Posts tagged ‘healthy diet’
Chipper Snacks: Winter Veggies & Spaghetti Squash Casserole Recipe
Eating local, seasonal veggies keeps your body and mind healthy! It’s what we humans have been doing for thousands of years and the scientific studies proving vegetables benefits are numerous. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune summarizes current research that proves having a more plant-based diet can lower cancer risks.
Winter vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, turnips, winter squash, and sweet potatoes, are wonderful sources of folate; vitamins, A, C and E; potassium; and fiber. Not only are they great for you, you feel good eating them! The fiber in vegetables produces a feeling of fullness and can effectively replace high-calorie foods in meal plans. This can be especially important during the holidays when we tend to eat more fatty, sweet foods. Keep fit even during the cold weather of winter by jumping rope indoors!
Keep in mind that the greater the variety of vegetables eaten, the greater the overall health benefits gained! Each veggie gives you essential vitamins and minerals. Not sure where to get some good, organic veggies? Look at your local farmers market! There are also some great food delivery programs in various locations. Here in the Bay Area, we have a modified Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program called the People’s Grocery in Oakland. They provides inexpensive “grub boxes” full of seasonal fruits and veggies for Oakland residents! In San Francisco, there’s Farm Fresh to You. They have a variety of different fruit and vegetable packages to chose from for any sized family!
Not sure how much to buy? Just get the amount that you can properly store. Winter squash can be stored for up to 3 months in a cool, dry place. Store uncut, raw spaghetti squash at room temperature and use within 3 weeks. For variety, use turnips instead of carrots in soups and stews. Use both the leaf and the root of beets in different dishes. Here are some beet recipes to get you started! For an easy side dish, heat left over cooked squash and toss with a small amount of butter and pepper.
RECIPE: SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSEROLE
1 Large (about 3 lbs.) Spaghetti Squash
2 Tsp. olive or vegetable oil
1/2 Medium onion, diced
1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 Cup fat-free sour cream
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. seasoned bread crumbs
Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place cut side down in a dish with 1/2 cup of water, cover and microwave for 10 minutes. Allow squash to cool. Using a fork, scrape squash into spaghetti-like strands. (Refrigerate half of the strands in a covered container for later use.) In a non-stick skillet, heat oil and saute onions until soft. Add the remaining squash and the Italian seasoning; turn off heat. Stir in sour cream and pour mixture into a 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until heated. Makes 6 servings. Each serving provides: 13 grams carbohydrate, 3.5 grams fat, 130 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Let’s Go Chipper and Enjoy your Winter Veggies!
Chipper Snacks: Fruit Facts and Crunchy Summer Fruit Salad Recipe
Fruit is one of the best kinds of food for you and there’s no better time to eat some fresh, juicy produce than during the hot summer days. Summer fruits include berries (Chipper‘s favorite!), melons, peaches, nectarines and plums. Eating fruits is apart of any healthy diet and helps reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. Dr. Oz noted a new study in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that children who don’t like fruits and vegetables are 13 times more likely to be constipated! Not drinking enough water was also a risk factor. Fruits have a lot of water in them and are a great hydrating snack. Fruits are also very high in Vitamin C, which keeps teeth and gums healthy and your body happy!
Women should eat one and a half to two cups daily and kids over the sage of 2 should eat at least one to one and a half cups of fruit per day. If you wash some fresh, organic fruit today and cut them into bite size pieces for a snack, use left overs for a fruit salad tomorrow! Freeze extra fruits, like berries, to eat later before they go bad. “You are what you eat” is an extremely accurate quote. What you eat effects how you feel, mentally and physically, so eat good!
FRUIT Tips:
- Shop for fruits that are in season since they cost less and taste better.
- Dip cut-up fruits like apples and bananas in lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Wash fruits just before using; water can cause early spoilage.
- Eat different fruits for the greatest variety of tastes and nutrients.
Here’s a great, simple recipe to try out this summer to get some fruit in your diet:
CRUNCHY FRUIT SALAD RECIPE
- 1/4 Cantaloupe, cut into bite-sized pieces.
- 1 Large Stalk celery, sliced.
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat ranch salad dressing
- Lettuce leaves
- 1 cup favorite crispy or crunchy cereal
In a medium bowl, mix cantaloupe, celery, blueberries, and dressing until blended. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, arrange lettuce leaves in 4 salad bowls, or on plates. Spoon fruit mixture over lettuce. Top each serving with 1/4 cup of cereal.
(Makes 4 servings; Each serving provides 111 calories, 1.6 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 2.3 grams fat, 180 milligrams sodium, 3.2 grams fiber.)
Green before Sweet, Can’t be Beat: 10 ways to get your kids to eat their veggies!
Being a Squirrel, Chipper loves eating his fresh greens! That’s why he always says, “Green before sweet, can’t be beat!” Getting your kids to love them too can be challenging in our sugar-saturated culture. Half of what we eat should be from the ground or a tree–especially for growing kids who are still developing–yet many kids eat hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets for dinner rather than broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and squash. According to a 2009 statistical research study by Ohio State University, only 22% of children ages 2 to 5 meet government recommendations for vegetable consumption. And it only gets worse as kids age: only 16% of children ages 6 to 11 meet the guidelines and only 11% of those ages 12 to 18. In the study, more than 6,000 kids and teens ate fried potatoes as a third of their vegetable intake. Once our body tries those salty saturated fats, it craves more of them and getting your kids to eat healthier can seem impossible.
Here are 10 great tips to get them to EAT THEIR GREENS from parents like your self:
- Get them while they’re hungry! If they are hungry, they’ll eat. Before dinner, serve an appetizer of colorful vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, and red bell peppers, along with hummus or low-fat salad dressing.
- Institute the “no thank you bite” rule. Tell your child to take a bite before vetoing something on his or her plate. Even if they don’t like it at first, at least they’ll eventually get comfortable with it.
- Make up cute names! Marketers do this, so why shouldn’t you? One mom starting calling Brussels sprouts “hero buttons” and her kids couldn’t get enough of them.
- Shop with your kids. Letting your kids help you pick out the fruits and vegetables makes them feel like it’s their food choice. This also allows them to really appreciate all the smells and admire all the colors of the many different kinds of produce, thus making them more appealing!
- Cook with your kids. When you have your son or daughter help make the green beans by adding a bit of butter and some seasoning, they will be more likely to insist on eating them since they “made them.” Then, as long as they can help to prepare their veggies, they’ll eat them!
- Have a “veggie night.” This way, there is no competition from other food nights. Having a “Meatless Monday” is a great way to avoid eating meats too much (a common American vice) while providing a great opportunity to serve up those Mushroom burgers with Swiss cheese–Yum!
- Hide the veggies. In author Jessica Seinfeld’s book “Deceptively Delicious,” she tells parents how to stealthily sneak pureed vegetables into everything from shrimp dumplings to quesadillas.
- Make fruits and vegetables the easy option. Take a tip from the geniuses who thought to put potato chips in single-serving bags. Stock a kid-accessible shelf in your fridge with little bags of cut vegetables, applesauce and fruit cups.
- Let them use fun gadgets! What kid doesn’t love gadgets? Let them use the blender, juicer, and food processors to make smoothies and other recipes with fruits and vegetables. Use proper supervision, of course.
- Bribe them with dessert. This is the classic strategy–kids didn’t finish what was good for them? No problem–no dessert. Maybe it’s not the healthiest way to get them to eat vegetables, but it works.
Eating right is important–it effects our body’s chemistry so we feel good to! With all the sugary preservatives everywhere and in schools, it can be hard to get your kids eating and craving the right foods. Please let us know about any of your strategies for getting the kids to eat healthy!
