So, apparently, my raised beds make quite the happy little home for beets because I have beets out the wazoo. Beets out the wazoo but not beet recipes out the wazoo, which leads me to ask – does anyone have any good recipes for beets?
Here was the menu for tonight:
Sauteed tofu cubes
Steamed broccoli
Wheat berry salad with raisins, beets and citrus vinaigrette
My five year old launched into her typical tirade when she saw me making these lasagna rolls, moaning “I don’t like spinach…I don’t like mushrooms….yada yada yada” while rolling around on the floor. She may not often provide encouragement while I am making dinner, but she does provide entertainment. One of these days, she’ll remember that she actually does like these lasagna rolls before taking the first bite.
Spinach and mushroom lasagna rolls
Sauteed green and yellow beans
Ground turkey meatballs
Ice cream
Another year has begun and with it comes another year of school lunches (did anyone else just hear that collective groan?) Perhaps you have noticed the healthy changes that have taken place in the school lunch menu. The cafeteria staff has been working hard to improve the nutritional quality of their meals and the health of our children. Kudos to them on behalf of our children!
For those families that prefer to bring a lunch from home, now is the perfect time to review the FVP strategy for bag lunches (see the Quick Bite article from January 26, 2011 or click on the following link http://www.aquickbite.net/?p=18). To review, choose one fruit, one vegetable, and one protein as the starting point for the lunch. This will help ensure that your child hits these frequently missed food groups. The start of the school year is a good time to start new, healthy habits.
At the original posting of this strategy, a question was raised about the mixed message this sends to athletes who are being taught to eat lots of carbohydrates. In response, first it is important to remember that fruits are carbohydrates. Secondly, additional carbohydrates, such as bread or pasta, can be added to the lunch if desired after the fruit, vegetable, and protein as chosen. Starting with these other food groups is a good idea because these are the groups often forgotten. And finally, it is true that carbohydrates are a key fuel for athletes, particularly just before an event. However, most people overestimate carbohydrate needs and/or the intensity of the event. For example, a first grader does not need to carb load or guzzle Gatorade for a T-ball game. Some student athletes can benefit from a carbohydrate-rich meal and if you have questions on the carbohydrate needs for your student athlete, feel free to contact Amy at amy@aquickbite.net.
Corn and smoked mozzarella frittata
Sauteed zucchini with cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs
Whole wheat bread
Sliced peaches
A few weeks ago, on one of those beautiful Vermont summer nights, I took my children to watch an outdoor viewing of the movie Gnomeo and Juliet. For those of you not familiar with this movie, it is a newly released animated children’s version of Shakespeare’s classic story of forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet. However, in this case, it is two garden gnomes that fall in love despite coming from dueling backyards.
So, midway through, I was all set to give this movie a Siskel and Ebert style two thumbs up until it happened. One line, one unnecessary and casually made line, that made me cringe as a mother to two girls and made the nutritionist in me snarl and gnash my teeth at the screen. The line was this (told to Juliet by her nurse) – “he won’t like you once he find out how much you weigh.”
Seriously? In a children’s movie? This comment represents the body image issues and dysfunctional relationships with food that plague too many Americans these days. Some may argue that this was only one innocent comment but many of my clients with eating disorders may disagree as many can often trace the start of their struggles back to a single similar comment. The comment plants the seed that is easily watered by image-driven media and fertilized nicely by societal pressures. Shine some sunlight from the popular ultra-thin celebrity role models out there and watch that seed grow!
Empower yourself and your child against these negative influences by creating a list of 10 things you like about yourself that have nothing to do with appearance. Share your list with your child and encourage them to create a list of their own. Consider writing this list down and posting someplace visible as a daily reminder that who you are is not about what you look like.