Fruit smoothie

Morning snack: pumpkin pancakes, a little syrup and a blueberry, raspberry, vanilla yogurt, banana (added after picture was taken) and flaxseed smoothie

Lunch: blueberries, clementines and whole wheat bowtie pasta topped with parmesan cheese and veggie sauce (crushed tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, onion, garlic and orange bell pepper)

Afternoon snack: cinnamon and blueberry coco pop cake with almond butter, cinnamon and drizzle of honey

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Two of my favorite ways to sneak in veggies and fruit are in a pasta and in a smoothie.  Not that I really need to sneak anything into this kiddo's diet.  She's happy to eat anything from the produce section...except potatoes!  She won't even eat potato chips (which I love, of course!) 

For some reason LQ had always been a little reluctant to try smoothies.  She'd take a sip or two of the smoothies I'd prepare for myself or the hubster but would never want her own.  BUT about a week ago or so she watch an episode of Peppa Pig and they were all having smoothies.  Ever since then she's been determined to try every combination of fruit and vegetable possible.  I'm ok with that!

Persimmon

Morning snack - 1/2 banana and peanut butter, raisin and cinnamon on wheat

Lunch - Cheese and turkey roll ups, multicolor Goldfish, and persimmons

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If you've never had persimmon, you are missing out!!  It's a little pricey and it looks a bit like an orange tomato but it's absolutely sweet and delicious.  I've always wanted to cook it but we end up eating it before I decide what to make...oops.  I hope you give it a try!

Turkey Avocado Hummus and Cheese Stuffed Pita

Morning snack - pumpkin pancakes and a tad of syrup

Lunch - 1/2 pita stuffed with hummus, avocado, turkey and shredded cheese, pretzel sticks and apples

Afternoon snack - clementines and pistachios

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I recently read an article that I found really interesting.  It's an article about preschool obesity and how we can change how much a child eats by feeding him/her carbohydrates that have a slow digestion rate.  Hypothetically this advice doesn't just apply to those who are obese, but it would likely be most useful in weight management for those children.  (Citation: Alviña, M., & Araya, H. (2003). Rapid carbohydrate digestion rate produced lesser short-term satiety in obese preschool children. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 637-642.)

So I thought, what the heck is a slow digestion rate carbohydrate?  (I'm sure you're wondering too ;-p)  Well surely you've all heard of the glycemic index.  Foods that have a slow digestion rate are those that have a low glycemic number.  This basically means that the sugars found in the food will be absorbed and digested more slowly. To find and compare foods check out this website.  If you just want examples then check out this website.

Chicken broccoli and cheese on a biscuit

Morning snack - Stonefield berry yogurt and spinach, egg and cheese bake

Lunch - Chicken broccoli and cheese on a biscuit, almonds, datelets, pomegranate

Afternoon snack - Cortland apples

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I've been terrible about posting lately.  I just started a master's program in nutrition at American University and have just been exhausted trying to keep up with everything.  I hope today's post makes up for it a little.  I made the following two recipes in less than 25 minutes.  What's great is that I now have multiple meals done!

Spinach, egg and cheese bake

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1/3 c chopped fresh baby spinach

3 Tbs shredded Mexican mix cheese

4 medium eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Set oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  In a muffin tin, add 2 tablespoons of the mixture to each slot.  (I used silicone molds, but you can use cupcake liners for an easy traveling meal!)  Bake for 12 minutes.  Enjoy!

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Chicken broccoli and cheese on a biscuit

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup baked chicken cut in cubes

1/3 cup quinoa

3/4 cup chopped steamed broccoli

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can of biscuits (I used homestyle, Wegman's brand)

salt and pepper to taste  

Method

Set oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Use 1/2 a biscuit in each muffin slot to make the base of the bake.  Add a little less than 1/4 cup of the mixture to each muffin slot.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

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As many of you know, I'm a vegetarian so I made myself a vegetarian version.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped steamed broccoli

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup quinoa 

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Set oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Use 1/2 a biscuit in each muffin slot to make the base of the bake.  Add a little less than 1/3 cup of the mixture to each muffin slot.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Parmesan shavings

Lunch - whole wheat spiral noodles with homemade marinara and Parmesan shavings, grapes and pistachios

Afternoon snack - apples and peanut butter (of course)

Limed Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Corn

Morning snack: Stonefield yogurt and mixed nuts (almonds and pistachios)

Lunch: Limed black bean, sweet potato and corn, quesadilla and pomegranate

Afternoon snack: Triscuits with almond butter, honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon and clementines

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Limed black beans, sweet potato and corn

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, diced and steamed

1 cup steamed corn

2 cups black beans

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

3 1/2 TBS fresh lime juice

salt to taste

**1/4 tsp cayenne pepper if you and the kids can take it

Method

Place everything, except the sweet potatoes, in a bowl and combine.  Because the sweet potatoes are steamed they are a bit fragile.  Gently fold in sweet potatoes and enjoy!!  

Alternatively, if you want the sweet potatoes to be a bit more firm you can bake them.  To bake the sweet potatoes line a baking sheet with foil and set the oven to 425 degrees.  Rub diced raw sweet potatoes with olive oil, making sure to coat evenly.  Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper (if applicable).  Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how small the sweet potatoes are diced.

This concoction is great hot or cold, it's especially delicious on corn tortillas, or maybe that's just the Mexican in me.

Nut Butters

Morning snack: whole wheat pumpkin pancakes, Cortland apples and a bit of syrup

Lunch: whole grain bowtie pasta with homemade sauce which included peas and spinach, ground beef vegetarian crumble and topped with Parmesan cheese, almonds and pumpkin almond butter oat bar (shaped like a cookie)

Afternoon snack: Cortland apples, Triscuits and almond butter

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As a vegetarian I'm constantly asked how I get my protein and I say two things...  

First, people don't need as much protein as they think they do.  A person who is consuming 2000 calories a day needs about a serving and a half of protein daily (a serving is 3 ounces or about the size of a deck of cards).  When you go to a restaurant they offer 16 ounce steaks.  And people order and eat it!!  That's enough for over 3 days of protein!!  The only people that need high protein intake are people who are trying to build a significant amount of muscle or professional athletes who cause a lot of wear on their muscles.  So if you're not a body builder or professional athlete, it's more than likely you'll get enough protein my eating a well balanced meal.  

Second, I explain to people that there are plant based proteins that provide sufficient amounts of protein.  For example, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds and vegetables all provide protein.  Not to mention there are meat replacement products such as soy protein and a variety of soy products.  Nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter and sunbutter) all generally provide 7g of protein per 2 tablespoons, depending on the brand, of course.  And, nut butters are great for on the go!

As a side note...

I constantly hear people saying that they need to decrease their carbohydrates and increase their protein so that they can lose weight.  Please don't.  Your brain is fueled by carbohydrates which is why you get a headache when you skip meals or reduce your carbohydrates.