31 Jan Power Foods: Tomato-Avocado Cup Snacks

Power Food this week is the Tomato! We all can recognize a tomato, they are those giant red berries that your mom uses to make spaghetti sauce. Slice them for sandwiches, toss them in salads, cook them into sauces or squeeze them for juice. Tomatoes are delicious and good for us, packed with vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, and lycopene. Tomatoes are the fruit of the tomato plant. Because the tomato has seeds and grows from a flowering plant botanically it is classed as a fruit, not a vegetable. Tomatoes are the state vegetable of New Jersey. They are the official state fruit of Ohio and tomato juice is the official beverage of Ohio. However, Arkansas took both sides by stating the South Arkansas Vine Ripe Pink Tomato as the state fruit and state vegetable, due to its culinary and botanical classifications.

Pretty much all tomato varieties are red although other colors are possible including green, yellow, orange, pink, black, brown, white, and purple. The tomato is eaten in many different ways, raw like a fruit, as an ingredient in many dishes, sauces, salsas, salads, processed into ketchup or tomato soup. Tomato juice is made as a drink and used in cocktails. Americans eat 22-24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year. About half of that comes in the form of ketchup and tomato sauce.

Health Benefits of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are packed with Potassium making them have Flex Power. Flex Power helps your brain talk to your muscles so that they can flex and move. Tomatoes not only provides the necessary calories for healthy, daily metabolism but is also a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, and Potassium, along with many minerals. As a common misconception Bananas are a good place to start when discussing potassium. They have a reputation for being a very good source of the mineral, but in truth, there are many other foods with higher content, like Tomatoes. Perhaps the reason why bananas are so associated with Potassium is that they’re great for “on the go” situations, such as a late breakfast. Adding tomatoes to your daily diet is a simple way to help you get the 4,700 milligrams of potassium you need each day.

Delicious Tomato-Avocado Cup Snacks

Whether you are looking for an after school snack, or a healthy appetizer for a party, this recipe for Tomato – Avocado Cups can double as both!  The best part, no baking involved!

Follow this recipe from our friends at Super Healthy Kids for your child and you to make this healthy and delectable snack!