What to Eat When Eating Out

 

 

What to do for dinner?  If you are planning on going out to dinner or picking something up on the way home, you will want to make sure that you have healthy food choices.  Choosing healthy foods are getting easier when going out to eat now since many restaurants are adding healthy food options.  Try some of these tips when dining out or picking food up to take home.  These tips won't break the bank and are healthier options, too!

Fast Food Restaurants

1. Try cutting your trips to fast food restaurants in half!  Eating fast food can add many calories and extra salt quickly and can also end up costing more than a home cooked meal.
2. Choose a kid's meal.  When you choose the kid's meal, you are cutting the amount of calories compared to what you would get from a combo meal.  This helps with portion control and is usually cheaper too!
3. Watch the toppings.  The toppings like mayonnaise and "special sauce" can have a lot of calories.  Try getting just ketchup and mustard instead.
4. Ask about different sides when ordering.  Many fast food restaurants offer healthier options like a side salad or fruit instead of fries.  This will give a nice break to your normal routine and get fruits and veggies in too!
5. Skip the cheese and bacon. These two items have a lot of fat and calories that you don't need.  Instead, add extra veggies like lettuce and tomato for a healthier option!
6. Choose "steamed, "grilled" or "broiled" items. Look for these words on the menu and choose these items because they are not fried and often contain less calories and fat.

 
Restaurant Dining

1. Order a salad with dressing on the side.  When eating out, try ordering a salad.  Eating a salad will help control your hunger and feel more satisfied sooner.  When you order dressing on the side, you can control the amount you use on your salad.  Use just enough to wet your salad.
2. Get an appetizer or lunch-sized portion.  Many restaurant meals these days provide huge portion sizes.  This causes us to eat more than we need to at one meal.  When ordering, get an appetizer for your main meal or ask for a lunch-sized portion of your meal to limit the amount of food.
3. Choose "steamed, "grilled" or "broiled" items.  Look for these words on the menu and choose these items because they are not fried and often contain less calories and fat.  Ask for steamed veggies as a side.
4. Drink water.  Ordering water to drink not only saves money -- it also helps to save on calories.  Drink a glass of water before you eat your meal.  This will help fill your stomach, so you will be less likely to overeat when the meal comes.
5. Share with a friend.  When eating out, ask a friend to share your meal with you.  This will help you to save money and sharing is a great way to cut your portion size in half!

What are some of your tips for eating out while still trying to eat healthy?

Planting Seeds and Seedlings -- Gardening Series

This is the third post in our Vegetable Garden Planning blogs series.  

Now that we have talked about our garden location and the type of soil we are going to use, it's time to think about  what we want to plant in the garden.  The great thing about gardening is that you can choose exactly what you want to plant!  For example, you can decide to have a "Purple Ravens" garden that would include purple cauliflower, purple string beans, purple carrots, and purple potatoes. 

To start your garden, you will need seeds or seedlings.  Seeds can be bought from most garden stores and even grocery stores.  Meyers Seeds is a locally owned seed company with a store in Baltimore.  Seeds can also be ordered from an online seed catalog or you can have a catalog sent to your house (try searching for "vegetable seeds catalog"). Some vegetables are best started from seeds while others are best planted from a seedling (a seed that has already had some time to start growing).  Garden stores often sell these plants:  cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, peppers, and eggplants.

Planting Times

One way to make sure that your fruits and veggies grow is to plant the seeds and seedlings at the right time.  Some plants like the cold weather (in the fall/spring) while others grow best in the warmer weather (summer).  Some plants can be planted as early as late February while others need to be planted in mid-May.  Each plant is unique and knowing when to plant your seeds and seedlings is important.  It also depends on weather patterns too!  Below is a list of summer months and when vegetables should be planted.

Month	Plant seeds indoors	Plant seeds outdoors	Transplant seedlings outdoors
Late Feb./Early March	Cabbage, tomatoes,	Snow peas
March	Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, lettuce, kale, peppers, eggplant	Mid-March: Chinese cabbage, lettuce, peas, potatoes, spinach, turnips, parsnips, radishes	Mid-March: Cabbage
April		Beets, carrots, Swiss chard, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, mustard greens. Mid-April: string beans	Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, lettuce
May (after Mothers Day)		Lima beans, snap peas, black eyed peas, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash	Mid-May: Eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, sweet potatoes
June		Beans, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, corn, winter squash	Cucumber, zucchini, beans, yellow squash, melons

** This chart is for spring and summer gardens. You can grow fall gardens too! Check out the Grow It, Eat It website for more detailed information on planting times.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day -- The Healthy Way!

St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away!  Have you decided how to celebrate with your kids yet?  There are many ways that you can enjoy the day with your child.  Try some of these fun tips this year!

• Have a green fruits and veggies tasting!  Take your child to the grocery store and let them choose 2-3 fruits and veggies that they want to try.  Invite friends over to let them try these foods too!  A list of green fruits and veggies can be found on a previous blog post here!
• Get a shamrock cookie cutter!  Let your child (or you may need to help them) use the cookie cutter and make their sandwich or other fruits and veggies into a shamrock to celebrate.  These cookie cutters may be found at the dollar store.
• Add a little coloring to milk!  Surprise your child in the morning with "green" milk.  Your child will love that it is a fun color to drink.
• Cut green peppers!  Did you know that when you cut a green pepper from side to side, they make a shape of a shamrock?  Cut peppers up and serve with low-fat dip for a tasty snack.
• Search for a pot of gold!  St. Patrick's Day isn't complete without letting your child go search for a pot of gold.  Give them several clues to search for their own pot of gold.  Your child won't even realize that they are getting physical activity while having a lot of fun.  For the pot of gold, let your child decide what they want for dinner or have them help choose a healthy dessert.

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day with these fun tips.  How do you plan on celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

Frozen Fruits and Vegetables are Nutritious "Fast Foods"

Have you ever thought of frozen fruits and vegetables as "fast foods"? They are exactly that!  Frozen produce that comes prepared and ready to use within minutes.  These foods are great to use in soups, stews, casseroles, breads and desserts.  Frozen fruits and veggies are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber making them healthy food choices.  Using frozen produce in planning meals can help your family members get in their fruits and veggies each day.  When time is short, visit the frozen fruit and veggie aisle in your grocery store for some healthy "fast food" to complete your meals.

When buying frozen fruits and vegetables remember: 

• Frozen fruits and vegetables are frozen at their peak freshness.  They have the same amount of nutrients as fresh fruits and vegetables.
• They often cost less compared to out-of-season produce.  This will help you to stay within your food budget.
• They have a long shelf life (up to 6 months).  Plan several meals and buy the larger size to save money.
• Frozen fruits and veggies take less time to prepare.  Steaming and microwaving in small amounts of water saves time and vitamins.
• They are available year-round.  Watch for sales of your favorite fruits and veggies and stock up.
• Choose fruits and veggies without sodium, sugar or extra butter and sauces.  This allows you to decide the amount and kind of seasonings to use.  They are usually cheaper and will keep calories down.

Use frozen fruits and vegetables often as "fast food" to save time and steps when preparing meals!  Try this healthy vegetable omelet.

Vegetable Blend Omelet

Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 eggs
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese or 1/4 cup low fat cheddar cheese

Directions
1.  Spray skillet with vegetable oil spray.
2.  Cook vegetables 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
3.  Put vegetables in a small bowl. Set aside.
4.  Beat eggs and water until well blended.
5.  Spray skillet with vegetable oil spray.
6.  Pour egg mixture into heated skillet.  Cook over medium heat until eggs begin to set.
7.  Lift cooked mixture with your spatula, allowing uncooked mixture to flow underneath.
8.  When omelet is set but still moist, place vegetables and chees on half the surface.
9.   Fold omelet in half so vegetables and cheese are covered.  Continue cooking 2-3 minutes.

Makes 3-4 servings.

The Dirt on Soil -- Gardening Series

This is the second post in our Vegetable Garden Planning blogs series. 

In this blog post, we will talk about choosing the soil for our garden.  The second step in planning our garden is to decide what soil to choose.  Will you be using the soil out of your own yard?  To make sure that your soil is safe to plant your garden, you may want to have it tested to make sure there isn't anything that may harm your plants and the food it will produce.  Test results will also tell you about the nutrient status and pH of your soil and let you know if you need to add anything to your soil. Here is a link to an order form and directions for taking a soil test here.

Are you planning to use store-bought soil instead?  Soil is sold bagged from any garden store.  If you are adding soil to the ground or a raised bed you will add "garden soil" and if you are adding soil to a container you will need "potting soil".  Composted leaves are also a great addition to your soil and provide nutrients, organic matter and aid in creating a healthy soil structure. (LeafGro is a local bagged leaf compost available at most garden stores).  Make sure that the soil that you buy is the type of soil that your plants need.  You can ask the garden store associate or you can look for a picture of vegetables on the soil bag to see that it is fit for use with growing food.

Lastly, soil is the place where the plant's roots live. These roots need to be able to find water and air for the plant.  When planting, you will want to make sure to turn the soil with a shovel or hand tool to give roots the space they need to grow.  You can also add compost or other organic matter to the soil.  Have kids?  Think about putting paths into your garden to avoid crushing the soil and growing plants when you step.  Kids can even decorate the stepping stones!

"Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day" with MyPlate

March is National Nutrition Month, and each year the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a unique theme to promote healthy eating.  This year, the theme is "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day".  This theme brings to mind the unique tastes, beliefs, and cultures of the American people.

Think about the foods that you and your family eat everyday.

• Do you use special spices and herbs -- like cilantro, basil or curry?
• Do you cook your foods a certain way -- like bake or stir-fry?

Not only are these foods special, but they can also fit into a healthy diet.  In order to provide your family with a healthy meal, just think about MyPlate.  MyPlate is a symbol that helps explain all of the pieces to a healthy meal.  Half of MyPlate is filled with fruits and veggies; the other half has whole grains and lean protein.  Fat-free or low-fat dairy is also a part of MyPlate.  So, even with different colors, flavors, and textures your meals can still fit into MyPlate.  If you are unsure if your meal fits, check out the MyPlate food groups below. 

Group	Type	Some Examples
Fruits	Fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or 100% fruit juice	Apples, grapes, peaches, mangos, 100% orange juice
Veggies	Fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or 100% veggie juice	Green beans, beets, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, onions, 100% tomato juice
Grains	Whole grains from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or other grains	Whole grain bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, popcorn
Protein	Lean meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, eggs, soy products, nuts and seeds	Lean beef, chicken, tuna, black beans, lentils, almonds, veggie burgers
Dairy	Fat-free or low fat milk and milk products	Skim milk, low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, cheedar cheese

How are you trying to "Eat Right" with MyPlate?