Thursday, January 23, 2020

Eating My Greens

Attempting a healthier diet, my husband and I are eating more fruits and vegetables. As for the latter, having devoured a serving of broccoli and hummus he will often say, “There. I got my greens in for today.”

Blueberries, as it turns out, also fit under that color category. My discovery followed inspection of a misshapen berry. Digging into its bulbous protrusion, I discovered jade flesh.

That didn’t seem right. I mean, come on, they’re blueberries, for crying out loud.

But rather than tossing that fruit, I broke into another. Well, they matched, both tasting sweet and fresh. So the indigo is only skin deep. Go figure.
Very tasty with Greek yogurt!
Broccoli, on the other hand, provided a different surprise. It’s the florets folks generally covet. Those can be purchased with trimmed stems, but of course we go for the cheaper bunches, which lead to my husband’s clever discovery.

On a whim one afternoon he shaved off a stalk’s dry outer surface and took a taste. Surprise! We found mutual appreciation of those tender innards, much juicier than the flowery tops calling for more hummus.

It takes extra time removing the woody outsides, but we don’t mind. The payoff is worth a few minutes, especially since we often chat in the meantime. Or, with our open floor plan, I can stand at the kitchen island behind him on the couch, together enjoying some digital recording or other. Besides, I enjoy wielding our quality Wusthof chef’s knife.

All those trimmings (right) yielded a small but tasty harvest.
 Has a hidden fact about familiar fruits or vegetables ever surprised you? Is it time we try growing broccoli this summer for the stems?

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17 comments:

  1. Fruits and veggies are so wonderful and we enjoy them here. If we eat more of those and less carbs and meat we're going to be better off. Works for me.

    Have a fabulous day, Darla. Big hug. ♥

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  2. As we are vegan, we know our vegetables and fruits! The Hubby makes coleslaw out of the stems of broccoli...YUMMY. He'll steam the florets, with slightly salty water, and I devour them like candy, without a dipping sauce. He also soaks raw carrots in salty water, then I eat those like I'm a bunny rabbit!

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    1. I admire you for going vegan. That's something I've never managed to do. Soaking in salted water is an interesting idea. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. So....I am not a broccoli fan. I will eat a piece or two of it raw and I will eat it steamed or broiled...but really don't care for it. haha...NOW, take brussel sprouts, LOVE THEM. I even buy them frozen and cook them. I buy them raw and roast them. Recently I found that fried is great. Course I try to stay away from that. I love appeargus.Again, roasted is the best. Bananas are one of my fave fruits, but my all time fave is watermelon. Oranges are good but I esp like to serve that up in my tea.

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    1. I've learned that some folks are genetically inclined to dislike broccoli, finding it bitter. But I enjoy steamed Brussels sprouts and roasted asparagus, for sure. Yum. Sad to say, I enjoy watermelon in small amounts and my husband is not a fan, at all, so I seldom splurge. Freezing cubes of a melon turned into a failure, and the other options are too pricey. Oh, well. Blueberries, it is! :)

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  4. Trader Joe's sells a bag of just the broccoli stalks cut up, along with carrots. They call it Broccoli Slaw. I've been using that in stir fry a lot lately.

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    1. Ooh! Thank you for sharing. My local grocer might carry something similar and now I know what to look for.

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  5. The only discovery I can think of is that Jerusalem artichokes cause severe gastric distress. :)

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  6. Okay....replying to your comment on my page~ Why do you find it hard to socialize? I think you have hit on it sort of, anxiety? Do you take anything for it? Me...always been SOCIAL. Not near as much now as before.

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    1. Yes, I do have social anxiety. It was under control until the frustrating incidents that ruined 2019, so now I'm on medication but still prefer staying home. Take care, my dear.

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  7. I think blueberries are touted as a Super Food! -smile-

    My husband also, has discovered the broccoli stem trick! -chuckle-

    💖 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖

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