Did you hear that a study from the University of Texas published in the journal Pediatricstested over 700 lunches belonging to preschoolers and found that 98% of the perishable products such as meats, vegetables and dairy products were in the unsafe temperature zone or rather the zone for growing bacteria?This danger zone is from 40-140 degrees so room temperature falls in this range.
What does this mean? If you’re packing lunches and they remain at room temperature for over two hours the food may become a breeding ground for bacteria. It’s a must-do to include a couple of cold packs and freeze items such as grapes, juice packs or bottles of water that will thaw as the day wears on. All of these tricks matter when it comes to keeping food safe.
Let’s scrub up on food safety:
1. If your children or you take a packed lunch, first find out if there is an option to put the lunch in a refrigerator. If not, the best lunch box choice is one that’s insulated plus will hold several cold packs. Cold packs tucked around the perishable items sounds like overkill but it’s the safe way to go. Freezing items such as grapes and juice boxes also helps keep perishable items cold. What items do you freeze?
2. What about preventing food poisoning at home with produce you purchase for lunches? Wash fruit and veggies when you bring them home BEFORE they go in the refrigerator or fruit bowl. Why? Salmonella and other bacteria can be on the outside of your cantaloupe or kiwi and will contaminate the fruit when you bite or cut into it.
3. When you walk in your kitchen to make lunch for the kids or yourself or when you eat lunch at work for that matter, the first thing to do is wash your hands. You would think washing hands is a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people use their computer keyboard, cell phone, TV remote or other items known to be covered with bacteria and then touch food. This is a very easy way to cross contaminate or spread germs from one item to something else. Use a hand sanitizer if a sink isn’t available. No need to become germ phobic just be smart about what you do and you lower the risk that anyone gets sick.
As we’re getting ready for fall schedules, last weekend I made a batch of Banana, Date & Walnut Muffins and put them in the freezer. Some of my college roommates are coming for a visit and I want to have some breakfast and snack muffins on hand. The muffins are naturally sweet from the dates and bananas and make a nice lunch box treat.
Well, I am car and airplane weary. For the last month or so, I’ve traveled almost nonstop for work, which means different time zones, long hours in the airport, a change in sleep patterns, and meals-on-the-go. You know the drill if you travel for work or if you commute to your job, whether you drive, take a train or a bus.
What snacks do you take along? Comment on FaceBook or my blog.
Plus, now that the kids are out of school for the summer, you may spend time at the beach. Whether you’re a backpacker, beachgoer or briefcaser, here are a few of my favorite go-to-snacks.
1. My go-to nutrition bar is a trio bar from Mrs. Mays. Chock full of nuts, seeds and fruits, it has about 170 calories, 5 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and is low in saturated fat because of all the nuts and seeds which contain more heart healthy fats.
I buy large boxes of these for our pantry because on many trips, I leave the hotel room before room service begins in the morning and this bar is my breakfast.
I’m also a fan of their classic crunches, particularly pumpkin, which has about 165 calories a serving, 9 grams of protein and again is low in sat fat due to the seeds. My husband says I need stock in the company.
2. Next up on my go-to list is trail mix, which I make up at home in a large container. I vary the ingredients but typically it contains a mixture of nuts (whatever I have on hand but I love walnuts, pistachios and cashews), seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower, a mixture of dried fruits (again whatever I have) that might include dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries, apricots, dried plums).
Of course, I rough cut my favorite dark chocolate bars such as Green & Black’s and toss some in. Small plastic bags or containers work great and don’t take up a lot of room plus I don’t eat all of it at one time as can happen if I put it in one container.
3. I have this quite small Vera Bradley cooler bag (here’s one similar). It easily fits in my carry on. I put a small ice pack in it and take along string cheese, Chobani yogurt (they have kids sizes called Chobani champions that fit perfectly in my bag) and I like the honey-nana flavor plus I get my calcium and 8 grams of protein.
4. Small containers of hummus work well in my cooler bag too and I will take baby carrot along with snack chips. Sun Chips garden salsa are one of my favorites as they are made with whole grains, healthy fat and are relatively low in sodium compared to other chips. The chips called Food Should Taste Good also are tasty and there are many varieties to choose from such as sweet potato, olive and blue corn.
5. A beach favorite is Diana’s banana babies…frozen bananas on a stick covered in dark chocolate…addictive and satisfying without blowing all your calories. 130 calories and a nice serving of potassium too.
My cousin is a kindergarten teacher and started school on Monday! It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over and school is back in session. That means it’s time to gear up and think about school lunches… ideas that won’t break the bank, are nutritious and that your kids won’t trade.
Check out this month’s Family Circle recipe for Maple Bran Muffins. Drizzle with maple icing and serve for breakfast or a snack.
Try these five tips to pack a lunch your kids will keep and eat:
For your sanity, think about cooking and preparing for the week to come on Sunday. Go over your schedule for the week and think about what you can fix ahead to make the week less hectic. Consider meals that will provide leftovers for lunch the next day. Kids love leftover pizza, lasagna and manicotti.
Get your children involved in the kitchen with you and bake oatmeal or peanut butter cookies.Cut up fruit, make trail mix with nuts, soy nuts, pumpkin seeds, a mixture of their favorite dried fruit, and even add some mini chocolate chunks.Or try one of my several favorite mixes from Target’s Archer Farms line, Sunny Cranberry. Many of you know that I partner with Target as their nutrition & health expert and have come to rely on their Archer Farms products for my day-to-day meals and snacks.
Kids love the power of choice so involve them in choosing from your healthy selections. Think about taking them to the grocery store at a time when you’re not rushed or tired…I know…when is that? You guide the decisions and choices but do allow them to pick an item or two.
This week on the podcast, Margit Ragland, Health Director at Family Circle magazine, joins me to talk more about lunches that will be keepers.
According to Family Circle, Meredith Corporation’s Motherboard surveyed moms and 84% were looking for new options to add to their children’s brown bag.
Rethink the sandwich…switch from bologna with cheese on white bread. Try a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread…add a slice of low fat cheese or soy cheese.
Try whole-wheat tortillas or whole grain wraps as an alternative to bread and in addition to turkey, stuff with lean ham or beef and low-fat cheese, tuna, chicken, hummus or egg salad, and top with sliced veggies such as red peppers and cucumber. Peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower butter with banana or raisins works well too.
Keep baskets in your pantry filled with healthy snack selections that your children like. Include whole-grain cereal bars (try blueberry almond flax), dried fruit such as cherries or blueberries, nuts, whole-grain crackers, peanut or almond butter, and pop-top cans or pouches of tuna.
Looking for a healthier chip alternative with less fat and calories? Margit suggests Pirate’s Booty as one option. Putting together a lunch is much easier when the choices are there.
Ok, I admit it. I love ice cream. Do you? What better way to cool down in the summer than with an ice cold creamy frozen treat.
This week on the podcast Margit Ragland, Health Director at Family Circle magazine, and I talk about five ice cream treats that don’t have to be off limits even when you’re on a diet. Their favorites include:
Or spend an afternoon in the kitchen with your kids and make cookies such as oatmeal raisin. Then put light ice cream or frozen yogurt between two for your personal version of an ice cream sandwich.
Turn your kitchen into an ice cream parlor. A couple of Sundays ago, a girlfriend and her two young girls came over. We decided to turn the kitchen into an ice cream parlor. We took light vanilla bean ice cream and sliced it into small pieces on a cutting board. Next we had a selection of blueberries, strawberries, chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips to choose from. The girls mixed them into the cut up ice cream.
Then we scooped the mixture into ice cream cones and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Do you think these were a hit? The kids had a blast choosing the items that they wanted to mix in and we loved saving a lot of money by making the cones at home. Give this a try…you’ll be the most popular Mom or Dad on the block.
Be sure and try this month’s recipe for Frozen Tiramisufrom the Family Circle kitchens. By using coffee flavored frozen yogurt, instant coffee and chocolate sauce, per serving stats come in under 200 calories and five grams of fat per serving.
According to the American Heart Association the average teen consumes about 34 teaspoons of sugar…or about 500 calories…in a typical day. It’s so easy to reach for snacks loaded with sugar and fat and empty when it comes to nutrition. With just a little planning, you can feed them well and feel good about it.
On the podcast this week, Margit Ragland, Health Director at Family Circle magazine joins me to share simple strategies for your kids’ snacks.
Try these simple strategies from Family Circle’s July issue:
Offer smart snacks. Choose options that override cravings for sweets such as peanut butter or almond butter and whole grain crackers or whole wheat bread. Try fun, prepacked freeze-dried fruit, trail mix or squeezable applesauce.
Focus on fruit. Fruit contains natural sugar or fructose plus a load of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Summer is peak season for a lot of fresh fruit. Serve it with frozen yogurt or make parfaits with granola, fruit such as blueberries and your favorite yogurt. I like to use Greek yogurt and make parfaits for snacks and breakfast.
Rethink drinks. Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages are major culprits in over-the-top sugar consumption. Try mixing juice with sparkling water or seltzer, unsweetened tea, or try the lower-sugar fruit-juice-blend products. Don’t forget milk.
The Nutrition Facts label is very confusing when it comes to figuring out sugar intake. I hope that changes with the label update. For now, your simple strategy is to do the math so you know the amount of sugar in a product.
Determine calories from sugar: grams of sugar in a serving x 4 (4 calories/gram) = sugar calories
Teaspoons of sugar: grams of sugar per serving divided by 4 = teaspoons of sugar per serving
Remember that currently the Nutrition Facts label doesn’t separate out naturally occurring sugars such as fructose or lactose from the added sugars. You must go one step further and look at the ingredient label to see what sugars have been added.
In your body, sucrose which is sugar, molasses, honey, raw sugar, high fructose corn syrup or maple syrup are all sugars or sweeteners and the body doesn’t differentiate between them regardless of what the Internet scares tell you.
Each month Margit shares a recipe from the Family Circle kitchens and this month it’s a Berrylicious Shake. It’s quick and includes fresh blueberries which are in season now.
When it’s hot, do you find yourself snacking instead of eating a hot meal? Or maybe you are out and about during the day and hungry for a snack but you don’t want it to end up on your thighs or behind. The stores are filled with all types of snacks, both healthy and not. What to do? I worked with a group of motorcycle cops and one of the tricks I taught them was to keep five or six baskets in their pantry. Every week they were to refill the baskets with portable, tasty and healthy snacks. As they left for their shift, they would grab several different snacks and put them in the storage compartments on their cycles. These snacks helped to keep their energy levels up and cut down the desire to stop and snack on less-than-healthy foods.
So, what makes up a great snack? It all depends on you. Remember, nutrition is personal. For example, if you’re a stress eater you do better with a protein-carbohydrate combination snack. If you’re diabetic, you most likely have a personalized plan from your registered dietitian that you follow. If you’re watching portions, which most everyone is trying to do, how much you eat determines if it’s a snack or a meal…know what I mean?
Snacks to try:
My current favorites are three snacks from the Archer Farms line at Target/SuperTarget.
Archer Farms Dill pickle cashews
Archer Farms Black pepper & sea salt low fat potato crisps
All three of these are portable too. Just put them in a small plastic container and toss in your backpack, purse, or briefcase.
If you love nuts, check out Mrs. May’s naturals at mrsmays.com. My husband really likes the premium fruit & nut crunch sold in a bag which contains cashews, almonds, blueberries and cranberries. He takes it to work and stirs pieces into his yogurt. It’s also a great snack by itself. If you want bars to toss in your bag, check out their Trio bars made with nuts, seeds and fruit. Remember that even though nuts contain heart healthy fat portion control is important.
Are you watching a lot of movies this summer at home? Here’s an easy way to make great popcorn. Buy regular or original popping corn, not microwave popcorn. Place about ¼ of a cup in a brown paper bag like you would use to pack a lunch, add your seasoning and oil if desired. Use one staple to close the bag and then microwave on high for about two minutes depending on your microwave. It’s so easy. I learned this technique from Alton Brown on the Food Network.
More snack ideas:
Hummus or guacamole with baked chips is easy and kids love both.
Dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries…you can find all types of dried fruit in various size bags. Dried fruit is good on cereal and stirred into yogurt or mixed into muffin/bread batter.
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products such as meats, vegetables and dairy products were in the unsafe temperature zone or rather the zone for growing bacteria? This danger zone is from 40-140 degrees so room temperature falls in this range.
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