Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
If we could click our heels and be in Spain or Italy right now, we’d be the happiest dietitians in the world. That’s because the foods of the Mediterranean — olive oil, nuts, legumes, seafood, vegetables, whole grains — are some of the healthiest and most delicious on the planet. Recently, we attended a Mediterranean diet conference sponsored by Boston-based group called Oldways. At the meeting, we hobnobbed with scientists, chefs and fellow health professionals and sampled everything from artisinal olive oils to French cheeses.
For this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we share two of our favorite Mediterranean-inspired recipes: Potato Ole Omelet and Walnut Cannellini Wraps. We promise your kids will like the recipes as much as the adults do! Tune in and let us know what you think of the show, and feel free to share your family’s favorite Mediterranean recipes right here on our blog.
Tagged as breakfast, lunch, podcast, Snack
Posted at 2:27 pm on December 3rd, 2008 by The Meal Makeover Moms
Monday, October 20th, 2008
We’ve said it a thousand times before: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” but surprisingly, one recent survey found that 70% of Americans skip it. To entice people to eat their breakfast, Starbucks recently introduced a new line up of nutritious breakfast items. Happily, rather than add low fat, low carb and sugar free foods to their menu, they responded to their customer’s growing appetite for whole grains, healthy fats from nuts and seeds, and high-quality protein foods by “adding” good-for-you ingredients to every recipe (a food philosophy near and dear to our hearts).
We had the pleasure of sampling the new menu items on a recent visit to the Starbucks in Medford, MA. First up in our taste test was their Oatmeal, complete with a packet of dried fruit, nuts and brown sugar. It was — and we’re not making this up – the best oatmeal we’ve ever had. We also loved the Chewy Fruit and Nut Bar, made with oats, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds and the Protein Plate with a hard-boiled egg, peanut butter, sliced apples, cheese, and a whole wheat bagel (to learn about the other new items, visit the Starbucks‘ website).
Though we haven’t taken our kids to Starbucks yet to sample the new offerings, we suspect they’d like everything on the menu. In the meantime, we’ll continue to serve up breakfast every morning to our kids … and if either one of us happens to be too busy to sit down to a bowl of cereal, a waffle, or a smoothie, we’ll keep Starbucks in mind.
A final thought: If you try the Chewy Fruit and Nut Bar at Starbucks and are inspired to make your own nutrient-packed bar at home, be sure to try our Grab-and-Go Granola Bar, or if you have your own bar recipe you’d like to share, please post it here.
Liz & Janice
Janice, Liz, and Chrissy Redmond from Cone, who set up our tasting
We were so impressed that we decided to call Starbucks’ very own registered dietitian, Katie Thomson, to find out what she thinks of the new menu. “Consumers are looking for positive nutrition from wholesome ingredients like nuts, seeds and dried fruit,” she told us. “For me, this menu is a dream come true. We’ve made these products delicious and indulgent, delivering on health, convenience and taste.”
Tagged as breakfast
Posted at 9:49 am on October 20th, 2008 by The Meal Makeover Moms
Friday, September 26th, 2008
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!
Tagged as breakfast, podcast
Posted at 12:00 pm on September 26th, 2008 by The Meal Makeover Moms
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