Are you getting it 5-10 times a day?

Canada's Food Guide recommends getting 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Personally, I recommend aiming for 11 per day. But is that reasonable? How can it be done?

Three fruits: one with breakfast, two servings as snacks. (1/2 cup of fruit, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, one piece of fruit).
Eight vegetables: do a four cup salad at lunch and two cups of cooked veggies at supper (1 cup lettuce/greens, 1/2 cup cooked or raw veggies)
Not so bad eh? Building you meal around your veggies instead of the piece of meat usually helps.

Here is my favorite stir fry recipe. Makes it easy and tasty to get 2 cups of veggies in!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
1 cup brown rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
340g skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp canola oil
6 cups broccoli florets, rinsed (any combination of veggies works well)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.
2. Make the marinade: mix the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set the bowl aside (you can do this step before you go to work!)
3. heat a large deep skillet or wok over med-high heat. Add the canola oil and stir-fry broccoli until bright green, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and the marinade. Stir-fry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and remove from heat.
5. Garnish with cashews and serve immediately with the rice.
makes 4 servings.

Bon Apetit!!
Kerri Fullerton ND

Lovely Tea Biscuits

This is my late Grandad's recipe for tea biscuits. The best around that's for sure!

Compared to a Tim Horton's plain Tea biscuit, it's nutrition is much more sound. They freeze well so make a batch, throw them in the freezer and take one with you instead of buying one.

Tims: 250 cal, 9 g fat, 590 mg sodium

Grandpa's: 105 cal, 2.7 g fat, 220 mg sodium

Recipe

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

4 tsp cream of tartar

4 tbsp canola oil

1 3/4 cups 1% buttermilk

Mix the dry ingredients in mixer. (this is the place to add cheese or raisins to the mix - old cheddar works best, I use almost a whole brick)

Add oil.

Add milk.

Spread dough over floured table to about 1.5 inches thick. Use circular cutter to cut out 24 biscuits. Place so that they are all touching on a cookie sheet (I preheat mine). Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Kerri

Wonderful winter chili

I love chili to keep me warm in the winter! With all the goodness of beans and the warmth of chili powder, this is one of my favorites. The sausage adds a new twist!


If you stuggle at getting the veggies in, put a handful of baby spinach in the bottom of the bowl before you serve the chili. It wilts up nicely and is barely noticed! Or, make yourself a taco salad by putting it over a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, old cheddar, green onions - top it off with some crushed corn chips and a dollop of sour cream! Mmm mm good.

Recipe

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 mild italian sausages
2 large onions, cut into chunks
2 large peppers (use orange, red, or yellow to add some great nutrition and colour), cut into chunks
1 Tbsp chili powder (add a tsp or two extra if you like heat)
2 tsp ground cumin
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
15 oz can of each: white kidney beans, red kidney beans, black beans - drained and rinsed


Heat oil in large saucepan. Remove meat from sausage caseing and place in pan. Crumble and cook through. Remove sausage. Add onions to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes. Add peppers and saute for another minute. Add chili powder and cumin and stir until aromatic (half a minute or so). Add tomatoes and beans and sausage. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Kerri

Nut Free Chewy Granola Bars

This time of year I am often asked by parents what they can pack in their kids lunches that are healthy and nut free. With the limited amount of time some kids are given to eat, they need calorie dense, nutritious food.

Here is a recipe that was given to me quite a few years ago - I believe it originally came from the Running Room magazine, but I'm not sure. (I really would like to give credit to the original source!). These granola bars are more like granola cake but they are nut free, wheat free, but certainly not taste free! Add a piece of fruit and you've got a healthy, filling snack.

1 cup oil (olive is fine but has a distinct flavour - you may prefer canola)
3/4 cup brown sugar (I only use about 1/2 cup or less)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup barley flour (available at the bulk barn - you can also use a blend of rice flour and chick pea flour to make them gluten free)
1 cup rolled oats
3 tsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp each: baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped pitted honey dates (raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries work really well too!)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (sunflower seeds work well too)

Beat oil and sugar on low speed until very smooth.
Beat in eggs, one at at time, then add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients except the fruit and seeds.
Beat dry into wet until just combined.
Stir in fruit and seeds.
Pour into a greased 9X13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Makes 24 small bars (which is good because they are loaded up with good calories)

Enjoy!