Eating in Season

Janice returned last night from a 5-day trip to Orlando with her husband and two daughters. While there, they visited Disney World and Universal Studios ... ask her how her daughter Carolyn convinced her to take a death-defying ride on the Hulk rollercoaster! Let's just say it's not something she'll be doing again anytime soon...

After a few days of waiting in lines, going on rides, and eating theme park food, Janice took the advice of her dietitian pal, Carolyn O'Neil, and dragged the family to Seasons 52, a terrific restaurant featuring seasonally-inspired menu items, all with less than 475 calories. If you love fabulous food and want to eat a healthy diet, it's a great place to go. Janice couldn't resist a dish of carmelized sea scallops with roasted asparagus and pearl pasta (with a glass of Pinot Noir) along with tastes of her family's choices: appetizers of edamame with green tea salt and a garlic chicken flatbread, as well as chicken tortilla soup, striped bass over risotto balls, and grilled chicken tenders with roasted potatoes and carrots. As for dessert, they all sampled one of the restaurant's fun "mini indulgences" ... small 5-bite portions of classic desserts like tiramasu, key lime pie, and strawberry-mango cheesecake.

It's nice to know nutritious restaurant food can be so tempting! Let us know about some of your favorite healthy restaurants. We'd love to hear from you.

Pasta Envy

Last week, Liz stopped by her friend Didi's house for a quick visit. Didi (whose family owns the amazing Wilson Farms in Lexington, MA) was in the middle of making her family's favorite dinner: penne pasta with broccoli, chicken, and a creamy cheese sauce. Being the nosey neighbor that she is, Liz just "had to have the recipe."

Once Didi shared the recipe, we hit the kitchen and created our very own Meal Makeover Mom version (minus the cream of course). Our recipe is sure to be a huge hit with your kids because it features pasta (and who doesn’t love pasta), broccoli, and chicken pieces that look and taste like tenders. Given how much Josh, Simon, Carolyn and Leah (our clan) loved this dish, we're confident yours will love it too. If you're cooking for a crowd, you can easily double the recipe.

Cheesy Penne with Chicken & Broccoli

Makes 4 to 5 Servings

8 ounces dried penne pasta

4 to 5 cups medium-size broccoli florets

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch x 2-inch pieces

1/3 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup 1% lowfat milk

1/2 cup all-natural chicken broth

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cook the pasta according to package directions. About two minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli and continue to cook until the pasta and broccoli are done (about 2 more minutes). Drain and return to the saucepan. While the pasta is cooking, coat the chicken in the bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet and cook until golden and no longer pink in the middle, about 12 minutes. While the pasta is cooking and the chicken is in the oven, heat the canola oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk the milk and broth slowly into the flour mixture. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the cooked pasta, broccoli, and chicken in a large serving bowl. Pour the cheese sauce on top and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

450 calories, 11g total fat (3.5g saturated, 0.4g omega-3), 400mg sodium, 51g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 34g protein, 30% vitamin A, 80% vitamin C, 20% calcium, 15% iron

Tip #1: Freeze any leftover chicken broth in ice cube trays or plastic zip-top bags.

Tip #2: Add even more nutrition by switching to a whole wheat blend pasta (we like Barilla Plus).

Food Network Challenge

Giant clams sculped out of watermelon, sailfish carved from daikon and palm trees made with oranges and grapefruit were just a few of the amazing food creations featured at a recent taping of the Food Network's hit show, Food Network Challenge. Liz was on vacation in Fort Lauderdale when the "Fantasy Fruit Sculpture" competition was taped, so she and her family got to sit in the audience as four chefs, James Parker, Lert Seeboonruang, Douglas St. Souver and Kacie Chatuparisoot created five-foot showpieces with a them of Tropical Treasures. The show's host, pastry chef Keegan Gerhard, was on the set along with more lights, cameras and action than you could ever imagine. The show is scheduled to air some time this summer, so you'll have to stay tuned to see the final outcome.

A Flavorful Lunch Box Idea

Packing a healthy school lunch your kids will actually want to eat can be a tall order, driving even the most dedicated moms (and dads) off the deep end! A few weeks ago, Liz's 7th grader, Josh, requested an Italian sub for lunch. His request came out of left field but Liz, being the dutiful mom that she is, stopped by the market for some all-natural luncheon meats ... and then got cooking. Her high-flavor creation was a hit ... not just with Josh but also with Carolyn, Janice's high school daughter.

A Sub to Love
Serves 1

One 6-inch whole wheat sub roll, halved
1 to 2 romaine lettuce leaves, trimmed and divided
2 thin slices deli salami
1 to 2 slices deli turkey
1 slice provolone cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian dressing
Freshly ground black pepper, optional

Layer one side of the roll evenly with half the lettuce, the salami, turkey, cheese, dressing, pepper as desired, and the remaining lettuce. Place the remaining roll half firmly on top. Slice in half, wrap in plastic wrap or place in a zip-top bag and pack in your child's lunch box.

Nutrition Information:
320 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated), 920mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 17g protein, 10% vitamin A, 20% calcium, 10% iron

Don’t Take it with You!

This blog posting is a bit unusual. Instead of offering up our latest favorite recipe or nutrition news, we’d like to talk about organ donation. You see, Janice’s friend Ann has a 20-year-old daughter named Laura who is in desperate need of a liver transplant. They have moved to Jacksonville, Florida where the wait for a liver is shorter than it is here in Boston.
Thousands of people die each year waiting for a transplant. Ann says the most important thing her friends can do for them it to spread the word about the importance of organ donation. We encourage you to learn more about organ and tissue donation and consider becoming a donor, as we have. Follow this link to The Gift of a Lifetime, an educational, web documentary where you can learn more: http://www.organtransplants.org/. You may well save a life, or two, or three…

Valentine Treat

Chocolatey Raspberry Pudding

Makes 6 Servings

2 cups lowfat chocolate milk, divided

1 cup frozen raspberries

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

Fresh raspberries, optional

Place 1 ½ cups chocolate milk and raspberries in a blender and process until smooth. Strain the mixture into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Whisk together the cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk together the remaining ½ cup chocolate milk and the egg yolk and add to the cornstarch mixture, stirring well. Slowly add half the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Return the milk/cornstarch mixture to the pan and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until thick. Spoon the pudding into 6 small bowls, cover surface with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. Serve with fresh raspberries on top as desired.

Nutrition Information per serving: 146 calories, 5g fat (2g saturated), 157mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 5g protein, 10% vitamin C, 10% calcium

A Week of Lunches

We recently received a question from Michelle, a mother of two young children, ages 1 and 4, who asked us for some quick and easy lunch ideas. Since her children are not in school yet, we whipped up five weekdays' worth of hot and cold lunch ideas to be enjoyed at home.

Day 1: Cowboy Breakfast Wraps – You can find this recipe on page 150 of our cookbook, The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers. When Liz’s son, Simon, was in kindergarten and was asked to write down his favorite food in the world, he proclaimed Cowboy Breakfast Wraps as his number-one fave. Basically, it’s a flour tortilla filled with a mixture of scrambled eggs, sautéed spinach and lowfat shredded cheese. The salsa is optional.

Day 2: Cheesy Broccoli English Muffin Pizzas – This is our new & improved twist on English muffin pizzas. We take whole wheat English muffins and top them with pasta sauce, shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, steamed broccoli florets (cut them up into tiny pieces so the kids say, “oooh”) and grated Parmesan cheese. Toast in the oven or toaster oven until the cheese melts.

Day 3: Salmon Salad in Pita – We featured this recipe in Nick Jr. Family Magazine and it was a big hit. Made with canned salmon, mayo, and diced apple, it’s a fun and flavorful twist on the usual tuna salad sandwich (though we do have a great recipe for Scoop-It-Up Tuna Salad on our website as well!

Day 4: Mixed Up Mac & Cheese – For this fast weekday dish, take a box of all-natural, whole wheat mac & cheese and prepare with lowfat milk and 2 tablespoons canola oil (versus the 4 tablespoons butter often called for). From there, you can serve as is or mix in a host of kid-friendly ingredients such as tiny steamed broccoli florets and leftover chicken, frozen thawed peas and flaked canned tuna (or boneless, skinless salmon), or black beans, frozen thawed corn kernels, and salsa.

Day 5: Bean & Cheese Wraps – Flour tortillas are versatile to say the least. Janice’s go-to lunch for 8-year old Leah is made by spreading refried beans over a whole wheat flour tortilla and then topping with shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, frozen/thawed corn kernels, and salsa. Heat in the microwave, roll up, serve with sour cream and guacamole, and you’re good to go. Another filling idea we recently tried is cooked chicken cut into strips, honey BBQ sauce, shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, and finely diced red bell pepper. Fold in half, cook in a skillet with canola oil, and serve with a salad or fresh fruit on the side.

If you have other yummy lunch ideas you’d like to share, post them here!