Fitness Tip of the Month - April

This month's Fit Business Tips include simple ideas to help you regenerate your mind and body while at work. You will also learn that cherries and carrots are in season, which makes this the perfect time of year to begin incorporating them into your daily meals.

QUICK AND SIMPLE TIPS

• Pack healthy snacks: To keep your energy level up and your calories in check, it's a good idea to pack nutritious snacks for break periods. A handful of bite-sized dried fruit, delicious cherries, or some sweet baby carrots can satisfy your hunger and help you power through the day.
• Schedule physical activity throughout your workday: Set aside 10-minutes during your breaks and at lunchtime to walk around the block or do other activities that you enjoy. You'll feel pumped up, refreshed, and ready to do your work projects after moving your body around.

April's Fruit of the Month
Cherry

Health Benefits
Cherries are a good source of Vitamin C and fiber. There are two main types of cherries -- sweet and sour. The Bing cherry is the best known sweet cherry and sour cherries are most often used for cooking, pies, and preserves. Including cherries in your lowfat diet along with a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables will help you to maintain heart health, memory function, urinary tract health, and a lower risk of some cancers.

Selection
Colors range from golden red-blushed Rainier cherries to dark red Bing cherries. Look for firm, shiny, and plump fruit with green stems and no blemishes. Avoid cherries with cracked and bruised skin or brown, dry stems. Cherries should be ready to eat - no ripening involved.

Storage
Cherries can be stored, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. Leave them out on the counter for a few hours prior to eating, as the flavor is much better at room temperature. Cherries can also be frozen, with or without pits, for up to one year.

Preparation Ideas
Rinse cherries just before eating. Cherries can be eaten alone or pitted and added to salads, main dishes, and desserts.

FEATURED CHERRY RECIPE: GREAT GRAPE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients

1 cup seedless grapes
½ cup each frozen cherries and strawberries
½ cup each orange and banana slices

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender
   container.
2. Blend until mixture is smooth.
3. Pour into glasses.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
Calories 180, Carbohydrate 46 g, Protein 2 g, Total Fat 1 g,
Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 29 mg,
Dietary Fiber 4 g

Recipe courtesy of the California Table Grape Commission

March's Vegetable of the Month
Cherry

Health Benefits
Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamins A and C and contain beta-carotene. With the exception of beets, carrots contain more natural sugars than all other vegetables. Including carrots in your lowfat diet along with a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables will help you maintain a lower risk of some cancers, vision health, heart health, and a healthy immune system.

Selection
Look for long, thick, deep-orange carrots. Make sure they have no bumps or cracks. Avoid carrots that are wrinkled or soft. When buying baby carrots, look for ones that are moist and plump and avoid those that are slimy or broken up.

Storage
Keep your carrots tasty and crunchy by storing them in a vegetable drawer in the refrigerator between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If you buy carrots with the green tops still on them, break off the tops, rinse the carrots, place them in a plastic bag, and store as described above. Be careful not to store carrots with other fruit because fruit gives off natural gases that can make vegetables go bad.

Preparation Ideas
Buy bagged baby carrots to take with you for an easy, on-the-go snack. Add raw carrot sticks as a crunchy side dish at lunch. Grate carrots into salads and over soups to add a crunchy, sweet flavor.

FEATURED CARROT RECIPE: VEGETABLE QUESADILLA

Ingredients

1 large carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
8 flour tortillas
¾ cup crumbled queso fresco or
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
bottled hot sauce, to taste

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, mix carrot and zucchini, then sprinkle ½ cup over each of four tortillas.
2. Top each tortilla with 3 tablespoons cheese.
3. Sprinkle with hot sauce.
4. Cover with a second tortilla.
5. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat until hot.
6. Place each quesadilla in pan.
7. Cook 1 minute.
8. Turn over and cook 1 minute longer or until hot and cheese
   melts.
9. Cut each quesadilla into four quarters.
10. Serve.

Makes 4 servings. 1 quesadilla per serving.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
Calories 131, Carbohydrate 20 g, Protein 7 g, Total Fat 3 g,
Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 3 mg, Sodium 253 mg,
Dietary Fiber 2 g

Recipe courtesy of Healthy Latino Recipes Made with Love, California Latino 5 a Day Campaign