Mango Madness

^^ See what I did there?

The color for this post is

Mango! 
(it is like a combination of Orange and Yellow)

It is like March Madness for foodies, but not really. Well March is over and it is April now.

You know what that means? Well for one my birthday was last week (that is over spring break by the way. Yes be jealous).  More to the point, it is also a time when some of my favorite fruits come into season. I mean of course we can get any kind of fruit at any time of year, but we all know that it tastes better when it is in season!

I just ate like ten minutes ago and now I am hungry again!
Photo Courtesy of Therapy Works

Of all of the spring and summer fruits mangos are my favorite (if you couldn't tell by the title). I have been in love with mangos longer than I can remember. They are just so juicy and sweet! In fact I love mangos so much that it is making my mouth water just talking about them! I know they are in season, because they are cheaper and taste a whole lot better.

I was kinda wondering why things taste better when they are in season even though we can get them all year long. So I used trusty Google and looked it up. I was really disappointed, because Google told me that I was wrong and fruit doesn't taste any different. Well I think that Google is wrong, who's with me? ✋

Foods most definitely taste better when they are in season. Obviously these people have never, ever been to a farmers market!

A farmers market with all their fresh produce!
Photo Courtesy of Utah Courts

It is quite a special treat to finally be able to eat all of the delicious fruits and vegetables that I have been waiting for all year. Grocery store peaches, raspberries, strawberries, and nectarines have been forever ruined for me by farmer's market quality ones.

As I have said, (Mango Madness) my favorite fruit is mango. Mangos are not found in Utah farmers markets, but I am still very picky about my mangos and other tropical fruits.

Mangos are a spring fruit so the ripe, yummy ones are just starting to come into grocery stores. Let me tell you I am stoked!!!!!! And the biggest problem with me and yummy fruit???  Among other things I start to let my mind wander to all of the other tropical fruits I am desperately in love with: pineapples, kiwis, bananas, and papaya.

Some yummy tropical fruits
Photo Courtesy of Pictures For Ever

Disappointed with my Google experience but still kind of wondering what "In season fruit" is, I looked it up again. This time, I found an article about the health benefits of eating only in season fruit.

Apparently in some European countries such as Italy, the cooks and consumers refuse to cook with or eat food that has been shipped long distances. Produce is more flavorful the closer it is to its origin, as each step of the shipping process eke's out the natural flavors of the food. It isn't just about flavor. There are many nutritional and economical advantages to eating seasonal food.

Scientists in Japan have done experiments concerning the benefits of seasonal produce. They used spinach, which they found has twice the vitamin C when it is fresh as when it has been shipped long distances. The economic advantage is that most in-season produce comes from local farmers. Then the locals have more money and they spend more which contributes majorly to the economy!

The moral of this story is eat as much local food as possible, it is good for you!! Unless of course you don't like fruits and vegetables.  Then you can go eat as much McDonalds as you want, where nothing is in season.

This is apparently the "World's Largest McDonald's" (building or people??)
Photo Courtesy of Gary Wolff

Creamy Goodness

Cream

Can you even see that?? Who knows, anyway I am pretty sure that cream is a color.

Many of you can probably relate to the struggles of being an athlete. I struggle with practice, endurance, strength, motivation but only once in awhile.  Daily, number one on my list of struggles is hunger. I have a serious addiction to food (maybe I should go to rehab?).

Ask any of my friends or family, it is always my first thought, several times a day, in fact most of my brain power is devoted to finding food. 

Cooking and baking are two of my favorite weekend/summer activities. I love trying fun and strange new recipes. 

I made these for my birthday last year, I was pretty proud

On family trips I am always the one who decides what we are going to eat. I have a personal relationship with Yelp!, hands off ladies! I specialize in finding yummy places to eat in cities I have never been to.  When I am out with my friends I am normally the one that calls for a lunch break (it is pretty bad). Apparently, I even, according to Anna and Sophie, talk about food in my sleep.

It's a problem because I can't eat just one big meal at the three times of day. I have to eat big meals and have lots and lots of snacks in between!

I love creamy, sweet, sour, and savory treats. Of those creamy is really my top category. It is great because you can have something that is creamy but also sweet, sour, or savory, maybe all three (but yuck!!). Most creamy things also have more calories than other foods, so I don't have to eat again in five minutes, it might be ten instead!

Here are a few of my favorite creamy items from my diet, which you probably shouldn't follow.  It is likely really bad for you.

Mashed Potatoes: Let me just put this out there, mashed potatoes with butter and gravy are absolutely the best thing that anyone can eat ever! I don't think I can even put in words how much I love them.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (as you may know from a previous post) simply because I get to have this delicious, creamy, and savory vegetable. The best place to get them in Utah is called the Rhode Island Diner. Which is an adorable, little, old fashioned diner in Oakley, UT.

Inside the Rhode Island Diner
Photo Courtesy of Fury Effect

Mochas: Mochas are my second favorite on my list of creamy foods. You won't find me at any swim meet without them. For you uncultured, boring people who don't know what a mocha is, it is an amazing combination of chocolate and coffee with a bit of sugar, cream, and of course you cannot forget the whipped cream on top (I don't put that on for swim meets).

It is making me thirsty just looking at it!
Photo Courtesy of Better HouseKeeper

Speaking of whipped cream...

 ...that is another thing on my list!

Whipped Cream: My brother actually is the one with the whipped cream addiction; he eats an unhealthy amount of it. At Thanksgiving he always makes someone spray it into his mouth. Sometimes he just eats a bowl of it plain for dessert. But you can put it on pretty much anything and it still tastes really good. You can put on cake, in cake, or in the frosting on the cake. You can also mix it with berries or fruit. One of my favorite ways to eat it is with ice cream. I love it on milk shakes, ice cream, or doing it the Cold Stone way and putting it inside the ice cream.

This is my favorite thing from Cold Stone
Photo Courtesy of Cold Stone (link above)

Krispy Kreme: Who doesn't love these? They are probably the best donuts you can buy, especially the creme filled kind! I even associate with parental love and affection!  When my family was in Washington D.C on a trip there was a Krispy Kreme donut shop that made fresh donuts every morning that you could smell all the way from our hotel about a block away. It made me really sad because we would wake up every morning, smell them and not eat any. Finally on one of the last days that we were there my mom woke up early and went out and got us donuts as a special treat. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Mmm Yummy!
Photo Credits here

Last of all is....

Cadbury Creme Eggs: These are a favorite of mine because they have both chocolate and candy in them! These eggs are also special because they only are around during Easter time. They are my mom's favorite candy, and whenever she sees them she buys as many as she can fit in her hands. For me they also represent ice cream and my birthday, two more of my favorite things . 

Cadbury Creme Eggs
Photo Courtesy of Serious Eats

My birthday is almost always over spring break and is always the week before or after Easter.  Around the same time as Easter there is a Jewish holiday called Passover, which is kind of like Thanksgiving. In case you didn't know, I am Jewish.  Anyway during Passover you are not allowed to eat any bread (I know tragic right?), but sometimes my birthday is over Passover so I can't have a regular birthday cake. So instead my dad always buys me a Cold Stone ice cream cake! Which are very good if I do say so myself

One of my Faves
Photo Courtesy of Business Wire

Can you say creamy goodness ten times without your mouth watering!!!