Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Days of Taste – Fall ’11

In this age of fast and frozen foods, we want to teach school children about real food-where it is grown and how it is produced-so they can develop an understanding and appreciation of how good, fresh food is supposed to taste.

—Julia Child

Days of Taste® is a discovery-based program for 4th & 5th grade schoolchildren. Developed by the The American Institute of Wine & Food in 1995, Days of Taste® inspires children to learn about the food we eat, discover how ingredients taste, and how they weave their way into our daily lives, from farm to table.

We have wrapped up the Days of Taste program here in the local school district. It was fascinating. These fourth graders were so eager to meet the chef, learn about how to find local produce, and experiment with flavors. They learned how a vegetable pizza fits on the new MyPlate and whether fennel grows above or underneath the dirt.

On the final day, our local chef inspired the kids to create a salad full of so many vegetables and fruits it could pass as a small meal, along with a dressing composed of the flavors they had experienced on the first day. My favorite moment?   The group of kids I was assisting was busy tearing green leaves into bite-sized pieces and sprinkling broccoli, basil, olives, and apples into a large bowl for their salad.  A couple of kids turned to me as they worked admitting that they did not like salad, would not eat olives, or thought the dressing was icky. The salad was tossed, served, and . . . devoured. I checked on those same kids to try and convince them to just take a taste. They were experiencing flavors and ingredients they had never heard of before and loved them! One scrawled the names of what he needed onto his napkin announcing that he planned to recreate his salad at home for his family.

As we cleaned up the mostly empty plates, the kids begged the chef to feature their salad creations on the restaurant menu. The chef agreed and the elated young cooks started planning their visits to the restaurant to show off their talent to their parents.

When I got back home I was inspired to make my favorite muffins. These contain several ingredients from my CSA. The list of additions to the batter is a little more than the average muffin, but that is what I love about them. There is a lot going on in one bite-full of Morning Glory Muffin.

Morning Glory Muffins

• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 cup zucchini, grated
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
• 3 large eggs
• ⅔ cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup orange juice

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Deliciously Healthy Family Meals

I was recently contacted by the National Institutes of Health‘s We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) Program. They have created a super family-friendly cookbook full of easy, nutritious recipes that everyone in the family can help execute. But what I am also impressed with after investigating the book for myself is that the appendices include information such as time-saving tips for busy families, guidance on how much children should eat daily, hints on getting your children involved in the kitchen, and common cooking measurements and equivalents. This essential information is a book in itself.

The recipes are designed to give you a satisfying portion, while helping you to stay within your calorie needs.  They also tie-in directly with the new Dietary Guidelines because they are limited in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars.   The focus is on family-friendly meals and snacks and getting children involved in meal preparation.  Many of the selections are meatless. Everyone in the family will be looking forward to enjoying dishes such as Pasta Primavera, Red, White, and Green Grilled Cheese, Zesty Tomato Soup, and Oatmeal Pecan Waffles.

The recipes contain symbols which are really helpful to identify them as Healthier Classic, Leftover Friendly, Healthy Eating Two-Ways (with serving suggestions for picky eaters), and Chefs in Training (with tips to get children involved in cooking).

As I get one kid ready to march off to college, I’m realizing that these are the type of  healthy, quickly prepared meals that he can practice and take along as he begins to take responsibility for his own nutrition.

I decided to give the Spinach and Corn Cakes a try. The ingredients were easy to find and they were quick and fun to put together. They are organized as a side dish, but could easily become a light vegetarian meal along with a tossed salad. These veggie pancakes went fast at our dinner table! Any leftovers (if you have any) can be packed for lunch the next day – great in a child’s lunch box.

Spinach and Corn Pancakes*

• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup frozen whole corn kernels, thawed
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray

1. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl.

2. In a smaller bowl, combine milk, oil, and eggs, and mix well. Add milk mixture to flour, and mix until smooth.

3. Add spinach, corn, and pepper to mixture, and stir well.

4. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan or griddle. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

5. Spoon batter 1⁄4 cup at a time onto the pan. Cook each pancake for 2–3 minutes, or until the bottom holds together and is golden brown. Carefully flip and cook the second side for an additional 1–2 minutes. (Recipe makes about 16–18 pancakes.)

6. Serve immediately.

* Recipe courtesy of Keep the Beat™, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Learn more about the We Can! Program, get helpful cooking and planning tips, and get your copy of the new cookbook here!

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Vegie Sushi for Kids

We can never hear enough ideas to help us get more vegetables into those little tummies. There are so many starchy food options available (goldfish crackers, pasta, Cheerios). We need to keep brainstorming ways to keep the vegetables and fruits in their meals and snacks so that they are comfortable with the texture, enjoy the flavor, and know how to eat the nutritious stuff.

Here are some facts about feeding the younger crowd that we do know:

• kids will be more likely to eat something healthy if they have been involved in preparing it.
• they like colorful food.
• they prefer small bite-sized portions.

So I’ve incorporated those principles into the design of this vegetable sushi which can be a complete meal for the really tiny tummy or a snack for the older ones.

Cream Cheese, Carrot, and Avocado Sushi

• 2 slices 100% oat bread or 100% whole wheat bread
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons carrots, grated
• 2 tablespoons avocado, cut into small pieces

❶ Remove crusts from bread. With a rolling pin, completely flatten bread.
❷ Spread one tablespoon of cream cheese on each slice of bread. Arrange a line of carrots and avocado on a long side of the bread.
❸ Roll each slice into a tight spiral. Cut each spiral into 6 pieces.

Feel free to chop or slice other vegies such as cucumbers, red peppers, or seeded tomatoes. A plain omelet sliced into long strips will provide some yellow for another color option as well as some protein. Rolling will work out best if you limit each roll to 2 filling choices.

Playing with your food is mandatory for little sushi masters . . . and by the way, a 16-year-old I know passed through the room as I finished preparing this snack, ate it all, and proceeded to make his own. “S’good!” he exclaimed through a mouthful. I guess this nosh knows no age limit.