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We’re happy to report that our website has undergone an extreme makeover and is ready for all to see and surf.  The website features lots of new recipes, over two dozen nutrition articles, and mealtime tools to help you plan fast and healthy family meals (even if you have picky eaters at home). While you are on the site tune in to our weekly radio podcast (Cooking with the Moms), sign up for our e-newsletter, and watch one of our many cooking videos. We hope we live up to our new tagline for MealMakeoverMoms.com: Healthy Meals with Kid Appeal.

As you can see, our blog has been redesigned and is housed on our own site, not on Blogspot.  We’ll still be blogging at least once a week to this new blog on MealMakeoverMoms.com.  We are anxious to hear what you think of all our changes!  Once you have had a chance to visit, please post your feedback right here on our blog. Happy surfing!

If you’ve never listened to the Vicky and Jen What Really Matters radio podcast, be sure to tune in.  We recently “met” this dynamic duo of the podcast world when they invited us to be guests on their weekly show.  Lucky for us, Vicky and Jen (two moms dedicated to making lifer easier for everyone) included us in three podcasts.  The first, Breakfast in a Jiffy, features lots of our Meal Makeover Mom advice as well as a few recipes your kids will definitely love (including Banana Blueberry Pancakes –a perennial favorite with Liz’s boys).

To hear our two additional interviews on snacks and lunch, cruise on over to Vicky and Jen’s website, and while you’re there, listen to their other 100 episodes on topics ranging from organizing your kitchen to traveling on a budget!

We wanted to let you know about a promotional event that Beans. The Vegetable with More® campaign has just launched. It’s a contest to encourage America to reinvent the classic schoolyard chant, “Beans, beans the musical fruit.”

For years, children and parents have recited variations of this memorable chant, but what they don’t realize is that something in the lyrics is wrong - beans are a vegetable, not a fruit! While 3 out of 4 adults know the bean chant, only 1 in 4 know that beans are actually a vegetable. It’s time to set the record straight!

If you’re like us, kitchen craziness kicks in every day around 3:00PM when the kids get home from school. After backpacks are unloaded and hands are washed, it’s snack-attack time. What you choose for a snack can have a major impact — either positive or negative — on the quality of your child’s overall diet. In this week’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast, we feature lots of healthy snack ideas along with two snack recipes: Lime ‘n Honey Black Bean Dip and our oh-so-delicious Grab & Go Granola Bars. Be sure to tune in to our podcast to get the skinny on snacking or check out our Smart Snacking story featured in this month’s issue of Kiwi magazine (it’s on the news stand now).

Lime ‘n Honey Black Bean Dip
Makes 6 to 8 Servings

One 15 ½ -ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup salsa
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Place the beans, salsa, sour cream, lime juice, honey, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

2. Serve with baked tortilla chips or baby carrots.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1/4 cup): 60 calories, 0.5g fat (0g saturated fat), 180mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 3g protein

If you have a favorite after-school snack idea you’d like to share, post it here on our blog!

In today’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast, our featured topic, Back-to-School Brain Food, highlights the importance of feeding kids a delicious array of foods rich in omega-3 fats, iron, and zinc — all important for brain health. Be sure to listen in as we share two family favorites, Teriyaki Salmon in Foil and Szechuan Beef Stir-Fry. Also tune in to hear our 9-year old guest, Simon (Liz’s son), talk about clever ways to get kids to eat their veggies and to learn about his latest food jag: quesadillas. Here’s a recipe Simon asks for when he’s having a quesadilla craving:

We heard this afternoon from Charity, who posted and shared a recipe that she makes with the green beans she gets from her CSA. Well, it just so happens that Janice’s parents were coming for dinner and were bringing green beans from their friend Mo’s garden. Since the recipe looked so yummy Janice made it tonight. The adults all loved it and the kids, while a bit less enthusiastic (there is a lot going on in this dish), also gave the recipe a ‘thumbs up.’ So you don’t have to search our blog for it, here is what Charity sent along. There are no ingredient amounts so just wing it. Janice cooked hers in a nonstick skillet and used extra virgin olive oil and lots of almonds, and garlic from her CSA. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Here’s my “recipe” for green beans:
1. Cut green beans into 1-2 inch lengths. Add a bit of water and cook in microwave for about 5 minutes.
2. In a small sauce pan, saute plenty of garlic in a little canola or olive oil. After the garlic is tender, add slivered almonds. Stir constantly until almonds are toasted.
3. Add cooked green beans and just a bit of chopped dried apricots. Mix well.
4. Serve sprinkled with feta cheese.