May 30th, 2009
On Saturday or Sunday afternoon, assemble a base salad out of the hardiest salad vegetables: lettuces, carrots, cabbage, radishes, etc. Then you can pull out your base each night and dress it up for that evening’s meal with the more perishable additions: cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, roasted vegetables, cooked grains or proteins (to make a salad meal), etc. You’ll neeed to build another salad base on Wednesday or Thursday to get through the whole week.
You can also prepare a base meat at this time, such as a simple roasted chicken or poached chicken breasts.
Posted in RFM Guide to Weekend Prep | No Comments »
May 30th, 2009
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
- 1 can black, kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 T water or stock
- 2 T red wine
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed and diced fine
- 3/4 t ground cumin
- ½ t oregano
- ½-1 t chili powder
- ½ t salt
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 T blackstrap molasses (or brown sugar)
- 2 T tomato paste
- 3 T fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Yield: about 2 ½ cups
Notes:
You can serve these beans as a side with rotisserie chicken, hot dogs (organic and nitrate-free, as always), veggie franks, or in a soft corn tortilla with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and avocado. You can also use them to whip up super fast “huevos rancheros”: pile them on top of scrambled eggs and top with a dollop of salsa or a sprinkling of grated cheese.
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May 30th, 2009
Are there eggs in the fridge? Have breakfast for dinner! Kids love the novelty and it’s very simple and quick to prepare.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out a shape in a slice of bread, put it in a frying pan, and crack an egg into the middle of it.
- If that seems like too much work, make a breakfast sandwich by piling a fried egg and grated cheese onto a slice of whole grain toast.
- Or try eggs over easy mixed with chopped toast in a coffee mug for “egg in a cup”.
- You can scramble the eggs and serve with ketchup, or just boil them. Dress up the simple meal with whole grain toast with sliced fruit, a swipe of nut butter, honey and cinnamon, or just a dollop of butter.
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May 30th, 2009
From The Healthiest Meals on Earth, by Jeannette Bessinger and Dr. Jonny Bowden
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 4-5 garlic cloves split into two portions, to taste, chopped fine
- 3 T fresh ginger, peeled and grated fine
- 1 C dried red lentils (may be orange, red or salmon color), any small stones removed, well rinsed and drained
- 3 C water or broth (vegetable or no-salt chicken)
- 1 t turmeric powder
- 2 t ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil
- 1 t cumin seeds (or ground)
- ½-1 t cayenne pepper, to taste
- ¾ C fresh cilantro, washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped
- 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- salt to taste
Pour oil into heavy soup pot and heat over medium burner. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add ginger and half the garlic and continue sautéing over medium heat until tender, 1-2 more minutes. Gently add water or broth, lentils and turmeric, stirring well to combine. Cook on high until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Read the rest of this entry »
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May 30th, 2009
Are your kids bored to death with PB & J lunches? Try some of the simple ideas below to spice things up:
- Red Peppered Chicken: sliced grilled chicken, red pepper spread, baby spinach on choice of whole grain bread
- Thanksgiving Sandwich: sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, lettuce, cucumber slices on choice of whole grain bread OR honey roasted turkey rolled with grated carrots or sliced cucumber and thin spread of cranberry sauce, served with rice cakes or crackers
- Roast Beef: roast beef, grated carrots, lettuce, tomato slices with horseradish mayo, Dijon mustard, Boursin cheese or hot pepper jelly on choice of whole grain bread OR rolled up and served with rice cakes or whole grain crackers
- Fruity Ham: lean ham, sliced apples, honey mustard or apricot jelly on choice of whole grain bread OR rolled up and served with rice cakes whole grain crackers
- Fresh Cheese: sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato, and avocado spread on choice of whole grain bread drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Sweet and Nutty: nut butter, all-fruit jelly, honey, banana or apple sliced thin on whole grain bread or crackers of choice
- Veggie Delight: hummus, avocado, tomato slices, sprouts and shredded jack cheese with optional honey or Dijon mustard in a whole grain pita pocket or wrap
- Mexican Salad: Lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado, chopped olives, salsa, shredded jack cheese, re-fried beans (such as Amy’s vegetarian re-fried beans) rolled into a sprouted corn tortilla (this one’s messy, but worth it!)
- Real Food Lunchable: Hummus, carrot and celery sticks, whole grain pita strips or organic corn chips, organic cheese stick, sliced seasonal fruit
- Yogurt Fruit Cup: 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (or half yogurt, half cottage cheese), mixed with ½-3/4 cup fruit (blueberries, sliced strawberries, bananas), ¼ cup granola and 1 tablespoon agave nectar (can also season with ½ teaspoon vanilla and/or sweet spices like cinnamon, ginger or cardamom
- Yogurt Veggie Cup: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or half yogurt, half cottage cheese), mixed with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ cup diced tomatoes, cucumber and red pepper
Posted in Lunchbox Ideas | No Comments »
May 30th, 2009
A sandwich, veggie and fruit make a satisfying and nutritionally rich staple lunch for kids. You can add a high quality “snack food” like Pirate’s Booty or whole grain pretzels for a salty treat, but try to include at least one fruit and one veggie to help them get enough produce servings into their daily diet.
Remember, they don’t have much time, so the portions should be reasonable and foods shouldn’t be complicated to make or unwrap. Making their sandwich neat and easy to eat will make it more appealing. Cut them in half and don’t use wet or runny fillings ~ soggy bread: yuck! Cutting veggies down to bite size and slicing full-sized fruit like oranges and apples will help them get eaten. A special tip from my (Jeannette’s ) middle school son: never send in anything large and cylindrical, like whole mini-cucumbers, full-sized pickles, or full-sized hotdogs J Apparently bananas get a pass for some reason, but that’s it! Read the rest of this entry »
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May 29th, 2009
- Part-skim mozzerella stick or 1 oz low-fat cheddar with a medium apple
- Cubed Swiss cheese with berries or small handful dried fruit
- Apple or pear slices with nut butter
- Cottage cheese mixed with equal part lightly sweetened yogurt and cinnamon
- Cottage cheese with berries, apples, peaches, etc, sliced almonds and cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom
- Rice/almond/soy/low fat cow milk and high fiber cereal or oatmeal with sliced almonds
- Plain yogurt sweetened with agave nectar, xylitol, or 1 t natural pudding mix: add granola, almonds, berries, peaches, dried fruit, wheat germ, or any high fiber cereal
- Smoothies: combine rice/almond/soy/low fat cow milk with protein powder and fresh or frozen fruit or canned pumpkin ~ can also include raw oats, wheat germ, small amount nut butter or cocoa powder
- See Breakfast category for more on smoothies!
- Snack Bars: look for all natural ingredients, low sugar, high fiber and high protein content. We don’t love soy protein isolates. We prefer simple fruit and nut bars like Larabar or Oskri.
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May 19th, 2009
Although it costs more, you can save preparation time by purchasing a free-range organic chicken, cooked rotisserie-style from your market.
You can also buy pre-washed and pre-cut fresh vegetables, everything from spinach to peeled and cubed butternut squash. You can even find high quality, pre-mixed salads in a bag.
Buy fresh frozen vegetables. Make sure they are high quality, free of all additives, and raw or blanched. These vegetables are generally frozen shortly after harvest, so they retain high levels of nutrients. They are also pre-washed and often pre-cut, which can save you a lot of time.
You can skip cooking your beans and simply use high quality canned beans in all the same ways.
Spending about an hour each weekend preparing these “base” foods will allow you to assemble meals for your child (and the rest of your family!) throughout the week in minutes. See our ideas for Top 10 Ways to use pre-cooked grains, beans and meats.
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May 19th, 2009
- Veggie sticks (carrots, celery, peppers, sugar snap peas, snow peas, broccoli or cauliflower florets, jicama, daikon radish, etc) paired with a healthy dip (like hummus or natural ranch dressing) or any protein are a great option
- Small handful of nuts or seeds and any raw or cooked veggies
- Part skim mozzarella stick with carrots or celery
- Cubed Swiss cheese with cherry tomatoes
- Baby carrots poked into green or black olives
- Rice cakes with hummus or nut butter
- Soy crisps with any raw veggies
- Whole wheat or rice pretzels or crackers with any nut/protein spread, meat, fish or cheese
- Tuna pack with lemon and a little olive oil with or without veggie sticks
- Smoked fish with horseradish on whole wheat or rice crackers
- Celery or carrots with nut butter or hummus
- ½ whole wheat pita pocket with hummus, sprouts , cucumbers, and/or shredded carrots
- Cottage cheese with tomatoes or peppers and sea salt/pepper
- Nonfat, no-sugar bean dip or refried beans with baked tortilla chips or raw veggie sticks
- Edamame (baby soy beans ~ you will find them in the natural section of your grocery store, look for kinds that are in the shell and pre-cooked: thaw and eat)
- Salsa and avocado with baked corn chips or a low fat corn tortilla
- Babaghanoush with whole wheat pita or veggie sticks
- Cold shrimp with low-sugar cocktail sauce (make your own in a pinch by mixing prepared horseradish and low-sugar ketchup). Look for specials in your grocery store and buy a bag of precooked frozen shrimp when they’re on sale to keep as a handy protein for snacks or dinner in a pinch. Just thaw, dip and eat.
- Boiled egg alone or with veggies
- Non-nitrate cold cut roll-ups around veggie sticks
- Plain popcorn flavored with sea salt, cheddar cheese powder, or try tossing a few cups with a tablespoon or two of tangy barbecue sauce!
- Leftovers from dinner
- Can or cup of low-sodium, low-sugar bean or veggie soup
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May 8th, 2009
What are your real food questions? We want to know what you want to know…
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