WAEC Love 860 AM Healthtopia Radio with Bonnie Mechelle will officially launch The Fruit and Veggie Challenge on November 1^st 2011 in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign. The challenge is to encourage Atlanta residents to improve their health, save money on groceries and bring more awareness to local community supported agriculture (CSA) which is a system where consumers receive food directly from the farmers who produce it.  Healthtopia Radio will challenge participants to include 2 fruit and 3 vegetable servings in their diets daily for 30 days straight. The incentive will be to receive special discounts offered at local farms and CSA’s to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at a reduced rate, helping people to save money on groceries. Challengers will also receive a weekly email with healthy recipes, cooking videos and free motivational wellness tips for 30 days. It is said that is takes 28 days to form a good habit.

The following Georgia farms will have fresh food discount offers for Atlanta Fruit and Veggie Challengers:

Harvest Farm Box

Bluebird CSA

Phoenix Gardens

Moore Farms and Friends

Local Food Stop

TaylOrganic Farm

GROCERY SAVING TIPS

Carol Runyans (AKA Coupon Carol) is an expert at using coupons to save hundreds of dollars on food. She is on board with the Atlanta Fruit and Veggie Challenge to offer effective money-saving grocery shopping tips to challengers online.

COOKING LESSON SCHOLARSHIPS

Brenda Cobb, the founder of The Living Foods Institute, beat cervical and breast cancer using the power of fresh organic fruits, vegetables and other “living foods”. Her team is on board with the Atlanta Fruit and Veggie Challenge to provide scholarships to challengers interested in specialized cooking lessons to learn how to prepare fresh fruits and vegetables to make a positive lifestyle change.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been recommending 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; however less than a third of Americans follow that recommendation. The daily consumption of fruits and vegetables can have a dramatic impact on health by providing vital vitamins and nutrients that fight cancer, heart disease, diabetes and many other chronic illnesses. Healthtopia Radio host Bonnie Mechelle lost over 100 pounds by incorporating more fruits and vegetables in her diet.

If you’re interested in joining Healthtopia Radio’s Fruit and Veggie Challenge you can visit www.myfruitandveggiechallenge.com, email CHALLENGE to healthtopia@gmail.com or call 888-509-8450 Ext 1. We welcome opportunities for interviews and news features about this new revolutionary movement to help adults and children to fight obesity & eat healthier.

ABOUT HEALTHTOPIA RADIO WITH BONNIE MECHELLE

Healthtopia Radio is a special program that delivers tangible tips and inspiration from leading experts, best selling book authors and celebrity guests. Host Bonnie Mechelle is a certified fitness instructor and holistic nutritionist who has lost over 100 pounds; her goal is to provide exceptional encouragement for women struggling with weight loss, divorce, single motherhood, marital problems, eating disorders, chronic illness and depression. Listen to episodes on WAEC Love 860 AM in Atlanta, Georgia on Fridays at 6:30pm or anytime online on iTunes and Blogtalk Radio. Visit the official website at www.myhealthtopia.com.

ABOUT LET’S MOVE!

Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative launched by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation. The goal is that children born today will grow up healthier and be able to pursue their dreams ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food and encouraging kids become more physically active. Learn more at www.letsmove.gov

For the first time in my life, I bought some mangoes, but then, true to form, I let them sit in a bowl on my kitchen counter perhaps a few days too long. In my defense, they looked pretty. They even gave the visible impression that I was an exquisite connoisseur of exotic fresh fruits.

By the time I got around to researching how to cut the pretty little things, they were becoming a little soft to squeeze. If overly ripe – I’ve learned – they become a bit mushy, similar to my experience with papaya. Well, here we go again.

According the experts, cut mango should look something like this. However, my evil pride prohibits me from showing you what my mangoes looked like by the time I was finished. (More like lumpy pumpkin soup.)

My girls and I gave the mangoes a try. (My son was too absorbed in his world of Lego Star Wars to be bothered.) I kind of liked it too, at least a little more than fresh coconut, which tasted like cardboard that smelled good.

Mango is sweet – sort of like a peach or a nectarine. (I read that somewhere.) But I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a nectarine; although I am sure that I have tried one at some point along the way.

These experiments are still fun for my kids. But I’m already ready to move on to something else. Ugh. I fear that my palette is permanently etched with the fine style of eating that you can buy and receive in a bag through a window. Thus far, the only real use I have discovered for fresh fruits and vegetables is the colorful décor they add to a room.

Thankfully, some friends are coming to my rescue. My blogging friend Tami has offered to send me a recipe for spaghetti squash to try. I’m not sure what that is, but I’m game. And a friend from church has offered to come over and give me cooking lessons with fruits and vegetables. Is that cool or what? God is good. (Even if His coconut is not.)

The next time I tried coconut it was dyed red. My Grandmother Eleanor used to make Red Velvet Cake from scratch, and she covered the white frosting with matching red coconut shavings. To this day, Red Velvet Cake is still my favorite dessert, and I happen to think that my grandma’s recipe is better than most of the ones I’ve tried out there. Except, I do omit the coconut part.

Thus, I have always thought of coconut as nothing short of gross – the kind that comes in a bag, that is. These days, the closest I come to coconut is the scented shampoo my 7-year-old daughter loves. I have never tried fresh coconut, though, so I thought I’d give it a try. There are different varieties, of course, but the most common kind of coconut resembles a little brown hairy bowling ball – complete with three spots that look like finger holes. And when you shake it, you can hear water sloshing around inside.

HOW TO CUT A COCONUT

This is crazy. It requires a hammer and nail! A power-drill is optional. Once a couple of holes are poked through, you drain the coconut water into a cup. According to online sources, coconut water is supposed to be drinkable, but I refrained. The grocery tag that came on the coconut suggested that the coconut water be disposed of, so I gladly obliged.

Then comes the sledge hammer and pickaxe. It takes almost as much muscle to crack open the stinkin’ thing as it does to cut out the “meat,” which is what the white stuff inside is actually called. So I recruited my husband for this job.

After much ado, I must admit that it was much ado about nothing. I tried it. Fresh. And I still think it’s gross. When it comes to liking fresh fruits and vegetables, I am about as hard-headed as a coconut.

THE COCONUT CURE

Despite my dislike for the stuff, I did discover something rather intriguing about coconut. Apparently, the oil that is extracted from coconut is unique in nature. It is the only source, outside of human breastmilk, that contains medium fatty acids chains, which leads to an increase in metabolism and a decrease in body weight.

And it is not to be confused with the kind of fatty acids that contributes to higher cholesterol and heart disease. Coconut oil has the good kind. Moreover, coconut oil is high in lauric acid content which, like human milk, attacks viral and bacterial pathogens and increases the body’s natural immune system. No kidding.

So the next fad in weight loss (perhaps you’ve already heard of it and I’m just now catching on) is coconut oil! Only, scientific research supports the notion that it’s not just a fad. Coconut oil, at room temperature (less than 76 degrees), is a solid, much like butter. So, in order to lose weight, or even to fight off a pending illness, it is recommended that you spread coconut oil on your bread instead of butter! Or add it to a papaya smoothie! Now that is something I can do. The next time I go to Trader Joe’s I will look for a bottle of coconut oil. I’m interested in giving it a try.

Here in Southern California, Trader Joe’s is an interesting health foods store. Once, when I was baking Christmas desserts, I sent my husband to the store for two bottles of red food coloring for the Red Velvet Cake that I was getting ready to make. Jeff came home and informed me that he could not find such a product at Trader Joe’s. He had searched the aisles and then finally asked for help from a clerk, who looked at him with disdain and replied: “We don’t carry that item here.” Go figure.

Well, I might have better luck asking if Trader Joe’s has coconut oil. That does sound like something they might carry. I’ll let you know how it goes.

First, the good news. I believe her children are going to become much healthier eaters than she and her brothers ever were; and that is largely due to their parents making healthy eating a priority. Good for them and for all those conscientious young parents like them.

So, now about those short and soggy green beans. It happened like this. My grandmother, Denise’s great-grandmother grew green beans…. and corn, potatoes, lettuce, radishes (now there’s one I dare Denise and the kids to try) onions, asparagus – well, you get the idea. In fact, my grandmother’s generation grew just about everything they ate. They didn’t have much choice in the matter what with first the Great Depression and then the WW II victory gardens and food rationing. Each year my grandmother, Hazel, also grew various fruits; and then in the summer and fall spent hours toiling over steaming kettles full of boiling water wherein rested dozens and dozens of jars of fruits and vegetables. They called it “canning” – although I have never quite understood why given that no cans were involved – only jars.

It never occurred to most children of that generation to question what was put in front of them to eat. They were just glad to have something (almost anything) to eat. I will spare you the old horror stories of hunting squirrels and rabbits when there was no beef or chicken to be had.

My mother’s generation generally did not grow as much food. They tended to buy it at the corner grocery and cook it. My mother cooked seven nights a week for decades. But my mother’s generation could remember the stringency of their childhoods, and they tended to frown upon any child who did not eat whatever was put in front of them, just as their parents had done. Some of the things that were set before me were not appealing, let me tell you; but there were no excuses allowed. My dad loved something called “wilted lettuce” which consisted of fresh lettuce doused with boiling bacon grease – hence the wilting. And then there was the liver. Good manners preclude me from telling THAT story, but suffice it to say it was not a pretty one. Memories of fried liver and onions served with spinach still haunt me – and the smells – well, we won’t go there.

Ah, now we come to my generation, those trend-setting baby-boomers. We didn’t cook quite as much, but what we did cook tended to be done quickly because we were also holding down jobs outside the home, and dinner needed to hit the table as soon after arriving home from work as possible. Much of the food came in a box (like Hamburger Helper) but it tasted yummy and you still assembled the ingredients on the stove. Vegetables generally came out of cans or if from a bag they were called “fresh frozen.” Can anyone spell oxymoron? My mother had always taught me that any well-balanced meal must consist of meat and potatoes (ah, did I mention we were mid-Westerners?) served with at least one green vegetable and one red or yellow vegetable.

However, I had not counted on marrying someone who did not like anything green and very few edibles which were red or yellow. Granted his family-of-origin held it’s own culinary peculiarities. Denise’s grandma Lucy (a warm and funny woman) had distinctly unique ideas about what might constitute a meal menu. We once went for dinner at Lucy’s house, only to be told that dinner would be Campbell’s chicken noodle soup served with mashed potatoes. (No, I am not making that up.)

So it is perfectly true that I never served Denise or her siblings fresh green beans. None of them would have touched them if I had. And the only green beans I had ever eaten came from cans. And since I came from the mid-West everything we cooked involved margarine, butter or shortening – and everything was cooked at least twice as long as necessary. Thus the “short and soggy”.

While channeling my own liver-avoidance, I rarely required my children to eat anything they didn’t like – if they would only try a bite or two. If they then pronounced it “yucky” that was good enough for me. Remember, this was the generation raising kids while being coached by Dr. Spock and his “don’t traumatize the little darlings.” Even when we began to diversify into ethnic foods (we moved to California and discovered tacos) all the ingredients were set out separately so that one child could eschew the lettuce, another the cheese, and yet a third those dreaded tomatoes. So what can I tell you? I never met a garbanzo bean until I was in my twenties and have rarely tried couscous. I know little of eggplant and nothing of tofu.

I see our generational food chain developing something like this: first the older generations grew it, then my generation just bought it, my kids often ignored it, and now her children choose to explore it. Grow it, buy it, ignore it and now explore it.

Food as family entertainment! What will they think of next? I have no clue, but I am fairly certain it will be healthy and even fun. I may even try tofu.

My name is Denise, and I’m a junk food junkie. Always have been. I blame it on my dear grandma, who was the sweetest grandma you could ever imagine. She was as sweet as her sweet-tooth, and I absolutely loved going to her place. Since we lived in a small farming town, I could ride my bike over to Grandma Lucy’s house whenever I wanted – which was daily. No matter what, I could always count on Grandma to greet me with a fresh stash of something yummy. And by “fresh,” I mean, “just out of the wrapper.” At Grandma’s house, I could eat whatever I wanted. Isn’t that what grandmas are for?

WHAT IS IT?

My earliest memory of bell peppers is watching the Rose Parade on T.V. with my grandma. I remember this one float that was decorated not only with countless flowers, but also with red, orange, and yellow bell peppers. Ever since, I have considered bell peppers to be merely ornamental and not the least bit edible. I didn’t know anyone who actually ate them.

Then, a couple of years ago, I was grocery shopping with Simone, and she asked me if we could get a bell pepper. Naturally, I assumed she was joking, but apparently, she had tried one somewhere and liked it. Now, every so often, I bring one home from the store so Simone can slice it up and eat it raw. Weird, I know.

On occasion, she has asked me to try a piece. Of course, I have always declined. So when I took up this fruit and vegetable challenge, Simone was giddy with the prospect that she could finally get her mother to try a bell pepper. I can’t say that I matched her enthusiasm. But here goes.

It wasn’t hard to select which ones to get at the store because they were all identical: shiny, smooth, and firm. And at Costco, they come in a multi-colored six-pack for only $6.84. (Ya’ gotta’ love Costco – not to mention the fact that their one-dollar hotdogs are the best!)

CUTTING AND PREPARING

I’ve learned that bell peppers must be refrigerated and kept inside a plastic bag. Unlike papaya, though, bell peppers are easy to cut. You just slice off the tops – like lids – and scoop out the seedy insides. My friend Linda gave me an easy recipe to follow where you make little one-inch slices, toss them in 2 tbsp. of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then bake for 15 minutes.

This is one of those “if-I-can-do-it-anybody-can” recipes (which is the only kind I like). So for one meal this week, I baked chicken and cooked rice and then added these colorful roasted bell peppers on the side. It was fun and easy. And tasty too. Thanks, Linda! (For creative and crafty ideas, everyone should checkout her blog.)

Later on in the week, I tried a new-to-me recipe for stuffed peppers. And I think we have actually found something to add to our rotation of meals. (To this, my entire family shouts a whole-hearted “Amen!”) With a green salad and baked potato, this is pretty good! For cooking directions, click here.

• 1 pound of ground beef
• ½ cup of uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 cup of water
• 6 bell peppers
• 2 eight-ounce cans of tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire
• ¼ teaspoon of onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

HEALTH BENEFITS

Sometimes I think preservatives get a bad rap. I can’t count how many times I’ve bought fresh fruit, with really good intentions of actually eating it, and then it gets moldy before I can get to it. Okay, maybe procrastination had a little something to do with it. But I’m allergic to mold, and let’s face it, I’ve never seen a moldy Pop Tart in my life. And I’ve been eating those little buggers for years, so I know what I’m talking about.

I am beginning to suspect that there is a vegetable conspiracy out there. Every website produces lists and lists of all the ways that vegetables are good for you. (And I can’t find the word “preservatives” anywhere on these lists.) Bell peppers, for instance, are full of nutrients like thiamine, vitamin C and B6, beta carotene, and large amounts of phytochemicals – whatever those are. But the best part about bell peppers is that they help protect against cancer and heart disease. Seriously.

Week two of the fruit and vegetable challenge is complete, and my kids are really getting into this. Now they’re asking me if we could try a new one every day. Lord, have mercy.

Next up: coconut.

I have heard of papaya before. I probably could have even told you that it’s some sort of exotic tropical fruit, but I could not have picked one out in a line up. Without a clue, I had to read the produce signs to find them in the grocery store. Needless to say, I had to do my homework. The ones shown here are smallish, but some papayas are three times this size and cost $2.99 each at Costco.

Grown mostly in Central America and Hawaii, they start out green, and they aren’t ripe until they’re more yellow than green and just a tad soft to squeeze. To be safe, I asked the guy who worked in the produce section which ones were okay for eating right away.

HOW DO I CUT IT?

As I’ve come to find out, you slice them vertically. They’re filled with seeds that resemble pepper seeds, so those need to be scooped out. Then comes the tricky part: You peel the skin and chunk up the guts. Doesn’t that sound appealing? Sorry. It’s a little like trying to cube cantaloupe, which I have actually attempted on a rare few occasions. But papayas are softer and juicier, so they are slippery little devils. Simone and I made quite a mess trying to figure out how to cut these things (Picture not available). By the time we were finished, it wasn’t very pretty, but we did manage to get a few pieces onto everyone’s dinner plate.

PIZZA AND PAPAYA

Tossing a frozen pizza into the oven is my weekly salvation. Not really, but it is on our list of dinner rotations. In recent years, however, I have generously graced this meal with a salad. There – you see? I told you that was getting better at this healthy-eating thing. But tonight … voila! We had fresh papaya with our pizza and salad. Moreover, it was met with minimal resistance – even from Brynn, my middle child who is, by far, my most finicky eater. (I guess the fruit really doesn’t fall far from the tree.)

Papaya is kind of sweet, kind of blah, and kind of something I can’t quite describe. But not all that bad.

One of my friends, though, described papaya as “vomit,” and because of its unique odor, I can sort of see why she thinks so. It is a little weird. Perhaps I’m just not used to it. But as I read up on papaya, I discovered that it’s really good for you. (The cynic in me wants to say, “Of course vomit is good for you! So why can’t Ding Dongs be good for you too?”)

HEALTH BENEFITS OF PAPAYA

My beef with Hostess aside, I’ve learned that papaya boosts the metabolism, and who – over the age of 30 – couldn’t use a little boost there? Plus, papayas are plentiful in antioxidants, carotene, vitamins (A, B, and C), potassium, fiber, and lots of other nutrients and minerals that are difficult to spell. It’s also rich in papain, a digestive enzyme that’s supposed to work wonders for the plumbing. (We have yet to determine the veracity of this claim.) Not only that, this miracle fruit apparently gives your skin a famous glow – one that doesn’t even require that fabled perk of pregnancy! (Can I hear an “Amen”?)

PAPAYA SMOOTHIES

Papaya was okay by itself, but since Simone and I butchered so much of the stuff, we thought it prudent to make use of the blender. So I looked up recipes online for papaya smoothies. Obviously, there are a lot to choose from, but we went with the recipe that we already had the ingredients for:

• 2 Ripe papayas
• ½ Cup of orange juice
• ½ Cup of vanilla yogurt

For a family of five, we doubled the recipe. But it was too bland, so we sliced a lemon to squeeze some fresh lemon juice in there. And just for fun, we added a tablespoon of honey too. Then, after dumping a few more trays of ice cubes, we gave it another electric whirl. This time the smoothies came out pretty nice, but now that I’m thinking about it, a banana in there probably would have added some flavor too. In the future, this is definitely the best way to get all of those the healthy papaya benefits.

All in all, it was a fun experiment. My kids are already asking me which fruit or vegetable we’ll try next!

To my surprise, I kind of liked it. So I just had to ask, “What is this green stuff? I actually like it.” Jeff looked at me with an expression I couldn’t discern. Then, with a straight face, he replied, “Green beans.”

That’s just so like him, I thought. His typical dry humor always got me, but not this time. “No way,” I argued, “I’m not falling for one of your jokes again. I know these aren’t green beans because green beans are short and soggy. But these things are long and crunchy.”

Again, he just looked at me. I quickly realized that this time, he wasn’t joking. Kindly, he explained it to me. Apparently, they really were green beans. The fresh kind. Steamed.

Who knew? I was 29 years old, and the only green beans I had ever known came in a can.

What’s even more amazing is the fact that Jeff still married me knowing full well that I’m not much of a cook. After all, I’m not even literate when it comes to fruits and vegetables; so how could I possibly be expected to prepare them in any kind of edible fashion?

Jeff, now my husband, still has a dry sense of humor, and he still is a much healthier eater than I am. I can’t understand it really. How does anyone actually like all those different kinds of vegetables?

I know I should eat more responsibly, and I have definitely made some progress over the years. I really have. For instance, I no longer go through two fast-food-drive-thru’s a day. (I used to consider “variety” to mean Burger King for lunch and McDonald’s for dinner.) Nowadays – realistically – it’s more like twice a week, on a good week.

The thing is, I push my cart down the fruit and vegetable aisle at the grocery store, and I’m pretty familiar with the usual: apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes. But I don’t even know what most of that other stuff is. And, just to be perfectly honest, sometimes I stop mid-aisle and look at some pile of fruit, and I wonder: What is it? I search for a sign to read the name, and then I wonder: How on earth do you cut it? I wouldn’t even know how to prepare it.

So here it is. The fruit and vegetable challenge. I know a lot of moms who talk about different ways to get their kids to eat this stuff. But what I want to know is: How do I get myself to eat this stuff? Hence, the challenge:

1. To try a new fruit or vegetable at least once a week.
2. To learn how to cut it and prepare it.
3. To figure out how I could include more fruits and veggies as part of my regular eating habits.

Once a week, I will share my latest experiment with either a new-to-me fruit or vegetable.

So stay tuned. And wish me luck. And if you have any suggestions or tips on recipes, I’d gladly welcome them!