| February 2006
 A Message From The Moms
We recently celebrated the two-year anniversary of The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since our book was published and our Meal Makeover Moms’ Club launched. Now, as many of you know, we’re busy testing family-pleasing recipes for our next cookbook. Stay tuned because we want all of you and your children to be part of it.
In the meantime, you can read our articles and enjoy our recipes in a number of ways. This month, we have an article in Nick Jr. Family Magazine called Small Bites, Big Benefits. In it, we highlight easy mealtime switches (like switching from regular eggs to omega-3 eggs and going from frozen French fries to sweet potato fries) that bring a boost of nutrition to the family table. Liz was interviewed by Diane Magazine (the official magazine of Curves) for a Fridge Makeover story while Janice appeared in the Wakefield Observer with tips for giving the whole family a healthy makeover.
Besides the hours we’ve spent slaving over a hot stove (hey, coming up with nutritious and flavorful recipes that kids will actually eat takes a lot of time!), we’ve been scouring the supermarket aisles in search of healthy new food products. Now that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires food companies to list unhealthy trans fats on their labels, we’ve seen an improvement in packaged foods. Many food manufacturers from Nabisco to Frito Lay to Gorton’s have switched to healthier oils, making the job of eating right a whole lot easier for everyone.
Okay, now on to the really exciting stuff. We’re delighted to announce the ten winners of last month’s giveaway for Silk Soymilk coupons. They are Deborah P.L. from Sudbury, MA, Laura H. from Des Moines, IA, Tanya O. from Broomfield, CO, Lynn R. from Chesterfield, MI, Tammy C. from Aloha, OR, Lisa L. from Houston, TX, Penny B. from Loveland, OH, Lisa A. from Pleasanton, CA, Kathy M. from Toms River, NJ, and Julie D. from Mercer Island, WA. Look for your coupons in the mail soon.
Enter this month’s giveaway for a one-year subscription to Nick Jr. Family Magazine! Click here to enter and be sure to include your address and phone number in the email. We’ll announce our five lucky winners in the April newsletter.
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Sarah J. from Tacoma, WA is the mother of four-year old twin boys. She’s busy all the time and as a result, finds herself grabbing for convenience meals more often than she’d like to. One of her family’s favorites is canned lentil soup. But she knows canned soups can be very salty (her preferred brand has nearly 1,000 milligrams of sodium in a serving) so she asked us to give lentil soup a makeover. We took on the challenge and came up with an easy-to-fix recipe with half the sodium but more than double the fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.
Carroty Lentil Soup with Bacon
Makes 8 Servings
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 large carrots, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
1 garlic clove, minced
One 32-ounce carton all-natural chicken broth
3 cups water
One 1- pound bag dried lentils, cleaned and rinsed
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce with basil, garlic & oregano (such as Hunt’s)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 slices cooked all-natural bacon, crumbled
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Add the broth, water, lentils, tomato sauce, bay leaf, thyme, and black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Discard the bay leaf, mix in the bacon, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Information per Serving (about 1 cup):
280 calories, 6g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 550mg sodium, 40g carbohydrate, 15g fiber, 19g protein, 70% vitamin A, 20% vitamin C, 35% iron
* If you would like us to give one of your favorite recipes a healthy makeover, Click Here.
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Our Web Site:
www.MealMakeoverMoms.com
Email the Moms:
moms@mealmakeovermoms.com
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