Won’t eat vegetables? Change that! Try…. #eat your vegetables

Dressing up Vegetables for Eating:

• Make Vegetable Noodle (&/or beef/chicken) Soup.  Use a tomato-based broth.  For fun use pasta that has fun shapes.
• Try drinking you veggies:  Use a blender/food processor/juicer.  I like this website for their Vegetable Juicing Recipes (I do NOT endorse anything else.):  http://www.raw-foods-diet-center.com/vegetable-juicing-recipes.html
• What about raw vegetables with healthy dressing:  low fat ranch, hummus, or salsa.  For kids:  arrange the veggies (with fruits too) on the plate as funny face or animal shapes.  Play reverse hangman, having them eat a vegetable for every letter they get right from the plate.
• Get your veggies!  with a vegetable pizza!
• For a family:  create a salad bar (you can store the components for multiple uses, AND you can have the family prep the components with you).  The kids can choose from the bar the veggies they like to eat.
• Have the kids involved with the veggie choices….  start with a garden in the spring and/or go to the public market… with these veggies, have the kids wash them/cut them/help prep them.  For you and them learn why their veggie of choice is a good one:  “What’s the value of vitamin A from the carrot you chose today?”  Have “Veggie Night”:  involve the kids in planning which ones will be served & how.
• Disguise the Veggies (if ALL else fails).  Example:  cook carrots with potatoes and mash them.  Present this as “Special Halloween Mash”.  Or try Jessica Seinfeld’s book:  “Deceptively Delicious” for additional ideas.
• Eat ’em when you’re hungry – if veggies are the only choice, you might just eat ’em!
• Use the “no thank you bite” rule:  the veggie served at the meal MUST be tried in one bite.
• Make veggies an easy option:  have them prepped and ready to go at all times for easy grabbing and eating (easier than chips and other snacks).
• “Psychology Today” , Feb 7, 2011 suggests:  Offer a tangible award for eating veggies:  stickers, chotskies – initially AND offer praise (“Yay you! You are fantastic, strong, and healthy: you ate your vegetable!”).  Eventually eliminate the tangible reward:  vegetables will be eaten automatically, with free will!

Sources:  Psychology Today, http://www.squidoo.com, http://www.cnn.com

Food Safety is a HUGE piece of Healthy Eating.

In Parent’s Time Out we talk a lot about planning and prepping food ahead so that healthy meals take little effort.  With all of this pre-prep, food safety MUST be considered.  Here’s some things to know:

• Cooked food can GENERALLY be stored safely in the refrigerator for 4 days.  If you do not expect to eat it within that time frame, freeze it.  Taste, texture, juiciness will remain for 3-4 months in the freezer.  To freeze, be sure the food is put in shallow, airtight containers, or wrapped tightly.
• Thawed Meats:  Meat/Poultry can be RE-frozen but ONLY if it was thawed in the refrigerator.  Re-freezing may decrease quality, but it is safe because bacteria does not grow in the freezer.
• Thawed Meats II:  Poultry & Ground Meats can be refrigerated for 2 days.  Red Meats (roasts/steaks) can be refrigerated up to 5 days.  Anything longer for either will likely spoil.
• keep Hot foods Hot & keep Cold foods Cold!  Keep foods out of the temperature danger zone:  40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.  Food should NOT be in that zone for more than 2 hours at a time (notice that room temperature is right in the middle!).
• If you are holding food in the oven (keeping it warm), be sure that it is kept at 140 degrees or higher.
• Reheating (please note the UPDATED FROM CLASS INFO):  Remember:  food should be stored in shallow containers:  Cool food in shallow containers QUICKLY in the refrigerator (the frige will run to keep ALL of the food safely at 40 degrees).  REHEAT in a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven to 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or hot & steamy).  
• If food is out for grazing:  it’s safely out in temps 40-90 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours.  Over 90 degrees Fahrenheit for ONE hour.

Safe, Healthy Eating, EVERYONE!

Source:  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/No-Show_Guests_Jeopardize_Food/index.asp

We will talk soon : )