CuisineNie

Who doesn't love Stephanie Nielson? (If you are unfamiliar with the famous blogger and her amazing story, check outo her blog here). Did you know she and her family are vegetarians? Better yet, did you know she has a cooking blog?! She posts recipes for healthy and vegetarian meals. While some of the recipes may be a bit much for the pickiest of eaters, she has some great recipes and ideas for eating healthy. Check it out!

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Picky Kiddos

Do your kids refuse to eat healthy foods? There are lots of tips and tricks to get them to put down the frozen corn dog and pick up something healthy. One is get them involved in the procees. Have them help pick out food at the grocery store and have them do something to help prepare the meal. Another is to make foods you know they already like, healthier. Here is a recipe for healthy chicken strips. Have your kiddos help crush up the breading and serve with their favorite sauce and fruit or veggie.

CHICKEN STICKS

• Thinly sliced strips of chicken breast
• yogurt - plain
• crushed cereal - shredded wheat, cheerios, corn flakes, honey oat cereal

Roll chicken strips in yogurt then coat with crushed cereal of your choice. Bake on lightly greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. Serve with a dippin sauce and the family veggies.

Studies show that if you teach your kids healthy habits now, they will be much more likely to keep them. Making healthy foods your kids will like is really important but the best thing you can do is to teach by example! If you want your kids to like veggies, eat lots yourself. Want them to love milk? Drink a lot yourself!

Also, check out this website for LOADS of kid and mom friendly recipes!

Recipe: Chicken with Mustard and Zucchini in Packets

Here is another recipe I found at http://www.eatingwell.com/! It is also under $3 a serving and right now at Macey's zucchini is .99 cents a pound. As the weather is starting to get better, this is a great recipe that can be grilled as well!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (1 1/4-1 1/2 pounds), trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 sweet banana peppers, or cubanelle peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (or see Grill Variation, below).
2. To prepare packets, start with four 20- to 24-inch-long pieces of parchment paper or foil. Fold in half crosswise. With the parchment or foil folded, draw half a heart shape on one side as you would if you were making a Valentine. Use scissors to cut out the heart shape. Open up the heart.
3. Place a chicken breast on one side of each open heart fairly close to the crease and leaving at least a 1-inch border around the edges for folding and spread with mustard.
4. Toss zucchini, peppers, shallots, tomatoes, oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place about 1 1/4 cups of the vegetable mixture on top of each piece of chicken.
5. Close the packet to cover the ingredients. Starting at the top, seal the packet by folding the edges together in a series of small, tight folds. Twist the tip of the packet and tuck it underneath to help keep the packet closed. Place the packets on a large rimmed baking sheet (packets may overlap slightly). Bake until the vegetables are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about 25 minutes. (Carefully open one package to check for doneness"be cautious of the steam.) Let the packets rest unopened for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving : 243 Calories; 9 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 78 mg Cholesterol; 7 g Carbohydrates; 30 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 522 mg Sodium; 619 mg Potassium
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 1 fat

 

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Equipment: Parchment paper or foil

• Tip: Chicken tenders are the virtually fat-free strips of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of chicken breasts. They can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded “chicken fingers.”
• Grill Variation: Cooking in packets is great for the grill, but it's not safe to put parchment paper over an open flame, so use foil. To prepare packets for grilling, start with eight 20- to 24-inch-long pieces of foil. Layer two sheets for each of four packets (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning). Arrange the ingredients on one half of each double layer. Fold the foil over the ingredients and tightly seal the packets by crimping and folding the edges together. Grill over medium heat for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the packets to another spot on the grill about halfway through to ensure even cooking.

Recipe: Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wrap

Here is a recipe I found from http://www.eatingwell.com/ They have a whole series of eating healthy and cheap! Each recipe is under $3 a serving and many take less than a half hour. Check out their site for more delicious recipes!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, (see Note)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 4 8- to 10-inch whole-wheat wraps, or tortillas

Preparation

1. Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle chile and salt in a medium bowl. Add cabbage, carrot and cilantro; toss to combine.
2. Mash beans and avocado in another medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in cheese and onion.
3. To assemble the wraps, spread about 1/2 cup of the bean-avocado mixture onto a wrap (or tortilla) and top with about 2/3 cup of the cabbage-carrot slaw. Roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut the wraps in half to serve, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving : 411 Calories; 18 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 7 g Mono; 15 mg Cholesterol; 50 g Carbohydrates; 13 g Protein; 13 g Fiber; 633 mg Sodium; 396 mg Potassium
2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Ingredient Note: Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeños packed in a flavorful sauce. Look for the small cans with the Mexican foods in large supermarkets. Once opened, they'll keep at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

Co-Op Produce: Cheap and Fresh

Cheap and Fresh! Now that's a good combo! Bountiful Baskets is a co-op program that supplies it's subscribers fresh fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis. Here is a quick run down of all the cool features:

• No membership fee
• You are not required to do it every week
• It is the same produce in grocery stores
• You get 30 pounds of produce, usually 6 fruits and 6 vegetables

But the best part is, it's only $15 a week for regular produce and $25 for 100% certified organic produce.

Don't think your family can eat 30 pounds in a week? The great thing is, you don't have to! Either do it every few weeks or go in it with a friend.

Visit the link above for all the information (oh believe me, it gets better!) and Bountiful Baskets has given all BYU students who sign up this month, one free week.

While you never know EXACTLY what you'll get, it's usually pretty standard produce goods and in my family, we have tried some new things because it came in our basket! Here are a couple examples of a pretty typical haul.


(found here) 

  

(found here)

 

(found here)