It's Wild Blueberry Season

Maine is the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world and last week, Liz was there to experience the tiny sweet berries in all their glory. With her family, she traveled to a picturesque area called Sebasco Bay and enjoyed the local cuisine (lobsters, mussels, potatoes and blueberries, of course). If you're lucky enough to get a hold of some Maine wild blueberries, try our Blueberry Snack Muffins. You can also use frozen blueberries so don't worry if you can't find the fresh ones.

Blueberry Snack Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Topping:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large omega-3 eggs, beaten
One 6 to 8-ounce container lowfat blueberry yogurt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen wild blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Prepare the topping by combining the sugar, wheat germ, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. To make the batter, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla and stir until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Gently stir in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with the topping. Bake about 20 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and cool an additional 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information per Serving: 190 calories, 6g fat (0.5g saturated), 31g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 150mg sodium, 4g protein

Smart Snacking

On average, children consume over 850 snacks per year. Wow. That's a lot of nibbles! For many kids, snack time has unfortunately become junk food time. To turn snacks into the healthy mini meals they were meant to be try our new Grab-and-Go Breakfast Bars (a makeover of store-bought granola bars). This is one of our best recipes yet! In fact, it took us ten tries in the Meal Makeover Moms' Test Kitchen before we got it just right. It's super nutritious thanks to ingredients like walnuts, dried fruits, and whole grain cereals, and kids love the taste. What could be better?!

Grab-and-Go Breakfast Bars
Makes 16 Bars

1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup shredded wheat cereal*
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (we use a combination of dried apricots, dried plums, and dried cranberries)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large omega-3 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Place the oats, shredded wheat, walnuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped (the dried fruit will be the size of a dried pea or lentil).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Add the oatmeal mixture and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
4. Transfer to the baking pan and flatten down gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to spread evenly.
5. Bake about 18 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the bars are done. Let bars cool completely in pan before slicing and serving.

* We like Mom’s Best Naturals Toasted Wheat-fuls for this recipe.

TIP: These bars freeze really well. So, if you have leftovers, wrap individual portions in plastic baggies or aluminum foil and freeze.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 160 calories, 7g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.7g omega-3), 85mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 3g protein

Janice Meets Oprah

We've been told for years that we should be on the Oprah Winfrey Show to share our ideas & tips for feeding families a healthy diet. Janice finally had the opportunity to talk with/beg Oprah to let us on her show. Unfortunately, Janice didn't get a response from the Diva of Daytime TV because the Oprah Janice spoke to was made of wax. "Wax, you say?" Yes, since their meeting took place at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City, it was impossible to get any sort of dialog going (though Janice did do her best). If anyone knows the real Oprah, feel free to tell her all about us!

Mad About Mangos

First grown in India over 5,000 years ago, mangos have emerged today as the world's most popular fresh fruit! They're a great source of immune-boosting vitamins A and C and are also low in calories and rich in fiber. Their versatility can't be beat. We love them as a snack or blended into sweet, refreshing smoothies. They also work wonders in sensational summer salsas. In fact, we recently created a recipe for Mango Cilantro Salsa, perfect as a topping for grilled seafood, beef, pork, or poultry. If this recipe is a tad too sophisticated for your kids, leave the red onion out. Or let loose and add a minced jalapeno for a bit more of a kick!

Mango Cilantro Salsa
Makes 5 to 6 Servings

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small red bell pepper, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 lime (the zest and the juice -- about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoon minced red onion, optional
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix together well. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate about 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 60 calories, 0g total fat, 180mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 0g protein, 25% vitamin A, 40% vitamin C

Click here to watch a video of our Mom's Mango Smoothie recipe at http://www.mealmakeovertv.com/

For more delicious mango recipes check out http://www.mango.org/

Fishing for Compliments!

When we each received our Master’s Degrees at Boston University back in the 1980s, we didn’t expect to return 20 years later to teach a cooking class for 25 members of the National Fisheries Institute. But that’s just what we did last week. And what a fun time we had! After showing folks how to dice a mango, cut a sweet potato, and juice a lime, we all went into the commercial kitchen and cooked up a storm.

We all prepared and then enjoyed an appetizer of Crispy Shrimp with Garlicky Sautéed Spinach, followed by Almond Crusted Tilapia with Mango-Cilantro Salsa, Sweet Potato Fries, Mesclun Salad with Simply Sweet Vinaigrette, and ended with Chocolaty Coconut Torte with Fresh Raspberries. We ended our meal with a hilarious contest to see who could hand whip cream fastest to serve with the torte.
Here’s one of the favorite recipes that we invite you to try. We guarentee you'll love it!

Crispy Shrimp with Garlicky Sautéed Spinach

Makes 5 Appetizer Servings

1 pound jumbo raw shrimp (15 count), shelled and deveined

1 large egg (preferably an omega-3 egg), beaten
1 cup Panko (Japanese style) bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
One 10-ounce bag prewashed baby spinach
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 lemon cut into wedges

Flatten each shrimp gently with a mallet or rolling pin and set aside. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and ground flaxseed in a shallow bowl. Place the egg in a separate bowl. Dip each shrimp in the egg, then coat evenly with the bread crumb mixture. Arrange on a plate. Heat the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until crispy and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. You may need to cook the shrimp in two batches depending on the size of your skillet.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in another large nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Add the spinach, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, divide the spinach and shrimp evenly onto five plates, and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 290 calories, 14g fat (3g saturated, 1.9g omega-3), 170mg cholesterol, 430mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 26g protein, 50% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 30% iron

"The Moms" Meet Mom's Best

It's not everyday you get to tour a cereal factory and see a wind turbine but that's exactly what we did last Tuesday in Northfield, Minnesota. As guests of the Mom's Best Naturals cereal company, we donned hairnets, safety goggles, ear plugs, and lab coats (see our ready-for-primetime photo below!) and went behind the scenes as thousands of pounds of hot and cold cereals were cooked up at the plant. Seeing raw wheat turned into one of our kids' favorite cereals, Sweetened Wheat-fuls, was a real treat. After the tour, we headed over to a wind turbine that is part of the network that generates 100% of the electricity used to create Mom's Best. How cool is that?

Mom's Best Naturals creates value-priced cereals (costing 20 to 50% less than comparable all-natural brands) that are made without artificial colors, flavors, or trans fats. You can see why we love them! For more information check out http://www.momsbestnaturals.com/. To see a video demo of our yummy Toasty-O-Granola recipe using Mom's Best Toasty O's, visit http://www.mealmakeovertv.com/.

Summer Camp Kebabs

Summer is in full swing and by now, some of you may have come to the realization that YOU'RE STILL PACKING LUNCHES for the kids! If PB&J is all you can muster up (let's face it, after a school year of stuffing lunch boxes, you may be a tad bit fried), try our Fruity Chicken Kebabs. With the season's freshest berries, grapes, and melon, these fun kebabs add flavor, fun and great nutrition to any camper's lunch box.Visit our new website, http://www.mealmakeovertv.com/ and be sure to watch our video of Fruity Chicken Kebabs to see how easy they are to make.