Lesson Three “Healthy Starts at Home!”

The following is a blog from NCSU student Kate Towery. It is the third (read Kate’s recap from Week 1 and Week 2) in a series of 5 blogs she will be writing chronicling her experience as a Nutrition Instructor for a OFL Class she is teaching. Kate is teaching OFL as part of a Service Learning Class that has teamed up North Carolina State Students with the Inter Faith Food Shuttle’s OFL/Nutrition Program. Through this partnership the IFFS and NCSU hope to engage students in service learning and community nutrition while expanding the reach of its OFL program. How many of us out there know that we probably consume too much fast-food, and yet continually rely on its convenience?  As a college student I am right there with you!

This week in our “Side by Side” class we focused on:

•  making healthy alterations when eating out
• making our own fast, nutritious snacks at home.

For our nutrition lesson the kids made their own trail mix with dried fruits, wheat cereals, and pretzels, and the parents talked about how great of a substitute that could be to convenience snacks which are often made with high sugar, sodium, or hydrogenated oils.

We were especially excited for the cooking lesson with Chef Will where we made our own version of a typical fast food meal: Baked Chicken Fingers and Sweet Potato Fries.  (You can find Matt's recipe for Sweet Potato Fries here) Both items were kid-friendly and were baked to keep the fat content low.  We also used canola oil instead of butter and yogurt in place of mayonnaise or egg wash.  The kids had a lot of fun tossing the chicken and sweet potato fries in their separate breading or spice bags.  They were also introduced to the food safety issues of working with raw meat and, as always, practiced using safe knife skills.

As our dishes baked Cadi led the participants in a gardening lesson discussing the benefits of buying locally or growing our own food.  The kids had a great time planting their own pea seeds and decorating their pots. When the food was ready, I pulled the sweet potato fries from the oven and the smell alone gave away their flavor.  The meal was definitely a hit with the group.

We played a review game where both the kids and adults won some kitchen prizes and then I asked everyone, “Are these chicken fingers better than McDonald’s?”  “Oh yea!” they replied.  We hope to hear some great stories about the families making this meal at home during the week with their take home bag materials.  Next week we will be making Orange Oatmeal Pancakes and discussing breakfast trios and the importance of planning ahead.  See ya then!

Baked Chicken Fingers

serves 8

•  2.5 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup nonfat plain yogurt
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• ½ Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1.5 cups low-sodium tomato sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and coat baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 in. wide strips.
3. Combine yogurt, water, salt and pepper in mixing bowl.
4. Add chicken strips to mixture and toss together until well-coated.
5. Combine cheese and bread crumbs into plastic bag.
6. Add 3-4 chicken strips to bag and have child shake the bag until chicken is well coated.
7. Place chicken strips on baking sheet, coat with non-stick cooking spray and bake 15-20 min.
8. Warm tomato sauce in small saucepan over low heat and serve as dipping sauce.

Healthy Eating Series at Whole Foods Market in Cary

Thanks to our friends at Whole Foods Market in Cary who are proving their committment to eating well in 2010 by hosting a Healthy Eating Series in the store. The 1st class got off to a great start last week with the topic of vegetarian cooking! After a discussion of what a vegetarian diet looks like from Katherine, the class shifted into cooking mode! The cooking demo started off with a Wheat Berry Salad. Everyone loved the combo of wheat berries, beets, carrots and orange zest in the salad. If you could identify with Johnny's video last week about his recent salad rut, this Wheat Berry Salad is sure to get you out of the drab salad mode! After the first recipe, we moved on to cooking kale in a Sautéed Green with White Beans and Garlic dish. Everyone really enjoyed the new ideas for cooking veggies at the class. If you'd like to participate in the next Healthy Eating Series class at Whole Foods Market in Cary about Whole Grains click here for the store's calendar. Enjoy the recipes!

Wheat Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked wheat berries
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 orange
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ tablespoons flaxseed oil or canola oil
• 2 small raw beets, peeled and grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• ¾ cup seedless raisins
• 1 small bunch green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Method:

Place wheat berries in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cold water. Let soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the berries and place them in a large saucepan. Cover by several inches of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until berries are tender and some break open, about an hour. Drain well and set aside to cool. Zest orange then transfer zest to a large bowl. Add juice of the orange, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and whisk to make a dressing. Add cooled wheat berries and toss. Add beets, carrots, raisins, and green onions and toss again. (Note: to avoid staining your hands with beet juice, wear kitchen gloves or use the shredding attachment on the food processor)

Sautéed Green with White Beans and Garlic

serves 6-8

Fresh greens combine with pantry classics of olive oil, crushed red pepper and canned cannellini beans in this simple, nutritious side-dish that pairs well with healthy entrées. This dish can be made with a mix of your favorite greens, such as spinach, mustard greens, curly endive, escarole, kale, and broccoli rabe.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 ½ pounds mixed greens, trimmed and roughly chopped, such as escarole, curly endive, mustard greens, spinach, kale, or broccoli rabe.
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add greens (in batches, if needed), and cook, tossing often, until wilted and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a colander as done and drain well. Return skillet to heat. Heat remaining olive oil in pan. Add onion and cook until soft about 5-7 minutes, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add wine to skillet and deglaze pan, scraping up and browned bits. Continue cooking onion, garlic and wine, until wine is reduced by half. Add beans and simmer until hot throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Return greens to skillet, toss gently and season with salt and pepper.

Smart Snacks in a Snap

 The following blog post is writte by Madelaine Frye. It is the third (be sure to catch up on week 1 and week 2 if you haven't already!) in a series of 5 blogs she will be writing chronicling her experience as a Nutrition Instructor. Madelaine is teaching OFL as part of a Service Learning Class that has teamed up North Carolina State Students with the Inter Faith Food Shuttle’s OFL/Nutrition Program. Through this partnership the IFFS and NCSU hope to engage students in service learning and community nutrition while expanding the reach of its OFL program. My name is Madelaine Frye and I am a senior Nutrition student at NC State. I have been reporting to you all on how our Side By Side classes at the Knightdale Head Start location have been progressing through our six-week healthy lifestyle adventure. Week three in the OFL Side by Side class sure was full of exciting activities, along with lots of snacking!

This week in class we all learned about ways to eat healthy when we eat out, how to read the nutrition facts label, and tricks on snacking smart. We started off our class by making, and enjoying, some mango salsa together. One of the things that we all learned during class was that mangoes can be very tough to cut. They have a core that runs through the entire center of the fruit that makes it impossible to cut down the middle. Chef Jay taught us all that we must cut down each of the sides until we get as close to the center of the mango as we can. Be careful to tuck your finger in whenever using knives so you don’t cut yourself! Mangoes also have a tough outer layer, almost like an orange. They can be peeled the same way that an orange can, but if you’re having trouble, you can also use a metal peeler to help out.

One of the other fruits that we had to cut and squeeze were limes. This part of cooking was our class gardener’s, Byron Green, favorite part. “What I enjoyed the most about cooking today was not only learning so much about mangoes, but was also learning fun new tricks for when we are going to use limes.” A quick, but very useful, tip that Chef Jay taught us all was to roll the lime on your cutting board for a few seconds before cutting it. This loosens the juice pockets within the lime, allowing the juice to be squeezed out easier and not squirt as much. “I can use this tip not only on limes, but also lemons and any other citrus fruits I want to use!” Byron said.

Another snack we made this week were mini pizzas. These are quick, easy and very tasty! Try to make some of these healthy snacks with your family, too.

Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips

serves 8, 6 chips per serving

Ingredients:

• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cut each corn tortilla into six wedges.
3. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Spread tortilla slices out on baking sheet.
5. Lightly spray the chips with non-stick cooking spray to prevent burning.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Chef’s Notes:

• Try whole-wheat tortillas instead of corn tortillas.
• If serving the chips with savory or salty foods, sprinkle garlic powder before baking.
• For a sweet treat, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before baking.
• Try serving with salsa, hummus, bean dip, or chili.

Mango Salsa

serves 6, ½ cup per serving

Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe mangoes
• 1 small cucumber
• 2 medium green onions
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper
• 2 medium limes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Optional:  ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Rinse mangoes, cucumber, green onions, jalapeno pepper, and limes.
2. Peel and cut mangoes from their pits. Cut mangoes into slices.
3. Slice cucumber in half lengthwise. Remove seeds, using a spoon. Cut cucumber into slices.
4. Dice mango and cucumber slices and place in a small serving bowl.
5. Finely chop green onions and add to bowl. Remove seeds from jalapeno, dice pepper, and add to mixture.
6. Cut limes in half and help child squeeze juice into the bowl. Remove any seeds.
7. Measure and stir in salt. If using cilantro, rinse and tear leaves into small pieces, then add to salsa.
8. Add cayenne pepper, mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Chef’s Notes:

1. • Mangoes usually feel a little softer and tend to turn more orange or red in color when they are ripe.
   • Be careful when handling the jalapeno pepper. Be sure not to touch your eyes, and make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after touching the raw pepper or it will burn.
   • Removing seeds from the jalapeno will make the salsa less spicy – try using less jalapeno for a milder salsa.
   • Try serving mango salsa as a dip with tortilla chips, as a topping for fresh fish or pork, or as a topping for black bean soup or tacos.

Meet a Hunger Fighter!

 If you come to the warehouse, you'll often find Stanley doing one of the many important jobs that the warehouse needs help with. Recently he was helping clean out and fix the ice machine. But, luckily, he wasn't too busy to take some time to talk with us about why he is such a dedicated volunteer!

Who: Stanley Daniels

What: Everything someone could possibly do in the warehouse, except drive trucks. More specifically: unloading the trucks, sweeping floors, storing goods, and anything else you can think of.

When: Every chance he gets, but at least 5-6 times a week.

How long: About 7-8 months.

Why:

“I’ve been unemployed, so this has given me something good to do. Volunteering makes me feel good inside, because I can get out and help. I was lost for a few months, but when I found Inter-Faith Food Shuttle my spirits had been lifted back up by my volunteer work. This all started as community service, but after working for Dennis, the best boss I’ve ever had, and Mrs. Jill, who's such a beautiful person; has really made me enjoy working here.”

Stanley and Dennis have formed a close bond during Stanley's time here and the two of them really like working together.

Film Feastival

Here at the Food Shuttle we’re really excited about an event that is coming up on Tuesday, March 9—the 3^rd Annual Film ‘Feast’ival!

At the Feastival you will watch the film FRESH, the Movie, and enjoy a panel discussion with our very own Katherine Andrew and the Joel Salatin, lecturer, author, and owner of the holistic Polyface Farm!

The theme of the night will focus on “Nutrition from the Ground Up,” which is something that we really understand and support. Through both the film and discussion with Joel Salatin, as an audience member you will have the opportunity to examine where our food comes from and consider a new way of thinking about what we are eating; much like what we aim to do with our farm and community gardens!

Not only is the Feastival an exciting and fun night of learning, but also all proceeds from the evening will benefit the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and our Nutrition, Farms and Community Gardens Project!

For more information about tickets, visit the Film Feastival Blog, by clicking here: http://filmfeastival.blogspot.com/

We’d finally like to thank the following organizations for hosting the event: the Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh District Dietetic Associations, Slow Food Triangle, and Meredith College Master of Science in Nutrition Program.

More haiku before we wrap it up

From Chef Terri:

Farro and mushrooms Cabbage, tomato sauce, kraut Stuff, steam. Sweet sour. Yum.

And Julia:

Haiku week was fun

But it’s time to go back to

Our old ways now. Yay!

FIN!

Haiku Finale

it's been a long week tougher than we thought to write

hunger in strict form

More Haiku

BackPack Buddies

Weekend meals for kids

Backpack Buddies is the way

Full and focused child

Food Shuttle at large

New superheroes

Rescuing food ending waste

Hungry folks are fed

Riley Cat (thx, sal!)

Grass sprigs from Warren.

Catnip mouse under the desk.

A cat’s life is good.

 Or

Tilt head and meow.

Cat treats lie on tip-top shelf.

C’mon Jill, I’m hungry!

CJTP 50th class in photos and haikus!

Andy has an eye

for pictures that tell our tale

of fighting hunger.

 

Empowering folks

to learn how to cook and work

in eleven weeks.

 

Thanks to Andy Beal

for volunteering to take

CJTP picts!

Staff Haiku!

Operation Frontline:

Teaching Nutrition Classes

Culinary and Nutrition Professionals

Healthy North Carolinians

 

Peggy, CFO:

Bookkeeping galore,

Monitor the ins and outs,

Balance, what a joy!

 

Cece:

Communicating

So no person goes hungry

In the Triangle