I’m sooooo excited about my new juicer!! 

I just received my new kitchen appliance last week and couldn’t wait to give it a try! Look how pretty it is!

I’ve been thinking about buying a juicer for a few months and did a lot of research online before making my purchase. 

I don’t plan to juice everyday, so I got an inexpensive juicer (Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor, $46, Amazon). I also wanted something somewhat small with few parts because I don’t have a ton of kitchen space and I don’t want to have to clean a million parts every time I juice.

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Think eating five to nine servings of fruit and veggies a day seems daunting?

You don’t have to overhaul your entire diet to get your servings in. Simply add produce to the meals you usually make.

But before you even start thinking about how you’re going to incorporate more fruit and veggies into your diet, you have to prep. Spend some time chopping and storing veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. Wash and chop your lettuce. If its all ready to go, you will be more likely to eat it.

If all the prep is too much for you, spend the extra cash on pre-cut veggies.

Store your fruit like apples, oranges and bananas on the counter. If you can see it, you will be more likely to eat it.

Now try these easy ways to sneak produce into your diet:

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Colorful Choices is a super easy nutrition program - you don’t have to count calories, you don’t have to count carbs, you don’t even have to measure your portions!!

Just eat a variety of colorful produce!!

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This event sounds very awesome. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it to Omaha, but I would love to go.

OMAHA - Omaha is joining the national celebration of Food Day in its inaugural year with a free event for the whole family.

Food Day is a national campaign, modeled after Earth Day, to encourage Americans to “Eat Real.” The idea is to expose more people to delicious, healthy and affordable food that is produced in a sustainable, humane way. Thousands of events will be taking place around the country on and around Food Day - October 24 - to inspire healthy living. Omaha’s celebratory event will take place Sunday, October 23.

 In Omaha, The Omaha Farmers Market and the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition will be host to a grand Food Day event Sunday, October 23 from 9 am to 1 pm at Aksarben Village by extending this location’s Farmers Market one week and offering additional activities in the village.  The Farmers Market will have a variety of delicious local fall produce as well as baked goods and homemade crafts available for purchase.

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This chocolate covered cherry inspired smoothie is beyond amazing!!

I got the idea for this smoothie from an article on what celebs eat for breakfast in  Self Magazine’s August 2011 issue. Poppy Montgomery’s trainer, Valerie Waters, created the Smoother Bikini Body Smoothie. Apparently the fruity, chocolatey combo is supposed to decrease bloat.

The Self recipe calls for an acai berry frozen smoothie pack and chocolate protein powder. I simplified the recipe because those are not things I keep in my kitchen.

According to Choose Cherries, cherries have high levels of antioxidants. They also contain nutrients such as beta carotene, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate. Cherries also contain melatonin, which regulates the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process.

According to the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, cocoa is associated with decreased blood pressure, improved blood vessel health and improved cholesterol levels. These benefits are from polyphenolic flavonoids, which are antioxidants.

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Mango nectarines or as I like to call them, mantarines, are a mysterious fruit.

I assumed the mantarine was a hybrid of a mango and a nectarine. The flesh of the fruit has the same texture as a mango and is the same color as a mango, yet the size and shape of the fruit is that of a nectarine. The taste is even more mango-like than nectariney.

However, according to Specialty Produce, there is no mango in the mango nectarine!! What?!? The mantarine is a cross between two different types of nectarines! Nature blows my mind.

Mantarines (no one has caught on to this term so look for Mango Nectarines at the store) are only in season for 2-3 weeks in June and July and are grown in California. A medium mantarine provides vitamin A, vitamin C, carbohydrates, fiber and potassium.

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One thing I’ve learned on my journey to living a healthier lifestyle is that making something more nutritious actually makes it more delicious.

The flavors and textures of meals are dramatically enhanced when produce is added. It’s also super easy to make an OK meal, super fab.

Instead of adding ketchup and mustard to your burger, add some guacamole, tomato slices, onion and lettuce. Throw some sliced zucchini, mushrooms and onion into your spaghetti sauce. Make or buy pico de gallo and guacamole for taco night. Add lettuce, onions and tomatoes to your tacos. Throw some mushrooms, eggplant slices and tomato into your lasagna. Veggies go with everything!

Produce can also be thrown into your breakfast! Add strawberry slices or blueberries to your cereal. Throw a sliced apple, peach or pear into your oatmeal. Make an omelet with mushrooms, zucchini and/or onions.

Adding produce to your meals will add nutrients to your meal, make your food taste better and help you to feel fuller. Win-Win-Win!

After preparing a few meals, you will see that it is super easy to add fruits and veggies to every meal.

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My adventure in trying new fruits and veggies has been a struggle. I’ve been searching the produce sections of the local grocery stores and I haven’t found any new exotic produce. I guess that’s a small town for you. I now have a list of fruits and veg that I want to try - kohlrabi, ugli fruit, starfruit and tomatillos. I just need to locate these items.

A coworker suggested taste testing jicama. I’ve actually had this before, but it’s been quite a long time.

Jicama (pronounced “Heh-kuh-muh”) is a very plain-looking vegetable that is grown in Mexico or South America. It’s an underground tuber and can be steamed, baked, broiled, mashed or fried, just like potatoes, according to foodreference.com. But, unlike potatoes, jicama can be eaten raw. The flavor of jicama is unlike any other vegetable. Jicama is often described as tasting like a cross between an apple and a potato. I feel like the flavor is similar to the jicama’s look, plain. I think jicama’s strength is its crispness. Jicama has a similar texture and crunch as water chestnuts. When eaten raw, jicama can be used on a veggie platter, in salads or sprinkled with chili powder. Jicama should be peeled before eating. When jicama is used in fruit salad, the vegetable adds crunch and absorbs the flavors of the fruit. Jicama can also be used in stir fries.

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Last week, I vowed to try a new fruit or vegetable as part of my month of tracking produce servings. I ended up purchasing a casaba melon at Apple Market. I had never heard of a casaba melon, but assumed it had to be yummy because it’s in the melon family. I also liked the bright yellow color and wrinkled skin of the fruit.

The fruit was expensive at $3.99 each. But it was the only thing at the market that looked unfamiliar to me so I decided to splurge.

After doing some research, I discovered that the casaba melon got its name from Kasaba, Turkey where it was first exported. According to Fruits and Veggies More Matters, casaba melons are a good source of vitamin C and very low in calories.

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