Jan. Meeting! 30 Minute Meals & Healthy Eating Tips

Chef Jodi!
Mingle Time

Wine, Good Food & Girl Talk!

The perfect evening! :)

Cute Pregnant Nicole enjoying her water while talking with Kristen!

MEETING

Jodi demonstrated a fabulous 30 minute meal that we all got to enjoy! It was delicious!

Thanks Jod!!!! Check out her recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_32769_PRINT-RECIPE-FULL-PAGE,00.html

Each member brought a recipe to share as well. Copies of the recipes will be available at the next meeting.

Here are some of the healthy eating tips that our members shared with the group:

(Please keep in mind, these are simply suggestions from other members, not doctor recommendations. :))

• Instead of Kraft’s Mac and Cheese, use Annie’s M&C. Annie’s has almost 10 grams of protein per serving. Also, add either squash or cauliflower puree to the cheese. You can’t even tell that there are veggies in this delicious meal.
• For grilled cheese, do not use American cheese. Did you know that American cheese is a processed food that has little nutritional value? However, sometimes it is fortified with calcium. Use either Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese. Also, add sweet potato puree to the cheese mixture. Once again, you can’t even tell. For increased nutrition, use flax and fiber bread and Smart Balance butter that has flaxseed oil and omega three supplements. This simple meal becomes very nutritious with a few easy adjustments.
• Add wheat germ or flaxseed to yogurt, oatmeal, applesauce, etc. Be careful not to over do it with the flaxseed…it can cause diarrhea if you give them too much. Always check with your doctor before supplementing your child's diet.
• For brownies, use Duncan Hines mix and add a ½ cup of spinach puree and ½ cup of carrot puree to the ingredients. It improves the taste and makes them much moister.
• For eggs, add cheese and sweet potato puree. Just another way to get another serving of veggies into the day.
• For waffles, buy either Kashi or Life Stream. Both are very high in fiber, protein and have omega three supplements.
• Make their morning juice a combination of 100% fruit juice and water. Try to buy juice that is 100% fruit juice and has 100% Vitamin C. This can count as a fruit serving if you buy the right kind of juice. Juice does have sugar, so limit their juice to 4-6 ounces a day. Also, buy pomegranate or grape juice, which are both high in antioxidants.
• When making the purees, try to steam all veggies. Use the steamed water to make the puree. The steamed water is where a lot of the nutrients end up once they have been cooked. Steaming is the best way to eat veggies, next to eating them raw. Once they are steamed and pureed, put the mix in ice cube trays and freeze. Make large batches at a time so that you always have purees on hand for cooking.
• Baby cereal and oatmeal is only at its optimal nutritional value for one month after it has been opened. Keep cereal in a tupperware container to keep it fresh longer. I also label the container so that I know when the cereal has expired.
• Protein shake for pregnant woman and non pregnant woman: Two scoops of Kashi protein powder/vanilla flavor (Trader Joe’s sells the protein powder), ½ cup of frozen of fresh berries, ½ banana, ½ cup of low fat yogurt, a few ice cubes, and ½ cup of water. This very tasty drink has almost 40 grams of protein, folic acid, and many other important vitamins. Plus it is low in fat & sugar and is very filling. Gives that little one a great start to the day!
• Excellent resources: Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meal Cookbooks, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron, and Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.
• Invest in a good water bottle and carry it around with you all day. Drink! Drink! Drink!
• Weight Watchers also has a simple protein drink mix that is worth looking into.
• Encourage your child to have fruits and vegetables with every meal.

Eating Tips From babycenter.com:

Age: 12 to 18 months

Signs of readiness for self-feeding

•Can start to use a spoon himself (though proficiency will take a while!)

What to feed

• Whole milk

• Other dairy (soft pasteurized cheese, full-fat yogurt and cottage cheese)

• Same food as family, mashed or chopped into bite-size pieces

• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals)

• Other grains (whole wheat bread, pasta, rice)

• New fruits: melon, papaya, apricot, grapefruit (citrus is now okay)

• New vegetables: broccoli and cauliflower "trees"

• Protein (eggs; cut-up or ground meat, poultry, boneless fish; tofu; beans; thinly spread smooth peanut butter)

• Citrus and non-citrus juice

• Honey is now okay

How much per day

• 2 to 3 servings dairy (1 serving = ½ cup milk, ½ to 1 oz. cheese, 1/3 to ½ cup yogurt or cottage cheese)

• 4 to 6 servings cereals and other grains (1 serving = ¼ to 1/3 cup cereal, ¼ cup pasta or rice, ¼ to ½ slice bread or bagel)

• ¼ to ½ cup fruit • ¼ to ½ cup vegetables

• 2 servings protein (1 serving = 2 tablespoons ground or two 1-inch cubes meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; ¼ cup tofu or cooked beans; 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter)

• 3 to 4 oz. juice

Feeding tips

Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your child's not allergic.

Choking hazards are still a danger.

Age: 18 to 24 months

Feeding skills to look for

• Self-feeding

• Food phrases like "more" and "all done"

What to feed

• Whole milk

• Other dairy (natural hard cheese, soft pasteurized cheese, full-fat yogurt and cottage cheese, pudding)

• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oat, mixed cereals)

• Other grains (whole wheat bread and crackers, cut-up bagels, pretzels, rice cakes, ready-to-eat cereals, pasta, rice)

• Fruit, cooked, canned or fresh, cut up or sliced (apples, bananas, peaches, strawberries, pears, cherries, grapes, plums, oranges, grapefruit)

• Dried fruit, soaked until soft so it won't pose a choking hazard (apples, apricots, peaches, pears, dates, pitted prunes, raisins)

• Vegetables, cooked and mashed or diced (carrots, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, yams, potatoes, peas)

Protein (eggs; cut-up or ground meat, poultry, boneless fish; tofu; beans; smooth peanut butter)

• Combo foods like macaroni and cheese, casseroles

• Fruit and vegetable juices

How much per day

2 to 3 servings dairy (1 serving = ½ cup milk; ½ to 1 oz. cheese; 1/3 to ½ cup yogurt or cottage cheese; ¼ cup pudding)

• 6 servings grains (1 serving = ¼ to ½ slice bread or bagel; 1 or 2 crackers; ¼ cup pasta or rice; 1/3 to ½ cup cooked or ready-to-eat cereal)

• 2 to 3 servings fruit (1 serving = ¼ cup cooked or canned, ½ piece fresh; 1/8 cup dried; ¼ to ½ cup juice)

• 2 to 3 servings vegetables (1 serving = 1 to 2 tablespoons)

• 2 servings protein (1 serving = 2 tablespoons ground or two 1-inch cubes meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; ¼ cup tofu or cooked beans; 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter)

Feeding tips

• Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your child's not allergic. • Choking hazards are still a danger.

Age: 24 to 36 months

Feeding skills to look for

• Self-feeding

• Eagerness to make own food choices

What to feed

• Low-fat milk

• Other dairy (diced or grated cheese; low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding)

• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals)

• Other grains (whole wheat bread and crackers, cut-up bagels, pretzels, rice cakes, ready-to-eat cereal, pasta, rice)

Fruits, sliced fresh or canned

Dried fruit, soaked until soft so it won't pose a choking hazard (apples, apricots, peaches, pears, dates, pitted prunes, raisins)

• Vegetables, cooked and cut up

• Protein (eggs; cut-up or ground meat, poultry, boneless fish; tofu; beans; smooth peanut butter)

Combo foods like macaroni and cheese, casseroles

• Fruit and vegetable juices

How much per day

One serving for a child this age is about ¼ the size of an adult serving.

• 2 to 3 servings dairy (1 serving = ½ cup milk; ½ to ¾ oz. cheese; ½ cup yogurt; ¼ to ½ cup cottage cheese; ¼ cup pudding)

• 6 servings grains (1 serving = ½ slice bread or bagel; 1 or 2 crackers; ¼ to ½ cup pasta or rice; 1/3 to ½ cup cooked or ready-to-eat cereal)

• 2 to 3 servings fruit (1 serving = ¼ cup cooked or canned, ½ piece fresh, or ¼ to ½ cup juice)

• 2 to 3 servings vegetables (1 serving = 2 to 3 tablespoons)

• 2 servings protein (1 serving = 2 tablespoons ground or two 1-inch cubes meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; ¼ cup tofu or cooked beans; 1 tablespoon peanut butter)

Feeding tips

• Introduce new foods one at a time, with at least three days in between to make sure your child's not allergic.

• Choking hazards are still a danger.

• Your child may seem to eat less than before — that's perfectly normal at this stage. If you wonder whether he's getting enough calories, use this guideline: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your child get about 40 calories a day for every inch of height.

Stay tuned for some recipes and meeting photos! :)

Next Month's Meeting:

Organizing your home!

Feb. 28th

Kim's House.

Details will follow!

Please bring your favorite tip on organizing for our idea swap. For example, maybe you have a creative way to organize your photos or memorabilia. Or perhaps you have an efficient way to do your laundry or dishes. Maybe you can give a tip on organizing junk drawers or closets.

Be creative!