Tips & Tricks Archives | Page 12 of 27

Kale

February 12, 2018 by Dinner Tonight

Kale is a nutrient packed superfood, but it can be less than easy to deal with. Here are our best tips on dealing with kale.

Have you ever wondered the best way to store kale? Here is our best tip.

1. Place kale in an airtight plastic bag. Resealable is best! 2. Surround the kale with paper towels. Squeeze air out! 3. Wash before using Enjoy!

Love kale but hate those pesky stems? Check out our easy way to remove the stem from that leafy goodness.

Refrigerator Safety

February 2, 2018 by Dinner Tonight

Organize your refrigerator for safety! Did you know there is a right way to organize your fridge? Check out our tips on where to put what foods for optimal food safety.

This outlines proper food storage for commercial retail establishments, but take a cue and organize your fridge the same!

Children don’t always want to eat their vegetables. Make up a game at the dinner table to see who can come up with the funniest name for your vegetables! If you have a picky eater who won’t touch a plate with leafy greens or an unfamiliar vegetable, you may be wondering what to do. Try these tips:

At the grocery store, let children pick their own fruit or vegetable.
For variety, try a different color each week.
Fill the shopping basket with a fruit or vegetable from every color in the rainbow.
Let them play with their food. Use slices, dices, pieces and whole fruits and vegetables
to be creative.
Make colorful and funny fruit and vegetable faces. Make a game out of it (who can make the funniest face), then eat them together.
Make an edible landscape. For example, use a banana slice as the sunshine, broccoli as trees, leafy greens for grass, etc.
Give fruits and vegetables a funny name.
Let children help prepare fruits and vegetables. They can:
- Wash fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating
- Snap the peas or break apart the broccoli
- Tear the lettuce for salads and sandwiches
- Measure the vegetables before cooking
- Peel fruits and vegetables
- Slice soft vegetables with a plastic knife
Read books about fruits and vegetables with your child.
Introduce children to gardening to teach them how fruits and vegetables grow.
Plant seeds together and watch them grow.
Set a good example ― eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables with your child.
Have your child eat with another child who loves fruits and vegetables.

Establishing a love for fruits and vegetables while your children are young will help them be healthy now and in the future. A diet high in colorful fruits and vegetables will provide a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber that children need to grow. Studies show that eating fruits and vegetables can help your child maintain a healthy weight, keep bowels regular, and decrease the chance of diseases like heart disease and cancer. Start now to establish a lifetime of healthy eating habits for your children.

To view the whole PDF from University of Nebraska Extension, click here.

Be Sneaky with your vegetables, how to sneak them into your picky eaters food!

Play a game at Dinner Tonight that will help engage your child with eating vegetables and fruits.

Cooking Vegetables

January 29, 2018 by Dinner Tonight

Cooking vegetables like broccoli doesn’t have to be hard or boring. Try roasting your vegetables by tossing them with a small amount of olive oil, seasoning with herbs, and roasting in the oven between 325 F and 375 F. Below are a few more tips on cooking vegetables.

To maximize vegetable quality, always cook vegetables just in time (batch cook) to serve. To maintain safety, cook all vegetables to at least 140° F (MN Food Code). Cooked vegetables are best when they are held less than 20 minutes.

Cooking with Fresh Vegetables

Maintaining Nutrients:

Cook vegetables in the smallest amount of liquid possible.
Cook vegetables in the shortest amount of time for the desired tenderness.
Cook most vegetables with a lid.
For vegetables that have a skin, scrub well and cook with the skin on whenever possible. If the vegetable must be peeled, peel as thinly as possible.
When cutting vegetables, use a sharp blade and cut in the largest pieces that are desirable for the recipe. Pieces should be uniform to allow for even cooking.
Follow the recipe or directions for cooking a vegetable.
Cook vegetables just in time to serve.

Source:

Minnesota State Extension

Check out our steps for healthy fruits and vegetables from the store to your table.

How to be sneaky with vegetables.

And how to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for as long as possible.