Marvelous Mangoes!

My children really like fruit and most of the fruits that we eat they liked the first time they tried them.  (One exception to this is bananas, which my daughter liked as a baby but for whatever reason cannot stand now)!  Mangoes, on the other hand, took my kids awhile to take a shine to.  For my family, they definitely fit into the "offer a new food at least 10 times" before your child will like it category.  But now my kids love them and so I buy them often, usually when they are on sale.

Mangoes have been a good deal the last couple of weeks at my neighborhood King Soopers so I have been buying several a week.  I let them sit out on the kitchen cabinet until they are slightly soft to the touch and then add them to a fruit salad which is quite delicious!  If you don't usually buy mangoes because you don't know how to cut them up, give it a try.   It does take a minute to pit them but certainly takes less time than cutting up a fresh pineapple!  Another of our favorite things to do with mangoes is to make smoothies for an after school snack.

Here is my kids' favorite recipe:
Mango smoothie
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (or substitute honey for kids over 1 year of age)
1 tray ice cubes

Directions
1.Place the mangoes, lime juice, confectioners' sugar or honey, and ice cubes in a blender. Blend until slushy.

Mangoes are a nutrient-rich food!  One mango has only about 135 calories but supplies 4 grams of fiber and is high in vitamin C (96% of daily needs).  It is also a good source of vitamin A, vitamin B6, potassium and copper.
 
What do you do with mangoes?