August 29, 2020

Saturday Snacking… with Snack Boards!
Snack boards are a great way to get all the good stuff without slaving over a meal. They can be offered as an option for a family meal or a snack in between meals. You can serve up leftover veggies or fruits, bite-sized meats, cheese cubes, nuts, dried fruits, whole grain crackers, or whatever your family prefers. The options are only limited by your imagination. I would encourage you to consider creating a snack board with more than one option from each food group (fruit, vegetable, meat, dairy, and grain).

August 27, 2020

Thankful Thursdays
It’s that time of the week to take stock of who and what you’re grateful for in your life! Set aside some quiet moments in the morning or at night to really think on it. Starting your day with gratitude helps start your day with purpose. It brings a positivity to your mindset that will help overcome the struggles of the day. Waking up and starting the day with an intentional high is a great habit to get into, even if you just start it on Thankful Thursdays. I challenge you to evaluate how your day goes when you start it with gratitude as compared to when you don’t.

August 24, 2020

Beat the Heat with Meatless Mondays
Enjoy a meatless meal that doesn’t heat the house up! You just can’t beat the nutritional punch this amazing salad provides. It’s bursting with flavor and nutrients from berries and pecans. That’s a WIN-WIN. And, if you’re still planning for more meals at home this one comes together quickly for a lunch or dinner.

Blueberries – Vitamin C, Manganese and dietary fiber offer heart protective effects plus help to break down nutrients like fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Strawberries – Vitamin C, dietary fiber, folate and phytonutrients may protect against heart disease and arthritis.

Pecans – The combination of unsaturated fats, plant sterols, fiber and flavonoids make it a heart-healthy superfood.
Check out this flavorful salad recipe.

Dietitians Dish – August 24, 2020

Seafood offers big benefits for kids (of all ages)!

Fish and shellfish have nutrients, vitamins and omega-3s that are essential for a strong body. They help with brain development, to building strong bones and immune system, plus a healthy heart. Just 2 servings a week of seafood is recommended to achieve these benefits. With all the challenges from COVID-19, including whether kids will return to school in-person or virtually, getting more seafood into their diets to reap the health benefits shouldn’t be hard. The brain is made up mostly of fat, so boosting the amount of omega-3 fats consumed will help grow the brain and allow kids to do better with school tasks. Let seafood be one part of the solution to your concerns about whether your kids are getting the most out of their schooling (whatever form it takes throughout the pandemic).

Kid – Friendly Tuna Pinwheels

Ingredients:

• 1 can Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna
• 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• Optional: salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 whole wheat wraps

Directions:

• Drain Bumble Bee Tuna well and mix together with yogurt and garlic powder.
• Option to season with salt and pepper.
• Lay one tortilla flat and lay rows of ingredients, one in front of the other: 1/2 tuna mixture, 1/4 cup carrots, 1/2 avocado.
• Pick up edge of wrap that goes the same direction as the rows and roll it over ingredients, wrapping as tightly as possible as you go.
• Repeat with second tortilla and remaining tuna, carrots and avocado.
• Slice wrap into about 8-10 slices, each about 1 inch thick.

Recipe source: https://www.bumblebee.com/recipes/kid-friendly-recipes

August 21, 2020

Flexitarian Fridays
If you mainly eat vegetarian but occasionally choose meals with fish or meat in them, then you’re probably following a flexitarian eating pattern. Being plant-forward is good for the body and planet. You’re helping conserve resources that are sometimes depleted more rapidly if not grown, harvested or handled in a sustainable way. Including some meals containing fish are great for heart-protective benefits.

And, there are just some nutrients more plentiful in meat and seafood than you can get in standard servings of plant-based foods. That means you would have to eat more of plant foods to get enough of certain nutrients, raising calorie intake significantly. So, find a balance with a flexitarian lifestyle.

A light dinner option that will get a meal on the table in under 30 minutes is this Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Tomato Bruschetta. Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene. But, did you know that cooking tomatoes makes the lycopene more available for the body to absorb? With the vitamin C and other nutrients you can’t go wrong with this combination.