Become a Breakfast Believer

August is Kids Eat Right Month and that begs the question, how well do we feed our kiddos? Breakfast may be the most hectic, overlooked meal of the day, but there are significant benefits for the entire family. 

Adults breakfast eaters benefit by:

·       Eating more vitamins and minerals.

·       Better control of their weight.

·       Better blood sugar levels.

·       Eating less fat and cholesterol.

·       Performing better at work.

Kids that take time for breakfast benefit by:

·       Meeting daily nutrient requirements.

·       Having healthier body weights.

·       Better concentration and alertness at school.

·       Fewer days of school missed.

Here are some quick ways to pull off a tasty breakfast that sets a healthy tone for you day when time is short.  Each option includes whole grains, protein and fruit or veggie.

Breakfast Sandwich/Kebab: PB&J is always a classic for kids and adults alike especially when we are in the back-to-school mode. Today, we’ve put a breakfast spin on this delicious classic, so kids can enjoy one of their favorite meals before heading off to school. A Jif and Smucker’s PB&J sandwich contains 7 grams of protein that will provide the nourishment and staying power to get kids through their day.  I love that Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread has only 5 simple ingredients, so you get that delicious, fresh-roasted peanut taste without any stirring required.  And Smucker’s Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread is made with ingredients from natural sources that adds just the right balance of sweet flavor. 

Breakfast in a Bag: 2 handfuls high-fiber dry cereal + handful of almonds + handful of dried fruit.

For the Savory Breakfast lover: A quick quesadilla in a waffle iron or microwave topped with salsa makes a balanced breakfast when you grab a piece of fruit to go with it. 

Yogurt & Fruit Buildable Breakfast:  Slice up an apple the night before (it won't brown too much in 12 hours if rinsed and kept in a plastic bag), then use your yogurt as a fruit dip.  Or build a yogurt parfait with fresh or frozen berries, Greek yogurt and top it with your favorite whole-grain crunchy cereal.

Even if you simply you make an effort to include a fruit or vegetable with breakfast, it will increase your likelihood of eating more fruits and vegetables the rest of the day.   So commit to a simple breakfast habit and enjoy the energy and health that is bound to follow.

Back-to-School: The Lunch Learning Curve

Teach your kids to pack mostly "real" food. Foods with no ingredient labels should be in their lunch sack as well as some with very short ingredient labels (cheese, popcorn, fruits, veggies).  But to make this work in the real world, you'll need to involve your kids in some prep before its time to pack the lunch. 

 More recipes at http://sunbutter.com

One of my favorite lunch and snack staples today is SunButter.  I like working with SunButter because not only is it delicious, but it is US grown sunflower butter that is free from the top eight food allergens – a few of which are peanuts, tree nuts and soy.  So whether you’ve got allergies within your family, or friends or classmates with allergies, school-friendly SunButter is a great option for sandwiches and other lunch and snack ideas.  One of the great things about SunButter is that you get just as much protein as other nut butters like almond and peanut, but with more micronutrients like vitamin E, zinc, iron and magnesium with less saturated fat.  You can find it at any traditional grocery store chain nationwide and will soon be found at local buying clubs here in Utah.  So beyond a go-to sandwich for lunch, consider a buildable lunch with some fun things to dip in SunButter.  Sometimes all it takes to reignite your child’s interest in good nutrition is upping the fun factor by making it hands-on. 

Keep balance in mind. Use the lunch-packing routine to reinforce the goal of eating more produce by making half plants, including a grain and some protein.  And remember that a treat by it’s inherent nature is occasional.  If your kiddos are dying for some convenience foods, portion carefully, and pair it healthful produce that appeals to your child specifically.  It is so key to involve your kids in the planning of what goes into that lunch sack, or else you’ll just be enriching the landfill. 

Don’t let social media lead you to be a harsh critic.  There are loads of great images and ideas  out there on social media, but lets be realistic.  Your child doesn’t need to be post-worthy.  You’re better served by helping them be involved in the selection and preparation, and a fun, supportive note once in a while doesn’t hurt a bit.  Think how fun it would be to go a bit retro and put a comic strip in their lunch once in a while?  While a note of encouragement and love was perfect for my daughter, my son would have definitely preferred a little Calvin and Hobbs or Far Side tucked under his grapes. 

Back to school is a time for your kids to learn all sorts of things, one of which should be how to pack a decent lunch, so don’t hesitate to allow them that responsibility.

Cooking Therapy: Just What the Doctor Ordered

We spend loads of money and time on all sorts of therapeutic activities from physical therapy to gym memberships to visits with family or individual therapists.  What if there was one activity that could incorporate the benefits of all these therapies, could be done in your own home, with your entire family and provide a meal to boot? We'd all be scrambling to get our hands on such a magical elixir.  The truth is that this therapeutic wonder-cure is sitting dormant in your home - in your kitchen to be exact.  Here are some reasons to take up cooking therapy.  

Physical Therapy 
A lot of physical therapy is all about movement to allow you to participate in activities of daily living.  Think about the act of cooking.  You have to leave the couch, the controller and the console. It requires you to bend, reach, stretch, lift and twist. And if you cook like a ninja, you could burn all sorts of calories! 

Mental Therapy

Cooking is edible meditation. Mindfulness in the kitchen helps you focus on the moment so that you can't fret over earlier mistakes or what-ifs.  Stress and anxiety numb our senses, but cooking enlivens them.  Consider the sensory experience of the smells, taste, touch, sound and visual aspect of food and cooking.  

You can't help but be caught up in the process of the moment and let future worries fall away.  It is also practice at letting go of perfectionism - rarely does a recipe turn out just as it looks on Pinterest.  But adjusting expectations is a type of therapy in itself.

Emotional Therapy

Cooking is comfort, and a very effective way to work through grief or heartache.  It is a wonderful creative outlet that provides a very real, tangible sense of accomplishment.

  
Unlike other chores, it carries its own built-in reward system - eating! Cooking also helps people feel good because it allows us to nurture other around us.  The physical, mental and emotional experience of cooking boosts self-esteem.

Family Therapy

Cooking with a partner or family members requires communication, cooperation and compromise.

Eating a meal together as a family leads to healthier habits as children become adults.  Family meal-time promotes better grades, less high-risk behaviors and eating disorders and better relationships between parent and child.  

So no more excuses that you don't have time to cook.  An hour in the kitchen for some physical activity and 2-3 therapy sessions is a serious bargain!

De-Stressing Your Diet

In spite of the so-called conveniences of our technophilic world, we seem to be more stressed out and suffer more anxiety, fear, depression and unhappiness.  Often people use food to medicate the negative symptoms of our hectic lifestyles instead of using food to prevent and blunt the effects of stress in our constantly hyped-up lives.

Here are healthful tips to de-stress your diet:

1. Limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine.  
   
   
   
   
   There may be a short-term calming or boosting of energy, but both substances leave you altered, edgy, nervous and interfere with sleep.  Cutting those substances out of your routine may take a little patience and determination, but the benefits of a more stable mood and energy level will make a huge impact in your ability to cope with and reduce stressors. If you're looking for a bit more motivation to cut the caffeine, keep in mind that when your body eliminates caffeine from your system, your serotonin levels take a big dive.  Caffeine also blocks certain chemical pathways needed to make serotonin, so the more caffeine you consume, the less your body can produce it's own serotonin. In a nutshell, dependence of any kind means stress - chemically and mentally.  
2. Balancing your diet with some protein, some complex carbohydrates and a generous amount of fruits and veggies will reduce stress on many levels.
   
    Firstly, your body will have enough nutrients for optimal metabolism and healing and overall health.  Secondly, a high-plant, low-processed diet naturally leads to a healthier weight, lower blood pressure and less mental stress over your body and health.  
3. Don't fear carbs.  
   
   The macro and other popular diet crazes lead some people to strictly limit or eliminate carbohydrates.  While it's good to limit the amount of refined flours and sugars, remember that not all carbohydrates are created equal.  Your body and your mind run on the preferred fuel of carbohydrates, so having adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates is essential to maintaining not only your energy and feeling satisfied at meals, but also is needed in the production of more stable levels of serotonin (as opposed to the peak and crash serotonin mode that comes from downing sugar). 
4. Consider probiotic-rich foods.  Not only is there some evidence of a link between probiotics and lower anxiety, but the majority of the serotonin receptors are found in the gut, so a happy gut means a happier you all the way around.  

Don't forget to slow down, enjoy and find satisfaction when you eat.  Mindful eating ensures that you have a pleasant, relaxing, stress-relieving breaks multiple times throughout the day.  

Build a Healthier Sundae Bar

 While ice cream may be a year-round favorite, the dog days of summer practically scream for ice cream.  Here are a few tweaks you can make to your Sundae Bar to keep the nutrition high without sacrificing any flavor. 

Consider frozen yogurt, or at least a shorter ingredient list.  A lower-fat frozen yogurt can save 50 calories per serving, and there are loads of flavor possibilities out there.  Whatever you choose, take a look at the ingredient list – you want it to be fairly short and understandable. 

Chocolate syrup instead of hot fudge saves calories as well, better still, make your own:

Homemade Chocolate syrup:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

dash salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a saucepan, whisk together the cocoa and sugar.  Add the water and salt, whisking over medium heat until boiling.  Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.  Store in refrigerator.  Makes approximately 2 cups (16 servings)

Serving size: 2 Tbsp.  60 calories, 1.8 g fiber,  12.6 g sugar

Forget the strawberry or pineapple toppings and serve diced, mashed or pureed fruit with a drizzle of honey.  This can save 70 calories per serving. 

 

As always find creative ways to incorporate fruit into your sundae bar – a grilled peach half makes a tasty base for your Sunday – fanned out strawberries or berries on skewers make attractive additions that entice your guest to enjoy nature’s dessert. 

And consider the scoops and spoons you use as serving sizes – a smaller scoop means a more moderate portion.  And when it comes down to it – that is what dessert is all about, balance and moderation for fun, once-in-a-while foods. 

Deconstructing Salad: Tastiest Main Dish Ever!

Salad is an ancient idea, but it’s taken a while to come into it’s own in America.  Salads aren’t just for side dishes or rabbit food anymore. Here are three tips to step up your salad game and bring it into the main dish spotlight.

Following the Choose My Plate guidelines of ½ produce, ¼ grains and ¼ protein makes for a great main dish salad recipe.  Keep the backbone ingredients healthful and balanced, and the smaller, cameo-type ingredients such as dressings and toppings in balance and you’ll have a nutritious meal to get excited about.

Here are three simple but satisfying salad recipe ideas to demonstrate this pattern:

Caprese-Cobb Panzanella Salad

Toss together:

2 cups chopped tomato or halved grape tomatoes

1 cup torn basil

2 cups stale bread cubes (torn and toasted is my favorite)

1/2 cup fresh small mozzarella balls (perlini)

2 hard boiled eggs chopped

2 slices crisp bacon crumbled

Toss with vinaigrette of your choice and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Chicken, Barley and Edamame Salad

Toss together:

1 cup roasted or grilled chicken, bite sized

1 cup cooked whole grain of your choice (barley, quinoa, brown rice, or bulgur work well)

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup red pepper chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 cup edamame

Toss with your favorite asian dressing or mix a little soy and honey with a basic vinaigrette and toss.  Serve over a bed of greens.

Vegetarian Tex-Mex Salad

Toss together:

1 cup grilled corn cut off the cob

1 cup black beans

1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 cups mixed greens

Toss with your favorite southwest dressing, or combine equal parts salsa and vinaigrette.  Serve with toasted corn tortillas or corn chips.