Persimmon blueberry parfait

"Big Herbie"

Meet "Big Herbie," our family's hippie van, all restored and looking like a new man. Yes, Big Herbie recently got a makeover. He was looking pretty dismal but it was nothing that a few months of body work and a shiny new paint job couldn't fix.

Big Herbie, a 1978 VW van, has been part of our family for 30+ years. We named him after Herbie, a 1963 VW bug that was featured in a number of Disney movies. Herbie, the movie star VW, had a mind of his own and was capable of driving himself. Our Big Herbie may not be a movie star but he has stories all his own.



Herbie look-a-likes

Big Herbie always has had a way of making friends. Fellow VW van owners and others flash us the peace sign wherever we go. Folks we've never met before want to talk to us about Big Herbie.

VW vans always have had an iconic image but apparently that was lost on my daughter when she was in junior high. She was already embarassed to be seen in Big Herbie because her friends' parents were driving luxury cars. We "forced" her to go on a camping trip that took us through Sun Valley where all the cool, rich folks hung out (major embarassment to be seen in Big Herbie). Imagine her surprise when those cool, rich folks wanted to have their pictures taken with Big Herbie. After that, Big Herbie was cool again.

These days we're writing new chapters in the Book of Big Herbie. My husband, a former high school counselor turned mobile bike repairman, uses Big Herbie as his business vehicle. Yes, people still want to have their pictures taken with Big Herbie, and he's still a conversation opener. But now, sometimes people even want to buy him. No way. He's part of our family for good.

Persimmon-blueberry parfait
 

Candida is something not so pleasant that seems to be part of my life for good. Just when I think I have it under control, it rears its ugly head again. For the past few years, I have been struggling with chronic pain that just won't go away. I thought it was caused by injuries from years of cycling and running.

Alas, it's fibromyalgia. What causes fibromyalgia is not totally understood. One of the theories is it could be the result of stress, illness, trauma or even an infection, like candida. Whatever the cause, I  am searching for ways to deal with this chronic problem.

Healthy eating continues to be No. 1 on my list. Recently, I rediscovered persimmons after many years without eating one. The persimmon is a fruit of Chinese origin. Originally cultivated in both Japan and China for centuries, this fruit is now grown in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, the Middle East and the USA.

According to the California Department of Public Health, one medium-sized Japanese persimmon provides 118 calories, 0 g of fat, 1 g of protein, 31 g of carbohydrates, 6 g of dietary fiber and 2 mg of sodium. This fruit is rich in vitamins A and C. One fruit provides 2,733 International Units, or 55 percent, of the recommended daily value (DV) for vitamin A and 12.8 mg, or 21 percent, of the DV for vitamin C. Japanese persimmons are also high in manganese, a trace mineral, meeting 30 percent of the DV in one whole fruit.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/272656-nutrition-information-on-japanese-persimmon/#ixzz2BOC89FxF

Persimmon Blueberry Parfait packs lots of nutrition

Along with all this nutrition, persimmons are unbelievably delicious. I tried them out for breakfast in a Persimmon Blueberry Parfait.

Ingredients:
1 ripe persimmon
1/2 frozen ripe pear ( or banana if tolerated)
1 T. chia seed
1 T. vegan protein powder of choice
stevia to taste
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 T. quinoa flakes
1-2 T. dried coconut flakes (unsweetened)


Directions:
Remove the stem from the persimmon and chop the fruit into chunks. Toss items 1-6 (everything but the blueberries, coconut flakes and quinoa flakes) into a food processor and blend until smooth. To assemble your parfait, layer persimmon pudding with blueberries, quinoa flakes and coconut flakes in a glass container. Finish with coconut flakes and more blueberries.

Can I have a persimmon parfait too?

Contributed to: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2012/11/01/wellness-weekend-november-1-5-2012/