One thing that calls my name nearly every time I step in the grocery store? Pre-cut produce. It’s so much simpler to grab a tub full of peeled, sliced kiwi; washed, de-stemmed berries; or sliced watermelon than to cut these items myself. However, I am my frugal mother’s daughter and can’t let myself take the easy route out if I can save a few pennies (or dollars at times!)

Following that concept, I decided to dedicate my next two “Good for you Eats” posts to preparing often difficult to handle fruits. First up: the pomegranate!

One-half cup of pomegranate seeds provides 3 grams of fiber, about 15% of daily recommended vitamin C plus a good amount potassium and several potent antioxidants for only 72 calories.

I must admit that before this little experiment, I have never actually tried pomegranate seeds (gasp)! Many healthy living bloggers out there may be appalled—but since I’ve never tried pomegranate before, perhaps others in the Healthful Bites community haven’t either.

Anyways, these ruby-colored, round fruits can generally be found from September through January. That means if you round up a cart or basket and hit the aisles, you should be able to come across these right now!

Pomegranates have intimidated me in the past because of their unfamiliar shape, preparation, etc. But after hearing Lee (“Fat Guy” from Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy) explain how to properly remove the seeds, I decided to take a stab at it myself! Incidentally, this is also the same method that the Pomegranate Council recommends. This must be the way to do it ;) (Although in my opinion, any way that gets the job done is OK with me!) Just be careful while working with the pomegranate: the juice can splatter and does stain easily.

• Step 1:  Score the outside of the pomegranate at the pointy parts—you will see a slightly rounded pentagon-shaped fruit when selecting one at the store. This is caused by the shape the insides take. By slicing at the points furthest from the center, you will likely be hitting the non-edible parts.

• Step 2: Slice a round piece off of the top and bottom to release the scored sections.

• Step 3: Grab a bowl of water and one section of the fruit. Rub fingers over the inside of the pomegranate to release the seeds (the edible parts). It’s also helpful at times to peel off the bigger pieces of white lining off to free up the seeds to drop into the water. Repeat with other segments.

• Step 4: Skim the white pieces off the top of the water—these should float—and drain the seedy water through a strainer. (Displaying on an old school Christmas placemat is optional :) )

Voila! Now you have a bowl full of juicy fruit pieces to snack on straight, toss in yogurt or cereal or even as part of a more savory dish.

So the verdict? A bit sweet, a bit tart and all-around quite tasty! Plus, this process took about ten minutes. Totally worth it to reap so many seeds from just one fruit!

Stay tuned for next week for another edition of Prep in a Flash, Save Some Cash…

Do you have any items you’d be willing to splurge for at the grocery store in the name of convenience?