Food, Recipe and Activity of the Week - February 10, 2008
This week's features include:
Food - Orange
Recipe - Orange compote with granola
Activity - Downhill skiing
Oranges originate from southern China from where it was brought west toward India and South Europe in the 1400. Originally it was used as a houseplant for decoration until utilized for commercial plantations in the late 1700s. It started out in Spain and about 100 years later was also planted in Italy . The orange made its way to America where it became an important food source.
Today oranges are planted on every continent, in particular the subtropical areas with Brazil and the U.S. being the largest producers.
Oranges grow on trees with large thorns that can reach between 5 to 8 meters tall. The fruit is in general round with a thick peel protecting the fruit from dehydration.
All parts of the orange are used. The flesh is pressed to make orange juice, the peel contains oils used in soda pop, liqueur, and cosmetics, the white skin in the peel is used for pectin production, and the dried rests from the peel is used for animal feed.
Oranges are divided into two groups: blond (yellow flesh) and blood (red flesh).
There are many kinds of blond oranges. Navelina, Navel, Cadenera, Salustiana, Shamouti, and Valencia Late are the most common kinds. Oranges such as, Newhall, Protea, Vavellate, and Delta Seedless are less common.
Common blood oranges are Sanguina (Double Fina) Malteser, Sanguinelli, Moro, and Tarocco.
Facts
Use: Oranges can be consumed in many forms, included in an entrée, in a salad, as a dessert, or fresh as a snack. Oranges make good nutritious and tasty juice, and can also be used to make jams, and marmalade.
Storage: The storage time and temperature vary with the type of orange. In general, the storage time can be:
- 2-3 weeks in 2-5 ° C (35-41 ° F)
- 1-2 weeks in 20 ° C (68 ° F)
- Ideal storage is 2-5 ° C (35-41 ° F) and 90-95% humidity.
Sensitivity:
- Little sensitivity to temperature.
- Little sensitivity to dehydration.
- Produce a small amount of ethylene.
- Not sensitive to ethylene.
- Sensitive to frost temperatures.
Potential problems:
- Frost damage (brown dented spots, or dried fruit flesh)
- Mold
- Rotten
- Age spots (brown spots primarily at the stem end)
- Dehydration
Nutrition facts: Energy: 46 kcal/193 kJ, Water: 86 g, Protein: 0.8 g, Fat: 0.1 g, Carbohydrates (excluding fiber): 10.3 g, Fiber: 1.9 g, Potassium: 158 mg, b -carotene: 126 m g, Vitamin C: 53 mg
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 navel oranges, peeled, separated into segments
- 1 apple or pear, diced
- 1/2 cup seedless red or green grapes, halved
- 1 banana, peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup low fat granola cereal
Directions:
In a medium bowl toss together orange half segments, apple, grapes, banana and orange juice. Sprinkle granola over mixture; toss lightly. Serve immediately as dessert, for breakfast topped with low-fat yogurt, or drained over lettuce as a salad.
Nutrition Information (serving size - 1/6 recipe): Calories 100; Total fat 1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 10mg; Total carbohydrate 23g; Protein 2g
Spring is just around the corner, so if you are a snow-lover this might be your last chance to hit the slopes. Downhill skiing is a great aerobic workout that improves muscular strength particularly in your hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteus, abdominals, calves and triceps. Plus you can have fun while burning a lot of calories. A person weighing 150 pounds burns approximately 420 calories in one hour of skiing. Pretty amazing!
The great thing about skiing is that you can bring your whole family. One ski resort can have smaller slopes for beginner skiers and larger slopes for those more advanced. For beginners, most ski resorts offer lessons as well. During the lesson, qualified ski instructors teach proper skiing techniques, including how to stop and turn properly. If a child is skiing for the first time, it would be a great idea to take a lesson before skiing to avoid injury.
Something that everyone should do to avoid injury is a proper warm up and cool down. Before skiing, warm up your muscles and get your heart rate up by walking around for five to 10 minutes. If it is really cold, you might want to walk around a bit longer. When you are ready for your first run down the slope, remember to take it slow. It is also a good idea to take it slow on your last run as well. Your body is really tired at this point, and this is when injuries are likely to occur. As always, remember to proceed down the mountain (or hill if you live in Iowa) with caution at all times.
After you have made it down the hill for the last time, do some muscle stretches, stretching out your calves, gluteus muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, and triceps.
Adapted from: Yahoo Health http://health.yahoo.com/health/centers/fitness/4007