Dinner Tonight

Dinner Tonight

Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas

Healthy at potlucks

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  1. Make Healthy Easy at potlucks with these 3 tips! Healthy Appetizers: Make it easy on yourself and healthy on others by cutting up fresh veggies and serving with a healthy dip such as hummus.  Another option is fruit!  Make fruit kabobs on party toothpicks or skewers.  This makes them easy to pick-up, an attractive option, and a great way to increase intake of important nutrients!
  2. Go Ahead and Get the Chips: Don’t forego the chips and guacamole, but make it a healthy option by bringing whole grain tortilla chips to go with heart healthy guacamole.  Want to control portions on the guacamole?  Serve it in individual soufflé cups with lids (makes it easy for transport as well).
  3. Do a Salad Swap: Instead of taking a green salad which may result in a high fat creamy dressing on top, choose a grain based salad such as quinoa.  Add low fat veggies such as tomatoes, corn, and black beans; finish off with lime juice and chopped cilantro!
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Composting during the Holiday Season

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home-compostingEvery holiday season we seem to have an abundance of food leftovers. Often these food leftovers are thrown out or left to spoil, which contributes to the nearly 38 million tons of wasted food in the United States.

Composting is simply the process of organic material decomposition.

The resulting substance is called compost. If we composted many of the things we throw away, such as kitchen scraps, grass clippings, leaves, and other landscape debris, we could divert 20 to 30 percent of the trash currently going into landfills. By composting these materials, we can reduce the amount of waste we generate and produce organic matter and nutrients for our garden, landscape and yard.

Every garden benefits from the addition of compost because it supplies many of the nutrients plants need. Composting also:

  • Improves the soil’s physical characteristics
  • Increases the soil capacity to hold water and nutrients
  • Increases soil aeration

4-home-composting-reduce-food-waste

To learn more about how to compost and help reduce wasted food, check out the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Easy Gardening Series.

Source: Joseph Masabni, Assistant Professor and Extension Horticulturist, and Patrick Lillard, Extension Assistant, Easy Gardening – Composting.

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Six Easy Steps for Lunch Box Food Safety

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2-food-safety-school-lunch-tipsBacteria that cause foodborne illness, commonly known as food poisoning, grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  In just two hours, these microorganisms  can multiply dangerous levels, which can cause foodborne illness. To make sure lunches and snacks are safe for those you pack lunches for, you should follow the four steps to food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

Do you know how to properly pack your child’s school lunch?  If you don’t, follow these 6 easy steps to make sure it’s being done correctly.

  1. If the lunch/snack contains perishable food items like luncheon meats, eggs, cheese, or yogurt, make sure to pack it with at least two cold sources.  Harmful bacteria multiply rapidly so perishable food transported without an ice source won’t stay safe long.
  2. Frozen juice boxes or water can also be used as freezer packs. Freeze these items overnight and use with at least one other freezer pack.  By lunchtime, the liquids should be thawed and ready to drink.
  3. Pack lunches containing perishable food in an insulated lunchbox or soft-sided lunch bag. Perishable food can be unsafe to eat by lunchtime if packed in a paper bag.
  4. If packing a hot lunch, like soup, chili or stew, use an insulated container to keep it hot. Fill the container with boiling water, let stand for a few minutes, empty, and then put in the piping hot food. Tell children to keep the insulated container closed until lunchtime to keep the food hot – 140 °F or above.
  5. If packing a child’s lunch the night before, parents should leave it in the refrigerator overnight. The meal will stay cold longer because everything will be refrigerator temperature when it is placed in the lunchbox.
  6. If you’re responsible for packing snack for the team, troop, or group, keep perishable foods in a cooler with ice or cold packs until snack time. Pack snacks in individual bags or containers, rather than having children share food from one serving dish.

Be sure to print our resource, School Lunch Food Safety Tips for an infographic you can keep on your refrigerator!

 

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Importance of Family Breakfast

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Breakfast is a great time to start the day off right and connect as a family. Here are a few tips for how to make breakfast your first ‘family mealtime’ of the day!

  1. Gather around the table as a family and eat breakfast together.
  2. Talk about the plans for the day and what everyone is looking forward to. Here are a few examples:
  • What are you most excited about doing today at school (or work)?
  • What are you looking forward to doing this afternoon when we get home?
  • How can you be kind or helpful to others today?
  1. Empower children to be part of preparing breakfast. It does not have to be complicated, slice some strawberries or bananas (or have older children help!) and let younger children place these on whole grain waffles or toast spread with low-fat cream cheese or peanut butter. This is a fun and easy way to get children active in making a nutritious breakfast.

For more tips on living a healthy lifestyle in 2016, check out this fact sheet from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (http://www.eatright.org/~/media/eatright%20files/nationalnutritionmonth/handoutsandtipsheets/nutritiontipsheets/16healthtipsfor2016.ashx).

Try out theses Cream Cheese and Strawberry Waffles!

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Benefits of Family Mealtime

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Learn more about how eating meals as a family is beneficial for your children. Our Family Mealtime initiative encourages eating healthy meals as a family.

Why Family Meals Matter

Maureen Bligh, Andrea Garen and Ashley Rosales, Registered Dietitians. Click here for original article from the Dairy Council of California.

When was the last time you sat down for a meal with your family? Was it last night, last week or last month? For some families, eating together is reserved for special events and holidays, like birthdays or Thanksgiving. These special occasion meals allow families to connect with each other, strengthen family ties and pass on family cultural traditions.

But family meals don’t have to be reserved for special occasions. Family meals can happen any time of day, any day of the week! If the words “I’m too busy” pop into your mind, you’re not alone. You probably even hear this from other parents and peers.

But family meals can fit into even the busiest of schedules and they offer a host of benefits for children and adults alike!

Children who eat with their families are better nourished, have lower rates of obesity and better vocabularies1,2,3. These factors can have a positive impact on classroom behavior and academic performance1,2,3. And when it comes to improving the health of our children, family meals are a great way to instill healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime4.

Research into family meals and their benefits is becoming more in depth, with some interesting findings:

  • Dining as a family can create an environment for parents to lead by example for their children. Children who eat with their families consume more fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy foods compared to those who eat fewer family meals5. Parents will be thrilled to learn that young adults who were raised eating regular family meals consume more vegetables4 (there is hope yet for teenagers!)
  • Adults also report that eating as a family is a positive portion of their day6. Mealtime creates a feeling of togetherness and family cohesion. The concept of family meals does not exclude single-parent homes or couples without children. The routine associated with meals can provide a protective value for some of the risks associated with single-parent homes. For couples, the routine of sitting down together carves out time for each other and creates work schedule boundaries creating a balance between work and personal life.
  • There is an association between family meal frequency and lower rates of obesity4. However, while the meals are more nutritious (especially when prepared and eaten at home) they are not necessarily lower in calorie. Family meals consumed while distracted (watching television, taking phone calls, reading the mail) may actually increase food consumption7.

 

But the benefits of family meals go beyond nutrition and family unity. Family meals are also an opportunity to promote child development2. Regular family meals teach children many things that will enrich their lives beyond the immediate health benefits of eating nutritious food.

  1. Memories Taking the time to sit together at mealtime helps create positive memories for yourself and your family.
  2. Enjoyment The first and most important place where children learn positive attitudes about food is in the home. Eating meals together starts a lasting and positive relationship with food.
  3. Self Esteem Mealtime conversation brings the family together and promotes positive self-esteem in children.
  4. Life skills Children learn best by doing, not watching, so get them involved! You can teach children how to cook balanced meals for themselves by including them in meal planning and preparation.
  5. Traditions Mealtime is an ideal time to strengthen family ties and pass on family cultural traditions. Whether you are celebrating a holiday or just eating an everyday meal, things you do in your home will be passed down to your children and grandchildren.
  6. Curiosity Kids are more likely to try new foods when they are involved in meal preparation. They have a natural curiosity about food so be sure to offer new foods at mealtime (but never force them to try them.)
  7. Relaxation Family meals are the perfect time to connect with each other and share your stories of the day. Shared time and positive experiences with your children is great way connect and relax together after a hectic day of work, school and errands.
  8. Responsibility Research has shown that cooking with kids and assigning tasks surrounding mealtime, promotes independence and a sense of responsibility in the kitchen – and in life.
  9. Communication Having conversations at mealtime increases your children’s vocabulary. Encourage them to speak by asking about the best part of their day and probe more about what made the best part so great.
  10. Love Children watch and imitate adults, and look to them to learn proper behavior for everything from saying please and thank you to learning about fitness and nutrition. Mealtime is the ideal time to remind your children every day that they are important and loved.

Isn’t it time to make family meals a habit in your home?

1. Harrison ME, Norris ML, Obeid N, Fu M, et al. Systematic review off the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth. Canadian Family Physician. 2015 Feb;61(2):e96-e106.
2.  Utter J, Denny S, Robinson E, Fleming T, Ameratunga S, Grant S. Family meals and the well-being of adolescents. J Paediatr Child Health. 2013 Nov;49(11):906-11.
3. Snow CE., Beals DE. Mealtime talk that supports literacy development. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2006;(111):51-66.
4. Fulkerson JA, Larson N, Horning M, Neumark-Sztainer D. A review of associations between family or shared meal frequency and dietary and weight status outcomes across the lifespan. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2014 Jan;46(1):2-19.
5. Neumark-Sztainer D, Hannan PJ, Story M, Croll J, Perry C. Family meal patterns: associations with sociodemographic characteristics and improved dietary intake among adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003; 103(3):317-322.
6. Videon T, Manning C. Influences on adolescent eating patterns: The importance of family meals. J Adolesc Health. 2003; 32(5):365-373.
7. Bickham DS, Blood EA, Walls CE, Shrier LA, Rich M. Characteristics of screen media use associated with higher BMI in young adolescents. Pediatrics. 2013. May;131(5):935-41.
8. https://www.fcconline.org/the-importance-of-family-mealtime/
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