Ihave always thought children should be taught at an early age about eating healthy. My children thought they were being tortured by all the grains, seeds and greens they had to eat, but today as adults they understand why I fed them healthy foods.
Our nonprofit’s book, “Hawaii Healthy Me” that we give to every fourth-grader on the Big Island, is about eating the colors of the rainbow. When I ask the students what foods are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, they always name fruits and vegetables.
It seems simple enough, but red foods contain the phytochemical lycopene that is in watermelon and raw and cooked tomatoes, and anthocyanins found in cherries and strawberries. Yellow and orange foods contain Vitamin C and bioflavonoids, and peaches and mangos are good sources of these wonderful nutrients. Green foods contain lutein and indoles as we think of spinach and broccoli; blue/purple foods, such as blueberries and purple grapes, contain anthocyanins and phenolics.
These nutrients sound daunting but simply put, they are good for our bodies by promoting heart and vision health and helping prevent cancers. Just imagine if we start feeding our children healthy foods from a very young age. We are giving them a better chance of a healthy life with no or minor health issues when they become adults.
We have a 14-month-old grandson, and I am delighted his mother is strict about what Quentin eats. His father is a chef and at a very early age, he has been exposed to asparagus, baked sweet and purple sweet potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, blueberries, strawberries and edamame, and just loves them now. He enjoys going into the garden with his father to pick fresh strawberries and tomatoes, and after a good washing, gets to eat them right away. Quentin is certainly eating the colors of the rainbow at a very early age!
We picked Quentin up the other morning and he was holding an egg and cheese breakfast spinach quesadilla. Dad Dean made it for him and he held it while we drove to our house. Cheese and eggs are great foods for children and the combination is good for breakfast.
Cheddar and Egg Quesadillas
Makes: 1 breakfast quesadilla
1 large egg, scrambled
1 spinach tortillas
1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese
Place scrambled egg onto one half of the spinach tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of the egg. Fold tortilla in half, lightly butter the outside. Warm a nonstick griddle. Fry like you would a grilled cheese sandwich until light brown on both sides and the cheese is melted. Serve in one piece or cut in half.
• • •
Make your own ranch dressing to eat with raw vegetables or crudites. Dipping the vegetables makes a healthy snack and is fun to eat. No double-dipping though!
Ranch Dip
with Crudites
Serves: 6
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch salt
Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until combined. Serve with vegetables of your choice.
• • •
Introducing children to chickpea hummus at an early age exposes them to the exotic flavors of the Middle East.
Hummus
Makes: 2 cups
Place in large bowl, cover with 1 quart water and soak overnight:
1/2 cup dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
Drain water from beans and add:
1 quart water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about one hour. Drain, reserving 1/4-cup cooking water, and cool.
Combine cooking water into measuring cup, add:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
In a second small bowl, add and whisk together:
6 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste, found at the supermarket next to the peanut butter)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Process chickpeas in food processor until almost fully ground with:
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With motor still running, add lemon juice with cooking water in a slow, steady stream, process one minute. While motor still running, add tahini and olive oil mixture in a slow, steady drizzle.
Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley.
Let stand for 30 minutes to meld flavors. Serve with pita chips, celery or carrot sticks.
Notes:
• Adding 1/8 teaspoon baking soda during cooking ensures the chickpeas break down when pureed with no tough skins.
Otherwise, to make a creamy hummus, all chickpea skins need to be removed if you do not use baking soda.
Steps are important. First, the chickpeas are placed in the food processor with the spices, then the lemon juice is added. This two-step process, along with adding the lemon juice and cooking water in a slow, steady steam instead of dumping them together with the chickpeas, produces a smoother puree.
Mixing the tahini and olive oil together then drizzling into the puree prevents the emulsion from breaking.
• • •
Homemade snacks such as trail mixes or energy bars are easy to make. Hopefully, keiki will eat them and not be tempted to go to a convenience store and purchase unhealthy snacks instead.
Cereal Trail Mix
From: Eating Well
Serves: 1
1/4 cup Cheerios
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons raisins
2 teaspoons dark chocolate chips
Combine and place in a resealable bag.
Eating Well Energy Bars
Makes: 12 bars
1 cup lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup crispy brown rice cereal
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats
1/3 cup raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried blueberries
6 dried apricots, diced
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
5 tablespoons brown rice syrup
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom and side of an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients except the syrup in a large bowl. Drizzle the syrup and gently stir until thoroughly combined. Spread in the prepared pan.
Coat another piece of foil with cooking spray and place on the bar mixture, sprayed-on side.
Place another pan on top and press firmly to compress the mixture. (Pressing before baking helps the bars hold together after baking.)
Remove top pan and top foil. Bake until just beginning to run golden brown at the edges, 20-24 minutes. (30-35 minutes if using glass pan.)
• • •
Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday to all the mothers!
If you plan to take your mother out to lunch or dinner, please make reservations. Mother’s Day is one of the busiest for most restaurants.
Email me at audreywilson
808@ gmail.com.
