Foodie Friday

If you happen to be a member of Facebook, you should check this out. Every Friday My Plate does a Foodie Friday recipe / menu.   Why not check them out and see what they have on the menu it could become on of your new family favorites.

Super Tracker

I was going to make a lame super man joke here, but I decided better of it and I am going to save my small bit of dignity and not do it.

Do you know about Super Tracker? For those of us that love the tech-y tools and online world it is one of the best tools around.  Let me see if I can explain all the cool things that it can help you to do.

Food-a-Pedia This is a place where you can put in a food or beverage like.. "Coke" and it will come up with some options that you can select ie: size or flavor and then it will show you all the nutrition facts for that item. Or you can put it a few different foods like white rice and quinoa and compare them side by side. It also has fast food, condiments and sweets.  It can help you make some good and better food choices by letting you know what is or in some cases isn't in the foods we eat and serve our family.

Food Tracker - This is where you sign up for an account and user name and you start keeping track of everything that you are eating. I don't know about you, but I have been shocked once or twice in my life as I have kept a food diary of all the mindless calories that I can consume. I think one of the best things about the food tracker, is that you can keep track of the allowances that you are getting in your daily food group targets. The graph is fun and can be really encouraging as you see yourself make progress.

Physical Activity Tracker -  This is to help you keep track of all that extra moving around you are doing. You can even save your own favorite activities that you do. I love the MIE ( Moderate Intensity Equivalent (MIE) Minutes) that looks like an odometer, (it makes me feel like a race car!)

This is so fun to use, I am still discovering parts of it like a personal coach where you can set your own top 5 goals. you can meal plan from here and one of the best parts is that you get your own journal where you can not only see the foods you entered, and the activity you did, but you can input your mood and all your thoughts and feelings about the day.  There is so much to explore and use in this program!

So today's birthday party activity is for YOU to go sign up for Super Tracker.  If you do, come back and leave a comment here and then you will be entered for the drawing on June 2nd for the fabulous birthday prize package!

Soon we are going to Party!

Next week is the two year anniversary of Choose My Plate. And we are going to be celebrating here on the blog.  I can't wait! I have some really fun things planned, we are going to explore Super Tracker, Make a Sample Menu, and add our own little twist on the Ten Tips!

I am so excited about the Choose My Plate program, I love it, and there is so much help and information out there to help you get started, keep inspired and meet amazing goals. And so I am going to be throwing a little "party" here at the blog, and the present is for YOU!

Here's what you need to do, explore the blog and leave a comment on ANY post. That will enter you into a random drawing for this fun little gift. I will contact you if you are the winner.

You will get this awesome Food $ense apron, a menu planning packet, a fun pen to do that with a two packs of sticky notes to help label your leftovers. I will probably throw in  a birthday goodie or two, but I don't want to officially bribe you with chocolate. 

Now get out there and read and comment.

Leftovers Yeah! or Yuck?

So here we all sit after a long holiday weekend, probably with fridges bursting full of leftovers and food from the parties that we attended. I have such a complicated relationship with leftovers, I don't love then, I feel like I shouldn't hate them, I don't want to transfer my issues with them to my children and my husband loves them. Who would have thought that food sitting already cooked and ready to eat in containers in my fridge could cause such an emotional reaction.

I don't know why I have such an issue with them, you would think that someone that dislikes cooking as much as I do that I would adore having something already made in the fridge.

I want my kids to like them because it means so much less waste and easier quick dinners if I can just say, "hey! grab that leftover taco meat and make yourself a burrito".

My husband is all about not ever throwing away food. He paid good money for it, and it needs to be eaten. I agree, but it is much harder for me when I have to be the one doing the eating.

So for those of you who love leftovers and those of you who are a little reluctant today Food $ense and I have some leftover hints and tips for you to make it a much better experience (for all of us).

Tip #1 - Label your leftovers - Say what they are and when they were made.

  This may seem a little simple, I bet almost none of us do it, and then we end up in the most dreaded of all leftover situations, "what is THIS and when did it take up residence in this fridge?"  Use a strip of masking tape, or do what I do and use a Post-it.

Tip # 2 - Know how long they can stay. Here is a quick bit of information on how long to keep things. And this is a good basic rule to follow - Four days is a good number, if you don't think you will be able to eat it in that time then put it in the freezer instead of the fridge.  If you are going to freeze it, be sure you follow tip #1 and label it, or you may never remember what it is.

Tip #3 - Know how to handle them correctly.  Here is some information on that:

Handling leftovers

• Before and after handling leftovers, wash your hands as well as all utensils, dishes and work surfaces with hot soapy water.
• Keep foods out of the danger zone, between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F) to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
• Throw away any cooked food left in the danger zone for more than two hours.
• Never rely on your nose, eyes or taste buds to judge the safety of food. You cannot tell if food is contaminated by its look, smell or taste. When in doubt, throw it out!

Cooling leftovers

• Refrigerate all hot leftovers promptly in uncovered, shallow containers so they cool quickly.
• Very hot items can first be cooled at room temperature. Refrigerate once steaming stops.
• Leave the lid off or wrap loosely until the food is cooled to refrigeration temperature.
• Avoid overstocking the refrigerator to allow cool air to circulate freely.

Storing leftovers

• Always use a clean container to hold leftovers, or wrap leftovers in leak-proof plastic bags to prevent cross-contamination. Keep different types of leftovers separate.
• Eat refrigerated leftovers within 2 to 3 days, or freeze them for later use.
• Date leftovers to help identify the contents and to ensure they are not stored too long.

Defrosting leftovers

• Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator or in the microwave. Ensure food is properly sealed.
• Use the defrost setting of your microwave and make sure leftovers are completely defrosted before reheating.
• Consume or cook the leftovers immediately after they have thawed.

Reheating leftovers

• Reheat leftovers to a safe internal temperature of 74ºC (165ºF).
• Use a digital food thermometer to check the temperature.
• Bring gravies, soups and sauces to a full, rolling boil and stir during the process.
• Discard uneaten leftovers after they have been reheated.

Reheating in a microwave

• Use only containers and plastic wrap designed for use in the microwave.
• Loosen the lid or wrap to allow steam to escape.
• Stop the microwave midway through reheating and stir the food so that the heat is evenly distributed.
• Rotate the plate several times during cooking if your microwave does not have a rotating tray.

It’s estimated that there are approximately 48 million cases of food-related illnesses in the United States every year 3000 of whom will die.  Many of these illnesses could be prevented by following proper food handling and preparation techniques.

Eat In Season Information

I found this online and really wanted to share it with you. It has some great information on what is available when. One of the best ways we can save money and eat super healthy is to buy locally and eat fresh in season foods. Plus they are so incredibly delicious, all I have to say is... "garden tomato!"

Month to Month Veggies and Fruit Infographic: Your Guide to Seasonal Cooking infographic by HealthCentral.

There is also a ton of great information for us here in Utah from Food $ense.  We have a link that can help you find a local farmer's market. And some fantastic recipes that you can try using the things you will find there.

We do a great spotlight on fruits and vegetables that are in season for the month. This is super helpful because it can introduce you to something that you might not be familiar with or help you to use things in a new way.

Here is a new seasonal cooking chart that I wanted to share with you. The information is fantastic and it shows ways to prepare almost all the foods you will find at your local market.

Frozen Summer Snacks

When we lived in Washington a neighbor of ours had three prolific blueberry bushes. If you can get yourself a neighbor with blueberry bushes, I highly recommend it. One of the best things we discovered to do with blueberries was to freeze them, and then eat them frozen like little round delicious juicy fruit popsicles.

You can also do this with grapes and it is amazing! Your kids with think you are a culinary genius and the maker of the most fantastic summer snack in the world. You'll be smiling brilliantly because you will have discovered a way to make them bed to eat fruits.

I made cookies this weekend, really good cookies.  I used This recipe for Oatmeal Cookies, but I changed a few things to make them better for us and so I could feel better about serving them.

I changed 1/2 the flour to whole wheat and the oats that I added were 1/2 instant oatmeal and 1/2 steel cut oats.  These disappeared faster than I could pull them out of the oven. The recipe made a huge amount and it was a very good thing that it did.

Rx for health

I got these from the pediatrician when the baby had her checkup. They have them on big posters and I like them so much I put them on my fridge for the kids to see.

Summer Lunch Program

I had a sudden flash of (dare I call it) dread this week when I realized we have less than two weeks left of school this year! I look forward to summer with a strange mix of delight and abhorrence. I love having my kids home, but sometimes they get in my hair. 

I love having no place to be, but sometimes really miss having a schedule. I love that we have nothing to do, but I hate hearing… “MOM!, there is Nothing to do!”.

One thing that we did last summer that I am really looking forward to doing again this summer is the summer school lunch program. This was an absolute dream come true last year and if you are able to, I highly recommend that you do it with your kids.

My kids eat both breakfast and lunch at school, the cost of feeding them those meals at home can really add up, not to mention snacks and just boredom munching.   This summer lunch program gets us out of the house, it helps the kids to keep in touch with their school friends, I got to meet some amazing moms and we always stayed and played on the playground for a bit after. We were eating healthy AND being active.

I have done all the “hard work” for you.  HERE is a link to find where they are serving summer meals near you. This is the website that has all the information for the state of Utah. And here is the information nationally, but they will redirect you to your state site.

This is an amazing program; it changed our summer for the better immensely last year. It gave us enough of a schedule, the kids looked forward to the meal and to the play, and it really helped out our family with the grocery budget.  

Cherries

I found the most delicious cherries at the grocery store on Tuesday. I love cherries, they seem to be the first signal the summer is on its way. And unless you bake with them, the very best thing to do with them is sit and eat them on your porch and spit the pits into the grass.

Oat Bread

One of the things I always wished I was in life was a great bread baker. Both of my grandmother’s effortlessly made bread. I had lessons from both of them, but what seemed to come so naturally to them has always been a bit of a struggle for me. Be that as it may, I fearlessly keep baking bread. Even bad homemade bread is still pretty darn good!

I was super  cleaning the kitchen today and decided to move / refill the containers that sit on my counter that contain flour and sugar and other staples. So I hauled up from the basement pantry the huge bag of whole grain wheat flour and after I refilled the container, I looked at the recipe on the side of the bag...  Oat Bread …  Mmmmmmm that sounds good!  And since May’s grain of the month is Oats, that is a double sure sign that I need to make this.

It is hot today in the house and since I have the air conditioner on I am raising the bread on top of the dishwasher that is running instead of in the usual sunny spot that is right above the register vent (which would mean cold air blew on my bread bowl).  So far it is looking gorgeous and I can’t wait to eat it.  It looks like we will be having bread and cheese with apples for snacks around 4 o’clock today.

Chicken Salad with Blueberries

We got home late last night after too much partying and too much family visiting and I was starving. And I was hungry for something “good” for me.  You know how you sometimes feel after too much cake and goodies and party food, you just want some real food. Well that was how I was feeling last night.

We had all our kids over the weekend and they really cleaned us out, we were left with some pretty slim picking in the fridge and it was past bedtime and I was exhausted. The point of telling you all of this is because I have to share with you the most delicious and easy thing ever!

Blueberry and Walnut Chicken Salad, we had some leftover chicken from Thursday and a few leftover blueberries from pancakes that were made on Sunday, some celery stalks and the walnuts got left out because they give me canker sores and I plain just don’t like them. It was so delicious and perfect!  I love chicken salad, but this has such a different twist on it that I just had to share it with you. 

Happy Mother's Day

To all of us who are everything to all the people in our lives, let's remember to take as good of care of ourselves as do of the people we love.

Oatmeal - Remix!

A few months ago in a magazine that I get they had a quick article on new ways to eat oatmeal. I ripped it out and saved it because some of the ideas (okay ALL of the ideas) were just too good not to try!

Seeing as how the grain of the month is Oats this month, I am going to share them with you.

If you are a fruit lover there is Bananas with Molasses and Pecans, Pineapple with Mint,  Blueberries and Sunflower Seeds, or even fresh Grapes with Peanut Butter. Perhaps you want a little crunch with your oatmeal; try Mango with Coconut and Cashews, Dried Fruit and Pistachios or if creamy is your thing Yogurt and Marmalade (any type of Jam really). But if you are feeling really adventurous I highly recommend a savory oatmeal Cheddar with Scallions, with Bacon and Maple Syrup or my favorite of all time Fried Egg and Avocado with Fresh Salsa. 

Whether you are a quick cooking oatmeal lover or you enjoy steel cut or oat groats; oatmeal is a great way to experiment and get creative with breakfast.  This handout has a ton of fun ideas for mix-ins, and you can always make up your own!

Decisions, decisions

I have been thinking about decisions lately. About the decision making process we as people go through and how changes come into our life when we make decisions to change.

My middle son has been contemplating trying out for an extra play soccer team. He played this year but has been extremely casual about it. I talked to him about how he needed to dedicate his time to this if he was going to commit to this team. That it wasn't going to keep being any fun unless he worked to get better and that practice once a week wasn't going to be enough. That he was going to need to give up other things if he decided that he wanted to play on this team. This was a really hard decision for him to make and he really struggled to feel like he was making the right choice for him.

It got me really examining my own life and why I make the things that I do important. Because whether we realize it or not all those little choices add up to big changes or lack of the same.

This month's healthy challenge at work has been about little changes. First little changes in diet and then little changes in activities and then putting them both together. Hopefully over a period of time it will equal really positive results.

And that has my mind ruminating on deciding to make changes. The first step is the actual decision to do it. If you want to make a menu plan, you just need to grab a pen and paper and sit down and write it out. If you are going to be more active, you need to stand up from your computer and head outside. And it all starts with the decision to do it.

What are you going to decide to do today?

Reality Menu Plans

I wanted to show you the last three weeks of my own menu planning, to give you courage to plan your own.

The truth is I have been jotting them down on Sunday afternoon in between waiting for meetings to start. But that just means that YOU Can Do IT too!

One of the first lessons taught at Food $ense is Menu Planning.  Lots of people on the web have lots to say about it. You can print out lots of cute forms and helps and you can see lots of idea on pinterest to make it cute and your own, but it all boils down to you just doing it.  

Menu planning is one of the best things you can do to make your budget go further and ease the stress of dinner time.  It doesn't have to be hard, but you do have to do it. 

So grab a post-it, or a scrap or paper or the back of the envelope ask the person next to you what they want to eat for dinner this week and make a menu plan. Go on,....  do it. 

Rhubarb in May

One of the spotlight vegetables for the month of May is rhubarb. I absolutely love rhubarb, but aside from knowing someone who grows it how in the world do you get it? I don’t know if I have seen it locally available at the store. Have you?

If you are lucky enough to grow your own you probably know lots about it. If you are like me and have to pick it up at the store; here are some quick basics from Martha Stewart about it.

I have to say, I was surprised it isn’t a fruit, I guess have always thought of it as so. I am really looking forward to making something with it this month, but first I have to track down a friend of my parents and see if he can get me some from his garden.