Mothers Day is a Great Day for Growing Healthy Kids: Spinach Frittatas

Happy Mothers Day!  

Did you ever stop to think about what your mother taught you about foods, cooking, and exercise?  What are your childhood memories?  I remember baking apricot pies with my mother for our family’s weekend  trips to Stinson Beach north of San Francisco.  I remember learning how to make stews filled with carrots, potatoes, and turnips in our family kitchen in California.  I remember making homemade ice-cream and sitting on the freezer, struggling to hand crank it right before an adult would deem it ready to eat.  I remember skateboarding to travel from my house to my best friends’ houses.  I remember hiking in the Sierra Nevadas on snowshoes (now, that is a workout!)

Create some new family memories for Mothers Day.  Take your children to the Saturday Green Market today and buy locally grown veggies from the farmers who are also your neighbors.  Then teach your kids how to make a veggie frittata.  Buy some navel oranges and have fresh squeezed orange juice. Take a 30 minute walk together.

Last month, one little girl who attended one of our Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen programs told me, "My mother never lets me help in the kitchen.  She thinks I'm too young."  I told her what a great job she was doing.  She was smiling and having so much fun helping with each job she was asked to do by myself and several other volunteers that night.  Our children deserve to our respect and if we don't teach them how to enjoy, respect, and prepare foods that nournish their growing minds and bodies, then who will?

This Mothers Day, teach your children respect for real foods.  Create a new family favorite recipe together.  Below, is one of the recipes from the soon-to-be-released book from Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. to inspire you.  

Frittata with Spinach and Cheese

HEAT in a 9-inch nonstick skillet until hot:

• ·        2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

ADD in this ingredient and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes:

• ·        1 onion, finely chopped

ADD in these 2 ingredients and cook for about 2 minutes:

• ·        1 cup spinach, finely chopped
• ·        ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped  OR ½ cup grape tomatoes

MIX these 5 ingredients in a large bowl:

• ·        8 large eggs
• ·       ¼ cup extra sharp cheese, grated or thinly sliced
• ·        ¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• ·        Sea salt
• ·        Freshly ground black pepper

POUR egg mixture into the skillet and cook until bottom has set, about 5 minutes. 

HOLD a flat plate over the pan and invert frittata onto the plate, then slide it back into the pan.  (Note:  If you use an oven-proof pan, you can place frittata into oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes after the bottom has cooked instead of flipping it.)

COOK until just set, about 5 minutes more, and serve hot.

Adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali.

Nancy Heinrich teaching at a recent GHK in the Kitchen program.

POSTER CONTEST FOR KIDS UNLEASHES THEIR VOICES

Dear America,

We want to hear from kids about how everyone can eat healthier foods at home, at school, and at work.  We believe that input from kids is key to solving the childhood obesity epidemic in America.  We need to hear kids' voices...their ideas for teaching adults...their ideas for teaching kids about eating real foods and avoiding foods that are bad for us.  We want to provide a platform for their thoughts about what healthy eating means to them and what they need to make it happen for themselves and their friends. 

We need some big solutions to solve a big problem.  Kids were never meant to be shopping in “plus size” stores and wearing XXXL sizes.  Kids are not supposed to be struggling to walk to school.  Kids are not supposed to be out of breath after 5 minutes in their once a week physical education class.  Kids are not supposed to be eating meals at school filled with white sugar and white flour.  

 

Now we need your help to get the word out to parents and kids.  Growing Healthy Kids has unleashed its 2012 Poster Contest to unleash the voice of America’s youth.   With the theme of “The Art of Healthy Eating for Growing Healthy Kids”, kids ages 5 to 25 are invited to create their impression of the theme on an 8-1/2 x 11 inch piece of white paper.  The only rule in this poster contest is that these 9 words (The Art of Healthy Eating for Growing Healthy Kids) must appear on the poster, either as the title or somewhere on the poster.  Anything goes:  pencil, watercolor, mosaics, murals, pen, chalk, paint, photographs, etc. 

What does "The Art of Healthy Eating for Growing Healthy Kids" look like to you?  We are excited to find out! 

On the back of the poster include: parent name, phone, and email (if available), child’s name, age, school name, city and state.   Mail poster to: Growing Healthy Kids Variety Store, 3300 43^rd Avenue, #4, Vero Beach, FL. 32960 by May 25, 2012.  All entries become property of Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.  Winners will be notified by June 30, 2012. 

Over the past 2 weeks The Art of Healthy Eating for Growing Healthy Kids poster contest was launched in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County.  The children at the Fellsmere, Sebastian, and Vero Beach clubs were inspired with a challenge from Nancy Heinrich, founder of the Growing Healthy Kids movement.  The challenge was to create centerpieces for a dinner table using fresh fruits, vegetables, and dried beans.  This challenge was to motivate them to make healthy eating a central part of the family dinner table by giving it a real focal point.  It also reinforced recent research findings that when children sit down and eat dinner with their families, they maintain healthier weights.



Photo taken at Sebastian Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County, Florida at poster contest launch.



Let’s use the power of America’s youth and commit to be fit.  Growing Healthy Kids is committed to halting, reversing, and preventing obesity and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and bone and joint disorders.  We are a non-profit organization based in Vero Beach, Florida providing leadership to solve public health problems.  

TOO MUCH SUGAR

How often do you read food labels?  Are you looking at the sugar content of the foods you and your family eat?

Reading food labels is a simple strategy that can raise your awareness about where the hidden sugars are in the packaged and processed foods you buy.  It can also help you reduce the amount of refined, or processed, sugars your kids are eating. 

Eating too much sugar leads to obesity.  Obesity leads to heart disease, diabetes, bone and joint disorders, and sleep apnea.  Our kids don’t deserve these preventable diseases, so why do we continue to feed them massive amounts of refined sugars? 

Start reading labels. Don’t buy foods that have more than 4 or 5 grams of sugar per serving.  Choose foods with less sugar per serving, not more.  Read the ingredients of any food label that contains more 5 ingredients because sugar is hidden by food manufacturers. 

Too much sugar causes inflammation in the body.  Inflammation is the fire that starts a chain reaction of disease processes.  Our children deserve better.   Serve fresh fruit as part of healthy lunches and snacks, not pop tarts, sodas, and M&Ms.    

To learn more about how refined sugar is toxic to the body, check out the April 1, 2012 interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CBS 60 Minutes:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57407203-10391709/sugar-and-kids-the-toxic-truth/

Nancy L. Heinrich, MPH

Growing Healthy Kids - a movement to improve the health - and lives - of America's children, one child and one garden at a time

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS WITH MISS NANCY'S SWEET POTATO AND LENTIL BURGERS

The Growing Healthy Kids Project conducts lots of healthy cooking classes for kids (of ALL ages).   In the process of planning unique events, foods, and menus, we create some really good recipes.  This recipe is one of them. 

Teaching kids to play with new flavors and spices is a fun way to improve what kids are eating.  Kids who eat lots of fast foods kill their taste buds.  Reclaiming kids’ right to eat and enjoy real foods is part of what we do in this project.  If we as a country are going to reverse childhood obesity and prevent diabetes, then we have to find ways to eat more of the good foods like veggies, lentils, and beans so kids eat less of the bad foods.   

I recently created the following recipe in the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen and have asked many people to sample it.  EVERYONE has given it a “thumbs up” review.  Miss Nancy’s Sweet Potato and Lentil Burgers are extremely versatile.  They are filled with the spices known to have anti-inflammatory and disease preventing properties.    With sweet potatoes and lentils as the two main ingredients, it is very high in dietary fiber, something most kids (and adults) are lacking.  You can prepare these sweet potato and lentil burgers as a main dinner dish with roasted vegetables and couscous, then enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day as crazy awesome veggie burgers on whole grain flatbreads and a slice of your favorite cheddar cheese.   This recipe is my new favorite and I hope it will be yours, too! 

Miss Nancy’s Sweet Potato and Lentil Burgers

PULSE for 15-20 seconds in food processor:

• 1-1/2 cups cooked lentils*

PLACE lentils in large mixing bowl and add:

• 1 more cup cooked lentils
• 2 cups raw sweet potato, finely grated  (leave skin on)
• ½ cup corn meal
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Curry Paste**
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

MIX well.  Scoop burgers using a 1/3 cup measuring cup.  Roll between hands into a ball.

PLACE the following 3 ingredients in a ziplock sandwich bag, mix, then pour contents onto a plate.  Roll each burger until thoroughly coated.

• ½ cup corn meal
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs (if you are gluten-sensitive, then eliminate this ingredient)
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

FLATTEN burgers between your hands and cook in a frying pan sprayed with a nonstick spray such as Pam.  Cook on medium heat approximately 4 minutes on each side.

MIX the Zesty Lime Sour Cream in a small bowl:

• 1 cup fat-free or low-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ¼ cup cilantro, very finely chopped

SERVE burgers on a bed of mixed lettuce greens and sliced heirloom tomatoes (where available).

TOP with a generous dollop of the Lime Zest Sour Cream and a pinch of lime zest. 

MAKES 10 burgers. 

Miss Nancy's Sweet Potato and Lentil Burgers

*Cook lentils according to the directions on the package of dried lentils.  To make this recipe, I use 1 cup of dried lentils and 3 cups of water and cook covered over low heat for 20-30 minutes.  Cool, then store in the fridge overnight.  Make burger mixture the following day.   If you have leftovers, they make a great lunch:  reheat 2-3 minutes in the microwave.  Serve on a whole grain bun with lettuce, sliced tomato and onion and a slice of your favorite cheddar cheese.

**For demonstration purposes, Patak’s Hot Curry Paste was used in the preparation of this recipe.

**If unable to locate Patak’s Hot Curry Paste, then substitute 3 teaspoons no-salt added tomato paste plus 3 teaspoons of Miss Nancy’s Magic Spice Mix:

• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon powdered garlic
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric

Enjoy the great flavor of sweet potatoes, lentils, and these great spices!  Stay tuned for more great foods from the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen.

Thank you,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder of the Growing Healthy Kids Project to halt, prevent, and reverse childhood obesity, one sweet potato and one child at a time

 

GET THE FAT OUT

If America is up to the challenge of reversing our childhood obesity epidemic, then we need the right tools for the job.   It’s safe to say that we need lots of different tools in our tool bag if we're going to right this wrong.  

With 2/3s of adults in this country overweight and obese and 1/3 of American children overweight and obese, we (the adults) need to be better role models for children.  It is wrong for children to grow up eating primarily highly processed foods filled with too many calories, and too much sugar, fat, and refined carbohydrates.  It is wrong that many kids go days without eating fresh fruits and vegetables. It is wrong that school districts do not require physical education  (PE) classes.  It is wrong that some elementary age kids in public schools have only 1/2 hour of PE a week.

Being overweight (and thus being at increased risk for all diseases and conditions that are a direct result of “wearing” too much fat on our bones) is a direct result of eating too much food, consuming too many calories, and not exercising enough.  Some people are oblivious about how many calories they are consuming and using and can use some help.

There is a cool tool that can teach you how many calories you are eating, drinking, and burning throughout the day.  The BodyMedia FIT armband offers up to 95% accuracy, according to its manufacturer.  These armbands retail for $199 each, but three are being given away in a contest I read about in a little booklet called Remedy’s Healthy Living I recently picked up at my local Publix supermarket.  Here’s the deal:  go to www.healthcommunities.com/RHLgiveaway between February 24, 2012 and May 9, 2012 and enter the information requested.  There is no purchase necessary to enter to win.  What do you have lose?

Let’s work together to be healthier role models for America’s overweight children by losing a few pounds ourselves.  To learn more about obesity and your own body mass index, go to www.cdc.gov.   

Growing Healthy Kids is a movement focused on improving the health – and lives - of America’s children, one child and one garden at a time.  Eat better, move more, feel great!

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

FIGHTING OBESITY...Recipes from the Growing Healthy Kids Project

At our last FITNESS, FUN, AND FOOD event in Vero Beach, Florida, the kids and adults learned how to make Fresh Corn Salsa.  This delicious dish can be used as a side salad and goes great with grilled fish, baked chicken, and of course, Mexican dishes such as enchiladas and fish tacos. 

Below is the recipe for this simple, healthy dish filled with flavors from the garden.  This is a basic recipe that can be changed up depending on what is fresh, in season, and of course, what you have on hand. 

To prepare corn, follow these easy 3 steps:

1. Put into a large pot of boiling water and cook 4 minutes:
• 4 ears of fresh corn, shucked
2. Rinse corn under cold water to stop the cooking. 
3. Stand up one ear of corn at a time in a large bowl and cut the corn off the cob. 

Chop and add to the corn:

• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow or red onion (we used a Florida sweet onion)
• 1 avocado (optional)
• ½ cup fresh cilantro

 Open, drain, and rinse:

• 1 can black beans

Add:

• Juice of 4-5 limes
• ¼ cup Mojo marinade

 Thanks to Veggies of Vero (www.veggiesofvero.com) for supplying vegetables used in the preparation of this recipe.  Fresh Corn Salsa received the Growing Healthy Kids' Seal of  Approval on February 25, 2012 from the kids with Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program. As Ginny Rhodes, Program Director with Youth Guidance fondly says, “We LOVE Veggies of Vero!”

Did you know…

• An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows?
• More corn, in weight, is grown worldwide than any other grain?
• half an ear of corn has about 15 grams of carbohydrates (if you have diabetes, this is about 1 serving of carbohydrates)

 Enjoy this recipe and stay tuned for many more.  We’re working on something REALLY BIG for our readers all around the world. 

Growing Healthy Kids is a movement to reverse childhood obesity, one garden and one child at a time.  Thank you for all you do to teach your own children the joys of eating real food.

One of our Master Gardener volunteers teaches a girl how to slice peppers.

A boy concentrates on chopping cilantro for the FRESH CORN SALSA.

Sincerely,

Nancy L. Heinrich, M.P.H.

Founder

FIGHTING OBESITY WITH FITNESS, FUN, AND FOOD

Here are a couple of myths I hear:

MYTH 1: It’s hard to teach kids how to eat healthy.

FACT: Teaching kids how to eat healthy doesn’t have to be hard. Start with a simple food project and teach them a new skill. Give them room to try out new flavors.

MYTH 2: Eating healthy is too expensive.

FACT: When you choose foods that are in season, especially foods grown by your local farmers, it can be inexpensive to eat healthy.

MYTH 3: Youth Guidance has plenty of adult mentors for the kids they serve.

FACT: There are still 400 kids on Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program's waiting list hoping to be matched with an adult mentor. Through our collaborative education programs, we help identify mentors for these kids.

Learning how to eat healthy and stay fit is what we do in the programs taught by Growing Healthy Kids. We engage kids in the process by having “fun with a purpose” as Ronnie Hewitt used to say to me.

Here’s the story about last Saturday's Fitness, Fun, and Food Growing Healthy Kids with Youth Guidance Mentoring & Activities Program event held at Riverside Park. Twenty great kids and some enthusiastic adult volunteers spent the morning getting fit on the fitness trail, checking out the cool things to do and see at the Vero Beach Museum of Art's Community Day, then learning how to make Fresh Corn Salsa. The food was fabulous and the young chefs had a blast learning some basic techniques for use in the kitchen, such as how to use a knife, how to slice vegetables, and creative license with ingredients. The cool thing to watch was that ALL the kids wanted to be involved, not just some of them. They ALL wanted to wear the Growing Healthy Kids' aprons that give them superpowers for eating healthy foods. They ALL were having fun with the purpose of learning how to eat healthy, one vegetable and one child at a time.

Below are pictures from Fitness, Fun, and Food. Be inspired to teach your own children about the joys of having fun with a purpose, especially in the kitchen. A very special thanks to Rebecca Hornbuckle of Veggies of Vero for supplying the farm fresh veggies for this event. The flavors of the just-picked tomatoes, peppers, and spinach were delicious. The juicy navel oranges provided very stylish decorations for our “al fresco” dining table.

Growing Healthy Kids is committed to reversing childhood obesity and improving the health of America’s children, one garden and one child at a time.  To learn how you can help, go to http://www.growinghealthykids.me/.

Respectfully yours,

Nancy Heinrich

PS - Watch for the Fresh Corn Salsa recipe in our next blog!  To learn more about becoming a mentor with Youth Guidance, just call 772-770-5040.



Nancy Heinrich get the kids excited about the fresh veggies.



Go, girls, go!



A volunteer and her mentee make squares for new Community Mural.



One participant learns how to use fresh lime juice to flavor foods.



Valerie Flanagan and kids on the fitness trail at Riverside Park.