Give Your Kids a Nutrition Boost

School's back in session and your anxiety over what to prepare for your child's lunch is probably in full swing. This week on The Inspiring Cook blog, we are fortunate to have a guest blogger, Kim Corrigan-Oliver from Your Green Baby, share ways you can prepare nutritious and delicious meals that are good for learning and good for the environment.
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As a nutritionist a common concern many parents express is they know what their children should be eating but life is so busy they find it difficult to always provide the highest quality nutrition for their kids. My approach is to introduce them to foods I consider “super foods for super kids”, they provide a wide variety of nutrients and health benefits and pack a nutritional punch; including them in your child’s diet will have a significant impact on their health and well being.

So here they are:

Blueberries are high in antioxidants, provide phytonutrients and are the perfect finger food for tiny hands. Serve them straight up fresh or frozen, added to smoothies, great as part of a meal or a quick snack.

Leafy greens provide a wide range of nutrients including vitamins A, C, and K, folate, iron and calcium. Getting leafy greens into your babes, toddlers or children is not easy. See below for links to a few recipes.

Avocado is full of healthy fats and for this reason makes it a winner for our developing children. Enjoy it in sandwiches, added to smoothies, as guacamole, or cut up in chunks as a great finger food.

Legumes and beans offer your children a wide range of minerals, fibre, slow release carbohydrates and protein. Beans make great finger foods, can be pureed into dips (what child does not love to dip) and used to perk up a salad, rice dish or soup.

Quinoa is used as a grain in our part of the world but is really considered a seed; and this little seed is a nutritional knockout! It has a full amino acid (protein) profile, provides fibre, calcium and iron, among other nutrients. It can be served warm as a replacement for rice, cold in a salad, pureed for babes, in patties with vegetables for a great finger food, in pancakes and its flour can be used in a wide variety of baking recipes.

Adding these kid friendly super foods into your child’s diet will have a positive effect on their health and well being today and in the future. And let’s not forget the benefits of these foods are not just for the kids; add them to your diet mom and dad and reap the benefits too!

A few helpful recipe links:
Easy ways to use leafy greens http://yourgreenbaby.blogspot.com/2010/05/greens-and-your-toddler.html

Bean dips http://yourgreenbaby.blogspot.com/2010/05/beans-beans-and-more-beans.html

Spiced up crunchy beans http://yourgreenbaby.blogspot.com/2010/04/spiced-up-crunchy-beans.html

Quinoa pancakes http://yourgreenbaby.blogspot.com/2010/07/quinoa-banana-cinnamon-pancakes.html

Quinoa vegetable patties http://yourgreenbaby.blogspot.com/2010/06/quinoa-vegetable-and-black-bean-patties.html

 

 
Kim Corrigan-Oliver RNCP, ROHP is a registered holistic nutritionist specializing in nutrition for mom, baby and toddler.


Visit her:
Blog http://www.yourgreenbaby.blogspot.com/
Twitter www.twitter.com/yourgreenbaby
Website http://www.yourgreenbaby.ca/

Off to School Oatmeal

The school bus will be in front of your driveway soon. And once again, you're at a complete loss as to what to make your kids for breakfast before they head out the door. Most moms agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But convenience often trumps nutrition when hectic morning schedules come into play. Many times the very foods moms turn to when in a hurry contain added sugars, artificial flavors and preservatives.


There are some simple changes you can make when it comes to building a better breakfast for your kids. That's why I've come up with a delicious Natural Food Friday recipe for home-made oatmeal that is tasty, wholesome and quick to prepare.

Most of us probably grew up on instant oatmeal or quick-cooking oatmeal, but steel-cut is a nutritional leap above these highly processed varieties. I had not heard of steel-cut oatmeal until I heard Oprah mention it on one of the healthy living episodes with Bob Greene. Then, being the nutrition nut that I am, I made sure to look for it during my next trip to the grocery store.

I made a pot and gave a bowl to my son. At first the chewy texture and lack of sweetness took some getting used to for my son. Adding a drizzle of agave syrup or honey made it more palatable for him and he barely even noticed the difference from the instant stuff. For him - disguise food with a little sweetness and he doesn’t seem to complain - much. I like to add fruit (dried or fresh) along with agave to my oatmeal because it makes the flavor of the oatmeal really pop - plus I can sneak in some extra fiber.

Steel cut oatmeal requires cooking on the stove top and usually takes about 20-25 minutes to cook. Most recipes call for water, but I prefer a creamy consistency, so I substitute half the water for 1% milk or soy milk. As you know, milk scorches very easily, so using milk will require lower cooking temperatures and a watchful eye. But, the richness in flavor and nutritional quality of steel cut oatmeal is worth your extra effort!

Note: You can prepare batches of steel-cut oatmeal ahead of time and store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. For more on cooking steel-cut oatmeal, visit here.


What you need:


1 cup milk, 1% organic

1 cup water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 tsp cinnamon

honey

chopped walnuts



What you need to do:

Bring milk and water to a slow boil over medium heat. Leave uncovered.

Add quinoa.

Reduce heat to maintain a slow, rolling boil. Stir frequently.

Cook quinoa for ~20minutes or until done.

Add raisins and cinnamon.

Turn off heat and cover. Allow combo to rest for 5 minutes.

Spoon into a bowl. Garnish with honey or agave and chopped walnuts.

Factors that drive food choices

Ever taken the time to consider what you eat, when you eat and why? There are many factors that drive our food choices. At the top of the list is convenience. Families are busy, more so than ever before. As a result, most individuals value convenience so highly that they are willing to spend more of their food dollars on meals that require little to no preparation. These "easy" meals include prepackaged, prepared meals from grocery stores and restaurants. Other factors that drive our food choices include:

• advertising
• availability
• habit
• personal preference
• social pressure
• values or beliefs
• nutrition and health benefit

What dictates the way you eat????? Do most of your current food choices support your nutritional health?

My Favorite Friday Night Snack ----- Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is one of the healthiest snack dips you can eat when the munchies set in on a Friday night. You can make hummus ahead of time and store in the fridge or you can make and eat it on the spot. I usually eat hummus with pita chips, pretzel crisps or raw veggies. Although I have a friend who likes to make hummus sandwiches as a snack. Gotta try that one!

Unfortunately, you aren't likely to find tahini in your average grocery store. It may require a trip to your local natural foods store. Buy hey, that'll give you a good excuse to pick up some other natural products you've been meaning to buy!

What you need:
2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick-peas), rinsed and drained

1/3 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped drained roasted red peppers from jar


What you do:
1. In a food processor, mince garlic.
2. Next add chick-peas, tahini and lemon juice - process until mixture is smooth.
3. Add roasted peppers - process until peppers are finely chopped and integrated into the hummus.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

~ Adapted from Bon Appétit January 1994

Seasonal Veggie Quesadilla

This week I want to share a natural twist on a simple and tasty family meal. Quesadillas made with a variety of fresh, local, seasonal veggies are easy to make, inexpensive and healthy too! Remember, you can put practically anything you want in a quesadilla, so be creative, get your family involved and make an amazing home-cooked meal. Serve with a side of seasoned black beans.


What you need:
Large whole-wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese - either Monterey Jack, Queso fresco, Mozzarella, Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup fresh veggies, sliced: healthy options include sliced mushrooms, onions, black olives, tomatoes, peppers (green, red, jalapeno)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded chicken, optional
1 bunch fresh spinach (stems removed)
1 tablespoon southwest seasoning
1 medium avocado, sliced
4 leaves romaine lettuce, coarsely torn
8 oz light sour cream
8 oz salsa

Here's what you do:
1. Heat a large cast iron frying pan or grill pan to medium high heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon olive oil (or use spray mister to cut back on amount) to pan spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Saute veggies until slightly tender and translucent.

2. Put one large tortilla on grill pan and brown on each side for a couple of minutes. Add the veggies and meat (onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, chicken) you choose along half of tortilla, add cheese (make sure that the cheese does not land on the pan itself), flip over other half of tortilla (create a half-moon). Don't layer your topping too thickly or they will fall out when you flip the quesadilla over. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Flip the tortilla over after about 3-4 minutes. Peek inside to make sure cheeses are completely melted inside.

3. Place done quesadilla in a warm oven (175 degrees) until served. Remove from the oven, cut into wedges.

4. Plate quesadilla, top with lettuce, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

5. Serve with side dish of seasoned black beans.

Quick Tips for Organizing Your Healthy Kitchen

It is hard to get inspired to cook when your kitchen is in disarray. This week on The Inspiring Cook blog, we are fortunate to have a guest blogger provide 4 Quick Tips to help us organize our kitchens for healthy cooking! 
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4 Quick Tips:


•Contain messes by housing sticky items on an easy-to-clean lazy Susan.

•Keep plastic bags, wrapping, BPA free containers together near the refrigerator to quickly store leftovers.

•Sliding shelf organizers make easy to access.

•Drawer organizers keep cutlery neatly separated, so you never have to rummage around for what you need.

Guest Blogger:  Julie Seibert, Owner of Healing through Organization, LLC
Professional Eco-Organization Services
919.559.3925
web: http://www.healingorganization.com/
blog: http://www.healingorganization.com/cleanblog/
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/healingthroughorganization