Feature Your Food Labor!

Happy Labor Day!  Today, I celebrate everyone that works hard -- especially parents like you!  Many of us have the day off of their paid work today, but we are still laboring hard at home.  Like me and my husband, you may be working hard on home projects that have been long lingering to be completed.  Today is a great day to clean out the pantry and fridge - throw away old boxed items, spices and...ugh...what is that in the back of the refrigerator?! 

Now that you've got that kitchen all organized, let's talk recipes.  With these tough economic times, we are all looking for ways to raise our families more economically.  That definitely includes cheaper ways to feed our family! 

I am working on a television segment called "Budgeating."  Yes, you guessed it -- healthy eating on a tight budget.  I would love to feature one of your family recipes on television!  Here 's how:  send me your tastiest, healthiest and quickest recipe that costs $10 or under for a family of four.  (Hint: you will get higher marks if you include at least one produce item!)  The deadline for submission is Monday, September 12, 2011.  Send all recipes to angela@angelalemond.com.

The top 3 winners may have their dish along with their name featured on a local Dallas Fort Worth television station.  I say "may" because you know television - segments are not guaranteed to run until they actually go live because breaking stories go before food segments every time. 

On your mark, set...send me your recipes!  Even if your recipe doesn't make the top 3, all recipes submitted will be posted on Mommy Dietitian on the next blog post.  It is times like these when families need to come together in order to feed their families well, and continue to have family meals at home.  I want the Mommy Dietitian blog to assist with bringing families together!

Does your school participate? HealthierUS School Challenge

When I was working on a recent television interview in which I discussed school lunches, I was prompted to check on the progress of my daughter's school lunches this year.  I was pleased to find out that her school district has taken on the HealthierUS School Challenge!


Volunteer initiative for schools to make
their environments heathier for children.


What is the HealthierUS School Challenge?
The HealthierUS School Challenge is a government-to-school encourager to voluntarily make school environments healthier.  The participation rate started skyrocketing when First Lady Michelle Obama added incentives to schools that took part.  The result is that more and more schools are cleaning up their kitchens - reducing fat, calories and sugar and adding more nutrient-rich foods in their place - for the sake of our growing children.

HealthierUS Food Guidelines
The initiative as a whole includes good nutrition and physical activity.    Here is a brief rundown of what your child will be exposed to when he/she eats the school lunch:

• Offers a different vegetable each day of the week
• Offers dark green or orange vegetables 3 or more days each week
• Offer dry beans and/or peas 1 or more days each week
• Offers a different fruit each day of the week
• Offers at least a serving of whole grains 3 or more days each week
• Offers only low-fat and fat-free milk each day

In addition to the foods that must be included, the schools must also:

• Teach nutrition education to the children
• Incorporate the teaching into the classrooms
• Use multiple channels of communication including the cafeteria, classroom and home

I don't know about you, but I see this as a big improvement.  Hannah's school is teaching them MyPlate, the new USDA food icon, so they can make their own decision to fuel up with great food choices.  Educating, Exposing and Empowering are 3 of my keys to long-term proper nutrition.  It starts in childhood!  Talk to your children about the food choices they make and empower them to eat the super power foods that will help them make good grades and do better at their extra cirricular activities.

Does your school participate in the HealthierUS School Challenge?  Find out here.  If this is their first year to participate, you may want to contact your child's foodservice manager and ask them.  If they are not currently participating, encourage them to do so!  For more information on the HealthierUS School Challenge, go to: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/HealthierUS/vision.html.

Food Containers: The New Brown Bag

As summer ends and temperatures (hopefully) cool down, it’s time to think about school supplies, new school outfits, and what to pack for lunch.   Are your kids apathetic towards a home-packed lunch? You can change this by inspiring you to pack different foods and inspire your child with a more interesting container.   Swap out the boring brown bags and use food containers to rejuvenate lunchtime. These containers are cost effective, reusable for years, and easy to clean. As parents, you can make nutrition a priority by preparing fun and nourishing lunches for your kids. Have them help you, too!  Among our favorites are included in this post and all pictures are linked to sites for purchase.



Laptop Lunch's Bento Boxes!



Some food containers provide compartments to keep different foods organized.  Our favorite is Laptop Lunch's Bento Box.  Now they have even more colorful styles to choose from!  This type of lunch container encourages to serve more than just a peanut butter sandwich. How about whole wheat spaghetti, fresh peach slices, snap peas and a savory dipping sauce? Bust out the cookie cutters and cut sandwiches, fruits, or cheese into fascinating shapes.  This is a great occasion to make simple, creative and assorted meals.  Laptop Lunch's has a great set of menus categorized by seasons on their website.  (Our favorite recipe is the red lentil and sweet pepper hummus!)

We all “eat with your eyes” first, and this is absolutely no different with children. Using different colors and shapes will draw their interest and they can be excited about opening their lunch box every day.  Bring the fun back to lunching!



The Slimline Quaddie by Klip It provides drink container and many compartments!.



Some containers also have a place to store drinks.  You can fill a bottle like this with low fat milk, water, or 100% juice.  Go green and ecomical by investing in BPA-free containers.



Fit & Fresh brand has a great variety of containers to choose from.

 These containers have an added cold pack built into the lid.  It’s great for keeping cold items like fruits or salads cool for lunchtime.  Add another ice pack or additonal resusable ice cubes to keep your lunches nice and cool.



The "Salad Blaster Bowl" can be purchased at The Container Store.



Speaking of salads, this is another great container to make lunch fun!  Simply fill the container with your salad and put the green lid on.  Then, fill the central container on the lid with your salad dressing.  This keeps the contents from mixing.  By mealtime, press the center container down, and shake!  It releases the dressing with ease.  Tell me this isn’t a great way to get kids interested in salad!



Purchased at The Container Store.

We can’t leave out breakfast- this is a fabulous option for cereal and milk.  Just pour your milk into the bottom container that is insulated to keep it cold longer.  Then screw on the top container and pour in your perfect portion of cereal.  Pop the lid on (folding spoon included) and go!

Hot Foods

Expand that lunch menu by providing a hot lunch for your child.  Heat soups, leftovers and other hot foods to 200 degrees before putting them in the hot food containers so they can still be above the temperature danger zone of 140 degrees by lunchtime.



Purchase Laptop Lunch's food jar and it fits nicely in the Bento system.



Thermos brand makes food jars in your child's favorite character design.



Other ways to make your child's lunch special:

Bento to Lunch - Collection of really cool food decoration ideas to try.

Kids Lunch Box Cards - spice up your child's cards with stories, riddles, gross science facts with these creative cards that you can sign.

Your kids are not the only ones that can enjoy food containers. These are also very practical for the working person.  You can put your lunch together at the same time as your kids and you’re set for the day.  These are also a time saver when traveling or even picnicking.  Trying out new food containers will make the boring “brown bag lunch” a thing of the past. 

Special thanks once again to Gina Tran, TWU Dietetic Intern, that co-authored this blog post!

Quick Recipe! Summer Spring Rolls

The summer months can mean a busy schedule packed full of time at the pool, outdoor adventures, and vacations. What a great way to end the hot day by preparing an easy, tropical meal – our Mommy Dietitian signature Summer Spring Rolls! We included a complement of ingredients that provide great flavors, but feel free to switch out ingredients as you wish. If you have cooked chicken or tofu, replace that instead of shrimp. You can also swap various vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage.

Mangos are an exotic and major source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber. These are keys to good immune function, vision, and digestive health. Shrimp is also a good source of high-quality protein and iron. In addition, an assortment of colorful vegetables is delicious and provides a ton of nutrients for the growing body.


Our Summer Spring Rolls are
yummy, light and nutrient-rich!

Summer Spring Rolls

Makes 12 rolls
Serving size: 3 rolls

Ingredients:

Spring Rolls:
½ lettuce, leaves separated and ribs removed and sliced in half
1 grated carrot
1 diced cucumber
2 diced mangos
1 diced red pepper
¼ cup minced basil
24-36 small to medium shrimp, shelled
12 (8 inch) round Rice Paper (can be found in ethnic aisle at grocery store)
1 large bowl filled with warm water

Dipping Sauce:
½ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tsp. minced basil
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp soy sauce

Directions:
1. Combine all dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside to infuse flavors.

2. Cook shrimp in boiling water until they turn opaque, which may take 1-2 minutes. Take them out of the boiling water and immediately place them into cold water to stop the cooking process. When it is cool, devein each shrimp.

3. Mix grated carrots, diced cucumber, diced mango, diced red pepper, and minced basil together in a bowl.

4. Take one rice paper sheet and soak in warm water for a couple seconds. You will want to make sure that it absorbs the water, but not for too long. In a few seconds, you will see that it is pliable and flexible. Keep the sheet flat and place onto a plate.

5. Take one lettuce leaf and place it in the middle of the rice paper, and bring it halfway towards you. Leave a 2-inch border on the bottom of the rice paper round. Next, take a couple scoops of the mango-vegetable mixture and place it on top of the lettuce. Then, place two or three shrimp halves upon the vegetable mixture.

6. Take the left and right sides of the rice paper and bring it towards the center. Holding these sides down, take the side of the rice paper closest to you and bring it over the filling. Make sure that these are secure enough to hold the filling, but not too tight to tear. Continue rolling the filling away from your body.

Pat yourself on the back for rolling a spring roll.  Dip Summer Spring Rolls in dipping sauce, and enjoy!  You can cover your spring rolls with a damp paper towel if you are not serving them right away.  Serve with a fluffy, light rice for some added grain – such as jasmine rice.

Special thanks to Gina Tran, Texas Woman’s University dietetic intern, for all her hard work on this blog post!  Watch out, we’ve got a future foodie RD in the making. J

Gluten-Free Foods That Kids Will Enjoy!

I see many children that are newly diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, and the normal reaction from parents is feeling overwhelmed. After all, it is an entirely different diet that their kids must follow and many of these kids already have limited preferences. What I do is educate the family on getting their child’s diet and life gluten-free and also monitor growth trends as we make the transition. This diet can also put them at risk for certain nutrient deficiencies, so making sure they are getting what they need is important as well.

Recently, I saw an almost 9 year old boy, Noah, whom his mother, Monica, called a “picky eater.” She was very concerned about how he would transition to totally new food because he loved foods that had gluten. After our initial education, Monica made it her priority to try a large variety of products on Noah and because of her efforts, Noah is still growing normally. She sent me a very detailed e-mail with specific gluten-free products that Noah likes and I thought it would be helpful for other families with children following gluten-free prescriptions. Please note that the following suggestions are not direct suggestions from me, but suggestions from a mother on the front lines of the gluten-free lifestyle. And I think very highly of my moms! Let me tell you, they get all the kudos out there, seen and unseen. As you know, bread products are the most challenging items for this type of diet so they are emphasized here. Add plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein and low-fat dairy to round out a well-balanced gluten-free diet.

------------------------------------------------------

Noah with his family in Jamaica.

From mom, Monica: I get all the following gluten-free products at either Walmart (W), Kroger (K), Sprouts (S) or in bulk from Amazon.com (A). I think the most important thing to tell the parents of your future patients is that there are good tasting GF products out there BUT that realistically they will never be able to match the exact texture of regular wheat products because gluten is what gives elasticity to dough, helps it to rise and to keep its shape, and gives the final baked product its chewy texture. Noah has had to work through this aspect of GF foods and is getting much better. Chris and I try every product we buy and the rule is that if we think it's good then he has to try it a few times before he can decide whether he likes it or not. Now don't get me wrong, there are some GF products that are so gross in texture (think sawdust or kitchen sponge - yuk!) that I would never make him eat it and I have had to simply throw them away after a couple of bites. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate to waste food BUT some I couldn't even choke down myself to try and save money and not waste:) The good news is that Noah is a very picky, textural eater and if he has been able to find the items below that he enjoys, everybody should be able to find some items they'll enjoy too.

Breakfast

• Chex cereals have five flavors that are GF - Noah likes the chocolate and cinnamon Chex best. (W, K)

• Post makes GF Fruity Pebbles cereal (W, K)

• Van's makes frozen waffles that are really good in Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry flavors. (S, K)

Bisquick makes an amazing GF pancake and baking mix that can be used to make easy pancakes, waffles, biscuits, pizza crusts, breading for homemade chicken fingers and oven baked fried chicken - yum! (W, K)

• Kinnikinnick makes some good GF Donuts and Blueberry Muffins. Noah's favorite donuts are the Chocolate Glazed (S)

• Betty Lou's makes some great cereal/breakfast bar replacements they call fruit bars. You can buy them individually at Sprouts or buy them in bulk (12) on Amazon. Noah like the Blueberry, Strawberry and Cherry but they also have Apricot and Apple Cinnamon. (S, A)

• Udi's White Sandwich Bread to make toast with jelly or GF french toast. Udi's also makes an excellent cranberry granola mix. (S)

Lunch

As I mentioned above, the Udi's brand makes the absolute BEST GF bread, hot dog and hamburger buns. There isn't an other brand we tried that even comes close to Udi's. The bread is quite a bit smaller than regular sized loaves (Noah called it toy bread at first) and the texture is a little bit different than regular bread (as is the case with all baked GF products) but it isn't too different and the taste is the absolute best with no sour aftertaste (which we found in most the other brands we tried - yuck!) The great thing about Udi's is that it is one of the only brands that is SHELF STABLE meaning that as soon as I buy it from the freezer section at Sprouts I leave it out on my counter to thaw and it lasts for the whole week without spoiling. This IS NOT the case with most other GF bread - you buy them frozen and then you have to keep them frozen or they go bad quickly. I found that if I put two slices in the microwave for 10 seconds on each side before I make his sandwich it helps to improve texture and soften the bread a bit. We make sandwiches, grilled cheeses, PB&J's, hot dogs and hamburgers with the Udi's products. (S,K)

Pamela's Products makes the best GF bread mix to make at home in a bread machine. (S, K) I add two teaspoons of honey to the mix in my bread maker and it makes it taste more like the honey wheat bread Noah used to eat. I also love and highly recommend the West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Maker I bought from Walmart.com. It was only $90 and makes beautiful, perfect horizontal loaves - very important as most other bread makers make weird vertical loaves that when sliced make almost comical-looking, super tall and skinny slices of bread. It also has a setting to mix and knead perfect pizza dough also using the Pamela's Products Mix. But bottom line, if your looking for convenience, Udi's is the way to go.

Dinner

• Annie's makes a great rice pasta & cheddar GF macaroni and cheese (W, K, S)

• Ian's makes the best GF chicken nugget or chicken tenders. (S)

• Heartland makes the best GF corn and rice blend spaghetti noodles. (W) It taste and has the exact texture of regular spaghetti.

Desserts

• Betty Crocker now has four affordable GF mixes that are great. The offer chocolate cake, yellow cake, brownie and chocolate chip cookie. Noah loves the Chocolate Cake and Brownies the best. We use Duncan Hines whipped frostings on the cakes. They are all GF. (W, K)

• Kinnikinnick makes great Oreo cookie replacements called Kini-Toos. (S)

This blog post was specifically for children and adults with gluten intolerance and celiac disease. I do not advocate a gluten free lifestyle for general wellness. Seek the advice of a Registered Dietitian before beginning any new diet to avoid nutrient deficiency. The removal of gluten entails more than just food restrictions, so it is important to seek advice from dietitians who specialize in gluten-free education. Do not simply rely on Internet references including this one to go gluten-free.

More Than a Meal: Benefits of Eating Together

This past weekend, I was honored to speak at the Texas PTA Leadership Conference in Austin, TX on the importance of family mealtimes. The benefits of family meals go far beyond nutrition. Did you know that young people who reported eating dinner with their family 5 or more times per week were much likelier to report receiving either all A’s or mostly A’s and B’s in school? Other key items from research include:

• Mealtime conversations help children acquire and improve the language skills that are critical for school success. Children learn new vocabulary, sentence structure, and how to share their point of view with other people.

The benefits of family meals go beyond nutrition.

• Conversations at the family table taught children more vocabulary than they learned from their parents reading books to them.

• Elementary school children who did well in class and on achievement tests were those who generally spent larger amounts of time eating meals with their families.

• Eating meals with their family was a stronger predictor of academic success than whether they lived with one or both parents.

• The more often families eat together the less likely teens are to smoke cigarettes, use illegal drugs, abuse alcohol, become depressed, develop eating disorders, or get pregnant.

Nutrition Benefits
We can’t deny the family mealtime benefits on your child’s current and future nutrition. They include:

• More likely to have a healthy weight

• Less likely to become or stay overweight

• Less likely to develop an eating disorder

• Family meals during adolescence had a lasting positive influence on the quality of their diets and meal patterns, such as eating breakfast. In other words, having family meals with your teenagers improves their chances of eating right in their 20’s.

• Young people who eat more often with their families have higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods.

• For teens, more regular family meals mean fewer fried foods and soft drinks. These adolescents also have higher intakes of key nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamins A, B6, C, E, and folate, as well as fiber.

Keeping It Simple
The great thing to know is that the meal does not need to be complicated to have all of these great benefits. If you are super strapped for time, these ideas don’t even need a recipe:

• Flank steak with tossed salad and frozen vegetables

• Pasta with frozen or canned shrimp, sautéed in olive oil with onion and garlic

• Cheese omelet with tossed salad

• Tuna salad in a whole wheat wrap made with reduced-fat mayonnaise

• Black beans and brown or wild rice with frozen veggies

• Spinach salad with grilled chicken, mandarin oranges, and slivered almonds

• Peanut butter and banana sandwich on 100% whole-wheat bread

• Hamburgers (made with lean ground beef) on whole-grain buns, with boiled potatoes and frozen vegetables

Add some skim/1% milk as a beverage, add quick veggies as needed and serve fresh fruit as a dessert – and you have a very well-rounded stress-free meal.  Remember, eliminate all distractions and make all mealtime discussions pleasant and friendly.  Involve your kids in the recipe selection, shopping and preparation for maximum impact.  And if you are not eating at least 5 meals as a family, consider adding one per week. Dinner is a great time, but breakfasts and lunches work as well.

Eating together is one of the best things we can do as a family to enrich the quality of our children’s lives. Commit today to make family meals a priority in your home and watch all the great things that will follow.

Sportline Product Giveaway!

Mommy Dietitian Facebook page!  All winners are announced on Facebook.>

Well, you heard my Summer Wellness Confessions: And Plans to Execute. Now I want to hear from you! Together, let's stay active all summer long for our own health's sake, and to model healthy behaviors for our children.  For a bit of incentive, we are giving away a couple great fitness monitors courtesy of Sportline. There will be one winner for each of the following items:



Sportline Women's DUO 1010 Heart Rate Monitor



Sportline Women’s DUO 1010 Heart Rate Monitor ($69.99 value): A heart rate monitor can set the proper pace for any kind of workout by ensuring the user stays within a certain heartbeat per  minute zone to get a more effective workout. This monitor is a works with or without a chest strap. Simple to use, but full of features, the DUO 1010 allows for continuous and on-demand HR monitoring. Activate your heart rate by touching the watch face (no chest strap required), or utilize the included chest strap for continuous measurement. The DUO 1010 provides EKG accurate data and helps the user increase or decrease intensity to get a more effective workout. The DUO 1010 has pre-defined HR zones, audible alerts, numerous heart rate indicators, and tracks calorie burned.

Sportline Qlip Any-Wear Pedometer

Sportline Qlip Any-Wear Pedometer ($34.99 value): Those who walk fewer than 5,000 steps a day are more likely to be overweight…people walking 9,000+ steps daily are more likely to be of normal weight. Pedometers are a great way to get and stay motivated in your walking routine. It’s an advanced digital pedometer that can be worn (clipped) anywhere on the body and provides real-time feedback for individuals pursuing fitness and walking goals, including accurately tracking steps, distance, and calories burned.

I have personally tried both of these items while running and they are quality pieces that provided accurate data for me.

How Does The Giveaway Work? Get one entry for doing any or all of the following:

- Describe at least one thing that you and/or your family has changed to increase your health in 2011 on the Mommy Dietitian Facebook page.

- List out ingredients and directions for a quick, healthy but tasty recipe for a meal or snack on the Mommy Dietitian Facebook page.

- Recommend the Mommy Dietitian Facebook page your family and friends using the “share” button (you can find at the bottom left column of the Mommy Dietitian Facebook page). Make sure to tag us in your status by entering @MommyDietitian in your comment of your post so we count this as an entry.

Please do not include links on your posts on your Mommy Dietitian page comments (any comments with links will not get an entry). This giveaway is not for the purposes of promoting a product or service, but instead providing general ways to include more whole foods and physical activity.

The more entries you have, the better chances of winning! Winners will be selected using randomizer.org. Enter to win through 11:59 PM Friday, July 8th, 2011. Best of luck!!

Special thanks to Nada Shabana, Mommy Dietitian dietetic intern for co-authoring this post, and to Sportline for sponsoring this giveaway.