• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (cut off any visable fat), sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped or crushed garlic
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper chopped
• 2-3 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bunch  chard, collard greens, mustard greens, spinach or 2 stalks broccoli, chopped (OR whatever vegetable sounds good to you…zucchini, asparagus….)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
•  1/2-3/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups fresh grape tomatoes cut in half or small, ripe tomatoes quartered; OR 1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (heat heavy fry pan and toss pine nuts until lightly browned
• 1/4 cup bleu cheese
• 4 ounces whole grain fettucine, cooked according to package instructions
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat heavy, large frying pan. Add oil, garlic, onion,  red pepper and mushrooms. Saute for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add chicken, saute until lightly browned. Add greens and basil (if using broccoli, or other “hard” vegetable, add at the same time you add the chicken). Saute until the chicken is cooked through and the vegtables are just soft. Add the wine, continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, until lightly boiling. Toss in the tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. When tomatoes are heated through, toss everything with the fettucine; add in the bleu cheese and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Curried Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut in 1-2 inch “chunks”
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped or crushed garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger, or 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 whole large onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 red, green or yellow bell pepper, diced
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
• 3 to 4 cups low salt chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon (or more to taste) of your favorite curry powder (I like green or yellow curry from the Savory Spice Box)
• 1/4 cup dry Sherry
• 1/4 peanut butter
• 1/4 cup or more fresh cilantro, chopped (can substitute with fresh basil)
• 1/4 cup raisins

Heat a heavy, large sauce pan or pot. Add the olive oil, garlic, ginger, and onion, saute for 3 to 5 minutes until just softening and add celery, peppers, chicken and sweet potatoes. Continue to saute until chicken is lightly browned. Add the chicken broth and Sherry and allow to simmer until potatoes are soft (20 to 30 minutes). Add the peanut butter, stir until well mixed. Add the cilantro and raisins. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes more and serve.

So, how do you put this into practice?
ADD VEGETABLES to foods–chop or puree vegetables and add them to soups and stews, casseroles, meat loaf….. Adding vegetables for Breakfast, Lunch AND Dinner for both kids and adults has been shown to not only decrease total caloric intake, but to increase vitamin and mineral intake–a win-win situation. Start with 1/4 cup vegetable per serving–if your meatloaf serves 4 people, add 1 cup chopped or pureed vegetable. If you are scrambling eggs for 2 people, add 1/2 cup vegetables. Increase vegetables as your family gets used to them. I find that substituting chopped broccoli or cauliflower for 1/2 the pasta in macaroni and cheese, 1/2 the rice or mashed potatoes I’m making is very palatable.

Other ways you can decrease caloric density–substitute skinless chicken breast or shrimp, crab or white fish for higher fat meats like beef (you can get very lean beef, but the chicken and fish are even lower in fat and calories).

Ideas for using kale:

• Chop and add to soups–potato soup, bean, lentil or split pea soups, chicken noodle soup, stew…….
• Make Kale chips–Rub 2 inch pieces of Kale with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake on large baking sheet until crispy.
• Stir fry in garlic and olive oil

How about Kale with Wine Soaked Raisins and Cloves (I had a dish with this title at Jackson’s Corner Restaurant in Bend, so went home  to try to create my own recipe  for it)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
1 bunch kale; cut of thick part of stems and chop the leaves
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons raisins
2-3 whole cloves

Directions: Place wine and raisins in a cup and set aside. Heat heavy frying pan over high heat. Add olive oil and garlic; when garlic is lightly browned, add kale. Saute until kale is wilted. Pour in wine and raisins. Add the cloves. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes and serve.

So far, everyone I’ve served this to has loved it!

Butternut Squash and Mustard Green Stirfry–4 servings

1/2 medium butternut squash: heat whole butternut squash in microwave for 5 minutes to soften, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Cook the halves on high heat for 10 minutes or until easy to cut, peel and cube 1/2 of the squash; peel and freeze the other half for later use.

6 to 8 ounces leftover pork, chicken or beef, OR 1 package tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, OR 2 cups red, pinto, garbonzo or white beans

 1 bunch mustard greens: wash, cut of thick part of stems and discard. Chop leaves into about 2 inch pieces.

1/4 cup sun dried tomato strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed

1/3 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons Green Curry (from the Savory Spice Box–a spice store that has franchises in many towns)

1/2 tsp Graham Marsala (a curry type of spice)

1/4 tsp powdered ginger (you could use 1 tsp fresh ginger)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup low sodium beef or chicken broth

2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

2 tablespoons raisins

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro

Directions: Heat heavy skillet or wok over high heat. Add oil, garlic, onion, and spices, saute until onion is soft. Add squash and sun-dried tomatoes, and saute for 5 minutes (until squash is fully cooked). Add mustard greens and saute until soft. Add wine and broth and continue to cook until boiling. Add peanut butter and raisins, stir until peanut butter is “dissolved” in broth; add basil or cilantro and serve.

Freeze leftovers for a great lunch another day!

This is a “starter” recipe–try altering the type of green–kale, collard greens, spinach, chard….and the type of squash. You could also use sweet potatoes or yams in place of the squash. Get your creative culinary juices flowing!

We need to be very clear about what we do know about childhood obesity–sedentary activity (TV, Computer games), lack of physical activity, inadequate sleep, grazing on any food or drink that contains calories (plain milk, chocolate milk, fruit juice, sports drinks, crackers, chips, even fruit) rather than eating regular meals and snacks, sitting at the table all contribute to obesity. It may sound good to get that sugared milk out of our schools, but what will that really do? For one, it will decrease calcium intake in children, putting them at risk for poor bone development and later development of osteoporosis…. read the article in the link below, and let me know what you think!

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111214/NEWS01/112140354/1033/OPIN&emailed_article=1

It is not always easy to know how much our kids should eat at any one time. This interview on KATU’s AM Northwest, Nov 18, 2011, gives some basic ideas. Remember we want to respect our kids’ appetites–forcing them to sit in front of a plate until they finish it, OR restricting food at regular meal and snack times is NOT going to help them to be responsible eaters!

Our job is to provide food at REGULAR meals and snacks–2 to 4 hours between each eating time, and then let them use their appetites as guides for how much to eat. We can help prevent over or under eating by NOT letting them graze through out the day (grazing includes beverages like juice, diluted juice, fruit drinks, or milk as well as foods–plain water is fine!).

The kitchen is closed between meals and snacks. Our children are not going to starve if they refuse a meal or snack and then have to wait 2 hours before having the opportunity to eat again.

This website is from the United States Department of Agriculture and gives a wealth of information on healthy eating. In addition to giving the basics of healthy diet, it contains interactive pages where you can put in your specific weight, height, age, activity habits and obtain a food plan to fit your needs. One can also input your food intake and get a report of your calorie, protein, fat, vitamin and mineral intake.

The website is a great starting place for learning about nutrition for yourself or teaching nutrition to  others–there are great materials for children.

Check it out–this is your tax dollars at work in a very positive way!

This is an excellent newsletter that provides science based nutrition information in a format that is easy to understand, and is very interesting! I recommend this to all my nutrition clients.

Lori Brizee has been on the steering committee for this organization since its inception. Kids@heart is one of many organizations dedicated to helping solve our current health care crisis of obesity in children.

MomEnough is a wonderful internet radio program dedicated to parenting.  Marti and Erin Erickson invite you to explore with them the many facets of motherhood in today’s world – from confronting the daily joys and struggles of helping kids grow up well, to balancing work and family, to considering the big questions of how society views and values mothers and mothering.

The link above is an interview with Lori Brizee re: new book Healthy Choices, Healthy Children, a guide to raising fit, happy kids.