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closeWednesday, May. 07, 2008
Food for Thought: Get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables
By Loretto J. Hulse, Herald staff writer
Are your kids stuck in a fruit and veggie rut? Is their idea of a diverse menu choosing between an apple or a banana? Or opting for peas, not corn?
Here are some ideas from the Washington State University Extension office in Walla Walla to encourage them to eat the recommended five to nine daily servings.
First, have a plan. At the store, choose 100 percent real fruit juice, not juice drinks. Just three-quarters of a cup (6 ounces) counts as one serving.
Get them involved. Ask your children to help plan the family menu. Ask what their favorite fruits and vegetables are and be sure you put them on the shopping list.
Kids, both young and old, love to dip. Stock up on low-fat cream cheese, ranch dressing or cheese spreads.
Buy fresh and buy what's in season in your area, not elsewhere in the world. If the price is prohibitive, frozen and canned (in fruit juice) are always good alternatives.
Let your kids help make some kid-friendly recipes that include fruits and veggies. Mini cheese pizzas topped with chopped broccoli or Canadian bacon and pineapple are easy and tasty.
So how much is enough? A serving of fruit or vegetables may be smaller than you think. Generally, a serving is:
One medium-sized piece of fruit (banana, apple, orange).
A half-cup of cut-up fresh fruit or canned fruit, canned in its own juices.
A quarter-cup dried fruit (raisins, dried apricots, prunes).
One cup raw, leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach) or salad.
A half-cup cooked or canned vegetables.
Let her eat cake
The Mother's Day we celebrate is a fairly recent development. President Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in 1914, but it's not the only day set aside to honor moms.
In the United Kingdom, mothers are honored with a "mothering cake" on Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, a celebration dating from the 16th century.
New read
The book: Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes for a Modern Kitchen Garden by Jeanne Kelley.
Cost: $35.
Best for: Learning how to take advantage of local and seasonal produce to create quick and healthy meals with flair.
Get more: Read more book reviews and literature news in Sunday's Desert Living.
*Loretto J. Hulse: 582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com. To receive a recipe via e-mail each Tuesday register at tricityherald. com and click on newsletters. If you already are registered, click on edit account and newsletters to select Recipe of the Week. This exclusive recipe does not appear in the newspaper.
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