BEAN CUISINE
Bean Economics
Have been talking about ways to decrease the food budget, while still eating healthy and delicious food.
• Dry beans and other legumes are some of the most widely available, inexpensive and nutritionally complete staple foods.
• Cost- minimal compared to the cost of protein from animal meats.
• One drawback however, is the time, and lack of knowledge to cook dried beans from scratch.
Soaking: Cover the beans with room temperature water. Soak covered, overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. Rinse and add fresh water.
• Hot/Quick Soak: Bring beans to a boil and boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 1 - 4 hours, covered. Rinse and add fresh water.
Cooking:
• Stove top: Cover with 6 cups fresh water for each pound (2 cups) of soaked beans, or to about one inch above the beans. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil. Boil gently with lid tilted until tender when taste tasted, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep beans just covered with liquid.
• Slow-cooker or crockpot: Cover soaked beans with 6 cups fresh water for each pound (2 cups) of beans, or to about one inch above the beans. Bring to a boil on high. Then, cook 8-10 hours on low.
• Freeze: Will keep up to 6 months in freezer once cooked.
Bean Nutrition
• As both a vegetable and a non-meat protein source, beans contain nutrients found in both food groups.
• They are also a nutrient-rich source of complex carbohydrates and contain dietary fiber, proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers and to aid in weight maintenance.
• In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, recommend that adults consume three cups of beans per week to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Most Americans don't even eat one (1) cup in a week.
Beans in polite company
• If high-fiber foods such as dry beans are not a regular part of your diet, the natural complex carbs in beans may cause temporary digestive discomfort.
• Research shows that adding beans to your diet on a regular basis -- at least once or twice a week -- reduces flatulence.
• The best way to reduce beans' naturally occurring carbs is to use the quick hot-soak method to soften dry beans, then drain the soaking water and start with fresh water for cooking.
Beans for Energy and Vitality
• A nutrient-rich food, beans contain protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, antioxidants, and important vitamins and minerals, such as folate, manganese, potassium, iron, phosphorous, copper and magnesium.
• The lean protein in beans helps maintain and promote muscle while beans’ complex carbohydrates provide a sustained energy source.
• Breakfast: Berry Bean Blast and Blueberry Bean Muffins
Beans for Blood Sugar Management
Beans boast a low glycemic index and contain complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly.
These facts make beans a good choice for people needing to keep their blood sugar in the normal range.
Shrimp & Red Beans Creole
Beans for a Healthy Heart
• Unlike meat-based proteins, beans are naturally low in fat, are free of saturated fat and trans-fat, and are a cholesterol-free source of protein.
• Research shows that a diet including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease.
• Spicy Bean Cake
http://www.usdrybeans.com/recipes/
Berry Bean Blast
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained, or 1 3/4 cups cooked dry-packaged navy beans or Great Northern beans
1 1/2 cups orange juice
2 cups quartered strawberries
1 to 3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 to 8 ice cubes
Preparation
In a blender or food processor process all ingredients, except ice cubes. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Serve in glasses.
Note: May be made 1 to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. The drink will thicken in the refrigerator. Stir in orange juice or cold water for desired consistency. If frozen strawberries are used, omit the ice cubes.
Blueberry Bean Muffins
Serve these antioxidant rich muffins hot from the oven. Any canned or dry-packaged bean variety can be substituted for kidney beans.
Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked dry-packaged red kidney beans
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a blender or food processor process beans and milk until smooth.
Ina large bowl mix sugar and butter; beat in eggs and vanilla. Add bean mixture, mixing until well blended.
Mix in combined flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Gently mix in blueberries.
Spoon mixture into 12 greased or paper
lined muffin cups; sprinkle with pecans.
Bake muffins for about 20
25 minutes until toothpicks inserted in centers come out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes; remove from pans and cool.
Shrimp & Red Beans Creole
This classic dish is a staple in New Orleans homes and restaurant kitchens. Serve over rice, with a salad, for a complete meal. Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup green pepper, cut into thin strips
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter or canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 16 ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf, broken
Hot pepper sauce
1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained, or 1 3/4 cups cooked dry-packaged kidney beans
1 pound cooked shrimp, deveined
6-8 cups cooked rice
Preparation
Heat butter or oil in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, green pepper, garlic until soft, for about 5 minutes.
Combine flour, sugar, salt and paprika, sprinkle over vegetables. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf and season with hot pepper sauce to taste. Bring to a soft boil, reduce heat, stir often and simmer for 20
30 minutes until thickened. Add water if the sauce is too thick.
About 20 minutes before serving, drain and rinse beans. Add beans, peeled shrimp to sauce. Heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice.
Idaho’s Spicy Bean Cake
This low-fat spice cake is sure to be a family favorite. Frost with a maple or cream cheese frosting. Add 4 tablespoons of cocoa if chocolate cake is desired. Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups cooked, pureed pinto beans
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 cups diced apples
1/2 cup nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup raisins
Preparation
Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
In a blender cream butter or margarine and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Blend in pureed beans.
Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture, blending well. Fold in apples, raisins, nuts & vanilla. Pour into buttered 9x13 inch pan.
Bake in oven, 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Frost as desired
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Bean Cuisine
As seen on KMGH-TV 7
BEAN CUISINE
Bean Economics
Have been talking about ways to decrease the food budget, while still eating healthy and delicious food.
• Dry beans and other legumes are some of the most widely available, inexpensive and nutritionally complete staple foods.
• Cost- minimal compared to the cost of protein from animal meats.
• One drawback however, is the time, and lack of knowledge to cook dried beans from scratch.
Soaking: Cover the beans with room temperature water. Soak covered, overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. Rinse and add fresh water.
• Hot/Quick Soak: Bring beans to a boil and boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 1 - 4 hours, covered. Rinse and add fresh water.
Cooking:
• Stove top: Cover with 6 cups fresh water for each pound (2 cups) of soaked beans, or to about one inch above the beans. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil. Boil gently with lid tilted until tender when taste tasted, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep beans just covered with liquid.
• Slow-cooker or crockpot: Cover soaked beans with 6 cups fresh water for each pound (2 cups) of beans, or to about one inch above the beans. Bring to a boil on high. Then, cook 8-10 hours on low.
• Freeze: Will keep up to 6 months in freezer once cooked.
Bean Nutrition
• As both a vegetable and a non-meat protein source, beans contain nutrients found in both food groups.
• They are also a nutrient-rich source of complex carbohydrates and contain dietary fiber, proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers and to aid in weight maintenance.
• In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, recommend that adults consume three cups of beans per week to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Most Americans don't even eat one (1) cup in a week.
Beans in polite company
• If high-fiber foods such as dry beans are not a regular part of your diet, the natural complex carbs in beans may cause temporary digestive discomfort.
• Research shows that adding beans to your diet on a regular basis -- at least once or twice a week -- reduces flatulence.
• The best way to reduce beans' naturally occurring carbs is to use the quick hot-soak method to soften dry beans, then drain the soaking water and start with fresh water for cooking.
Beans for Energy and Vitality
• A nutrient-rich food, beans contain protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, antioxidants, and important vitamins and minerals, such as folate, manganese, potassium, iron, phosphorous, copper and magnesium.
• The lean protein in beans helps maintain and promote muscle while beans’ complex carbohydrates provide a sustained energy source.
• Breakfast: Berry Bean Blast and Blueberry Bean Muffins
Beans for Blood Sugar Management
Beans boast a low glycemic index and contain complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly.
These facts make beans a good choice for people needing to keep their blood sugar in the normal range.
Shrimp & Red Beans Creole
Beans for a Healthy Heart
• Unlike meat-based proteins, beans are naturally low in fat, are free of saturated fat and trans-fat, and are a cholesterol-free source of protein.
• Research shows that a diet including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease.
• Spicy Bean Cake
http://www.usdrybeans.com/recipes/
Berry Bean Blast
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained, or 1 3/4 cups cooked dry-packaged navy beans or Great Northern beans
1 1/2 cups orange juice
2 cups quartered strawberries
1 to 3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 to 8 ice cubes
Preparation
In a blender or food processor process all ingredients, except ice cubes. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Serve in glasses.
Note: May be made 1 to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. The drink will thicken in the refrigerator. Stir in orange juice or cold water for desired consistency. If frozen strawberries are used, omit the ice cubes.
Blueberry Bean Muffins
Serve these antioxidant rich muffins hot from the oven. Any canned or dry-packaged bean variety can be substituted for kidney beans.
Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked dry-packaged red kidney beans
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a blender or food processor process beans and milk until smooth.
Ina large bowl mix sugar and butter; beat in eggs and vanilla. Add bean mixture, mixing until well blended.
Mix in combined flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Gently mix in blueberries.
Spoon mixture into 12 greased or paper
lined muffin cups; sprinkle with pecans.
Bake muffins for about 20
25 minutes until toothpicks inserted in centers come out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes; remove from pans and cool.
Shrimp & Red Beans Creole
This classic dish is a staple in New Orleans homes and restaurant kitchens. Serve over rice, with a salad, for a complete meal. Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup green pepper, cut into thin strips
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter or canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 16 ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf, broken
Hot pepper sauce
1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained, or 1 3/4 cups cooked dry-packaged kidney beans
1 pound cooked shrimp, deveined
6-8 cups cooked rice
Preparation
Heat butter or oil in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, green pepper, garlic until soft, for about 5 minutes.
Combine flour, sugar, salt and paprika, sprinkle over vegetables. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf and season with hot pepper sauce to taste. Bring to a soft boil, reduce heat, stir often and simmer for 20
30 minutes until thickened. Add water if the sauce is too thick.
About 20 minutes before serving, drain and rinse beans. Add beans, peeled shrimp to sauce. Heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice.
Idaho’s Spicy Bean Cake
This low-fat spice cake is sure to be a family favorite. Frost with a maple or cream cheese frosting. Add 4 tablespoons of cocoa if chocolate cake is desired. Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups cooked, pureed pinto beans
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 cups diced apples
1/2 cup nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup raisins
Preparation
Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
In a blender cream butter or margarine and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Blend in pureed beans.
Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture, blending well. Fold in apples, raisins, nuts & vanilla. Pour into buttered 9x13 inch pan.
Bake in oven, 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Frost as desired
BEAN CUISINE
Bean Economics
Have been talking about ways to decrease the food budget, while still eating healthy and delicious food.
• Dry beans and other legumes are some of the most widely available, inexpensive and nutritionally complete staple foods.
• Cost- minimal compared to the cost of protein from animal meats.
• One drawback however, is the time, and lack of knowledge to cook dried beans from scratch.
Soaking: Cover the beans with room temperature water. Soak covered, overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. Rinse and add fresh water.
• Hot/Quick Soak: Bring beans to a boil and boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 1 - 4 hours, covered. Rinse and add fresh water.
Cooking:
• Stove top: Cover with 6 cups fresh water for each pound (2 cups) of soaked beans, or to about one inch above the beans. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil. Boil gently with lid tilted until tender when taste tasted, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep beans just covered with liquid.
• Slow-cooker or crockpot: Cover soaked beans with 6 cups fresh water for each pound (2 cups) of beans, or to about one inch above the beans. Bring to a boil on high. Then, cook 8-10 hours on low.
• Freeze: Will keep up to 6 months in freezer once cooked.
Bean Nutrition
• As both a vegetable and a non-meat protein source, beans contain nutrients found in both food groups.
• They are also a nutrient-rich source of complex carbohydrates and contain dietary fiber, proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers and to aid in weight maintenance.
• In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, recommend that adults consume three cups of beans per week to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Most Americans don't even eat one (1) cup in a week.
Beans in polite company
• If high-fiber foods such as dry beans are not a regular part of your diet, the natural complex carbs in beans may cause temporary digestive discomfort.
• Research shows that adding beans to your diet on a regular basis -- at least once or twice a week -- reduces flatulence.
• The best way to reduce beans' naturally occurring carbs is to use the quick hot-soak method to soften dry beans, then drain the soaking water and start with fresh water for cooking.
Beans for Energy and Vitality
• A nutrient-rich food, beans contain protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, antioxidants, and important vitamins and minerals, such as folate, manganese, potassium, iron, phosphorous, copper and magnesium.
• The lean protein in beans helps maintain and promote muscle while beans’ complex carbohydrates provide a sustained energy source.
• Breakfast: Berry Bean Blast and Blueberry Bean Muffins
Beans for Blood Sugar Management
Beans boast a low glycemic index and contain complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly.
These facts make beans a good choice for people needing to keep their blood sugar in the normal range.
Shrimp & Red Beans Creole
Beans for a Healthy Heart
• Unlike meat-based proteins, beans are naturally low in fat, are free of saturated fat and trans-fat, and are a cholesterol-free source of protein.
• Research shows that a diet including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease.
• Spicy Bean Cake
http://www.usdrybeans.com/recipes/
Berry Bean Blast
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained, or 1 3/4 cups cooked dry-packaged navy beans or Great Northern beans
1 1/2 cups orange juice
2 cups quartered strawberries
1 to 3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 to 8 ice cubes
Preparation
In a blender or food processor process all ingredients, except ice cubes. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Serve in glasses.
Note: May be made 1 to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. The drink will thicken in the refrigerator. Stir in orange juice or cold water for desired consistency. If frozen strawberries are used, omit the ice cubes.
Blueberry Bean Muffins
Serve these antioxidant rich muffins hot from the oven. Any canned or dry-packaged bean variety can be substituted for kidney beans.
Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked dry-packaged red kidney beans
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a blender or food processor process beans and milk until smooth.
Ina large bowl mix sugar and butter; beat in eggs and vanilla. Add bean mixture, mixing until well blended.
Mix in combined flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Gently mix in blueberries.
Spoon mixture into 12 greased or paper
lined muffin cups; sprinkle with pecans.
Bake muffins for about 20
25 minutes until toothpicks inserted in centers come out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes; remove from pans and cool.
Shrimp & Red Beans Creole
This classic dish is a staple in New Orleans homes and restaurant kitchens. Serve over rice, with a salad, for a complete meal. Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup green pepper, cut into thin strips
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter or canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 16 ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf, broken
Hot pepper sauce
1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained, or 1 3/4 cups cooked dry-packaged kidney beans
1 pound cooked shrimp, deveined
6-8 cups cooked rice
Preparation
Heat butter or oil in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, green pepper, garlic until soft, for about 5 minutes.
Combine flour, sugar, salt and paprika, sprinkle over vegetables. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf and season with hot pepper sauce to taste. Bring to a soft boil, reduce heat, stir often and simmer for 20
30 minutes until thickened. Add water if the sauce is too thick.
About 20 minutes before serving, drain and rinse beans. Add beans, peeled shrimp to sauce. Heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice.
Idaho’s Spicy Bean Cake
This low-fat spice cake is sure to be a family favorite. Frost with a maple or cream cheese frosting. Add 4 tablespoons of cocoa if chocolate cake is desired. Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups cooked, pureed pinto beans
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 cups diced apples
1/2 cup nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup raisins
Preparation
Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
In a blender cream butter or margarine and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Blend in pureed beans.
Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture, blending well. Fold in apples, raisins, nuts & vanilla. Pour into buttered 9x13 inch pan.
Bake in oven, 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Frost as desired
What to do with all those leftover Easter eggs……..
As seen on KMGH- TV 7
Egg Salad Week-What to do with all those leftover Easter eggs……..
It seems that the week or so after Easter, we're always overrun with boiled eggs so it makes sense that Egg Salad Week is the full week right after Easter Sunday every year. But really, how many egg salad sandwiches can your family eat? And in these harder economic times, we want to make the most of all the nutritious food in our refrigerator. So Mary Lee is here today to show how we can take advantage of the nutrition from those beautifully colored Easter Eggs.
Also provide tips to how to hard cook your eggs instead of hard boiling them. Cooking eggs for too long or at too high a temperature can make them tough and rubbery, with an unattractive green ring around the yolks.
Step by step to hard cooked eggs:
Put the eggs in one layer on the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the sink. Run water into the pan until the water is 1 inch over the eggs. Put the pan on a burner. Turn it to medium-high heat.
Let the water come to a boil. Put the lid on the pan when the water is boiling. Move the pan onto a cold burner. Set the timer for 15 minutes for Large-sized eggs (or for 12 minutes for Medium-sized eggs or for 18 minutes for Extra Large-sized eggs).
Put the pan in the sink when the time is over. Run cold water into the pan until the eggs are cool. Put the eggs into the refrigerator if you're going to use them later or peel them if you're going to use them right away. Be sure to use all the cooked eggs up before a week is over.
If your eggs get mixed in with the fresh eggs, spin eggs on a flat surface. The solid cooked eggs will spin easily; while raw eggs (with liquid inside) will wobble.
Safety first!
Decorated eggs are safe to eat as long as they’re not cracked. Check that all decorating materials are food safe.
Make sure eggs do not sit out for more than two hours, or 30 minutes if it is hotter than 85 degrees.
And do not hide Easter eggs where they can come into contact with pets, birds, dirt, lawn chemicals or pests.
Hard cooked eggs in the shell can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Nutrition: Take advantage of nutrients in your leftover eggs and serve them in meals the following week.
Nutrient Density: Eggs are all natural and have 13 essential vitamins and minerals, high-quality protein, healthy unsaturated fats and antioxidants, for only 70 calories each.
Healthy Pregnancy: Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects.
Eye Health: Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants found in egg yolks, help prevent macular degeneration, a leading cause of age-related blindness.
Breakfast:
Jumpstart your day with a hearty and nutritious breakfast
Brain Function: Choline helps maintain the structure of brain cell membranes and is a key component of the neurotransmitter that helps relay messages from the brain through nerves to the muscles.
Hindoo eggs: The eggs are served in a curried white sauce and served over hot rice or toast points. May be eaten for breakfast or as an entree.
Lunch
All Day Energy: Studies show that eggs provide energy without causing a spike in blood glucose or insulin levels, thereby helping people feel full longer and more energized.
Pan Bagnat, a pressed baguette sandwich made with tuna, sliced hard-boiled eggs and potatoes that actually gets better the longer it sits. The sandwich is a specialty of the region of Nice, France.
Dinner
Eggs play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more. It’s considered a nutrient–rich food. That is, for the amount of calories it contains, it delivers a lot of nutrients. So get cracking!
Try chopped hard boiled eggs on your spring asparagus, or use four hard cooked eggs in luscious lemon cookies.
RECIPES
Hindoo eggs
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm chicken broth
1 cup warm milk
6 hard-boiled eggs
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Whole-wheat toast
Melt butter in a medium nonreactive skillet; add the onion and sauté over low heat until the onion is clear. Stir in the curry powder, salt, and flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Off the heat, gradually stir in the broth and milk, stirring until smooth. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thickened and smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Cut the hard-boiled eggs into quarters and add to the sauce. Cook just until the eggs are hot, but do not boil. Just before serving stir in a drop or two of fresh lemon juice. Serve over hot toast points.
Yield: 4 servings
Pan Bagnat (Alton Brown recipe)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 baguette, approximately 16 to 18 inches long
12 ounces canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained and crumbled
1 small green pepper, sliced into rings
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 tomato, thinly sliced
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. While continuing to whisk, gradually add the olive oil. Whisk until an emulsion forms. Set aside.
Slice the baguette horizontally into 2 pieces. Tear out some of the soft bread in the center of each side, making a slight well in the bread. Place the tuna, green pepper, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and tomato on the bottom side of the bread in that order.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables, top with the second piece of bread, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.
Cut into 4 sandwiches and serve.
Asparagus Mimosa
3 pounds asparagus trimmed and stem ends peeled
Mimosa:
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
6 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Dressing:
1-1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoon wine vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Place asparagus in flat pan, covering with boiling water. Simmer until tender-crisp. Refresh with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well, then refrigerate.
Make the Mimosa by mixing hard-boiled eggs, parsley, and chives. Set aside.
Make dressing by mixing the mustard and wine vinegar in a bowl, beating with wire whip until smooth. Add olive oil while beating constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Coat asparagus lightly with dressing. Sprinkle Mimosa over the asparagus tips. Pass any remaining dressing.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Hard Cooked Egg Cookies
Zest of 1 lemon + 1/2 tsp lemon extract
10 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
4 hard cooked/boiled eggs, peeled
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream together lemon zest, lemon extract, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor.
Add in hard boiled eggs and process until fully incorporated. Mix in egg. Add flour and pulse until dough just comes together.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4 inch thick and cut into rounds with a 2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter. Dip the cut cookies into the egg white then dredge in the sugar. Arrange on baking sheet - cookies will not spread - and bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 4 dozen.
Egg Salad Week-What to do with all those leftover Easter eggs……..
It seems that the week or so after Easter, we're always overrun with boiled eggs so it makes sense that Egg Salad Week is the full week right after Easter Sunday every year. But really, how many egg salad sandwiches can your family eat? And in these harder economic times, we want to make the most of all the nutritious food in our refrigerator. So Mary Lee is here today to show how we can take advantage of the nutrition from those beautifully colored Easter Eggs.
Also provide tips to how to hard cook your eggs instead of hard boiling them. Cooking eggs for too long or at too high a temperature can make them tough and rubbery, with an unattractive green ring around the yolks.
Step by step to hard cooked eggs:
Put the eggs in one layer on the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the sink. Run water into the pan until the water is 1 inch over the eggs. Put the pan on a burner. Turn it to medium-high heat.
Let the water come to a boil. Put the lid on the pan when the water is boiling. Move the pan onto a cold burner. Set the timer for 15 minutes for Large-sized eggs (or for 12 minutes for Medium-sized eggs or for 18 minutes for Extra Large-sized eggs).
Put the pan in the sink when the time is over. Run cold water into the pan until the eggs are cool. Put the eggs into the refrigerator if you're going to use them later or peel them if you're going to use them right away. Be sure to use all the cooked eggs up before a week is over.
If your eggs get mixed in with the fresh eggs, spin eggs on a flat surface. The solid cooked eggs will spin easily; while raw eggs (with liquid inside) will wobble.
Safety first!
Decorated eggs are safe to eat as long as they’re not cracked. Check that all decorating materials are food safe.
Make sure eggs do not sit out for more than two hours, or 30 minutes if it is hotter than 85 degrees.
And do not hide Easter eggs where they can come into contact with pets, birds, dirt, lawn chemicals or pests.
Hard cooked eggs in the shell can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Nutrition: Take advantage of nutrients in your leftover eggs and serve them in meals the following week.
Nutrient Density: Eggs are all natural and have 13 essential vitamins and minerals, high-quality protein, healthy unsaturated fats and antioxidants, for only 70 calories each.
Healthy Pregnancy: Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects.
Eye Health: Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants found in egg yolks, help prevent macular degeneration, a leading cause of age-related blindness.
Breakfast:
Jumpstart your day with a hearty and nutritious breakfast
Brain Function: Choline helps maintain the structure of brain cell membranes and is a key component of the neurotransmitter that helps relay messages from the brain through nerves to the muscles.
Hindoo eggs: The eggs are served in a curried white sauce and served over hot rice or toast points. May be eaten for breakfast or as an entree.
Lunch
All Day Energy: Studies show that eggs provide energy without causing a spike in blood glucose or insulin levels, thereby helping people feel full longer and more energized.
Pan Bagnat, a pressed baguette sandwich made with tuna, sliced hard-boiled eggs and potatoes that actually gets better the longer it sits. The sandwich is a specialty of the region of Nice, France.
Dinner
Eggs play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more. It’s considered a nutrient–rich food. That is, for the amount of calories it contains, it delivers a lot of nutrients. So get cracking!
Try chopped hard boiled eggs on your spring asparagus, or use four hard cooked eggs in luscious lemon cookies.
RECIPES
Hindoo eggs
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm chicken broth
1 cup warm milk
6 hard-boiled eggs
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Whole-wheat toast
Melt butter in a medium nonreactive skillet; add the onion and sauté over low heat until the onion is clear. Stir in the curry powder, salt, and flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Off the heat, gradually stir in the broth and milk, stirring until smooth. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thickened and smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Cut the hard-boiled eggs into quarters and add to the sauce. Cook just until the eggs are hot, but do not boil. Just before serving stir in a drop or two of fresh lemon juice. Serve over hot toast points.
Yield: 4 servings
Pan Bagnat (Alton Brown recipe)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 baguette, approximately 16 to 18 inches long
12 ounces canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained and crumbled
1 small green pepper, sliced into rings
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 tomato, thinly sliced
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. While continuing to whisk, gradually add the olive oil. Whisk until an emulsion forms. Set aside.
Slice the baguette horizontally into 2 pieces. Tear out some of the soft bread in the center of each side, making a slight well in the bread. Place the tuna, green pepper, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and tomato on the bottom side of the bread in that order.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables, top with the second piece of bread, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.
Cut into 4 sandwiches and serve.
Asparagus Mimosa
3 pounds asparagus trimmed and stem ends peeled
Mimosa:
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
6 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Dressing:
1-1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoon wine vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Place asparagus in flat pan, covering with boiling water. Simmer until tender-crisp. Refresh with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well, then refrigerate.
Make the Mimosa by mixing hard-boiled eggs, parsley, and chives. Set aside.
Make dressing by mixing the mustard and wine vinegar in a bowl, beating with wire whip until smooth. Add olive oil while beating constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Coat asparagus lightly with dressing. Sprinkle Mimosa over the asparagus tips. Pass any remaining dressing.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Hard Cooked Egg Cookies
Zest of 1 lemon + 1/2 tsp lemon extract
10 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
4 hard cooked/boiled eggs, peeled
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream together lemon zest, lemon extract, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor.
Add in hard boiled eggs and process until fully incorporated. Mix in egg. Add flour and pulse until dough just comes together.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4 inch thick and cut into rounds with a 2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter. Dip the cut cookies into the egg white then dredge in the sugar. Arrange on baking sheet - cookies will not spread - and bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 4 dozen.
Pleasing Picky Eaters
As seen on PBS' Creative Living
Pleasing Picky Eaters
Get your kids to actually eat their food. Sure, you can prepare the best healthiest meal, but what are the tips to ensure that your child actually eats it? It’s all about finding the balance between preparing healthy, quality meals and ensuring your child will eat it.
The best way to get your kids to eat healthier is to make healthy eating fun and get them involved with all aspects of meal planning: from menu planning, to in the grocery store and into the kitchen.
Have a frank talk. Find out their true likes and dislikes.
Talk about it first before springing a “surprise” in the lunch box. Sure, tabbouli sounds good to you… but to your child?
Pleasing Picky Eaters
Every child needs to be well-nourished to achieve optimum growth and health. Research studies and anecdotal evidence provide compelling reasons for children to eat nutritiously consistently, every day.
• Numerous studies confirm that children in better nutrition status have better grades, better scores on achievement tests and better classroom behavior in school.
• Good food choices provide the essential nutrients kids need to stay healthy and grow.
• Each meal can make a difference to the daily and weekly totals for calories, fat, saturated fat, fiber, sugar, and sodium, and setting good health patterns for their whole life.
Tips to get your kids to actually eat the food. But as every parent knows—preparing and presenting the food is one task, the challenge too often, is to get them to actually eat it Sure, you can provide the best, most nutrient-rich foods, but what are the tips to ensure that your child actually eats it?
• The best way to get your kids to eat healthier is to make healthy eating fun and get them involved with all aspects of meal and food planning: from menu planning, to in the grocery store, and into the kitchen.
• Planning; Have a frank talk.
o Find out their likes and dislikes. Just as adults have food preferences, likes and dislikes, it’s OK for your kids to have some as well.
o Talk about it first before springing a “surprise” in the lunch box or meal. Sure, tabbouli sounds good to you…but to your child?
o And be sensitive to your child’s peer group pressure. Carefully balance your health goals with your child’s comfort level in being making creative lunches. A cookie cutter sandwich shaped like a bunny rabbit may not appeal to all age groups.
o Keep up to date, and plan periodic assessments. Tastes and interest change. If you have served a “like” for 3 weeks in a row, and it starts getting rejected, it’s time to have another planning session.
• Menu and meal planning
o Involve the kids in simple cooking tasks, or setting the table
o As the child gets older, help them to pick out and plan a meal once a week
• Grocery shopping
o Allow each family member to put a favorite (healthy) food on the grocery list
o Even very young children can help shop: pick out one apple or two oranges at the grocery store.
o Tip to keep your sanity—don’t take the kids shopping if they are tired, hungry and cranky!
• And most important—be a good role model.
Start with the nutrition basics: To best meet children’s nutritional needs, look at the Food Guide Pyramid and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Make smart choices from every food group: Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Milk & Dairy, and Meat & Beans.
• Many Americans, including our children, consume more calories than they need without meeting recommended intakes for a number of nutrients.
• As a result, many children are becoming overweight but undernourished, and their diets are lacking in calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E.
• Emphasize nutrient-dense foods – foods with higher levels of beneficial nutrients in relation to total calories, and especially those nutrients that children are lacking, to get the most nutrition out of our calories.
• Following mom’s admonition to eat your fruits and may be some of the best health advice around. Evidence continues to accumulate on the many ways that vegetables and fruits promote good health, reducing risk of major chronic disorders such as heart disease and cancer.
o Just 1/4 cup of dried fruit, such as California Raisins, counts as a fruit serving. It's easy to reach the daily goal of 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables when you focus on including a variety of them in every meal and snack.
• Include low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains that help kids get more of the nutrients they need.
• Choose foods that limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and salt.
Meal by Meal
Eye-Opening Breakfast Ideas:
• When making pancakes, waffles and muffins, sneak in some whole grains by replacing half of the white flour with whole wheat flour.
Fluffy Polka Dot Pancakes
• For a breakfast style burrito – and a protein and fiber boost – fold eggs, beans, shredded low fat cheese, lean ground beef and vegetables into a whole wheat tortilla.
• For a veggie breakfast hash, sauté shredded carrots, zucchini, peppers, onions and uncooked hash browns in canola oil until tender. Mix in one egg and cook until egg is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Top with cheese for an extra calcium boost.
Power up on the go. Toast a 4-inch whole grain toaster waffle and top with 1 cup low fat or fat-free yogurt and ½ cup mixed berries and ¼ cup California raisins.
Dismiss the Bread Blahs Lunch: After you find something your child actually likes, don’t serve it over and over and over every day. dreaded bread boredom sets—not another sandwich?!
• Think variety when “sandwiching” your lunches.
o Try whole grain raisin bread, pita bread, whole wheat tortillas to make “wraps,” whole grain rolls, mini-bagels or flavored bagels.
To jazz up a lunchtime favorite, spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter inside a 4-inch whole wheat pita pocket and stuff with ½ cup sliced strawberries, and a tablespoon of raisins.
Mayan Soft tacos
• Introduce foods in fun ways
o Hummus, with pretzels or celery sticks to dip
o Think beyond peanut butter. New butters on the shelves include sunflower seed, cashew and almond. Sprinkle on raisins, and/or send with a whole banana to slice on top.
o Leftover cold meat, sliced into strips and sent with salsa, ketchup or barbeque sauce dip.
o Roll-ups of tortillas filled with cheese and/or lunch meat around a pickle
• Up the taste of the filling
o Stir chopped celery, cashews, raisins or water chestnuts into tuna or chicken salad
o Add shredded carrots or raisins to any nut butter
o Explore new fruits and veggies from the produce aisle: kiwi, red jumbo raisins, jicama, donut peaches, mango
o Fruit Salsa Salad with a snap and a kick that older kids will love
Dinner Delights:
• Go stir crazy – savor a stir-fry made with lean beef or pork strips, shredded cabbage and crunchy water chestnuts. Serve over enriched white rice (or brown rice for added fiber)
• Not your Mama’s Mac ‘n Cheese – try whole wheat noodles when preparing macaroni & cheese or spaghetti. Include chopped broccoli or other vegetable for a nutrient-rich punch!
• Add chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber, raisins, or eggplant to soup, chili, pasta sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, casseroles, quick breaks and muffins to add nutrients and fiber.
South of the Border Bowl
California Raisin Wheaten Walnut Bread
Sweet Endings
• Provide a sweet dessert with some nutritious bits!
California Gold Bars
Baked Peaches with Golden Raisins
• Don’t get into the “good food” vs. “bad food” trap.
o Forbidden foods become all the more appealing. You can add mini-chocolate chips to a granola mix, or provide a min-chocolate bar without compromising nutrition. Just watch amount and frequency.
Conclusion: It’s all about planning healthy, quality meals and
Pleasing Picky Eaters
Get your kids to actually eat their food. Sure, you can prepare the best healthiest meal, but what are the tips to ensure that your child actually eats it? It’s all about finding the balance between preparing healthy, quality meals and ensuring your child will eat it.
The best way to get your kids to eat healthier is to make healthy eating fun and get them involved with all aspects of meal planning: from menu planning, to in the grocery store and into the kitchen.
Have a frank talk. Find out their true likes and dislikes.
Talk about it first before springing a “surprise” in the lunch box. Sure, tabbouli sounds good to you… but to your child?
Pleasing Picky Eaters
Every child needs to be well-nourished to achieve optimum growth and health. Research studies and anecdotal evidence provide compelling reasons for children to eat nutritiously consistently, every day.
• Numerous studies confirm that children in better nutrition status have better grades, better scores on achievement tests and better classroom behavior in school.
• Good food choices provide the essential nutrients kids need to stay healthy and grow.
• Each meal can make a difference to the daily and weekly totals for calories, fat, saturated fat, fiber, sugar, and sodium, and setting good health patterns for their whole life.
Tips to get your kids to actually eat the food. But as every parent knows—preparing and presenting the food is one task, the challenge too often, is to get them to actually eat it Sure, you can provide the best, most nutrient-rich foods, but what are the tips to ensure that your child actually eats it?
• The best way to get your kids to eat healthier is to make healthy eating fun and get them involved with all aspects of meal and food planning: from menu planning, to in the grocery store, and into the kitchen.
• Planning; Have a frank talk.
o Find out their likes and dislikes. Just as adults have food preferences, likes and dislikes, it’s OK for your kids to have some as well.
o Talk about it first before springing a “surprise” in the lunch box or meal. Sure, tabbouli sounds good to you…but to your child?
o And be sensitive to your child’s peer group pressure. Carefully balance your health goals with your child’s comfort level in being making creative lunches. A cookie cutter sandwich shaped like a bunny rabbit may not appeal to all age groups.
o Keep up to date, and plan periodic assessments. Tastes and interest change. If you have served a “like” for 3 weeks in a row, and it starts getting rejected, it’s time to have another planning session.
• Menu and meal planning
o Involve the kids in simple cooking tasks, or setting the table
o As the child gets older, help them to pick out and plan a meal once a week
• Grocery shopping
o Allow each family member to put a favorite (healthy) food on the grocery list
o Even very young children can help shop: pick out one apple or two oranges at the grocery store.
o Tip to keep your sanity—don’t take the kids shopping if they are tired, hungry and cranky!
• And most important—be a good role model.
Start with the nutrition basics: To best meet children’s nutritional needs, look at the Food Guide Pyramid and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Make smart choices from every food group: Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Milk & Dairy, and Meat & Beans.
• Many Americans, including our children, consume more calories than they need without meeting recommended intakes for a number of nutrients.
• As a result, many children are becoming overweight but undernourished, and their diets are lacking in calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E.
• Emphasize nutrient-dense foods – foods with higher levels of beneficial nutrients in relation to total calories, and especially those nutrients that children are lacking, to get the most nutrition out of our calories.
• Following mom’s admonition to eat your fruits and may be some of the best health advice around. Evidence continues to accumulate on the many ways that vegetables and fruits promote good health, reducing risk of major chronic disorders such as heart disease and cancer.
o Just 1/4 cup of dried fruit, such as California Raisins, counts as a fruit serving. It's easy to reach the daily goal of 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables when you focus on including a variety of them in every meal and snack.
• Include low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains that help kids get more of the nutrients they need.
• Choose foods that limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and salt.
Meal by Meal
Eye-Opening Breakfast Ideas:
• When making pancakes, waffles and muffins, sneak in some whole grains by replacing half of the white flour with whole wheat flour.
Fluffy Polka Dot Pancakes
• For a breakfast style burrito – and a protein and fiber boost – fold eggs, beans, shredded low fat cheese, lean ground beef and vegetables into a whole wheat tortilla.
• For a veggie breakfast hash, sauté shredded carrots, zucchini, peppers, onions and uncooked hash browns in canola oil until tender. Mix in one egg and cook until egg is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Top with cheese for an extra calcium boost.
Power up on the go. Toast a 4-inch whole grain toaster waffle and top with 1 cup low fat or fat-free yogurt and ½ cup mixed berries and ¼ cup California raisins.
Dismiss the Bread Blahs Lunch: After you find something your child actually likes, don’t serve it over and over and over every day. dreaded bread boredom sets—not another sandwich?!
• Think variety when “sandwiching” your lunches.
o Try whole grain raisin bread, pita bread, whole wheat tortillas to make “wraps,” whole grain rolls, mini-bagels or flavored bagels.
To jazz up a lunchtime favorite, spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter inside a 4-inch whole wheat pita pocket and stuff with ½ cup sliced strawberries, and a tablespoon of raisins.
Mayan Soft tacos
• Introduce foods in fun ways
o Hummus, with pretzels or celery sticks to dip
o Think beyond peanut butter. New butters on the shelves include sunflower seed, cashew and almond. Sprinkle on raisins, and/or send with a whole banana to slice on top.
o Leftover cold meat, sliced into strips and sent with salsa, ketchup or barbeque sauce dip.
o Roll-ups of tortillas filled with cheese and/or lunch meat around a pickle
• Up the taste of the filling
o Stir chopped celery, cashews, raisins or water chestnuts into tuna or chicken salad
o Add shredded carrots or raisins to any nut butter
o Explore new fruits and veggies from the produce aisle: kiwi, red jumbo raisins, jicama, donut peaches, mango
o Fruit Salsa Salad with a snap and a kick that older kids will love
Dinner Delights:
• Go stir crazy – savor a stir-fry made with lean beef or pork strips, shredded cabbage and crunchy water chestnuts. Serve over enriched white rice (or brown rice for added fiber)
• Not your Mama’s Mac ‘n Cheese – try whole wheat noodles when preparing macaroni & cheese or spaghetti. Include chopped broccoli or other vegetable for a nutrient-rich punch!
• Add chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber, raisins, or eggplant to soup, chili, pasta sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, casseroles, quick breaks and muffins to add nutrients and fiber.
South of the Border Bowl
California Raisin Wheaten Walnut Bread
Sweet Endings
• Provide a sweet dessert with some nutritious bits!
California Gold Bars
Baked Peaches with Golden Raisins
• Don’t get into the “good food” vs. “bad food” trap.
o Forbidden foods become all the more appealing. You can add mini-chocolate chips to a granola mix, or provide a min-chocolate bar without compromising nutrition. Just watch amount and frequency.
Conclusion: It’s all about planning healthy, quality meals and
Healthy Snacking for All Ages
AS seen on PBS' Creative Living
Healthy Snacking for All Ages
- Drop the potato chips! Mary Lee will share some healthy snack ideas that kids will love, and parents can feel good about serving – and enjoying themselves.
- From snacks to send to school or snacks to serve when all the neighborhood kids are at your house, Mary Lee will provide some quick, easy and delicious snack ideas (that are also good-for-you, too!).
- Parents often find themselves tempted to gnash on their kids’ snacks – and who can blame them? Convenience is always a factor. When you prepare healthy snacks for your kids, you will find that you, in turn, are snacking healthier.
Healthy Snacking for All Ages
Whether you are a mom, dad, nanny, grandparent, teacher, or other caregiver, you know that nurturing and nourishing children is one of the most important - and challenging! - roles you will ever experience.
Most kids are starving after a long day at school, so make sure you have something fast and easy for them to eat when they get home.
• Lunch was hours ago, and kids need to eat every few hours for best nutrition. And you can even sneak more vitamins into a delicious snack with easy recipes.
• Providing snacks for after school programs is a great opportunity to help kids practice healthy eating.
• Including a healthy snack between meals is a healthy way to keep hunger in check and stay energized throughout the day.
Did you know that most children, especially the younger children and active teens, need to eat every three to four hours to replenish energy stores and recharge their bodies?
• A between meal snack is often a necessary component of a school-age child's overall nutrition intake.
• Research shows that many kids are eating too many calorie-, sugar- and fat-rich snacks that provide little in the way of nutrients they need for health and growth.
An easy way to provide nutrient-rich snacks is to choose them from the food groups that provide the essential nutrients that are currently limited in most kids diets- CA, K, Mg, Vitamin E and fiber.
• Selecting snacks from the Fruit, Dairy and Whole Grain food groups will provide an abundance of healthy—and good tasting snacks to fuel your child’s growth.
• Today, I have sample snacks made from these food groups that not only taste good, but are simple to make and will sure to be a hit with your kids-and you.
And a word to adults about snacking
• To many of us, snacking seems like a questionable extra, rather than part of healthful eating. Good nutrition sense however, challenges the popular myth that people should not snack.
• In fact, it’s important to include those treats because research shows when people restrict or deprive themselves of foods they love they are more likely to over-indulge later on.
• Snacking may have weight control advantages
o Eaten between mealtimes, snacks help take the edge of hunger, avoiding overeating at meals.
o Smart snackers choose food and portions carefully to match their calorie target without going over. Treats can fit in if you keep sight of your overall diet.
Nutritious Snack Guidelines
Instead of reaching for food that is high in calories, primarily from sugar or fat, such as cookies, candies and sweet snacks use the Food Guide Pyramid to plan snacks, just as you do for meals.
• Choose whole-grain foods such as bagels, tortillas, English muffins, breads and cereals to provide energy, fiber and a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals.
Breakfast Raisin-Banana Tortilla Roll-up (though I must confess the whole peanut butter issue is putting a serious crimp on kids’ snacking)
Bumps on a Bagel
• Include fruits and vegetables for color, variety, crunch, taste and nutrition.
Variety of fresh fruit and variety of raisins
• Include foods with protein, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, tuna, poultry and meat products; they are necessary for growing children.
Cheddar Crunch: Mix ½ cup of Cheddar cheese shreds with popcorn and pretzels.
Milk and cookies: Our Growers Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Limit added fat and sugars as much as possible. Your after school snack doesn't have to be sweet, but if it is, you can still make it nutritious.
Caramel Apple Sundae
Three commandments of snacking for kids
1. Snacks should not take longer to make than to eat.
Salsa Roll-up: Roll Monterey Jack cheese in a whole wheat tortilla and dip in salsa.
2. Invention makes everything taste better. Even those dreaded good-for-you foods are a hit when cleverly disguised. It's one of life's snack mysteries: Putting food on a stick improves the flavor. Calling it a pizza anything is a sale.
Raisin Apple Mini-pizzas
Fresh Fruit Kabobs on straws
3. Never eat snacks with forks and knives. It's a proven fact that anything eaten with fingers tastes better.
Beyond Good Old Raisins and Peanuts
Start a new family tradition
The first day of school can mean a new outfit, fresh pencils and clean notebooks. And to mark the start of a new and special year of school beginning, celebrate with an after school treat or end of meal with a special, delicious dessert.
Applesauce Bread Pudding
Conclusion: Snacking has become a way of life for children. Nearly all children eat at least one snack per day, with many children eating two or three. After-school snacks high in sugar, fat and calories can contribute to dental cavities, obesity and spoil the child’s appetite for dinner.
• Include a wide variety of foods from the Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy and Grain Food Groups in your and your child’s snacks. Use delicious and nutritious snacks to build better nutrition and better bodies to contribute to overall nutrition well-being.
Healthy Snacking for All Ages
- Drop the potato chips! Mary Lee will share some healthy snack ideas that kids will love, and parents can feel good about serving – and enjoying themselves.
- From snacks to send to school or snacks to serve when all the neighborhood kids are at your house, Mary Lee will provide some quick, easy and delicious snack ideas (that are also good-for-you, too!).
- Parents often find themselves tempted to gnash on their kids’ snacks – and who can blame them? Convenience is always a factor. When you prepare healthy snacks for your kids, you will find that you, in turn, are snacking healthier.
Healthy Snacking for All Ages
Whether you are a mom, dad, nanny, grandparent, teacher, or other caregiver, you know that nurturing and nourishing children is one of the most important - and challenging! - roles you will ever experience.
Most kids are starving after a long day at school, so make sure you have something fast and easy for them to eat when they get home.
• Lunch was hours ago, and kids need to eat every few hours for best nutrition. And you can even sneak more vitamins into a delicious snack with easy recipes.
• Providing snacks for after school programs is a great opportunity to help kids practice healthy eating.
• Including a healthy snack between meals is a healthy way to keep hunger in check and stay energized throughout the day.
Did you know that most children, especially the younger children and active teens, need to eat every three to four hours to replenish energy stores and recharge their bodies?
• A between meal snack is often a necessary component of a school-age child's overall nutrition intake.
• Research shows that many kids are eating too many calorie-, sugar- and fat-rich snacks that provide little in the way of nutrients they need for health and growth.
An easy way to provide nutrient-rich snacks is to choose them from the food groups that provide the essential nutrients that are currently limited in most kids diets- CA, K, Mg, Vitamin E and fiber.
• Selecting snacks from the Fruit, Dairy and Whole Grain food groups will provide an abundance of healthy—and good tasting snacks to fuel your child’s growth.
• Today, I have sample snacks made from these food groups that not only taste good, but are simple to make and will sure to be a hit with your kids-and you.
And a word to adults about snacking
• To many of us, snacking seems like a questionable extra, rather than part of healthful eating. Good nutrition sense however, challenges the popular myth that people should not snack.
• In fact, it’s important to include those treats because research shows when people restrict or deprive themselves of foods they love they are more likely to over-indulge later on.
• Snacking may have weight control advantages
o Eaten between mealtimes, snacks help take the edge of hunger, avoiding overeating at meals.
o Smart snackers choose food and portions carefully to match their calorie target without going over. Treats can fit in if you keep sight of your overall diet.
Nutritious Snack Guidelines
Instead of reaching for food that is high in calories, primarily from sugar or fat, such as cookies, candies and sweet snacks use the Food Guide Pyramid to plan snacks, just as you do for meals.
• Choose whole-grain foods such as bagels, tortillas, English muffins, breads and cereals to provide energy, fiber and a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals.
Breakfast Raisin-Banana Tortilla Roll-up (though I must confess the whole peanut butter issue is putting a serious crimp on kids’ snacking)
Bumps on a Bagel
• Include fruits and vegetables for color, variety, crunch, taste and nutrition.
Variety of fresh fruit and variety of raisins
• Include foods with protein, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, tuna, poultry and meat products; they are necessary for growing children.
Cheddar Crunch: Mix ½ cup of Cheddar cheese shreds with popcorn and pretzels.
Milk and cookies: Our Growers Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Limit added fat and sugars as much as possible. Your after school snack doesn't have to be sweet, but if it is, you can still make it nutritious.
Caramel Apple Sundae
Three commandments of snacking for kids
1. Snacks should not take longer to make than to eat.
Salsa Roll-up: Roll Monterey Jack cheese in a whole wheat tortilla and dip in salsa.
2. Invention makes everything taste better. Even those dreaded good-for-you foods are a hit when cleverly disguised. It's one of life's snack mysteries: Putting food on a stick improves the flavor. Calling it a pizza anything is a sale.
Raisin Apple Mini-pizzas
Fresh Fruit Kabobs on straws
3. Never eat snacks with forks and knives. It's a proven fact that anything eaten with fingers tastes better.
Beyond Good Old Raisins and Peanuts
Start a new family tradition
The first day of school can mean a new outfit, fresh pencils and clean notebooks. And to mark the start of a new and special year of school beginning, celebrate with an after school treat or end of meal with a special, delicious dessert.
Applesauce Bread Pudding
Conclusion: Snacking has become a way of life for children. Nearly all children eat at least one snack per day, with many children eating two or three. After-school snacks high in sugar, fat and calories can contribute to dental cavities, obesity and spoil the child’s appetite for dinner.
• Include a wide variety of foods from the Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy and Grain Food Groups in your and your child’s snacks. Use delicious and nutritious snacks to build better nutrition and better bodies to contribute to overall nutrition well-being.
I love you ... Let's clean out the fridge!
By Kristen Browning-Blas
The Denver Post
(Photo by Getty Images, Illustration by Maureen Scance, The Denver Post)
Related
What better way to show your loved ones you care, than to make sure your fridge is clean, cold and well- organized?
You might blame the restaurant where you had dinner the night before, but most food-poisoning cases start at home.
In fact, food-borne illnesses are three times more likely to occur in private homes than in commercial kitchens, says Denver dietitian Mary Lee Chin. Many cases are due to improper storage, unsafe food handling, lack of cleanliness and poor refrigerator maintenance.
Even the most orderly looking fridge can harbor foods that can make you sick.
After Chin e-mailed us confessing her own food-storage sins — she was shocked to learn that the refrigerator door is too warm for storing eggs; "Isn't that why they have those little egg holes?" — we wondered what icebox infractions ordinary people are committing.
We tagged along as Chin inspected the kitchen of Carmen Mix, who volunteered to be our guinea pig. The mother of two small children worries about limp celery and moldy cheese and hopes to persuade her mother not to keep leftovers so long.
First, Chin checks the seal on Mix's 3-year-old GE model.
"There should be a slight tug when it opens," says Chin. That tells you the seal is working properly, one of the first things to check on an older model. A cracked seal allows air in and can cause the temperature to rise. "That creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow."
Plus, she says, the seals have ridges that collect moisture and dirt, so clean them once in a while.
"What do you do with your settings?" the inspector asks. "Have you checked them?"
"I ... no," says Mix, with a nervous laugh. "It's probably set to what it came at."
She's lucky, because her fridge has a thermometer and it reads a perfect 40 degrees. If you don't have a built-in thermometer, buy one and make sure your fridge is set to 40 or below, says Chin.
Americans throw away, on average, more than a quarter of the
Dietitian Mary Lee Chin, right, tells Carmen Mix that she doesn't have to keep soy sauce in the fridge. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)
food we buy, especially produce. "Many of us wait till it turns to lettuce soup, then we don't feel guilty about throwing it away," says Chin.
"I'd love to have our celery last longer," says Mix.
"When celery goes limp, it's because it's lost moisture," Chin says. "It's still OK to eat, but who wants to eat mushy celery?"
Keep produce in plastic bags and tightly cover cut fruit and veggies to maintain quality. Produce becomes wrinkled or mushy because the plant cells have begun to collapse, allowing the loss of nutrients and increasing bacterial growth in the compromised cells, says Chin, ticking off a list of dos and don'ts:
• Don't purchase produce with mold, bruises or cuts. Bacteria can thrive in those blemishes, and vegetable bins are the most likely place to be contaminated. Produce used for salads — lettuce and spinach, for example — grows low to the ground, where the leaves are likely to come in contact with fertilizers.
• Do buy only the amount of produce that you will use within a week.
• Do place washed produce into clean storage containers, not back into the original ones.
• Do refrigerate fresh produce within two hours of peeling or cutting.
"What about mold on cheese?" Mix asks as her daughter Whitney, 2, pokes her head into the chilled interior.
"If it's hard cheese, cut off a good portion because it does have legs, so to speak," says Chin. "On bread, if it's
Mix's son, Mason, plays with cans of pop, a better choice than milk for storing in the door. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)
white, green, brown or real fuzzy-looking, don't mess with it, throw it out."
Although Mix doesn't keep her eggs in the door, she does put them in the container that came with the fridge. Chin tells her to keep the eggs in the original dated carton so that they last longer, and she'll know how old they are. You can tell if an egg is fresh by cracking it open onto a plate. If it's old, the white will spread out. A fresh egg white will stand up firmly.
While Mix holds her year-old son, Mason, just up from a nap, Chin reaches into the fridge for a jar of baby food.
"Don't feed him out of the jar and put it back in," she says. Bacteria transfers from the baby's mouth to spoon to jar, so it's best to spoon out a serving from the jar, and refrigerate the rest for another meal.
"What about leftovers? Do you label them?" Chin asks, suggesting Mix keep some masking tape and a marker handy to date her leftovers.
"We do have a lot of leftovers, with the little ones," says Mix, shifting Mason on her hip.
"Just wait til he's an adolescent," laughs Chin, who raised two sons and knows a thing or two about growing appetites.
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com
________________________________________
Kitchen myths
"The milk belongs in the refrigerator door, because it's easier to get to."
Easy access, yes, but doors consistently are warmer than the rest of the refrigerator. Rather than milk, yogurt or cold cuts — foods that spoil quickly — use the door to store condiments, bottled sauces, soft drinks and juice, which keep longer because of high sugar and/ or salt content.
"It's already cooked, so it's safe."
Just because a food has been cooked doesn't mean it will stay safe. Leftovers still need to be refrigerated within two hours.
"I don't need to wash my hands when I'm eating at home, my house is clean."
Eeeuw! Think about it. "The first mistake in any kitchen is people don't wash their hands enough," says John Woolley of Johnson & Wales University. "They think if they're not outside working on the car then it's OK." Not OK. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently when working in the kitchen.
"I don't need to wash this melon — I'm not going to eat the peel."
Wash anything you're going to cut into. Whatever's on the outside will transfer to the inside when you cut into it. "People think, 'I'm just gonna put this melon on this cutting board,'" says Woolley. "You take that bacteria and put it on your cutting board and there's a little moisture or protein on there and the bacteria starts to grow."
________________________________________
Keep hot food hot, cold food cold
IN THE FRIDGE:
Between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature danger zone, where bacteria is more likely to grow at a fast rate. Your refrigerator should be set to 40 degrees or colder.
Get a thermometer if your fridge doesn't have one, to make sure it's cold enough. They are sold at grocery stores, specialty shops and restaurant suppliers.
Store seafood as close to 32 degrees as possible — toward the back of the fridge, where it's colder.
OUT OF THE FRIDGE:
Cook ground beef to 155 degrees. "Ground beef takes the outside and puts it on the inside, because you grind it all up. Anything, bacteria, that was on the outside is now on the inside," says John Woolley of Johnson & Wales University.
Cook chicken to 165 degrees; this goes for anything mixed with chicken as well. "The top end is 165 for killing bacteria on chicken," says Woolley.
Cool down soups and stews by transferring them to shallow pans so the heat dissipates quickly. It's OK to put hot food into the fridge, especially if you transfer it to smaller containers, says Sharon Franke of Good Housekeeping.
________________________________________
Storage containers
The Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested 31 containers, lids, bags, wraps and liners, and recommends these five products for keeping food fresh:
Rubbermaid Premier. Whether you're driving your special dish to a potluck or carrying lunch to work, a no-leak container is key. Here's one that will protect your car from salad dressing: Rubbermaid's Premier set ($2.50 to $9; 866-271-9249; rubbermaidpremier.com).
Nalgene. Ceramic canisters are cute but not airtight. Give flour, sugar, rice and other dried foods a longer shelf life by stashing them in Nalgene jars ($3.33 to $8.23; 800-625-4327; nalgene-outdoor.com).
Tupperware Ice Prisms. Filled with fruit or salad, Tupperware's Ice Prisms are nice enough for your buffet table — and their lids snap on tightly to keep food fresh. One downside: The containers need to be washed by hand ($17.50 to $29; 888-887-9273; tupperware.com).
Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre Plus. The Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre containers had the tightest seal in our tests. And if you're nervous about microwaving in plastic, these glassware pieces will put your mind at ease ($30 for a set of three, amazon.com).
QuickSeals. Forget scrunching, tying or clipping. Instead, close packaged goods with QuickSeals, which fit over a bag's opening to create a secure zippered seal ($1.29 for six; quickseals.com). Goodhousekeeping .com
________________________________________
Keep it clean
More than three out of five Americans say they wait for food to taste bad, look bad or smell bad instead of checking the expiration date, says dietitian Mary Lee Chin. The expiration or "use by" date is the date by which food should be used or frozen to ensure quality and consistency — and it should be followed, she says.
Take inventory of the contents of your refrigerator once a week or immediately before going grocery shopping.
Remove outdated foods promptly.
While cleaning, remove all food and store in a cooler.
Wipe up spills as they happen to keep your refrigerator clean, and help it to be odor-free. And if you wipe up juices from raw meat, throw out the sponge or paper towel — don't keep using it, says Good Housekeeping's Sharon Franke.
If they're removable, take the parts out and wash them in hot soapy water, says Franke.
Inside the fridge, use baking soda, a cleaner such as Fantastik or a very diluted bleach solution, says Franke. "You don't want to spray a cleaner into fridge," she says, but it is safe to use. Spray onto a sponge, then rinse off with water.
Replace filters on icemakers and water dispensers every six months or as recommended by the owner's manual.
To rid fridge of offensive odors, add a cup of baking soda to a bowl or plate and place inside refrigerator for 24 hours. A box of baking soda in the back of your fridge can help eliminate odor contamination.
The Denver Post
(Photo by Getty Images, Illustration by Maureen Scance, The Denver Post)
Related
What better way to show your loved ones you care, than to make sure your fridge is clean, cold and well- organized?
You might blame the restaurant where you had dinner the night before, but most food-poisoning cases start at home.
In fact, food-borne illnesses are three times more likely to occur in private homes than in commercial kitchens, says Denver dietitian Mary Lee Chin. Many cases are due to improper storage, unsafe food handling, lack of cleanliness and poor refrigerator maintenance.
Even the most orderly looking fridge can harbor foods that can make you sick.
After Chin e-mailed us confessing her own food-storage sins — she was shocked to learn that the refrigerator door is too warm for storing eggs; "Isn't that why they have those little egg holes?" — we wondered what icebox infractions ordinary people are committing.
We tagged along as Chin inspected the kitchen of Carmen Mix, who volunteered to be our guinea pig. The mother of two small children worries about limp celery and moldy cheese and hopes to persuade her mother not to keep leftovers so long.
First, Chin checks the seal on Mix's 3-year-old GE model.
"There should be a slight tug when it opens," says Chin. That tells you the seal is working properly, one of the first things to check on an older model. A cracked seal allows air in and can cause the temperature to rise. "That creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow."
Plus, she says, the seals have ridges that collect moisture and dirt, so clean them once in a while.
"What do you do with your settings?" the inspector asks. "Have you checked them?"
"I ... no," says Mix, with a nervous laugh. "It's probably set to what it came at."
She's lucky, because her fridge has a thermometer and it reads a perfect 40 degrees. If you don't have a built-in thermometer, buy one and make sure your fridge is set to 40 or below, says Chin.
Americans throw away, on average, more than a quarter of the
Dietitian Mary Lee Chin, right, tells Carmen Mix that she doesn't have to keep soy sauce in the fridge. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)
food we buy, especially produce. "Many of us wait till it turns to lettuce soup, then we don't feel guilty about throwing it away," says Chin.
"I'd love to have our celery last longer," says Mix.
"When celery goes limp, it's because it's lost moisture," Chin says. "It's still OK to eat, but who wants to eat mushy celery?"
Keep produce in plastic bags and tightly cover cut fruit and veggies to maintain quality. Produce becomes wrinkled or mushy because the plant cells have begun to collapse, allowing the loss of nutrients and increasing bacterial growth in the compromised cells, says Chin, ticking off a list of dos and don'ts:
• Don't purchase produce with mold, bruises or cuts. Bacteria can thrive in those blemishes, and vegetable bins are the most likely place to be contaminated. Produce used for salads — lettuce and spinach, for example — grows low to the ground, where the leaves are likely to come in contact with fertilizers.
• Do buy only the amount of produce that you will use within a week.
• Do place washed produce into clean storage containers, not back into the original ones.
• Do refrigerate fresh produce within two hours of peeling or cutting.
"What about mold on cheese?" Mix asks as her daughter Whitney, 2, pokes her head into the chilled interior.
"If it's hard cheese, cut off a good portion because it does have legs, so to speak," says Chin. "On bread, if it's
Mix's son, Mason, plays with cans of pop, a better choice than milk for storing in the door. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)
white, green, brown or real fuzzy-looking, don't mess with it, throw it out."
Although Mix doesn't keep her eggs in the door, she does put them in the container that came with the fridge. Chin tells her to keep the eggs in the original dated carton so that they last longer, and she'll know how old they are. You can tell if an egg is fresh by cracking it open onto a plate. If it's old, the white will spread out. A fresh egg white will stand up firmly.
While Mix holds her year-old son, Mason, just up from a nap, Chin reaches into the fridge for a jar of baby food.
"Don't feed him out of the jar and put it back in," she says. Bacteria transfers from the baby's mouth to spoon to jar, so it's best to spoon out a serving from the jar, and refrigerate the rest for another meal.
"What about leftovers? Do you label them?" Chin asks, suggesting Mix keep some masking tape and a marker handy to date her leftovers.
"We do have a lot of leftovers, with the little ones," says Mix, shifting Mason on her hip.
"Just wait til he's an adolescent," laughs Chin, who raised two sons and knows a thing or two about growing appetites.
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com
________________________________________
Kitchen myths
"The milk belongs in the refrigerator door, because it's easier to get to."
Easy access, yes, but doors consistently are warmer than the rest of the refrigerator. Rather than milk, yogurt or cold cuts — foods that spoil quickly — use the door to store condiments, bottled sauces, soft drinks and juice, which keep longer because of high sugar and/ or salt content.
"It's already cooked, so it's safe."
Just because a food has been cooked doesn't mean it will stay safe. Leftovers still need to be refrigerated within two hours.
"I don't need to wash my hands when I'm eating at home, my house is clean."
Eeeuw! Think about it. "The first mistake in any kitchen is people don't wash their hands enough," says John Woolley of Johnson & Wales University. "They think if they're not outside working on the car then it's OK." Not OK. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently when working in the kitchen.
"I don't need to wash this melon — I'm not going to eat the peel."
Wash anything you're going to cut into. Whatever's on the outside will transfer to the inside when you cut into it. "People think, 'I'm just gonna put this melon on this cutting board,'" says Woolley. "You take that bacteria and put it on your cutting board and there's a little moisture or protein on there and the bacteria starts to grow."
________________________________________
Keep hot food hot, cold food cold
IN THE FRIDGE:
Between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature danger zone, where bacteria is more likely to grow at a fast rate. Your refrigerator should be set to 40 degrees or colder.
Get a thermometer if your fridge doesn't have one, to make sure it's cold enough. They are sold at grocery stores, specialty shops and restaurant suppliers.
Store seafood as close to 32 degrees as possible — toward the back of the fridge, where it's colder.
OUT OF THE FRIDGE:
Cook ground beef to 155 degrees. "Ground beef takes the outside and puts it on the inside, because you grind it all up. Anything, bacteria, that was on the outside is now on the inside," says John Woolley of Johnson & Wales University.
Cook chicken to 165 degrees; this goes for anything mixed with chicken as well. "The top end is 165 for killing bacteria on chicken," says Woolley.
Cool down soups and stews by transferring them to shallow pans so the heat dissipates quickly. It's OK to put hot food into the fridge, especially if you transfer it to smaller containers, says Sharon Franke of Good Housekeeping.
________________________________________
Storage containers
The Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested 31 containers, lids, bags, wraps and liners, and recommends these five products for keeping food fresh:
Rubbermaid Premier. Whether you're driving your special dish to a potluck or carrying lunch to work, a no-leak container is key. Here's one that will protect your car from salad dressing: Rubbermaid's Premier set ($2.50 to $9; 866-271-9249; rubbermaidpremier.com).
Nalgene. Ceramic canisters are cute but not airtight. Give flour, sugar, rice and other dried foods a longer shelf life by stashing them in Nalgene jars ($3.33 to $8.23; 800-625-4327; nalgene-outdoor.com).
Tupperware Ice Prisms. Filled with fruit or salad, Tupperware's Ice Prisms are nice enough for your buffet table — and their lids snap on tightly to keep food fresh. One downside: The containers need to be washed by hand ($17.50 to $29; 888-887-9273; tupperware.com).
Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre Plus. The Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre containers had the tightest seal in our tests. And if you're nervous about microwaving in plastic, these glassware pieces will put your mind at ease ($30 for a set of three, amazon.com).
QuickSeals. Forget scrunching, tying or clipping. Instead, close packaged goods with QuickSeals, which fit over a bag's opening to create a secure zippered seal ($1.29 for six; quickseals.com). Goodhousekeeping .com
________________________________________
Keep it clean
More than three out of five Americans say they wait for food to taste bad, look bad or smell bad instead of checking the expiration date, says dietitian Mary Lee Chin. The expiration or "use by" date is the date by which food should be used or frozen to ensure quality and consistency — and it should be followed, she says.
Take inventory of the contents of your refrigerator once a week or immediately before going grocery shopping.
Remove outdated foods promptly.
While cleaning, remove all food and store in a cooler.
Wipe up spills as they happen to keep your refrigerator clean, and help it to be odor-free. And if you wipe up juices from raw meat, throw out the sponge or paper towel — don't keep using it, says Good Housekeeping's Sharon Franke.
If they're removable, take the parts out and wash them in hot soapy water, says Franke.
Inside the fridge, use baking soda, a cleaner such as Fantastik or a very diluted bleach solution, says Franke. "You don't want to spray a cleaner into fridge," she says, but it is safe to use. Spray onto a sponge, then rinse off with water.
Replace filters on icemakers and water dispensers every six months or as recommended by the owner's manual.
To rid fridge of offensive odors, add a cup of baking soda to a bowl or plate and place inside refrigerator for 24 hours. A box of baking soda in the back of your fridge can help eliminate odor contamination.
Love Food, Hate Waste
Love Food Hate Waste
• Name of a government sponsored awareness program in the United Kingdom to reduce food waste
Americans waste an astounding amount of food
• Much of the waste is preharvest, or during processing and handling, and from restaurant and cafeteria waste. However a large of amount of food is wasted in our own home kitchens.
• According to a government study, it is estimated 27 % of the food available for consumption is wasted, working out to about a pound of food every day for every American
• This is like bringing home 4 shopping bags of food and throwing away one of the bags immediately.
During these tough economic times, when the food budget is biting us back, decreasing household food wastage is one strategy to make your food dollar stretch farther.
• Food losses happen because of over-preparation, plate discard, cooking losses, and spoilage from foods forgotten in the refrigerator.
• These may sound familiar: Examples are entire heads of lettuce that have gone bad, half-eaten boxes of crackers and sprouted potatoes and onions and end up in the landfill
• Happily here are some easy and practical ways to save money by wasting less food and help the environment as well
Portioning: By planning ahead, you can avoid cooking too much and having a lot of leftovers.
• Too often we have good intentions but usually leftovers end up being thrown out
• Use handy measuring equipment to accurately make the amount of food you need.
• For example, ¼ cup of raw rice makes one adult serving
• Use a Spaghetti Measurer to determine how much pasta to cook. Large amounts of noodles end up in the trash
Planning: Reserve some time to plan meals.
• Many people buy a stock items of groceries, with no thought of what dishes will be made that week. Too often ingredients are not used, and go to waste. Plan 1-2 weeks of menus.
• Shop your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer first before going to the store. Avoids purchasing foods you already have, but forgotten. And those jars of gift jelly, boxes of gourmet wild rice and cans of vegetables used to can be turned into tasty meals.
• Make a list and shop your list. Impulse buying can add a lot to the grocery bill.
.
Leftovers are actually makeovers.
• If you are not going to eat leftovers within 2-3 days, seal in freezer wrap, date and freeze at 0 degrees. Will make a great for a meal for one.
• Periodically hunt through the fridge and pull out all those scraps of leftover cheese, vegetables and meat. Turn into quiche, quesadillas or omelets
• Check your produce compartments and don’t forget about fresh fruits and vegetable, but use up.
o Any spare fresh tomatoes could be added to some canned ones to make a great topping for pizza.
o Rice would turn leftover chicken and wrinkly peppers into a delicious salad
o Bits and dabs of leftover vegetables, added to canned soup with milk produces a nourishing, quick and nutrient-rich soup. Benefit of dish provides a lot of nutrients for a small amount of calories, and the calcium and other nutrients in milk.
o For a free lunch, take leftover salad, meat and cheese and make a wrap.
Take time to look at use by and expiration dates
• Buy dates with longest shelf life. Then if changing mind about using it, there is still time to eat it before it goes bad.
• Periodically check the use by and expiration dates of the food in your refrigerator. If you know you are not going to use it by the date, then freeze it, using appropriate airtight containers and bags and mark with masking tape/pen. Use within 2 months.
• Buying in bulk saves money on a per item basis, but not if you don’t use it up before it spoils.
A shocking amount of food we buy in the US ends up being thrown away.
• It’s not just banana skins and tea bags.
• Most of that food could be eaten.
• Spend a little time planning ahead, and save money and calories, plus get a healthier diet.
Resources
http://www.3aday.org
http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
• Name of a government sponsored awareness program in the United Kingdom to reduce food waste
Americans waste an astounding amount of food
• Much of the waste is preharvest, or during processing and handling, and from restaurant and cafeteria waste. However a large of amount of food is wasted in our own home kitchens.
• According to a government study, it is estimated 27 % of the food available for consumption is wasted, working out to about a pound of food every day for every American
• This is like bringing home 4 shopping bags of food and throwing away one of the bags immediately.
During these tough economic times, when the food budget is biting us back, decreasing household food wastage is one strategy to make your food dollar stretch farther.
• Food losses happen because of over-preparation, plate discard, cooking losses, and spoilage from foods forgotten in the refrigerator.
• These may sound familiar: Examples are entire heads of lettuce that have gone bad, half-eaten boxes of crackers and sprouted potatoes and onions and end up in the landfill
• Happily here are some easy and practical ways to save money by wasting less food and help the environment as well
Portioning: By planning ahead, you can avoid cooking too much and having a lot of leftovers.
• Too often we have good intentions but usually leftovers end up being thrown out
• Use handy measuring equipment to accurately make the amount of food you need.
• For example, ¼ cup of raw rice makes one adult serving
• Use a Spaghetti Measurer to determine how much pasta to cook. Large amounts of noodles end up in the trash
Planning: Reserve some time to plan meals.
• Many people buy a stock items of groceries, with no thought of what dishes will be made that week. Too often ingredients are not used, and go to waste. Plan 1-2 weeks of menus.
• Shop your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer first before going to the store. Avoids purchasing foods you already have, but forgotten. And those jars of gift jelly, boxes of gourmet wild rice and cans of vegetables used to can be turned into tasty meals.
• Make a list and shop your list. Impulse buying can add a lot to the grocery bill.
.
Leftovers are actually makeovers.
• If you are not going to eat leftovers within 2-3 days, seal in freezer wrap, date and freeze at 0 degrees. Will make a great for a meal for one.
• Periodically hunt through the fridge and pull out all those scraps of leftover cheese, vegetables and meat. Turn into quiche, quesadillas or omelets
• Check your produce compartments and don’t forget about fresh fruits and vegetable, but use up.
o Any spare fresh tomatoes could be added to some canned ones to make a great topping for pizza.
o Rice would turn leftover chicken and wrinkly peppers into a delicious salad
o Bits and dabs of leftover vegetables, added to canned soup with milk produces a nourishing, quick and nutrient-rich soup. Benefit of dish provides a lot of nutrients for a small amount of calories, and the calcium and other nutrients in milk.
o For a free lunch, take leftover salad, meat and cheese and make a wrap.
Take time to look at use by and expiration dates
• Buy dates with longest shelf life. Then if changing mind about using it, there is still time to eat it before it goes bad.
• Periodically check the use by and expiration dates of the food in your refrigerator. If you know you are not going to use it by the date, then freeze it, using appropriate airtight containers and bags and mark with masking tape/pen. Use within 2 months.
• Buying in bulk saves money on a per item basis, but not if you don’t use it up before it spoils.
A shocking amount of food we buy in the US ends up being thrown away.
• It’s not just banana skins and tea bags.
• Most of that food could be eaten.
• Spend a little time planning ahead, and save money and calories, plus get a healthier diet.
Resources
http://www.3aday.org
http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
