A personal break through happened today. I bought and opened a pomegranate!Let me tell you why this was such a break through for me. First of all, you must know that I love to eat pomegranates. I love them when they have been prepared by others. But to buy one and actually try to open up the thing and break out the "arils" (n. the fleshy edible seeds of a pomegranate which are filled with sweet, tart juice) myself has always really intimidated me, so I never have. They are just so scary looking, especially when they're opened--yikes!
Today I was in the grocery store and noticed that pomegranates were on sale. Because of my fear of them, I tried my hardest not to notice but that darn "sale" sign drew me right in. As I approached the barrel they were in, I felt the little devils trying to work their intimidation factor on me and I almost turned away, but thankfully, attached to the barrel was a pamphlet that described step by step how to open them. The pamphlet made it seem so easy and really boosted my confidence level, so after taking a deep breath, I reached into the barrel, picked one up, and placed it in my shopping cart. Yes, it was a very proud moment for me [you may clap now]. :)
Mike and I opened and ate it together tonight and it was actually a lot of fun and hardly "scary" at all (click on the lovely diagram above to learn how for yourself)!
And let me tell you, it was certainly worth it! Yum.I was so excited to have finally learned how to open a pomegranate that I just had to make it the topic of this post tonight. :) Here's some more cool info from the pamphlet about them:
"Pomegranates contain polyphenols, one of nature's most powerful and effective antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect your body against "free radicals," major factors in aging as well as in chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer. They are also chock-full of Vitamin C, a vital nutrient that's been shown to reduce both the length and severity of colds; and Vitamin K, a substance required for healthy blood clotting."
So if you've been one to shy away from pomegranates because of their intimidating appearance, I assure you, there's no need to be afraid of them anymore. Go out and try some yourself!
P.S. Bryson is 20 months old today! Here's how we celebrated:
