Red Berry Compote

A delightful red berry blend reduced down to a sweet and delicious compote. Perfect for on top of pancakes, waffles or a yogurt parfait! 

Hello, world. This is my sad attempt to try and sneak more fruits into my diet.

Have you ever taken a step back to see how terrible your eating habits actually were? I do that about once every month or so and try to do an overhaul on my diet. It’s not that I don’t try to eat healthily, it’s that I just find myself eating more carbs (pizza, pasta, all the bread) and less fruits and vegetables because I’m full from said carbs.

It’s a vicious cycle.

So here we are, and I’ve decided it’s time to stop eating like a cavewoman trying to bulk up for the hibernation season. This mixed berry compote is my idea of adding fruits into your diet. Please do not ask what I think “adding more vegetables to your diet” means. (P.S. someone cook me vegetables so I know how to actually make them taste good).

So anyhow, if you’re also noticing that you have way too much cereal and not enough protein/fruits/anything healthy in the morning, this mixed berry compote might be good for you too.

It’s also one of the very few things on the blog that I could tout as vegan and gluten free! Although my protein pancakes could be GF if you used certified GF oat flour and vegan if you chose almond milk and dairy free chocolate chips. But who am I kidding? We're here today for the berries, people!

If you have all these berries fresh and ready, definitely use them! Especially if they’re in season. Have you noticed that in-season fruit always tastes better? If this berry mixture isn’t something you can get fresh, frozen berry mixes totally work too. I used a fab frozen blend.

I’m a big fan of frozen fruits and vegetables because there’s actually a 95% chance that if I bought fresh fruits and vegetables that they would spoil before I remembered I needed to eat things that were good for me. #pleasesendmetoanutritionist

After a few minutes of being cooked down, each type of berry begins to soften and release water, which thickens when you reduce it. Sometimes I’ll add a tablespoon or so of granulated sugar to create a sweet syrupy compote. When all of these beautiful berries have cooked down to your desired softness, take them off of the heat and let the compote cool.

If you’re feeling crazy and adventurous/hate fruits but really need to eat them, puree the berries in a food processor or blender to make a super simple berry sauce instead of a thicker compote. This could be especially useful if have kids that love "sauce" but won't dare try a fruit.

P.S. You will definitely find me with this all over my ice cream and Greek yogurt parfaits. 😍

Do you love fruits and vegetables? How do you convince an adult with the palate of a toddler to enjoy them? Please leave your suggestions in the comments - I'm asking for a friend 😉