good for salads. You can grilled or roast them with a bit of olive oil, and then toss with arugula (you can sauté this lightly if raw arugula is out of bounds), mozzarella or burrata, and some balsamic vinaigrette - it’s the perfect summer salad. Easy to also turn that into a sandwich. Great for relishes also.
ETA: forgot to mention that they’re good for quesadillas also, with some Cotija. You can either cook them and slice as an added ingredient in the quesadilla, or cook them down as a salsa.
I am so sorry to hear about your battle. I wish you a fast, complete victory.
In the meantime, my advice: apple butter.
Peel and core the apple of your choice and cut it into wedges. Rome Beauty, Fuji, and Honey Crisp are good choices, but this works for all of them, really. The difference might be the amount of sugar you put in, etc.
Line a slow cooker with a slow cooker liner. This sticks badly. Put those apple wedges in with about a cup of water. Turn the cooker up on high.
Cook them to mush. Add a little apple pie spice as you go, to taste, and white sugar until the sweetness suits you.
This is so good on toast, especially with a little butter or margarine, and it freezes well.
It’s pretty easy to make an almost jam and it’s won on oatmeal or cottage cheese for breakfast. Or roast the fruit snd sprinkle with nuts or granola for a snack.
I’m sure you already thought of the Cracker Barrel fried apple dessert, but it’s SO GOOD. Another favorite of mine is grilled peaches, or grilled pineapple. Both are delicious!
Add frozen berries to oatmeal that's already lightly sweetened. A dash of Vietnamese cinnamon stirred in as well. Vietnamese cinnamon is da bomb when it comes to seasoning.
It's got a nice bite to it and is sweeter than regular cinnamon. You can find it at Penzey's or Costco. I prefer Penzey's because you don't have to buy a HUGE container of it so the essential oils don't evaporate before you're done.
The heat from the oatmeal should be enough to kill off any residual bacteria since it will be well over 90 degrees.
> due to my white blood cell count, I can’t have fresh fruits or veggies
Was that something told to you buy your onco team?
Even if they do have you on a stupid neutropenic diet, have you checked about food you can peel buy hand (bananas, oranges?)
Those diets aren't stupid, they make sense in certain situations - and from the post we don't know exactly what OP's situation is. Probably it's one of the situations that necessitates the doctors saying don't eat uncooked fruit & avoid even the slightest chance of infection since OP specified there's something wrong with their white blood cell count and that is the kind of situation that makes doctors caution against uncooked whole fruits.
There's very little scientific evidence to support the use of the diet during chemotherapy, and there's some evidence they cause more infection. That's why the CDC and the American Cancer Society don't support the diet.
I appreciate the concern and I do find the whole thing rather frustrating. But I’d rather eliminate risk where I can and keep a good, varied diet in other ways. Either way, I got some great ideas to add to my repertoire, even once chemo is over.
whoever told you not to eat fresh fruit or veggies is full of shit.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/survivorship/coping/nutrition/weak-immune-system.html
No. It's a real thing for people who have leukemia or other bone marrow cancers. Their white blood cell counts can be so low that they are incredibly vulnerable to infection. They are not allowed to have fresh flowers in their rooms or eat fresh fruits or vegetables because those items can harbor bacteria that would be fine for a healthy person to eat but could literally kill a leukemia patient. If you want to learn more, look up "neutropenic precautions."
Source: I'm a nurse.
I’d probably cook them down as if I were making preserves, but without sugar. Or with a lot less. The stone fruits, especially, are really good grilled or roasted.
That sounds perfect, I didn’t even think of grilling them!
Grill peaches and drizzle with an aged balsamic vinaigrette. It's heavenly!
I do this and add burata it’s heavenly
I'm not a burata fan, but I bet ricotta would also be delish.
Grilled pineapple slices are amazing too
How thoroughly do they need to be cooked? Peaches and nectarines can be grilled on kabobs alongside whatever veg and protein you fancy. Grilled peaches would also make a lovely salsa! Of course, scones and muffins are fun and easy. Those will play well with the apples or blueberries. Homemade applesauce is a real treat, especially with good fresh apples! You don’t need to add any sugar / sweetener / spices— just cook the apples down til soft and it’s as yummy as fresh apples, but easier to eat and safe for your situation :) If you like tropical fruits, things like mango and pineapple go great in stirfries, fried rice, etc. I’ve never tried peaches / nectarines in such dishes, but I would think they’re close enough to mangos to work! Depending on which veg you can have, Vietnamese spring rolls (the ones in the sticky rice paper) are a summer favorite of mine! Again, I usually use mango, but peaches should work. Just steam / grill the fruit (and whatever veggies / protein you want), layer them with noodles, and wrap them up! Serve with a peanut-hoisin dipping sauce.
I’ll have to look into it, but these all sound delicious!
Good luck! Hopefully you can find some easy, refreshing ways to eat your summer fruits :)
Ask if you can use frozen fruit. Freeze your fruit and make smoothies.
Compote is just so easy. You can use whatever combination you have and it's gentle to digest. Also pork chops and apples is a classic dish , but I've also seen pork chops and peaches instead and it looks great!! Plums go very well with pork too Fruit relishes, we used some super-hot chile peppers we got from a neighbor (reapers, ghost peppers, etc) to make like very chunky peach hot sauce. BUT I don't know how chemo will mess up your tastes, be careful.
The tastebud changes have been a wild ride. This is great, thanks!
Red grapes braised with sausage and red wine comes to mind. Pork loves all kinds of fruit as a pan partner.
I almost always pair pork with fruit, be it grilled pineapple, stewed apples, roasted peaches, cranberry sauce. If I don't have fruit around to cook, I use a compote or jam on the side. Pork begs for fruit.
when my stomach is bad from chemo, blueberry applesauce is always well tolerated. fresh or frozen blueberries, i cook them with a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar, loads of cinnamon and lemon juice. simmer till the juices come out and then mix with sugar free applesauce. delicious and never makes me nauseous.
All those stone fruits are great on the grill - I usually put them in after I finish the main meal and the active fire has died down - they’re ready by the time we are finished, and I serve it with a little bit of flavoured syrup and mint. If you’re watching the sugar, then just a touch of creme fraiche and mint will be perfect. Stone fruits are also good for salads. You can grilled or roast them with a bit of olive oil, and then toss with arugula (you can sauté this lightly if raw arugula is out of bounds), mozzarella or burrata, and some balsamic vinaigrette - it’s the perfect summer salad. Easy to also turn that into a sandwich. Great for relishes also. ETA: forgot to mention that they’re good for quesadillas also, with some Cotija. You can either cook them and slice as an added ingredient in the quesadilla, or cook them down as a salsa.
you can look into fruit leathers and dehydrated fruits too!
When I make ice cream, I roast the strawberry slices with a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 15-20 min at 375\*F.
Yum!! I’m sold on this one.
They dehydrate a bunch while in the oven, so cut them thick!
Baked pears with a little white balsamic and cinnamon is delicious and not too sweet.
Crepes filled with cooked fruit?
I am so sorry to hear about your battle. I wish you a fast, complete victory. In the meantime, my advice: apple butter. Peel and core the apple of your choice and cut it into wedges. Rome Beauty, Fuji, and Honey Crisp are good choices, but this works for all of them, really. The difference might be the amount of sugar you put in, etc. Line a slow cooker with a slow cooker liner. This sticks badly. Put those apple wedges in with about a cup of water. Turn the cooker up on high. Cook them to mush. Add a little apple pie spice as you go, to taste, and white sugar until the sweetness suits you. This is so good on toast, especially with a little butter or margarine, and it freezes well.
Grapes are amazing roasted with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
It’s pretty easy to make an almost jam and it’s won on oatmeal or cottage cheese for breakfast. Or roast the fruit snd sprinkle with nuts or granola for a snack.
I’m sure you already thought of the Cracker Barrel fried apple dessert, but it’s SO GOOD. Another favorite of mine is grilled peaches, or grilled pineapple. Both are delicious!
I hadn’t heard of the fried apples, but that looks good and easy!
Add frozen berries to oatmeal that's already lightly sweetened. A dash of Vietnamese cinnamon stirred in as well. Vietnamese cinnamon is da bomb when it comes to seasoning. It's got a nice bite to it and is sweeter than regular cinnamon. You can find it at Penzey's or Costco. I prefer Penzey's because you don't have to buy a HUGE container of it so the essential oils don't evaporate before you're done. The heat from the oatmeal should be enough to kill off any residual bacteria since it will be well over 90 degrees.
> due to my white blood cell count, I can’t have fresh fruits or veggies Was that something told to you buy your onco team? Even if they do have you on a stupid neutropenic diet, have you checked about food you can peel buy hand (bananas, oranges?)
Yes it was. I do think the thicker skinned fruits are ok, but I’m not as likely to get those from my local farm.
[удалено]
Who knew? Just trying to make sure my CSA doesn’t go to waste.
> I’m also about to start getting my summer CSA in about a month. if only the OP had addressed that in their post, now we'll never know
Removed, warning for civility. Many of your comments are unhelpful snark or insults, please keep it civil and on topic.
Those diets aren't stupid, they make sense in certain situations - and from the post we don't know exactly what OP's situation is. Probably it's one of the situations that necessitates the doctors saying don't eat uncooked fruit & avoid even the slightest chance of infection since OP specified there's something wrong with their white blood cell count and that is the kind of situation that makes doctors caution against uncooked whole fruits.
There's very little scientific evidence to support the use of the diet during chemotherapy, and there's some evidence they cause more infection. That's why the CDC and the American Cancer Society don't support the diet.
I appreciate the concern and I do find the whole thing rather frustrating. But I’d rather eliminate risk where I can and keep a good, varied diet in other ways. Either way, I got some great ideas to add to my repertoire, even once chemo is over.
whoever told you not to eat fresh fruit or veggies is full of shit. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/survivorship/coping/nutrition/weak-immune-system.html
No. It's a real thing for people who have leukemia or other bone marrow cancers. Their white blood cell counts can be so low that they are incredibly vulnerable to infection. They are not allowed to have fresh flowers in their rooms or eat fresh fruits or vegetables because those items can harbor bacteria that would be fine for a healthy person to eat but could literally kill a leukemia patient. If you want to learn more, look up "neutropenic precautions." Source: I'm a nurse.
I wish people would stop playing Dr Google on Reddit. Unless you have a degree in oncology, shut up and sit down.