Snacks vs. Treats, Let's Eat!

Somebody, set me straight here. When did "snacks" become "treats"? Who says that when we eat between meals, or give our children a snack, it needs to be "junk" food?

Forget the cupcakes, chips and gummy fruit snacks. That stuff gives our blood sugar a major spike and then drops us like a lead balloon. Highly processed food doesn't leave us full or satisfied. It's food with almost no nutritional value. That means your body can't use it. Your body doesn't even recognize it as real food.

In fact, any food that your body can't "use" for energy right away, is stored as fat. Kindergarten students don't need a 400 calorie glazed donut as a birthday treat. You say, "it's just one day, one birthday." But when there are 30 kids in class, that's 30 extra donuts a year for each kid, and each birthday.

Save those "treats" as a "once in a while" food, not a main-stay, every day staple.

Snacks and treats aren't interchangeable.  Just like adults, children run better, and think better on real nourishment versus greasy chips, caloric cookies, and "fruit" snacks made entirely of --you guessed it, empty calories, refined grains, and sugar.

Thank you Michelle Obama. Even though school kids everywhere are quietly cursing her.

 I hear it at home.

"We can't buy 'Gushers' at lunch anymore. And no more of those big cookies!' they cry. I've heard the President's wife's name muttered more at my house than her husband's name in the past 6 months. I quietly smile.

Thanks to her efforts and new USDA guidelines, snacks in federally funded school food programs are getting a massive makeover this school year and it's probably a good time to examine what we're feeding our kids at home too. The USDA says any snacks now sold in schools which receive federal funds for meals have to follow strict guidelines that call for low sodium, low fat, low sugar and low calories. Individual snacks can be just 200 calories or less and they must contain 50 percent whole grains.

You can no longer buy a regular soda or even a breath mint in a public school under the new guidelines, which are pretty harsh. But so is the harsh reality that one in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese, according to the World Health Organization. One in five.

Our bodies are made in the kitchen at home, or in some cases, in the drive through. 

So here are some ideas to get yourself and your children some healthy mini-meals your bodies need.

Some favorite snacks in my kitchen:

• Apple Slices and a piece of string cheese. You get the good carbohydrates, natural sugar and fiber of the apple plus the protein building, staying power of lean cheese. You can keep apple slices fresh in a lunch bag by sprinkling them with lemon juice. We keep a bottle of lemon juice in the fridge just for this purpose.

• Homemade Trail Mix: Fill a container with pumpkin seeds, mini dark chocolate chips, Wheat Chex cereal, cranberry raisins, peanuts or almonds. It's filling, whole grain, and includes healthy fats for growing brains.

• Yogurt: There are plenty of perfect portion sizes for kids. Look for those with low sugar content and top the yogurt with whole grain cereal and berries.

• Quesadillas: take a whole grain tortilla, sprinkle it with shredded cheddar cheese, fold it over and toast it in a frying pan. Serve them with salsa. 

• Lite popcorn or air popped popcorn. This is an easy and satisfying whole grain. Sprinkle it with seasoned salt or grated parmesan cheese. 

• Beef jerky: there are some natural ones out there with low fat and no nitrates. They give you a tasty protein fix that keeps you fuller, longer. 

If you like baked goods, bake your own so you can control the ingredients. Make oatmeal cookies, add mini chocolate chips, experiment with whole grain flour, replacing half of the refined white flour in recipes.  

And yes, once in a while, HAVE A TREAT. 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Makeover

There's nothing like a good old fashioned P.B. and J. sandwich once in a while, except a healthier, cleaner, version.

If you and your children want the best possible nutrition, there are a couple places to take aim that you probably haven't considered.

What's in your peanut butter? Really, it should include nothing but peanuts and salt.

Yet most jars of peanut butter contain hydrogenated oil to make it thicker and more spreadable. Even some labels that claim to be "natural" include hydrogenated soybean oil or cottonseed oil to change the consistency. Many peanut butters include sugar or molasses, which we also don't need. Some brands add chemicals  too, to preserve the product and give it an endless shelf life.

Hydrogenated oil is basically a liquid oil that's chemically changed into a solid fat. Once solid, that fat has new artery clogging capabilities as a saturated fat. Over time, and depending on the rest of your diet, hydrogenated fats can lead to heart disease. Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, (the bad kind).

So what's a nut butter lover to do? Read the label. There are natural brands that contain just peanuts and salt and they're not super expensive. In fact, my favorite one is a big store generic brand and it's the cheapest one on the shelf.

When you buy natural peanut butter, there's a layer of peanut oil on top. Just take a butter knife and stir it up. Then store the jar in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and thick.

Peanuts provide a cheap decent source of monounsaturated "healthy" fats. Why gunk it up with saturated fat?

Adults should enjoy one serving of healthy nut butter or nuts each day including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds or flax. The serving size is roughly two tablespoons. If you eat more than that, you're getting more fat than you need. Even healthy fat, is still fat and you'll gain body fat if you eat too much.

What's in your jelly? Or should we say jam?  Just remember, simpler is better when it comes to fruit spread too. Look for the whole fruit varieties with no added sugars and avoid high fructose corn syrup. Choose spreads sweetened with fruit juice. Read the label.

Next, check out your sandwich bread. Is the first ingredient--whole wheat flour? It should be.

Whole-grain whole wheat flour is full flavored containing vitamins, minerals and protein. It's more nutritious because it contains the whole wheat grain, which has fiber in it. White bread is just made with the inside of the wheat grain which is ground, bleached and then enriched with chemicals to try to bump up the nutritional value. So when something says "enriched" or "fortified"--all the good stuff was taken out, and then replaced artificially.

Whole grain breads have good carbohydrates which break down more slowly in the body, keeping you fuller, longer and delivering better fuel and energy for your work outs.

When you eat whole grain bread, brown rice, whole grain wraps and whole grain pasta, your blood sugar stays at a more even keel than the white flour counterparts of those foods. So you don't experience the spikes and crashes of eating refined carbohydrates.

Products made with enriched or refined white flour break down more rapidly in the blood stream and act like sugar, giving the body a quick burst of energy, before sending blood sugar levels plummeting again. Those foods include white bread, white rice, pasta, and potatoes.

Ditch the spongy white bread. Enjoy the real natural flavor of peanuts and fruit.

Give your P.B. and J. a makeover. And enjoy.

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup honey

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Combine honey and peanut butter. Add cinnamon and stir in chips and oats. Form into quarter sized balls and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, store them in a container or freezer bag in the freezer. Thaw before eating.

About 40 cals each.

Your peanut butter doesn’t need anything but peanuts and salt. Check the label. If it has added sugar, oil, preservatives and fillers, ditch it. After you open and stir it, natural peanut butter must be refrigerated. If you’re going to eat dessert on your free day, make it something wholesome and homemade. Enjoy!

Pizza Please!

Eating with fitness in mind doesn't mean you never eat the foods you love. The key is to turn the flavors you crave into dishes you enjoy without added calories and fat.

When we eat for flavor, we're satisfied and happy. When we don't get the satisfaction of flavors we enjoy, we continue to eat and overeat in search of that food that "hits the spot."

Eating well doesn't mean we have to eat bland cottage cheese and hard boiled eggs--although I'll tolerate both.

Because my Mom was a great Italian cook, I'm constantly in search of satisfying cheesy, saucy dishes that create that comfort food feel without weighing me down. Did you know you can turn almost anything into pizza? When you create your own pizza you control the ingredients and you're not stuck with some greasy mystery meat soaking the crust with grease.

Whole grain flat bread pizza

Just try it. A large portobello mushroom is an excellent base for a gluten-free pizza. Remove the stem, scrape the gills out with a spoon and brush with olive oil.  Add tomato sauce, turkey pepperoni and a sprinkle of mozzarella or parmesan. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning or chopped fresh basil.

 Microwave it for 2-3 minutes covered, or bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Create pizza on pre-made whole grain flat bread, or whole grain English muffins. They're the perfect portion size for keeping carbs in check and enjoying more traditional crust. Pair it with a homemade Caesar salad and you have a tasty winner for dinner.

My latest summer food find is usually free. Friends at work and the gym offer boatloads of zucchini, their gardens overflowing with the baseball bat sized squash.

zucchini pizza

Here's a delicious way to get my pizza fix without a starchy carbohydrate overload.

Zucchini Pizza: 

Slice a large zucchini squash into rounds about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick

olive oil

small can tomato sauce

1 onion diced,

1/2 red bell pepper chopped

fresh basil or Italian seasoning

pinch, red pepper flakes

1 lb. ground turkey meat, cooked, drained and rinsed with water

Shredded mozzarella cheese

grated parmesan cheese

Prepare meat sauce by browning turkey in a frying pan. Drain off fat in colander and rinse the meat with water.

This is truly the key to removing lots of fat from all ground meat, including beef for chili. Cook, drain, and rinse. You're going to put all kinds of flavor back into the pan in the next step.

Return the meat to the pan and add touch of olive oil, diced onion, red pepper, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. When onions are soft, add the tomato sauce. Simmer 20 minutes or more. 

Place zucchini rounds on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Brush each zucchini slice with olive oil. 

Spread meat sauce thickly on each zucchini round and sprinkle lightly with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until pizza is tender-crisp and cheese is melted. 

It's a recipe that'll even have your kids saying, "Pizza Please!"

Maddie loves Italian food