Feelin' Fruity on a Friday

I've got big ambitious plans this weekend, plans which I really do not want to fall through for any reason.  I've got to get a big run in to be on schedule to do well in the Broad Street Run on May 1st.  I want to take advantage of my Anjali Yoga class card on Saturday, then my regular Vinyasa Yoga  for Sunday. 

Scheduled Challenge!

I've been feeling a little sluggish this week so I pondered a bit this morning what I haven't had a good dose of that might be the reason.  As I spent my usual Thursday night doing laundry and housework to free up my weekend time, I caught a whiff of a perfectly ripened, and nearly forgotten about Pineapple sitting on my counter and it came to me:  my efforts this week were quite literally fruitless!
  A cup of green tea,  steel cut oats with berries for breakfast, and a heaping helping of fresh pineapple and kiwi later ... I am feeling energized and optimistic about my weekend agenda!

Let's talk Fruit for a minute here.  We all can probably name 3-4 fruits we really enjoy, and I think we can all agree that fruit is widely accepted as a key part of nutrition and well being and yet we probably can all admit to not getting enough of it in our daily routine.  Why is that?

I could wax on and on philosophical about the ways in which our western palettes have been torched and manipulated over the decades into sugar and salt craving lunatics.  Or how the mass production and genetic engineering of our produce leaves us with bland, malformed, and immature vegetation.  Alas, it is Friday and I do believe that information a bit heavy for the last stretch before the 'aaaaaahhhhhhhhh' moment of the weekend finally arriving.  Instead let's discuss the benefits and beauty that is, Fruit.

Talk about having it all, sweet, juicy, pleasing to the eye and substantial in significant vital nutrients, Fruit is like the perfect mate.  If you were to make a list of characteristics for what you're looking for in a spouse, most of the descriptions could probably apply to fruit.  Good for you, deliciously indulgent and not bad on the eyes, or the waistline?  I'm in Love!!

I sometimes eat cherries even though I'm allergic and have to stop when my throat itches.  They are just that yummy ! xo

I think if non-fruit eating folks would take one day and pick some new and interesting produce up to try, and then look up how to tell when the best time to eat it, that is, when it will be at peak ripeness, we would each find ourselves running for fruit as a snack more often than we do.

In European countries such as France, the locals shop fresh in outdoor markets most of the time, and they are buying from local growers and farmers.  They shop more frequently and are just a bit more knowledgeable about how to pick a ripe fruit or plan for when it will be.  I cannot tell you the remarkable difference between a strawberry grown naturally and yielded at its perfect ripeness when compared to the tasteless, sour monstrosities being pedaled as such with their white spongy insides at the grocery store.  You have to go out and seek it yourself to really understand what fruit in its natural and organically grown splendor really is like.

Notice the deep red color and not a white spongy center.

A strawberry should be small, deep red, and slightly juicy to the touch.  The large, waxy pink-orange nonsense we are accustomed to, are usually only enjoyed in a cake, covered in cream or submerged in milk and cereal.  I dare you to seek out a true wild, organic strawberry farm and enjoy a little taste of perfection.

Wild Organic Strawberries

You have to figure out what fruit you really love and enjoy to truly find yourself reaching for it instead of the gummi-bears or chips when you want a satisfying snack or light meal to munch on.  I can tell you I absolutely am not a melon person, I won't eat them if I buy them because I don't prefer them to anything no matter how exotic or commonly used in fruit salad they may be.  I know that I love Kiwi, Pineapple, just about any kind of juicy ripe Berry, and Pears.  I love a good Bartlett Pear and the mention of said specimen brings me to elaborate on the importance of learning how to tell if something is actually ripe not only for the picking, but for the eating.

I never thought I liked pears.  I would buy them in the grocery store and take a bite and think "Good Lord why would anyone eat this grainy, sandpaper-like thing with zero flavor save a bite of tart at the end?"  Yet if I would go to a restaurant and order a salad sprinkled with lovely slices of pears, dried cranberries, walnuts and a bite of Gorgonzola I was quite certain I had found the salad I would order if I were dining within the gardens surrounded by the pearly gates of heaven.  I eventually realized that I had no idea what I was doing when I plucked pears from the grocer's and I simply asked the wise wizard of Google for advice.  I learned that a pear needs to be deep in color, and slightly soft to the touch yet still firm.  Meaning, if I press my thumb into the pear, it will leave a slight indent and have a good amount of give.  If the pear is rock hard, its going to be that way when I bite into it.  The difference was instantly recognized and appreciated to this day!  This is why I say, if you like a fruit that you haven't gone out to stock up on yourself, find out how to tell if its ripe and get the best one you can find.  You will find yourself looking forward to it, rather than forcing yourself to switch to fruit simply because its a healthier choice.

Keeping it simple I will also suggest you reach out of your comfort zone and enjoy some exotic fruits, some you will love, others you'll hate but its kind of fun to look for different fruit.  Especially when they all come in the most interesting shapes, sizes and colors!  If anything, they might inspire your next wall color choice!

Star Fruit

Dragon Fruit

Kiwi

Passion Fruit

Dragon Fruit (uncut)

If I haven't wet your appetite to get your fruit on, i will leave you with some deliciously colorful fruit graphics as well as a suggestion to waste some desk time playing an interesting game to say the least.

Enjoy Your Weekend!!