Rev Up Your Metabolism With New Fruits and Veggies

I cut up a rutabaga a little while ago. That's right, a rutabaga. And after that, a turnip and a parsnip. Why, you ask? I'm attempting to reverse an upward trend on the scale, and I'm hoping to do it with fruits and veggies I don't normally eat. I've never tried rutabagas before, so when I spied the "Cooking Light" (www.cookinglight.com) recipe for Braised Root Vegetables with Chicken, it sounded like the perfect autumn dish, complete with lots of new-to-my-family veggies.

In addition to cooking a new dish (to be eaten and reviewed later this week), I recently bought persimmons, grapefruit and a big bag of dried apricots from Costco. These have never been staples in my diet, but I'm trying to introduce new produce items, new tastes, new textures to keep our palates from getting bored and my body from getting too used to the same foods all the time. Just as it's important to change up one's exercise routine, I'm beginning to see the importance of varying one's diet in order to keep seeing results.

So, even though it's getting into the cold months and produce options may seem somewhat limited, take a look at your local farmer's market or grocery store's produce section and see what's in season. Last month, I discovered spaghetti squash and found my whole family loved it. You might find you prefer one of the myriad varieties of apples available this time of year over the typical Red Delicious or Granny Smith type. Give it a try! I'll let you know how the chicken turns out.