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Frozen Fish Sticks
When you see the word “fish,” you automatically think: “healthy.” And why not? Fish is naturally low in saturated fat and contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But when you take fish, coat it in a breading mixture made with partially hydrogenated oils, sprinkle some MSG on top, and then deep-fat fry it, your catch of the day misses the boat when it comes to good nutrition.
We had to cast a pretty wide net to find a fish stick product that we could feed our children and recommend for yours. Some of the fish sticks we found were made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils but contained less than one gram of trans fats, but others had a boatload. It’s worth noting that we did find two products with very little total fat (2.5 grams per serving) but they were so bland and dry that no one liked them.
Fish sticks aren’t exactly cool with older teens but for the younger school-age crowd, they’re a great last-minute standby. Moms love them for their simplicity; kids love them for their crunch.
Moms’ Best of the Bunch:
Eating fish sticks will never come anywhere close nutritionally to a dinner of grilled salmon. But on those hectic nights when you’re too tired to fire up the grill, fish sticks can save the day. For our Best of the Bunch we choose Natural Sea Fish Sticks, Trader Joe’s Cod Sticks, Whole Catch Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks, and Ian’s Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks. All contain 6 to 10 grams of total fat, only 1 gram or less of saturated fat, no trans fats, and just a little bit of sodium. Extra credit goes to Natural Sea for their use of whole wheat flour in the breading, for a contribution of 2 grams of fiber. Honorable mention goes to Gorton’s Crunchy Golden Fish Sticks. Recently, Gorton’s took the trans fat out of their fish sticks. Though they still add a few too many ingredients to their breading such as MSG, it’s a step in the right direction.
Moms’ Quick Fix Tips:
- Create your own healthy tartar sauce by mixing together 1/4 cup light canola mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon relish, 1 tablespoon ketchup, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.
- Serve with a vegetable that’s shaped like a stick: green beans, asparagus, carrot sticks.
- Make fish sticks from scratch (see Flaky Fish Sticks, page 248 of The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers).
Frozen Pocket Sandwiches
You can’t walk down the frozen food aisle these days without noticing all those convenient hand-held, grab-and-go hot sandwich pockets. With flavors like cheeseburger, meatballs & mozzarella, and Philly steak & cheese, they’re so popular that one company alone sells well over half a billion dollars worth each year … and that’s not pocket change!
When we set out to evaluate sandwich pockets, we thought it would be fairly easy to weed out the Best of the Bunch. After all, there are plenty of “lean” options to choose from out there. Take, for example, a “lean” pocket made with chicken, Cheddar, and broccoli. A label comparison shows that the “lean” version has half the fat and saturated fat of its regular, full-fat counterpart. But as we have learned, you can’t judge a product by the numbers alone. For starters, the ingredients listed on that so-called “lean” chicken pocket reveal such things as margarine and hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil … a clue the product also contains trans fats. “Okay”, you may be thinking, “what’s the big deal if the pocket has some trans fats ... don’t all those bright green broccoli florets featured on the package more than make up for it?” Well folks, we thought the same thing but when we actually cooked the pocket, we needed a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers to find the scant teaspoon or two of broccoli bits sealed up within. In all honesty, we had a hunch there wasn’t going to be too much broccoli inside since vitamins A and C were not even listed on the label.
Even though pockets are often considered a small meal or snack, they can still offer an opportunity to weave a bit of good nutrition into your family’s diet. Unfortunately, a lot of the popular pockets offer little in the way of vegetables and sometimes even include “imitation” cheese and artificial colors and flavors. Let the search begin!
Moms’ Best of the Bunch: There is just so much you can fit into a pocket, so expectations should not be too high. That said, however, we choose Amy’s Broccoli & Cheese In a Pocket Sandwich, Amy’s Cheese Pizza in a Pocket Sandwich, and Applegate Farms Cheese Pepperoni Pizza Hand Held Stuffed Sandwich as our Best of the Bunch. All three taste great and are made with all-natural ingredients as well as real cheese. Bear in mind that the Applegate pepperoni pocket is a bit spicy and may therefore be more appealing to older children or kids who like hot food. As for Amy’s broccoli pocket, we would have liked a bit more broccoli but there were enough potatoes and carrots to provide vitamins A and C and to keep us happy.
Moms’ Quick Fix Tips:
- If you’re on the run, serve with some grab-and-go fruits or vegetables such as grapes, apples, baby carrots, or bananas.
- If you’re eating at home, serve with a bowl of vegetable soup or tomato soup or a big green salad.
- Make a pocket from scratch (try our Quick Quesadilla Pockets on page 198 of The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers).
Chicken Nuggets
When a chicken nugget leaves a puddle of grease on your baking sheet or when you bite into one and wonder what that sponge-like substance between the layers of breading really is, it may be time to start shopping for a new nugget. But don’t despair because we’ve done the leg work for you and are happy to report that there are several delicious and nutritious options out there that don’t make you wonder, “where’s the chicken?”
Many of the popular chicken nugget products on the market contain a surprisingly modest amount of protein. That’s too bad since chicken meat is an excellent source of high-quality protein, a nutrient especially important for growing kids. To put protein in perspective, consider that our No-Nonsense Nuggets contain 21 grams of protein in a 3-ounce serving while some of the frozen nuggets we found have 10 grams or less.
Besides nutrition (or lack thereof), there is also the issue of taste and texture. Here are just a few of the words used by our kid taste testers when sampling a dozen different brands of chicken nuggets: greasy, hollow, spongy, soggy, peppery, bland, cardboard, boring, salty, bready, and gross. As for their positive remarks on some of our Best of the Bunch brands: crunchy, real chicken, good flavor, and meaty.
Moms’ Best of the Bunch:
With plenty of brands to choose from, it’s clear people love chicken nuggets. The trick is in knowing which nuggets offer more than a mouthful of greasy breading (often made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils). For the Best of the Bunch, we choose Health is Wealth Chicken Nuggets, Ian’s Chicken Nuggets, Bell & Evans Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets (the closest we found to homemade though a bit pricey), Bell & Evans Breaded Coconut Chicken Breast Tenders, Trader Joe’s Chicken Drumettes, and Perdue Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets. Each can be found in the frozen food aisle with the exception of Purdue, located in the fresh meat aisle. All provide about 14 grams of protein and are made without partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (Purdue uses a small amount but the trans fats are negligible). As for their taste … our tasters give them “two thumbs up.”
Moms’ Quick Fix Tips:
- Dip in ketchup for a healthy dose of the antioxidant, lycopene.
- Serve with any fruit or vegetable the kids are allowed to eat with their fingers: cherry or grape tomatoes, baby carrots, raw veggies and dip, grapes, blueberries, or sliced apples.
- Make chicken nuggets from scratch.
Frozen Vegetable Pizza
When we set out to evaluate all the frozen pizzas on the market,
we soon realized that in order to taste each and every one of them,
it would take weeks in the kitchen not to mention indigestion that
even our trusty bottles of Tums might never relieve. So instead
of giving you the best of cheese, pepperoni, and sausage pizzas
we decided to home in on vegetable pizzas instead since they have
the most potential for giving some balance to a meal. Our challenge
was to straddle the fine line between a pizza with no vegetables
at all and one with so many vegetables that most kids would get
grossed out and refuse to eat it entirely.
Our pizza search revealed a wide range of choices. Some pies had
little more than a sprinkling of green peppers while others were
loaded with an array of interesting veggies. We sampled pies with
predictable toppings like bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and olives
but also found broccoli, spinach, shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots,
sundried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. As for the taste, well,
that too was all across the board. One pizza, made with a whole
wheat crust (unusual for a frozen pizza) turned out to be a bit
too “healthy” for our young tasters. We had high hopes
for this one but unfortunately, the crust didn’t cut it.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was that we actually found
ourselves rejecting a few of the most vegetable-laden pies. Don’t
get us wrong, folks, we love vegetables. But when big chunks of
broccoli stalks are piled on high, trying to please young kids (who
may freak when a vegetable touches their pizza) can become an even
greater challenge.
Moms’ Best of the Bunch:
We looked for a frozen veggie pizza with 6 grams or less of saturated
fat, under 800 milligrams of sodium per serving, and a product made
without hydrogenated vegetable oils. For our Best of the Bunch,
we choose Amy’s Spinach, Veggie Combo, and Mushroom
& Olive pizzas, Trader Joe’s Vegetarian Pizza,
and Boca Rising Crust Pizza Supreme with Meatless Pepperoni &
Sausage. All have just the right amount of vegetables (not too
few and not too many) in addition to all-natural ingredients. Our
children also like Stouffer’s Grilled Vegetable French
Bread Pizza. Although it does have a small amount of trans fats,
we appreciate the sweet red and yellow bell peppers and zucchini
on top. Older children may like the more sophisticated pizzas from
A.C. LaRocco, such as Tomato and Feta and Shitake Mushroom.
Moms’ Quick Fix Tips:
- Stick to the suggested portion size to keep the calories and
fat in check.
- If all you have is a frozen cheese pizza on hand, add your own
veggies, such as sliced olives, artichoke hearts, bell pepper
strips, or thawed frozen broccoli or serve a salad or vegetable
on the side.
- Make a veggie pizza from scratch (see Pizza Bonita, page 194
of our book).
Hot Dogs
We call them hot dogs … you may know them as wieners or
franks … but either way, there’s no doubt that most
people love them. In fact, Americans consume somewhere in the ballpark
of 20 billion hot dogs each year! These days you can find all-beef,
kosher, fat-free, veggie, chicken, turkey, even some dogs made with
all-natural ingredients and no nitrites. What’s a mom to do?
With so many options, which are the best ones out there? Clearly,
eating a hot dog with 350 calories, 990 milligrams of sodium, 32
grams of fat, and 15 grams of saturated fat is not the best nutritional
choice. But neither is a fat-free frank with just 45 calories because
hungry kids (and adults) need something a bit more substantial than
that.
Personally, we don’t mind a little bit of fat but we do
mind the sodium nitrite that most companies use in their hot dog
products. Nitrites have come under fire over the years because some
studies have linked the frequent consumption of nitrite-containing
foods to a greater risk for certain cancers (one study looked at
kids who ate 12 or more hot dogs a month and found a greater risk
of childhood leukemia). Granted, if you eat an occasional hot dog,
it’s probably no big deal. But a regular diet of hot dogs
along with things like bacon and luncheon meats (which also contain
nitrites) may not be prudent. Despite the possible health concerns,
the FDA considers nitrites safe. Nitrites are used because they
hinder the growth of bacteria and impart a cured flavor and pink
color to the meat. While today, modern refrigeration keeps bacteria
in check, companies continue to use nitrites, in part, because consumers
are accustomed to pink-colored franks.
Moms' Best of the Bunch:
It’s not our intent to scare you or sensationalize a few
diet studies. However, we figure it’s a good idea to err on
the side of caution when it comes to our kid’s health. The
good news is there are several delicious nitrite-free hot dogs on
the market. Some are reddish in color (thanks to all-natural colorings)
while others have more of a brownish-gray color. Get over it! Our
Best of the Bunch are Coleman All Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dogs,
Hans’ All Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dogs, and Applegate
Farms Beef Hot Dogs. All three remind us of the ballpark franks
we ate as kids. The amount of saturated fat in each dog ranges from
2 to 4.5 grams while the calories are anywhere from 100 to 140.
Applegate Farms and a company called Wellshire Farms
also make nitrite-free chicken dogs so look for those as well. It’s
important to note that nitrite-free hot dogs are more perishable
than traditional dogs. Once opened, place the uncooked leftovers
in an airtight plastic bag and store in your refrigerator for 3
to 4 days or you can just store them right away in your freezer.
Quick Fix Tips:
- Serve on a whole wheat hot dog bun if available in your supermarket.
- Open a can of fiber-rich vegetarian baked beans and offer some
on the side.
- Try one of the many nitrite-free vegetarian hot dogs on the
market.
Macaroni & Cheese in a Box
We really wish you could have been a fly on the wall the day we
sampled all the boxed macaroni & cheese products from the market.
Some were so "brightly colored," shall we say, that we
needed our sunglasses to deflect the glare (okay -- so maybe we're
exaggerating just a bit). Since when is cheese supposed to be neon
orange? Hey, we are all for eating a diet filled with colorful foods
but not when they're artificially colored with yellow 5 and yellow
6. Given the choice between a product with artificial ingredients
or an all-natural brand, we would opt for the real thing every time.
If your kids are anything like ours, they probably love macaroni
& cheese. And on nights when you don't have the time or inclination
to make it from scratch, what could be easier than opening a box?
But keep in mind that there's more to mac & cheese than the
noodles and cheese sauce alone. Don't forget about the half stick
of butter or margarine that you add at the end or the nearly 20
grams of fat you get in each one-cup serving.
Moms' Best of the Bunch:
When we see a food product with more ingredients than we can count
on two hands or with names we can barely pronounce, we try to avoid
it for the simple fact that we know other, more wholesome options
are usually available. We therefore choose Annie's Homegrown
Shells & White Cheddar, Trader Joe's Macaroni & White
Cheddar Cheese and Whole Foods Macaroni & Cheese
for our Best of the Bunch. They're all made with natural ingredients
such as pasta and real Cheddar cheese and have a mild flavor kids
love. We are also impressed with Annie's Homegrown Whole Wheat
Shells & Cheddar with its 5 grams of fiber per serving but
admittedly, the whole wheat noodles are light brown in color, a
fact that might put some kids off. But hey, you never know. The
whole wheat is worth a try because it's really quite good.
Quick Fix Tips:
- To reduce the saturated fat, prepare the macaroni & cheese
with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1% lowfat milk instead of
the usual 4 tablespoons of margarine or butter and whole milk.
- Add some extra protein and calcium by topping with chopped lean
deli ham and shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese.
- Stir in a can of tuna fish, flaked, and some frozen, thawed
peas for a quick tuna noodle casserole.
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