Pomegranates

In case you cannot tell from my lack of LTY blogging, things have been a little nuts at Little Frances’s house!  I have not been making too many new recipes.  However, we were recently introduced to a delicious new finger food that the entire household has fallen in love with, the pomegranate. I know that pomegranate sounds very exotic, at least to me it did  However, pomegranates can actually be found in most grocery stores.  The best part about pomegranates… they are a super food full of antioxidants. I encourage you to give this delicious fruit a try… you will not be disappointed!

Health Benefits of a Pomegranate (taken from HERE):

• It is rich source of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers, providing about 4 g per 100 g (about 12% of RDA), which aid in smooth digestive and bowel movements. The fruit is suggested in the diet for weight reduction and cholesterol controlling programs. Regular inclusion of fruits in the diet helps protect from colon cancers.

• Punicalagin is a polyphenolic anti-oxidant compound found abundantly in the pomegranate juice. Studies suggest that punicalagin and tannins are effective in reducing heart disease risk factors by scavenging harmful free radicals from the body.

• It is also good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, provides about 17% per 100 g of daily requirement. Consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents by boosting immunity.

• Regular consumption of pomegranate has also been found to be effective against prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), diabetes, and lymphoma.

• It is also good source of many vital B-complex group of vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), folates, pyridoxine and vitamin K, and minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, and manganese.

Preparation Steps:

The only thing that I do not love about pomegranates is that they take a little bit of time to prepare.  However, they are so delicious that I look forward to preparing them and it can actually be quite therapeutic!  Also, this should ideally be done on a cutting board, while wearing an apron, so that the juices don’t stain everything they touch.

1. Cut off the crown of the pomegranate.  (Fun fact – the bible says that Solomon’s crown was modeled after the pomegranate!)
2. I use serrated knife to cut skin deep in various patterns along the pomegranate; this process is called “scoring.”
3. Soak the pomegranate in cold water for 10 minutes.  This will help you break the pomegranate apart and will keep the juices from squirting and staining your clothes.
4. Break the pomegranate apart and pick out the seeds.  The white flesh should float to the top, and the seeds should sink to the bottom.
5. Skim the top of the bowl to remove the white, fleshy parts and then drain the seeds in a colander.

Timing: I cannot find any guidelines on introduction to children.  My recommendation would be to wait until after your LO has molars and can grind the seeds.  So this would probably be categorized as a toddler food.

Difficulty: 3 out of 5!  It pains me to give it this rating because it is so worth the time, but it can be pretty time consuming.  It is not difficult, it just takes some time.  I try to do 3 or 4 at a time.

Storage: The seeds can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days… if they last that long!

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! ----See left side of the page for descriptions

Little Frances loves, loves, loves “grapes” as she calls them!  She asks for them all. the. time.  Don’t let this picture fool you!  This is the face that I have been getting when I prompt her for a smile…goof ball.  She loves them!

WARNING:  Little Frances has also figured out that these fit very nicely into her nose… so some supervision when eating them may be required!!!!