U-G-L-...i?!

The  Jamaican tangelo has more personalities than Britney Spears. A cross between  an orange, tangerine, & a grapefruit, this hybrid orange is set for sweet success - too bad it got the short end of the stick when it comes to looks. Here's a fun fact...many people, myself included, make the mistake of calling this fruit the Ugli fruit. This in fact is incorrect...Ugli is just a tangelo brand, & quite fitting if I must say!

Tangelos were first discovered growing wild in Jamaica almost 80 years ago. Hmm...kinda makes you wonder how they decided who got to try the first bite?

     "Hey Terrance, do you think this fruit will taste as bad as it looks?"
     "I don't know, Johnny, go ahead & take a bite. I'm right behind you if you don't have any weird/deadly reaction after ingestion."

Lucky for us, the crazy person genius discoverer passed along one pretty tasty fruit! What it lacks in appearance it makes up for in taste. You can peel & eat like an orange, or cut in half & eat like a grapefruit..you get to decide...how liberating! I've tried both ways, & prefer the grapefruit approach...just to throw that out there! Colors range from green, yellow-green, yellow, & sometimes even orange.

Lucky for us, the tangelo has a pretty lengthy season, November - April 1. One serving (1/2 of the fruit) has 45 calories, 2g fiber, & 70% of your daily vitamin C! This fruit is like the prime example of "it's the inside that matters most."

     Vitamin C -->  Since I know you hung onto every word from my blood orange tangent, I won't bother repeating all the functions of this fabulous vitamin. However, I am a little nervous about all this attention vitamin C is getting.  We can only hope she doesn't cop the diva attitude. Nobody likes an attention whore vitamin C...keep it humble.
     Fiber -->  Fiber isn't digested in your body so this means it moves through your stomach, small intestine, colon, & well...out of your body. Therefore, fiber is mainly known for its ability to relieve constipation, HOWEVER, it also provides other health benefits like lowering your risk of diabetes & heart disease...move over Jennifer Lopez, there's a new triple threat in town!

 I'm guessing your stimulated taste buds are forcing you to get your car keys & head to the nearest grocery store. In that case, I'm wrapping it up - I totally would not want to be the reason you miss out on the last Ugli fruit available in the store. See you in the produce isle!

Fruity Friday #1 Blood Oranges

No, it is not the latest vampire craze people! However, I truly believe Edward Cullen would FLIP over these things. The blood red orange pictured above is you guessed it...an orange that is red (phew, glad we settled that mystery). I bet you are already amazed at the brilliant knowledge coming your way!

The red color of blood oranges are due to flavonoids called anthocyanins (I promise, it's in English).  Typically smaller than a regular orange, these suckers pack quite the punch (we'll get into that in more detail in just a sec). One orange will cost you about 70 calories, 3g fiber, & 1g protein.

So what exactly do these blood oranges contain you may ask? Even if you didn't ask, I'm telling you anyways...

• Vitamin C --> Needed for growth & repair of tissue, collagen formation, wound healing,  repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, & teeth. Blood oranges are actually higher than regular oranges in this. Vitamin C, YOU seem like a pretty big deal!
• Folic Acid --> Is one of the B-vitamins, Vitamin B9, to be exact. Folic acid is important for brain function and plays a role in mental and emotional health. Ever heard of DNA & RNA, you know, what makes up your body's genetic material? Well, you guessed it, folic acid is pretty important in that process as well! Folic acid is especially important when cells and tissues are growing rapidly, i.e. pregnancy! Folic acid for MVP?! I'll let you decide!
• Anthocyanins --> Say what?! Anthocyanin is a type of flavonoid (this gives fruits & veggies their colors).  Flavonoids act as antioxidants, which help protect us from free radicals. Think of free radicals as like the bullies in school. They travel alone, but can cause some major damage. Move over Superman, there's a new hero in town! Hollywood can go ahead & thank me for their next million dollar major motion picture idea. I like to think of anthocyanins as like the new cool kid on the block - become friends with this guy, he'll get you places!
• Calcium --> I don't think I have to say much on this one...calcium = good for your bones. He's like the friend that will always be there to "support" you...get it?! Haa
• Vitamin A --> Helps maintain healthy teeth, skin, & is important for your eyes. We can clearly see who the vain one is in this group!

Now that I've probably given you WAY more information than you ever wanted to know about blood oranges I will leave you with this:  when purchasing a blood orange, you want to choose one that is heavy for it's size. Remember, soft spots should only be in your heart for these succulent suckers, & not on the actual fruit itself! They can be stored @ room temp for ~1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  Enjoy!

Stay Tuned...

I've never claimed to be the most avid blogger, I actually rarely claim to be a blogger, because I don't do it enough. However, I have noticed this trend of "something of the week" in the blogging world. For instance, there is awkward & awesome Thursday's, fun fact Friday's, well those are actually the only 2 I know of, but I'm sure each week day has a trend.
Well since my blog has a total of 3 readers...maybe 4 on a good day, I decided to spice it up a bit, you know, follow the crowd in my own way! After MUCH deliberation it finally came to me! I hope the anticipation you are going through is not causing any health complications....FRUITY FRIDAY'S! I know I know, you can hardly contain your excitement for all the fun information you are going to be receiving EVERY Friday.  With that being said, I will try my hardest to pick fruits that are actually in season & will be available, only if YOU promise to use your new found wisdom to try the featured fruit. Now that we both understand our duties, I hope you have a wonderful evening as tomorrow brings the first edition!