Attack of the Pomegranate!

I'm sorry I won't have any drool-worthy Thanksgiving food pics until tomorrow..because I'll be celebrating Turkey Day tonight with Steveo and his friends. I am so excited to hang out with everybody and feast! I have cornbread in the oven right now and when that's done I'm making little Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts.  I'm also in charge of green beans :)

I was planning on bringing Pomegranate Apple Crisp for dessert, but the batch I whipped up yesterday got a little burnt on the edges...so unfortunately I'm going to have to eat that all by myself ;)

Ever since I discovered my love for pomegranate earlier this season I've been dying to cook with it..and this was the perfect oppurtunity.  Pomegranates can be tricky to cut up, here's the easiest way I found:

How to slice up a pomegranate;

(Make sure to wear an apron or a crappy t-shirt when you do this!)

Get a plate, a good knife and a bowl filled with cold water.  Cover your cutting space with paper towels because this will get messy!

Slice the crown off of the pomegranate.

Cut it into quarters and break apart the insides into pieces. (Careful..it will splatter!)

Loosen the arils (the red seeds) and let them fall into the bowl of water.

The arils will float to the bottom of the water and the white parts of the inside will float to the top.  Use a spoon to scoop out the white pieces.

Pour the contents of the bowl through a sifter..and you're done! I love the arils, I think they taste like sweet tarts.

Here's how my baking adventure went down..

Pomegranate Apple Crisp;

Ingredients

• 3 apples (macoun!)
• 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter (I used Bummel & Brown)
• Good amount of cinnamon

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 and spray a baking pan (I used 8x8x2)
• Slice the apples into chunks and set aside.
• Mix the dry ingredients (flour, oats and sugar) in a bowl and add the softened butter until everything is blended.
• Spread the apples and about half of the pomegranate arils in the baking dish and cover them with the butter mixture.
• Sprinkle the rest of the arils on top and bake for 30-35 minutes.

My end result :( a few minutes too extra in the oven..

I adapted the recipe from here, I just used whole wheat flour instead and a little more pomegranate.

Question of the day;

What is the best exercise to lose abdominal fat?

• There is no magic pill, exercise, supplement or quick fix to lose belly fat. The body chooses where it loses fat from first, therefore you can not "target" any specific body part.  Spot reduction is one of the biggest fitness myths.  Doing 100s of crunches and sit ups will not make a six pack appear if there is still a layer of fat on top. Besides, doing 100 reps of any exercise is a waste of time.  A flat stomach comes from a combination of excellent nutrition and a solid, effective workout plan. 
• Eat a diet rich in whole grains, lean meat, fruits, veggies, healthy fats (natural peanut butter, avacado, nuts, olive oil), legumes and low fat dairy. Cut out simple carbs, empty calories (white bread/rice, soda, many packaged foods) and other foods high in sugar. Also, keep your sodium in check and drink lots of water.
• As far as strengthening your core and abs goes, as long as you are engaging your core and using proper form while weight lifting you will be working your abs.  Planks, push-ups, cable chops, mountain climbers and hanging leg raises are a few examples great core strenghtening moves.

I'm off to do some more baking! Send me more questions and enjoy your saturday :)