FUN WITH FANTASTIC FRUIT AND FRUTTARE

Family vacations are winding down and summer is finally coming to a close. While the days are still long and the afternoons still have plenty of room for fun, spending time together as a family and having fun are still on the forefront of our minds.

One of the ways that I like to spend summer afternoons with my family is by creating interesting and unique crafts using fruit. Letting my family  use their imagination to create masterpieces made out of fruit not only gets them excited to enjoy the actual fruit, but it also gets them to slow down and enjoy spending time together.

I’ve partnered with Fruttare, a delicious line of frozen fruit bars, to bring the Fruttare Fruit Farm to the Suncoast Credit Union 8th Annual Back-to-School Fair on Saturday, August 8, where I’ll be demoing fun fruit activities for families from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.  So stop by to learn how to make Fruity Iconic Tampa Minarets and get free Fruttare samples.  Not only are Fruttare Fruit Bars delicious and made with real fruit you can taste, the brand is also working towards sustainably farming every piece of fruit that goes into a Fruttare® fruit bar by year’s end.

If you are looking to practice your minaret building skills before you come out to the Fruttare Fruit Farm at the Suncoast Credit Union 8th Annual Back to School fair, check out this simple step by step how-to guide.

How to make the famous Tampa Minarets

If you have ever visited Tampa, chances are you have seen the iconic minarets atop the former Florida Hotel (currently the University of Tampa’s Plant Hall). These Moorish feats of architecture can be seen on the Tampa skyline and are often part of historical tours. But you don’t have to drive all the way into the city to see them. Perfect for a fun and tasty craft at a party, you can make your own mini-minarets.

This craft is a perfect family-friendly activity.

Here is what you need:

• 5 (2-inch square) graham cracker pieces
• 1 cup low-fat whipped topping
• 1 large strawberry
• 1 small strawberry
• 1 slice banana
• Toothpicks

Instructions:

• Hold 2 pieces of graham cracker up at a 90° angle, and using the whipped topping, fill the space between the 2 crackers. Add another graham cracker as the third wall, which will stick to the whipped topping used in the center of the first 2 walls. The fourth graham cracker will be the forth wall and should also stick to the whipped topping.  (But if needed you can add a dollop more).
• Break the last graham cracker piece in half and put it on top as a roof. The structure should resemble a gingerbread house with a flat roof.
• Cut the top off of the strawberries. Poke a toothpick through the center of the large strawberry, coming up through the center of the tip of the strawberry. Add the smaller strawberry to the top of the toothpick so the flat sides do not touch.
• Use a toothpick to carve a moon shape into the banana slice. Once you have the moon shape, poke the toothpick through the center of the moon and stick the other end into the top of the smaller strawberry, leaving some of the toothpick exposed.
• Set your strawberry and moon toothpick tower on top of the graham cracker house.

Tip: If the house is wobbly, add more whipped cream or use a banana through the center of the graham cracker house to make it sturdier.

Nutritional Information 1 serving:          

Calories 160 , Calories from Fat 60, Total Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg,  Sodium  110 mg, Total Carbs 24 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g, Sugars 15 g, Protein 2  g, Vitamin A 0 %, Vitamin C 4 %, Calcium  4 %, Iron 4 %

These mini-minarets are as tasty as they are fun to make, and you can even make it a contest at your next family gathering. Whoever can make their minaret the fastest wins!

This post was written on behalf of Fruttare Fruit Bars.