Beating Lunchbox Boredom

studio 5 segment

Approximately 45% of school lunch gets thrown away, and that isn’t limited to cafeteria fare either.  If you’ve spent any time at all in a school cafeteria,  you know just how frustrating it is to see so many good, untouched, and often still wrapped up foods get tossed automatically in the trash.  When my sister was working in an elementary school cafeteria, she noticed one child that had his daily routine: open his lunch sack, take out his sandwich, walk over throw it away, then go back and eat the rest of his lunch.  This had become a habit and he’d chuck his sandwich everyday without fail.  It takes more than packing a healthy lunch, we need to keep our kids interested & involved in their school lunch.

1. Have kids help plan out and pack their lunch.  Gives them a sense of control, responsibility and ownership.
2. Incorporate some healthful, sweet treats in the lunch sack. California Raisins are one of my favorite foods to fit this bill because first of all – I love the refreshingly short ingredient list: raisins.  Secondly, they are so convenient – they are portable and you don’t have to worry about anything spoiling.  Third, not only are they naturally sweet, but they no added sugar, of course no fat, and provide fiber, potassium and iron.
   
3. Mix up the make-up of the lunch box:

• Trail mix – great way to get your kids involved by creating their own recipes.  Provide some whole grain cereals, pretzels, nuts, seeds, and raisins.  Put that in bag or container, then add a a cheese stick and an piece of fruit. 
  

• Hands-on lunches -   
• Buildable lunch - whole grain crackers, cheese slices (cut into cute shapes if your kiddo wants to help) some slices of Canadian bacon or turkey, and some fruit packed with a frozen water or juice bottle.
  

• Ants on a log – celery sticks, nut or seed butter, raisins and toss in a bag of popcorn and some milk.
  

•  Yogurt Parfait – favorite yogurt, some granola (recipe for this tasty raisin granola on my website) some berries or mandarin oranges  packed with a nice clear cup so they can layer it themselves.  Add some veggies and you’ve got a great lunch.
  

** Add some love: a note written on a napkin or for older “too-cool” kids, work out some small symbol to mark on their lunch that is your code for I love you helps remind kids that mealtime is about family.

A little more variety, possibly a cookie cutter, and giving kids more control will help keep their food and your food dollars out of the trash can.

Here are some fun, kid-friendly recipes.  For more check out: www.loveyourraisins.com

Honey Nut Raisin Snack Mix

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Cool time: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons almond butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups brown crispy rice cereal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup rolled gluten-free oats

2 cups California raisins

1/2 cup California golden raisins

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add honey, almond butter and cinnamon and bring to a full boil. Let boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in cereal, almonds and oats. Spread 1-inch thick on a baking sheet then separate into 1-inch clusters. Let cool completely then stir in raisins. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 6 cups.

Recipe tip: For crunchy clusters, spread cooked mixture 1-inch thick on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned.  Stir to form clusters and let cool completely. Stir in raisins.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Raisin Snack Mix

Prep time: 5 minutes

1 1/2 cups peanut butter-filled pretzel sandwiches or nuggets

1 cup California raisins

1/2 cup California golden raisins

1/2 cup roasted, salted or cocoa peanuts

Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Store in an airtight container. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Recipe tip: Stir in 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt covered raisins, if desired.

Cocoa Peanut Raisin Snack Mix

Prep time: 5 minutes

2 cups California raisins

1 cup miniature chocolate graham crackers

1 cup cocoa coated peanuts

Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Makes 4 cups.

Crunchy Cinnamon Mix

Prep time: 5 minutes

1 cup California raisins

1 cup cinnamon chex cereal

1 cup cinnamon sugar pretzel pieces

1/2 cup California golden raisins

Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Vanilla Nut

Prep time: 5 minutes

2 cups California raisins

1 cup cocoa & vanilla gluten free bunny cookies

3/4 cup honey roasted almonds

Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Makes about 4 cups.

Recipe tip: Stir in 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt covered raisins, if desired.

Pizza: it doesn't have to be the enemy

On any given day, 1 in 8 Americans eats pizza.  In fact, the average American eats 46 slices of pizza per year.  And as a country, we consume 90 acres of pizza each year.  So apparently there's an elephant in the room - and he's eating pizza!
Pizza has become a convenience food goto and is part of our culinary culture.  This doesn't necessarily make it the enemy.  The main problem with excessive pizza consumption is that we end up eating pizzas that are very high in fat, sodium and calories, but very low in vegetables.
The two obvious solutions are:

1. Portion control & meal balance.  Have one slice and then round out your meal with a nice salad and some fruit.
2. Make your own.  Again, it's best to add a salad or some other fruit or veggie side as a nutritional compliment to your meal.  

I personally like making your own, since that way I can have one pizza that makes everyone happy.

And if you guessed there were 4 of us in our family - you are absolutely correct!

Dried Fruit: Dos and Don'ts

We all need more produce in our diets, but sometimes access to fresh fruit isn’t always an option.  Picture a lunch sack shoved into the bottom of a backpack and you’ll quickly see why fresh grapes, nectarines or kiwi may end up as a soggy pulp by the time lunchtime rolls around.  One possible solution – dried fruit. 

Nutrition & Convenience:

When fresh fruit is out of season, or you need a good car snack, or something that won’t mold in your pantry, try dried fruit. Dried fruit contains all the nutrition of regular fruit minus the water.  So they are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber that keep our digestion healthy, help us fend off colds and overall prevent disease. 

When choosing a dried fruit, watch out for 2 things:

1.       Added sugar.  Read that ingredient list to make sure there is only one item – the fruit.  Fruit is nature’s dessert and doesn’t need to be soaked in sugary syrups before drying.  Avoid choosing dried fruits that contain added sugars.
2.      Serving size.  Since the water is taken out, a serving of dried fruit is much smaller than a serving of fresh fruit.  Always plan to drink plenty of water to round out your snack of dried fruit and help provide the fullness you’d get from eating regular fruit. 

Drying your own:

Best of all, dried fruit is a great way to avoid wasting fruit that goes begging from your fruit bowl or your refrigerator drawer.  My favorite is dried pineapple from canned pineapple slices and dried grapefruit from fresh, sliced grapefruit.

Some great dryable fruits include:

•         Berries
•         Pineapple
•        Grapes
•        Plums
•        Kiwi
•       Mango
•       Apples
•        Peaches
•        Nectarines
•        Apricots
•        Grapefruit
•        Oranges

3 steps to delicious dried fruit:

1. Wash your fruit 
2. Slice uniformly and if needed dip your fruit in a lemon juice & water mixture to prevent browning  
3. Dry on a baking rack in your oven, set to the lowest setting, or use a food dehydrator.  

*To prevent sticking, lightly spray the dehydrator tray or baking rack with cooking spray. 

Optimizing Oils: Cooking Oils 101

If you’ve been baffled by the serious diversity in the oil section of your grocery store, you’re not alone.  More and more specialty oils are available and it seems like there is always some new hype regarding one type or another.  Don’t worry, it doesn’t require a degree in food science to navigate cooking oils successfully and healthfully. 

Why oil?

Our bodies do need a certain amount of fat to maintain healthy skin, hormone levels and help with the metabolism and storage of certain vitamins.  Oils from nuts, seeds and vegetables contain mono and polyunsaturated fats and provide a healthier source of fat to protect against heart disease than saturated (solid) fat sources.  There are 2 main issues to consider when choosing a cooking oil:

Flavor:

Darker oils have stronger flavors (olive, sesame) and can impart the flavor of the oil’s source. 

Sesame oil adds great flavor to Asian and Indian style recipes.

Nut oils such as walnut and peanut oils add a certain nuttiness that works great for dressings or other dishes that are enhanced by a nut undertone.

Extra virgin olive oil is darker in color and has a tangier, fruitier flavor that makes it ideal for dressings or dipping bread. 

Smoke Point

Whether you are sautéing or frying, if high heat is involved, you’ll want to pay attention to the smoke point.  Smoke point is the temperature at which the oil’s chemical structure starts to break down, it will start to smoke and have an acrid taste.  Generally the lighter the color of the oil, the higher the smoke point, but some are higher than others.

Low smoke points – should only use in sauces, dressings, dips etc.

• ·      Walnut
• ·      Flaxseed
• ·      Dark Sesame
• ·      Unrefined Coconut

Moderate smoke points  - 400 degrees F (works for most cooking, sautéing and baking)

• ·      Canola
• ·      Extra Virgin Olive

High Smoke Points – best for frying or flash-frying

• ·      Peanut
• ·      Grapeseed
• ·      Light Sesame
• ·      Light Olive
• ·      Vegetable

Regardless of the current hype on oils,  the safest, healthiest take on the subject is moderation and variety.  When I see that someone has a variety of cooking oils in their pantry, that is generally a sign of good health.  It indicates a greater variety of home-cooked meals in their diet.  And moderation reminds us that a little goes a long way, so whether you like coconut oil or olive or canola, the salient point is that oils play a minor role in your diet, making the type you choose less critical.  

Pantry Quiz: Does your pantry make the grade?

As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I am often asked what a healthy pantry should look like.  For a full, personalized answer you can always have a "pantry makeover" (see Pricing & Services page).  But for my short answer, here are some questions you can use to assess the healthfulness of your pantry.

1. Do I find a lot of expired, or past-date foods?  (The obvious answer is for food safety reasons, but also, if you are rotating through your pantry foods and staples regularly, it is a sign that you cook and eat at home often which is a major sign of good nutrition.)
2. Do I have 3 or more types of cooking oils?  (Canola for baking, olive oil for dressings and pestos, and a seed or nut oil for ethnic dishes or special sauces)
3. Do I have at least 2 types of legumes" (Dry or canned, dried beans and lentils are nutritional powerhouses and are a great source of protein, fiber, folate and iron.  Just be sure to rinse your canned beans to reduce the sodium.)
4. Do I have a couple types of whole grain pasta? (Choose pasta with decent amounts of fiber - 5 grams per serving - and have a couple different shapes on hand to increase the variety of your cuisine.)
5. Do I have low-sodium canned vegetables?  (Fresh may be ideal, but not always workable.  Rinse your canned vegetables to reduce the sodium, and take advantage of the convenience of shelf-stable veggies.  Tomatoes in particular are a wonderful source of lycopene and other beneficial nutrients.)
6. Do I have reduced fat mayonnaise and salad dressings?  (Full-fat versions contain so many calories, fat-free are far from acceptable substitutes for for taste or nutrition, but reduced-fat versions are a great, middle-of-the-road choice.)
7. Do I have at least 2 types of vinegars? (The greater variety, the greater the chance that you are cooking a variety of delicious and healthful foods.)
8. Do I have at least 2 whole grains? (Quinoa and barley for example, or oat and brown rice - whole grains provide so much more nutrition than refined versions.)
9. Do I stock healthy breakfast cereal choices?  (This is a blogpost unto itself, but shoot for higher fiber and lower sugar.)
10. Do I have a variety of lower-sodium condiments and spices? (Mustards, reduced sodium soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, chili paste, garlic, pesto and a variety of spices lend themselves to delicious, home-cooked food that will happily keep you out of the drive through or the convenience-food aisle of the store.)

Notice the emphasis on variety - the more varied your pantry, the more likely it is you are chef in your own kitchen.  Nothing can substitute for the healthful benefits of that!
For more detailed pantry information, or if you have specific questions on the state of your pantry and fridge, feel free to schedule a pantry makeover (see Pricing & Services).

It's summer and what's in your freezer?

Dog-days of summer cry out for frozen treats such as slushes, ice-cream, and popsicles.  But are some choices better than others when it comes to cooling off with something frozen?

Here are some things to look for when choosing frozen treats from the store (some examples to look at):

•  serving size: less than 100 calories per serving is optimal
• ingredient list: the shorter the better and something other than sugar as the first ingredient

Freeze your own:

       - save out some smoothie, freeze it in a cup and enjoy it later frozen

       - make your own popsicles by blending up in-season fruit and freezing in cups 

       - bypass the blender and enjoy the whole fruit frozen: grapes and berries make great bite sized frozen snacks, put a stick in a spear of pineapple, mango, melon or banana for the most healthful (and simple) frozen treat.

       - great way to use up leftover fruit plate - freeze fruit kebabs and have a multi-flavored popsicle.

We all need more fresh produce to say nothing of staying hydrated in the heat, so freeze that leftover fruit and enjoy the immediate benefits of chilling out as well as the long term benefits of more fiber, water, vitamin C & A in your diet.

http://www.kutv.com/news/features/fresh-living/main/stories/vid_1564.shtml

My favorite frozen treat is a choco-piña:

1. Cut up spears of pineapple (or any other fruit).
2. Insert a popsicle stick and freeze for an hour or so.
3. Melt a little dark chocolate (1/2 cup covers a whole pineapple-worth of spears) with a tablespoon or so of coconut oil.
4. Dip the frozen pineapple spear into the chocolate to partially cover the spear, then place on waxed paper and freeze for a couple minutes.  
5. Remove from freezer, wrap each pop in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for weeks of frozen-treat-enjoyment!

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