Published: June 03, 2008 02:00 pm      

NUTRITIOUS FOODS: Just don’t tell them it's good for them!

Little tricks and trends to get families to eat well in spite of themselves



By Elizabeth Page

niagaraliving@gnnewspaper.com

A mother races against the clock on a weekday afternoon in North Tonawanda, hurriedly putting the finishing touches on a new after-school snack for her son before he arrives home from school.

While the healthy version of a homemade do-it-yourself pizza has some pepperoni on it, it also contains a mixture of vegetables that she is afraid her son won’t touch.

Her cheesy trick to conceal the veggie evidence works, as he is unaware that his snack contains more than just cheese and pepperoni. He loves it, wrinkling his nose only after his mother confesses it’s actually healthy for him.

This mother and son comprise just one of the many healthy success stories Katherine Streeter can share when she talks her work teaching families in the Niagara region how to eat better for less.

Streeter, the nutrition team leader of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, has seen how many households across Niagara County have opted for more health-conscious options.

One family switched their milk from 2 to 1 percent after seeing almost no difference in a taste test. In an attempt to reduce their salt intake, another family simply took the salt shaker completely off the table. Other households are switching to brown rich and whole wheat bread.

But in a country laden with greasy hamburgers, bottomless orders of sodium-saturated fries and golden arches stretching from sea to shining sea, Streeter knows it is no small feat to get children into the habit of healthy eating.

According to Streeter, letting kids play an active role in the food process, from planning to perusing grocery stores and farmers’ markets to the preparation and execution of food, is one of the best ways to encourage healthy habits early on.

“If you can get kids involved in food ideas, planning, shopping and the color of food — if you get them interested, then they can buy into it,” she said.

And if children aren’t enthusiastic about a new food item right away, she suggests giving it some time.

“It could take three, five, seven more times introducing new foods before kids accept it,” Streeter said.

As for adults, it’s never too late to start promoting better nutrition habits either. And while food may be healthier, this doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank.

The key is strategy. Using coupons and buying sale items can keep the budget down. Also pay attention to sales that run on eight- to 10-week cycles, such as rice and cereal.

But one of the easiest ways to stretch your food dollar is by sticking to a grocery list. Streeter said that people can spend one-third more without a list.

But if creating and following a household budget seems like an overwhelming task, or if the prospect of incorporating more fiber into your diet seems like a boring chore, the Cornell Cooperative Extension offers several programs geared toward improving diet quality on a budget to get you on track.

What Streeter calls the best- kept secret of Niagara County, Cornell Cooperative Extension offers a range of programs that cater to nutrition and healthy living concepts. For example, their Parenting Plus program incorporates parenting principles with nutrition and healthy living concepts for themselves and their families, and their Dinner’s Ready! program teaches how to make the most of food dollars to create healthy, tasty, budget-friendly menus.

“Fruit for a family before would have been juice,” Streeter said. “Fruit now, a family proudly displays a big bowl of fruit in the dining room.”

With weekly lessons running between 45 and 90 minutes and clients meeting between eight to 12 times, the organization also offers their expertise not only at their offices in Lockport and Niagara Falls, but they also bring their programs to community centers, schools and people’s homes. Those interested can simply call and set up an appointment with one of the educators on staff.

“The work that we do hopefully pays dividends,” Streeter said. “We like to think we played a role in bettering people’s lives.’

For more information, call 278-8131.

Some of healthy affordable recipes Streeter teaches her students are below.

Colorful quesadillas

8 ounces fat-free cream cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

8 small flour tortillas

1 cup chopped sweet red or green bell peppers

1 cup shredded low-fat cheese

2 cups fresh spinach leaves or 9 ounces frozen, thawed and squeezed dry

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and garlic powder. Spread about 2 tbsp. of the cheese mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp. bell pepper and 2 tbsp. shredded cheese one half of each tortilla.

Add spinach, 1/4 cup if using fresh leaves or 2 tablespoons if using frozen. Fold tortillas in half. Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Put two folded tortillas in skillet and heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Remove quesadillas from skillet, place on platter, and cover with foil to keep warm while cooking the remainder. Cut each quesadilla into four wedges. Serve warm. Makes eight servings.

Frozen fruit cups

3 bananas

24 ounces fat-free strawberry yogurt

10 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed, with the juice

8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, with the juice

Line 18 muffin-tin cups with paper baking cups. Dice or mash bananas and place in a large mixing bowl. Stir in yogurt, strawberries with juice and pineapple with juice.

Spoon into muffin-tin cups and freeze at least three hours or until firm. Remove frozen cups and store in a plastic bag in freezer. Before serving, remove paper cups and let stand 10 minutes. Makes 18 servings.

Brunswick stew

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium sliced onion

2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups cooked diced chicken or turkey

2 cups canned or cooked tomatoes

2 cups canned or cooked lima beans

2 cups canned or cooked whole-kernel corn

Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and cook in oil until tender. Add chicken broth, diced chicken or turkey, tomatoes, lima beans and corn. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes at medium-low. Makes eight servings.

Source: “Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future — The Healthy Family Guide Book”