EDIBLES
Healthy lunch, snack ideas for back to school
(BPT) – If schools and parents received report cards on the lunches they’re serving kids, most wouldn’t receive a passing score.
Many lunches, whether served at school or brought from home, are made with bleached flour, artificial sweeteners, food coloring, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, hormones and trans fats.
Studies have shown that these ingredients are linked to weight gain, defects in insulin and lipid metabolism, hyperactivity, increased risk of tumors, cancer, digestive issues, asthma, premature heart attacks, diabetes, and overexposure and resistance to antibiotics. Some of these ingredients are even banned in other countries.
As a parent, what can you do to keep your child healthy? Life Time – The Healthy Way of Life Company, suggests checking in with your child’s school to learn where foods are sourced, the nutritional values and ingredients in order to make informed decisions.
“The more highly processed foods are, the more likely they are to contain the seven unsavory ingredients.
Meaning they are foods it’s best to find alternatives for,” says Laura Burbank, a registered dietitian with the Life Time Foundation.
“We encourage parents to speak with school nutrition directors and cafeteria managers about reducing the amount of highly processed and artificial items served in their lunch rooms, in favor of wholesome, real foods, and we’re able to help parents throughout that process,” Burbank says.
Until changes are made, Burbank advises actively engaging kids – starting when they’re young – in packing lunch at home. “Getting kids involved in packing their lunches makes them more likely to eat and enjoy them,” says Burbank. “They feel helpful and they’re learning along the way.” She says it’s important to include a protein, whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables and healthy fats with every meal, and provides some ideas below.
Lunch box
option one:
• Lunch: turkey or ham sandwich with avocado and spinach on whole grain bread. Look for meat that is free of hormones, antibiotics, nitrates, artificial preservatives and other additives.
• Snack: orange slices and string cheese.
Lunch box
option two:
• Lunch: grilled chicken breast, avocado and roasted bell pepper or shredded carrots in a whole grain pita with a Greek yogurt based dressing or pesto.
• Snack: apple slices and almond butter. If your child’s school has a strict nut-free lunchroom guideline, include Greek yogurt with vanilla and/or honey.
Lunch box
option three:
• Lunch: a wholesome PB&J made with almond butter and 100 percent fruit preserves on whole grain bread.
• Snack: hard boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers with Greek yogurt based vegetable dipping sauce, or pita chips and peppers with hummus.
Healthier lunch
room choices
Burbank notes that sometimes making lunch at home isn’t a viable option.
If that’s the case, she suggests parents discuss healthy lunch room options with their kids, as studies have shown that in addition to nutritional benefits, healthier diets also associate with higher academic performance. Things to consider include:
• Choose a salad when available to include more vegetables in the meal.
• Choose white milk over chocolate milk to cut down on sugar intake.
• Choose 1 percent milk over skim or non-fat milk, the higher fat content is more satiating.
• Choose whole grain pasta over bread which may contain bleached flour and preservatives.
• Choose red pasta sauce (vegetable-based) over cream sauce (high in fat).
• Choose fresh fruit over canned fruit which may contain artificial colors, preservatives and sweeteners.
Parents should also be encouraged to talk to the nutrition directors and cafeteria managers about reducing the amount of highly processed and artificial items in the school meals. The Life Time Foundation is a great resource for more information on this.
The Life Time Foundation partners with schools to help them remove highly processed and artificial ingredients from school meals by providing resources and assisting with menu development. For more information on how your school can get involved, visit www.ltffoundation.org.
(Family Features) Chasing away those final cool days in the spring can be done in a cinch: just turn classic chicken noodle soup into a fresh, lemony meal. This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup calls to mind those classic brothy soups from when you were a kid but with a flavorful spring twist. Serve with fresh cucumber sandwiches for a veggie-forward meal and find more soup inspiration at Culinary.net.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”
Servings: 4-6
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 6 cups broth
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- cucumber sandwiches, for serving
- Chop carrots and celery. In pot, saute with butter.
- In bowl, mix chicken with lemon juice and lemon pepper then set aside.
- After carrots and celery are tender, add broth and orzo to pot. Then add garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and sugar. Simmer 10 minutes then add chicken and cream; simmer about 5 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with cucumber sandwiches.
SOURCE:
(Family Features) Watermelon, strawberries, corn and green beans get all the fresh produce love in the summer, but don’t forget broccoli as a warm-weather staple. Instead of dunking in dressing or smothering with melted cheese, go for a lighter dish with this Broccoli Salad – an ideal light lunch or simple summer side. Visit Culinary.net to find more veggie-inspired salad ideas.
Broccoli Salad
Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”
Servings: 4-6
- 2 medium heads broccoli
- 2 apples
- lemon juice
- 1 carrot
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 package (2 1/2 ounces) real bacon pieces
Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- Coarsely chop broccoli and place in large bowl. Coarsely chop apples and brush with lemon juice to prevent browning; add to bowl. Shred carrot and add to bowl with blueberries, cranberries, sunflower seeds, pecans and bacon.
- To make dressing: Mix mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar, sugar and poppy seeds. Pour over broccoli salad and mix well.
SOURCE:
Culinary.net
(Family Features) Summer is here and it’s time to hit the grill. Take at-home entertaining to the next level by upgrading everyone’s favorite cheeseburger with ground pork.
Family and friends will love this elevated twist on a summer favorite that is oh-so-deliciously different than the traditional beef patty. These Pork and Bacon Burgers are made with Heritage Duroc pork, known for its rich flavor and juiciness, and will be a hit at your next barbecue. The crispy bacon adds another level of texture and flavor, making these juicy burgers a gourmet treat that rivals any takeout burger. Celebrating 150 years as the premium all-natural meat choice for families, Coleman All Natural Meats offers a variety of products that are sourced from American family farmers who humanely raise livestock with no antibiotics ever and no added hormones.
Find more recipes to elevate your grilling experience at ColemanNatural.com.
Pork and Bacon Burgers
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
- 2 pounds Coleman Ground Pork
- 1/4 pound ground pork chorizo
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cheese slices (optional)
- 6 hamburger buns
- 6-8 strips Coleman Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon, cooked
- tomato slices (optional)
- red onion slices (optional)
- lettuce (optional)
- ketchup (optional)
- mayonnaise (optional)
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- In large mixing bowl, combine ground pork, chorizo, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Gently mix ingredients, being careful not to overwork meat.
- Divide meat into six burger patties.
- Cook burgers 3-4 minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 145 F or desired doneness.
- During last 2-3 minutes of cooking, place cheese slices on top of burgers to melt, if desired.
- Transfer burgers to platter. Assemble burgers with buns, bacon, tomato slices, red onion slices, lettuce, ketchup and mayonnaise, as desired.
Tip: Burger patties may be frozen up to 1 month. Fully defrost before cooking.
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