A FULL SERVING OF VEGETABLES...EH!

Have you seen the latest ad pushing Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli as a healthy food choice for kids. The commercial shows a kid eating a bowl of the crap while his Dad is trying to say "There's a full serving of vegetables in every bowl of Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli . Each time he opens his mouth the mom tries to prevent him from letting the cat out of the bag by making a lot of noise so that their son cannot hear. The voice-over eventually announces: "There's a full serving of vegetables in every bowl of Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli . Just don't tell them."

How stupid do they think we are? Amazing, aside from the fact that the smell alone when you open a can is enough to get the gag reflexes working, which in my mind puts it in the same category as pet food, kids really like this stuff and would eat it for every meal if given the chance. Since the kids don't control the buck, the targeted consumer is the parent, who chooses what they will or will not buy to feed their children. Does the ad company really believe that telling us there is a full serving of vegetables thrown in with a handful of other questionable ingredients will reassure us that it is OK to include Chef Boyardee Ravioli as part of a healthy diet?

Although the first ingredient on the label is tomatoes, biologically a fruit but considered by most as a vegetable, just read on:

In each one-cup serving there are 240 calories (70 of them from fat), 8 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and ...get this...900 grams of sodium. That's a lot of fat and salt!

I admit, when my kids were little, they did eat canned pasta, but only occasionally when stressed for time...just spoon it into a bowl, warm it and serve, but I was never under any illusion that it was good for them. It was just a stop gap measure to hold them over until their next meal of real food.

I believe that if you start out serving kids healthy foods patterned on your own eating habits they will naturally navigate toward a healthy attitude about food and will be more willing to try new things. My own kids have always been good eaters, but as a daycare provider I've encountered my share of fussy eaters over the years. I always offer healthy foods, only occasionally opening a can of soup, and they slowly but surely become good eaters even it they refuse to eat the same foods at home. I've had to resort to some pretty ingenious acts of trickery to get my daycare kids to eat foods that good for them. Aside from the usual con of coming up with fun names like "broccoli trees", bean "rocket boosters", "Sunny Soup" for pumpkin soup or "Shreck Soup" for any soup on the green shade, I also blend foods they might bulk at in with other foods to disguise it. But the most effective means of getting fussy kids to eat is to be a bit of a "hard ass"...and not offer them something else...they will eat. Hearing a group of two and three year olds asking for more avocado and cottage cheese is music to the ears.

Devious to the core, I even pull the "blend" one on adult family members. They won't hear it from me that the Maui Black Bean Soup and the Cream of Turkey Soup I served over the holidays were both loaded with onions. A pureed soup will hide just about anything.

I've also made Tofu Brownies as well as brownies whose main ingredient.. beans... were delicious, and, if I didn't point out what was in them, no one would be the wiser.

Sometimes I have to trick myself when it comes to eating something I don't like but know is good for me. Never fond of lentils, except for when cooked in a Split Pea Soup or this recipe for Lentil Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes , I normally have to puree them and add them to other dishes.

Here is a recipe for Lasagna that I added lentils to which turned out well...I hardly knew they were there. I will post the recipe for Toasted Oatmeal Bread later in the week.


Low Fat Lasagna with Lentils
8 wide lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 lb. lean hamburger
1 onion finely chopped
chopped veggies of your choice/mushrooms/peppers/celery
2 cloves minced garlic if you like
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 jar spaghetti sauce (low fat/low salt)
1 can lentils drained and rinsed
1 container (500 g) fat free cottage cheese
1/2 c. light Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

This will make a large lasagna so use a large, deep baking dish.

Cook noodles and rinse under cold water ***I always cook the whole package of noodles and use what I need. The rest I spread out between layers of waxed paper, roll up like a jelly roll, bag it and freeze it until the next time I make lasagna.

In large frying pan cook hamburger til browned, add onions veggies and cook until tender. Add tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and lentils and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens some.

Meanwhile, mix spinach, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.

Spoon some cooked sauce into the bottom of baking dish and spread. Top with 4 noodles. Spoon 1/2 the remaining sauce over the noodles. Top with the spinach/cheese mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Layer. with the remaining 4 noodles. Spread the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let set 5 minutes before serving.

YUMMY SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH CHEESE-CORN BREAD

For Mother's Day I cooked a ham which was delicious along with potato salad and toss salad. So today I made a large pot of Split Pea Soup using the drippings I saved from cooking my ham...it's still not too warm for a nice bowl of hot soup and hot Cheese Corn Bread.

SPLIT PEA SOUP
Ham stock (I saved my juices and drippings from the ham I cooked a few days ago, added about 2 cups chopped left over ham, 6 or more cups of water and brought it to a boil, them reduced it to simmer)

or

You could buy a ham bone and simmer it in water for an hour, allow it to cool and then clean the meat off the bones, or buy a ham slice, cut it up, add water and simmer for 1/2 hour to make stock.

To your stock add:
2 c. yellow split peas (that have been rinsed)

Simmer for about 45 min., stirring occasionally. The peas thicken the soup as they cook and you don't want then sticking to the bottom of the pot. You may need to add some extra water.

Add:
1 large onion finely chopped (or more)
3 large carrots chopped
4-5 medium sized potatoes pealed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally for another 45 min. If you find the soup getting too thick for your taste, just add more water. Serve it hot with homemade bread, biscuits or Cheese Corn Bread.

Note: When this soup cools, it gets really thick so you may need to add a little water when you reheat it. I personally like it thick.


CHEESE-CORN BREAD
2 c. white all-purpose flour***I reduced the flour by 2T. and added 2T. ground hemp seed, hence the little black specks you see in the picture...it's ground hemp seed, not fly shit!
1/4 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (7oz.) whole kernel corn, drained (I used a 12 oz. can and it turned out well..just cornier!)
1/4 c. salad oil
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a square 8x8 inch pan. Measure all ingredients in order listed into a bowl; stir just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Spread evenly in pan and bake 45 min. or until golden brown.

This was the first time I made this recipe and it will be one I will make again. It was easy to prepare, and good enough to have as a meal in itself.

GARLIC/MUSHROOM AND SPINACH PIZZA

Another smash hit!
I did use up the leftover spinach and canned milk from the Crustless Quiche of the day before with great success. Not only did Paul and I love it, I gave it to my Daycare kiddies the following day and I couldn't keep it coming fast enough.I almost didn't bother serving it to them, expecting that, with the exception one one little guy, they would freak out at the sight of the spinach.

Instead of making my usual thin crust pizza I opted for a thick bread pizza crust that I made using my bread machine.

GARLIC/MUSHROOM AND SPINACH PIZZA
For the crust, use your favorite recipe or bought crust.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

TOPPING
This will make enough for two 12 inch pizzas.

Grate about 1 1/2 c. mozzarella and sprinkle over both crust.

1 Tbl. olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
2 c. chopped mushrooms
1 red pepper, chopped
garlic to taste...I used LOTS!
1 c. spinach, drained well
2 Tbl. Italian spices
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. canned milk
1 1/2 c. 2% milk
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Add oil to frying pan. Add onions and cook until lightly browned. Add peppers, garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender. Add spinach and spices. Stir in milk and simmer for a few min. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Spoon over pizza crust and cheese. Bake for about 15 min.

CRUSTLESS QUICHE

Last night I decided to use up some left over bacon to whip up a Quiche for supper. To save time I omitted the crust which didn't diminish the finished product at all, besides, who needs the extra fat and calories.

CRUSTLESS QUICHE
1 nine inch pie plate -grease with olive oil or spray with cooking spray
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped onion (I love onion so I used more)
(I threw in a handful of chopped mushrooms and red peppers as well)
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. frozen spinach (thawed with as much moisture pressed out as possible)
2 Tbl. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. canned milk(I always use Carnation)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain and discard all but 1 Tbl. bacon drippings. Add onions (and chopped vegetables if you want)to pan and cook until soft. In a large bowl,mix bacon,onion/veggies , flour, salt, pepper, spinach and cheese. Spread this mixture evenly in bottom of pie plate. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and pour over the cheese mixture. Bake for 25 min. or until filling is slightly puffed and a knife comes out clean. Let stand 5 min.
This made a great meal served with a side salad.

With the left over spinach and canned milk, I think I will try a garlic,mushroom and spinach pizza.

THE BUNNY WINS

A couple of weeks ago after an enjoyable lunch of California Rolls, Crab Rolls, Miso Soup and Seaweed Salad at a small local Sushi restaurant, my husband and I stopped at Walmart to pick up a few items… hubby heading to the auto motor section and I… house wares. Walking past the aisles of Easter candy …candy … candy, I couldn’t stop myself from picking up two solid chocolate bunnies to enjoy later that evening. When hubby met me a short time later, upon seeing the items in my hand, exclaimed “I can’t believe you’re buying those!” “No, you’re right, I’m putting them back” I say. “No, no. that’s Ok, get them” he says. Yes!…No! …Yes! …No! Needless to say, we left the store empty handed, but feeling all empowered because we had fought temptation and won…until the day before Easter. Bracing ourselves, we battled the crowds of last minute Walmart Easter shoppers in search of that elusive solid chocolate bunny but not one could be found…nope…nadda…nothing! “Tis fate” I said, “I guess it was meant to be”, our bodies will feel better without it. So off to the grocery store to pick up our weekly supplies of veggies and …but wait…was that a chocolate bunny under that man's arm?..and I'm off!

A bite of chocolate is good for you...maybe not cheap chocolate and certainly not a whole bunny but...hey, we are a work in progress...maybe next year.