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Lunchtime Solutions
Do you regularly pack a lunch? It saves money, but until you make it part of your regular routine, it can be a hassle. My husband and I want the health and money saving benefits of taking lunch from home, but often are too unorganized, lazy, short on time, or whatever to consistently get something together either the night before or in the morning. Here’s what we’ve done:
$30 serves 8 a Healthy Holiday Dinner
Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away and for many of us that means lots of great food. But it doesn’t have to mean a lot of calories, extra weight, and an empty wallet. Last weekend we figured out a traditional menu that will serve 8 people a healthy meal for $30.
When health and money values conflict…
I just hate it when my values conflict with each other. I like to eat healthy and inexpensively. Sometimes it’s easy, like buying fruits and vegetables, grains, and lean meats at the grocery and making simple, great tasting meals my way, instead of paying extra for convenience meals.
Plan for Healthy Eating for Kids this Summer
Families in Iowa are getting ready for summer vacation. I’ve heard several discussions concerning how old children should be to stay home by themselves part or all of the day, household rules, and how to get siblings to get along when the parents are gone.
Schools Back in Session
Here in Iowa, schools are back in session. For some families this means packing lunches, although the cost of school lunches is hard to beat, and packed lunches are not automatically healthier than school lunch.
Fish Tacos – Why Should You Give Them a Try?
It’s Lent and grocery stores are featuring fish. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines suggest that we eat more seafood. Many restaurants feature great tasting fish tacos, so they make a great way to introduce your family to fish. Our Fish Tacos recipe is quick and easy. The sauce base is ranch dressing, which you may have on hand. The greens are chopped cabbage, which provides more nutrients than lettuce. Also, you can use various types of fish.
Anyday Picnic Salad
April’s featured recipe is one of my favorites. It’s easy, versatile, and very tasty. I serve Anyday Picnic Salad on top of romaine as a salad, or on whole wheat bread as a sandwich. You can use apples and grapes as the fruit, or try strawberries, melon or pineapple. Once when I was out of celery, I used radishes to give it a little crunch.
Just Add One Campaign
The Canned Food Alliance has a campaign called “Just Add One” which is short for just add one ingredient to make a recipe healthier. And the one ingredient is usually—you guessed it …. a canned fruit or vegetable.
What School Lunches look like in other Countries
School lunches have been front page news in the U.S. this fall with lots of discussion about the healthier meals. Have you ever wondered what kids in other countries eat for school lunch? BuzzFeed, a social news organization, posted What School Lunches Look Like In 20 Countries Around The World about a year ago. The lunches are random pictures but do give an idea of what kids eat in other countries. I feel sorry for the kids in Kenya, Honduras, Ghana, and Djibouti (a tiny country in Africa). Their lunches are very skimpy. The U.S. lunches shown are higher in fat and have less fruits and vegetables than many of the other countries. However, these pictures were taken before the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act became effective.
Crispy Salmon Patties
I grew up on a farm in northwest Iowa. My dad raised hogs, beef, soybeans and corn. Guess how many times we had salmon when I was growing up. That’s right, NEVER.
Sweet and Sour Rice Dinner
My daughter shared with me that she spent the afternoon helping her friend make meals to put in the freezer. Her friend has young children, a new job, and a husband who has to be out of town a night or two each week. It sounded like the girls had a great time working together plus they came up with several meals that will be ready to go on hectic nights.
Quick Garbanzo Bean Soup
I make lots of soup in the winter. It’s easy to do, lasts for several meals, and I can freeze small containers of it to take to work for lunch. Most of the soup I make is broth or vegetable-based without lots of cream or cheese so it is low in calories.
