Healthy Mother’s Day Breakfast for Kids

I’m ready for a mimosa of my own! This morning I took all three of the munchkins on air with me on Fox19 for my Healthy Living segment. One of the producers had suggested that I do a healthy breakfast easy enough for kids to make…and that I bring my own children to make it. (Yikes!)

My kids love to be in the kitchen and  I really believe that it’s the only way anyone can learn how to cook. But cooking in our kitchen is one thing and cooking on live TV is quite another. I waited until yesterday to tell them because we can only handle SO MUCH anticipation in our house…but I have to say that they had a ball and it’s one of those days I’ll definitely always remember.

We made three simple dishes that are easy enough for children to make with just a little help from an adult.  They’re healthy, too, so you can enjoy them guilt-free! Happy Mother’s Day one and all.

 

Here’s the link to the video.  And the recipes follow…

 

“Flower” Eggs  in Bell Pepper Rings  (I saw these on Pinterest and thought – adorable!)

Serves – up to you!
1 red, 1 orange, and 1 green bell pepper, sliced into 1/4″ thick rings, seeds removed
1-2 eggs per person
salt and pepper
Heat a nonstick griddle to 350 and place bell pepper rings on the griddle (1-2 per person). Crack an egg into the center of each ring and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Break yolk if desired and cook until desired level of doneness. Remove with a spatula.

 

Fruit, Yogurt, and Granola Parfaits

Serves 4
4 cups Nonfat greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp. stevia or 1 Tbsp. honey
dash of cinnamon
Cut fruit – melon, honeydew, pineapple
Berries – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
2 cups Lowfat granola
In tall parfait glasses (or drinking glasses) layer granola, yogurt, and fruit, alternating to create a pretty pattern. Serve with an iced tea spoon!

 

Mock Mimosas

Serves 4
2 cups fruit juice (orange, cranberry, pomegranate)
4 cups sparkling water
Orange slices for garnish
Mix fruit juice and sparkling water in a pitcher. Pour into stemmed glasses and top with a fruit garnish .

 

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Calabrese Tomato Sauce with Ginger

I love tomatoes. I especially love fresh tomatoes, but when I can’t wait anymore and tomato season is still months away, a good can of tomatoes will do! This simple sauce is great over pasta, and the addition of fresh ginger gives it that little something extra. You  can make the sauce ahead and store it for a busy weeknight ; doubling the recipe and freezing some is also a good idea!

 

Calabrese Tomato Sauce with Ginger

 

serves 4-6

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon peeled and finely minced fresh ginger

1 – 28-oz. can high-quality whole tomatoes (such as Muir Glen)

1 tablespoon double-concentrated tomato paste (see note below)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and ginger; saute until tender, 3-5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, breaking them into small pieces with your hands. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

3. Simmer the sauce until thick, about 15 minutes.

4. Serve over large shells or tube pastas.

 

Note: Double-Concentrated Tomato Paste is found in the specialty Italian section at most grocery stores. It is more concentrated than typical tomato paste, giving it a fuller tomato flavor. It is a tube sold in a box and can be stored in your refrigerator for quite a while. It is worth paying a little bit more for this versus buying a small can and throwing away half of it when you only need a tablespoon or two for a recipe!

 

 

 

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Nutrition & Health Conference – Day 3

Note: This is another guest post by Stefanie Stevenson, M.D., the Nourish Integrative Physician. Stefanie has been attending the Health and Wellness Conference in Boston this week and sending us updates!

 

Last day!  It was a great conference and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to listen and learn from the experts in this area.  I’m now sitting in the Boston Airport reflecting on what I’ve learned.  I appreciate doing these updates because it helps me really reflect on what information is the most meaningful to patient care and public health care.  This morning I heard from Dr. Walker, an expert in probiotics. Without getting too detailed, it is critical that babies get colonized with the good bacteria during childbirth, early feeding, and during weaning.  When a child reaches 12- 18 months of age, they have acquired their complete adult gut (intestinal) flora (the good bugs).  If a child, for a multitude of reasons (C-section, bottle fed, frequent antibiotic use) does not acquire this optimal flora they are at increased risk for asthma, allergies, and more frequent colds and stomach illnesses.  There are things that can be done to help these children, mainly probiotics and prebiotics, yet this area can seem confusing.  I can help if you have questions!

 

The last lecture of the entire conference was on genetically engineered foods.  If you don’t know much about this I would encourage you to learn more.  The speaker was Sheldon Krimsky, who has done a tremendous amount of research in this area.  The two biggest GM (genetically modified) crops are corn and soy.  There is a paucity of research in the safety of GM foods and as consumers, we don’t know which products contain these foods because our government does not require labeling.  For now, organic and Non-GMO Project labeled foods, do not contain GM foods.  The process of inserting genetic material from another organism into a different organism can create a variation of a protein that may promote allergies.  Consider the great increase in food allergies in this country over the last decade.

 

I hope my updates stir up your own curiosity into how food relates to health.  If you want to discuss your own health concerns and how my approach could help you feel better, please call me at 513-245-4224 x 5.  I would love to hear from you!

 

“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.”  – Thomas Edison

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