Monday Message

Your baby’s teeth are coming in and he’s cranky. What should you do to alleviate the discomfort? Click Here:  Teething Tip

 

 

Monday Message - Recipe of the Week

Pretzel Crusted Chicken

 

Hesitant to feed your kids those frozen, breaded and fried chicken nuggets? If you are shaking your head "no" right now then you probably have not seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show on the ABC network!  Last season, Jamie showed us how chicken nuggets are "made." 

Here is the video in case you missed it:  Chicken Nugget Revolution

 

Now are you hesitant to feed your kids those frozen, breaded and fried chicken nuggets?  I hope that the answer is YES!  Here is a pretzel crusted chicken nugget that slashes calories and fat: Pretzel Crusted Chicken Recipe Video

 

 

Monday Message - Recipe of the Week

Flash-Fried Romaine


Remember the Grilled Romaine Recipe from Liz's Lemon Bowl? This week we are Flash-Frying our Romaine!  This recipe is by Stacy Haumea, MPH, RD, CDE and the Kids Eat Right campaign.

 

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
2 bunches romaine lettuce, rinsed and spun
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon peanut oil

 

Directions

1. Fry the bacon in a wok or a very large frying pan over medium-high heat; remove from heat. Clean the pan. Drain the bacon on paper towels; cool and chop it into ½-inch pieces.
2. Shred the romaine; season it with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a wok; add the lettuce. Flash-fry just 1 to 3 minutes, turning constantly.
4. Garnish with the bacon pieces. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts:  Recipe Link

Monday Message: Food Safety Videos

Sit back and enjoy some freshly popped popcorn or Cauliflower Popcorn while you tune-in to the Kids Eat Right Campaign Message Videos about Food Safety. (Don't forget to wash your hands!)

Leftovers Food Safety

Preventing Foodborne Illness in the Home

Food Safety - From Store to Plate

Food safety is an important issue that starts with food shopping. Whether shopping at a farmers market, a grocery store or a club warehouse store, there are a few simple precautions that you can take to prevent foodborne illness in your home.

• Shop for all shelf stable items first and leave refrigerated and frozen items for the end of your shopping trip.
• Check cans and packages for dents or tears.
• Have meats, poultry and seafood bagged separately from other foods to avoid cross contamination from juices from leaking.
• Check over produce to avoid mold or bruises that leave cuts or holes in the food items.
• In summer, transport foods in the back seat rather than a hot trunk.
• Unload your groceries right away when you arrive home.

Food safety at home is just as important as in the stores.  Most stores have strict temperature regulations that they are required to follow for keeping the foods fresh and healthy for us.  In addition, the date stamped on most of our products is a helpful guide that markets  must continuously check for to ensure they are not selling products past their freshness date.  However, when we bring the foods home...it is all up to us!

What about leftovers?  Most vegetable leftovers can last several days.  Meat items no more than a few days.  Seafood only 1-2 days.  Check out this video from kidseatright.org  Leftovers Video

For more information about home food safety and the prevention of foodborne illness, visit http://www.homefoodsafety.org/.

Recipe of the Week - Whole Grain Cookies

New-Fashioned Whole Grain Cookies

 

Recipe By: Laura Thomas MEd, RD, LD

 

Ingredients

3¼ cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups 5-grain cereal, uncooked
½ cup butter
⅓ cup canola oil
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup liquid egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup raisins
½ cup chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

 

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cereal; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, oil, applesauce, sugars, egg substitute, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Stir in the raisin chocolate chips, and cranberries.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie. sheet. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown but still soft to the touch.

Check out the Nutrition Facts here.

Nutrition Tips

Cooking Tip

Freeze tablespoon-size dollops of cookie dough unbaked. Store in an airtight container in the freezer. To bake a tray of fresh cookies, just place pieces of the frozen dough on a baking tray and allow them to thaw for about 15 minutes. Then bake according to the recipe directions. Baking time may vary; adjust as necessary.


Shopping Tip

Five-grain cereal mix can be found in the cooked cereal section of most grocery stores. You can also choose 10-grain or 12-grain cereal.


Serving Suggestions

Eat them for breakfast. Or, for a tasty, nutritious after-school snack, serve these cookies with a glass of milk. Together the milk and cookies provide energy, protein, calcium, iron, B-vitamins, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals active growing kids need.

Monday Message - Recipe of the Week

Montana Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Recipe By:  Barbara Pyper MS, RD

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons mustard, stone-ground or Dijon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ to 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin
4 large red onions, quartered

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Process the horseradish, mustard, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth. Combine the garlic, shallot, thyme, and oil with the horseradish mixture in a small bowl to make the seasoning rub.
2. Place the trimmed tenderloin (small end tucked) and the quartered onions in a roasting pan sprayed with the cooking spray. Spread or pat the seasoning rub on the tenderloin. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat.
3. Cover and roast for 20 minutes. Baste with the meat juices; roast, uncovered, for another 10 to 20 minutes to desired doneness.

Makes 8 servings:  3 oz beef & 1/2 onion 


Nutrition Facts: Click Here

 

 

CookingTip

Use the following guide from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association for meat temperatures: Rare =140°F; medium rare =145°F; medium = 160°F; well done = 170°F. The meat temperature will continue to rise after removal from the oven—count on approximately 5 to 10°F.

Nutrition Nugget

Beef can be a healthy choice: A 3-ounce serving of tenderloin contains 180 calories and 8.6 grams of fat.

Monday Message - Healthy Fast Food?

I was speaking with someone recently who is trying to make healthy changes to their diet and this person exclaimed to me "I ordered salad at a Fast Food restaurant for the first time!"  Some of us do not think of ordering salads at Fast Restaurants because these visits are often considered "treats" and we want to enjoy something tasty that the chain is known for like a burger or french fries.  Others eat Fast Food regularly due to the close proximity of these establishments to our homes, school and work or along the usual commute and need to substitute those burgers and fries for healthier options.  If you find yourself eating fast food two or more times per week it is a good idea to find the healthy alternatives on the menu and give them a try!

For breakfast, order a plain egg muffin sandwich with just Canadian bacon or try the oatmeal without brown sugar.  Another good bet?  Fruit!

Try the salads at lunch and ask for low-calorie dressings.  Even Fast Food salads can load on the calories with all of the extras.  Skip anything "fried" on your salad.  Again, order fruit to go with your meal.

Running through a drive-thru with the family between music lessons and soccer practice? Opt for plain hamburgers, fruit and milk.  If they have baby carrots or side salads....even better!

Skip the beverages.  Our bodies do not need all of the sugar in pop (or the artificial sweeteners in diet pop), juice, mocha drinks, smoothies or sweetened teas.....afterall, the body is made up of over 70% water and we should be replenishing with water multiple times per day.

Sometimes the 99 Cent or $1 Value Menus offer many lower calorie options and smaller portions!  Remember that "Supersizing" may be a good value for your pocketbook but it is not an upgrade for your health.

Looking for more on ordering your Fast Food?  Check out this article from Kids Eat Right: Fast Food