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Category Archives: Recipes
NCES Multigrain Pancakes
Ingredients:
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup quick cooking oatmeal
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
6 oz container vanilla or plain Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
Instructions:
- Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a smaller bowl and mix well.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until smooth.
- Heat a skillet or griddle to 350 degrees and coat with cooking spray
- Scoop out ¼ of mixture using ice cream scoop and place onto the skillet for each pancake.
- When tops are covered with bubbles flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown
Nutrition Information per serving
Calories 258 Kcal, CHO 36 grams, Protein 10 grams Fat 6 grams, Fiber 3.5 grams
Sweet & Savory Energy Bars
1 Cup lightly salted peanuts
½ Cup crispy rice cereal
½ Cup old fashioned oats
1/3 Cup sunflower seeds (or your favorite seed)
¼ dried blueberries
6 dried apricots (chopped)
3 tbsp. mini chocolate chips
½ Cup honey
- While preheating your over to 325°F, line an 8-inch baking pan with foil. Coat with cooking spray.
- Combine all ingredients, except the honey in a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the honey over the top and mix well.
- Spread this mixture in your lined baking pan. Press mixture down in to the pan firmly. It may help to spray another piece of foil and use this to press down evenly on the energy bars.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Keep a close eye on the energy bars and remove them whenever the edges begin to turn golden. Do not remove from pan and cool for 10 minutes.
- This recipe makes 6 servings. You can cut and store them in the pan. Or remove them the pan, cut them and store them in a separate container. Enjoy!
Healthy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Yield is 4 servings Serving size is 1/4th recipe
No Salt Added Tomato Sauce – 15 oz.Ingredients:
Cider Vinegar – 1 Tbsp.
Diet Dr Pepper (or your favorite Diet Soda) – 1/8 Cup
Honey – ¼ Cup
Garlic Powder – 1 Tbsp
Onion Powder – 1 Tbsp
Chili Powder – 2 Tsp
Ground Cinnamon – 1 Tsp
Salt – 1 Tsp (more to taste if you like)
Red Onion – 1 sliced thinly (so it will cook)
Boneless Pork Loin – 1 lb
Directions:
It doesn’t get much easier than this. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. The pork should easily shred when done.
Serve the pork solo on a plate, or on a bun or roll. Nutrition information below is for meat and sauce only.
Nutrition
Exchange List Values
Carbohydrate 2.0 Meat, lean 3.0
Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 7
**Nutrition Analysis created using Recipe Analysis Program. Use the link provided to learn more or order this software.
Your Toolbox for Fighting Childhood Obesity
With the Childhood Obesity Conference happening right now in Long Beach, CA, we thought it was a fitting time to address childhood obesity and some of the top ways to combat and reverse it. It’s no secret that the number of children in the US that are overweight or obese is overwhelming. And, to make it worse, that number is still growing at an astounding rate. But, the goal of the conference is to “Accelerate Progress”. So, what can we do to accelerate progress? As many of you remember from our last blog, we discussed some resources that are available to parents and educators to provide to children. Today, we wanted to provide some easy ways to teach health, nutrition and fitness to kids.
NCES MyPlate Lunch & Learn Placemat – Use at the breakfast/lunch or dinner table either at 
home or on the go. Designed specifically for kids, this placemat educates your child about the five major food groups while engaging their critical thinking skills as they work through the fun activities on the back.
NCES EIEO tear pad – Use these handouts to help motivate kids to get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity in daily. It also helps children understand that what you eat has to balance with how much they exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.
NCES Right-Sized Plate – With two designs, one for adults and one for kids, these colorful plates provide portioned sections for measuring out portions. This is great for kids so they can learn all about portion control by filling each section of their plate.daily. It also helps children understand that what you eat has to balance with how much they exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.
Whiz Zip and Zap cookbook – Get your kids in the kitchen to start cooking so they can see how fun it is. Summer is a greattime to engage your kids in activities like helping to cook family meals. It has been proven that kids who participate in cooking with their parents or caregivers have healthier eating habits. This cookbook provides simple recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.
Scratch and Sniff Learning cards – These interactive scratch and sniff cards provide a fun way for kids to learn about and try new fruits and vegetables. First, have them smell the card. Then, have them taste the actual fruit and vegetable to compare the scent and taste. They can also note what they liked most and least about the foods.
Trick or Treat: Or, should we say Trick the Treats!
Happy Halloween! I bet you’re expecting a blog all about how horrible candy is and that you should help your kids avoid it this Halloween at all costs. But, man have we got a surprise for you! The reality is that sugary junk foods like candy exist in the real world! Your kids have access to it at school, at friend’s houses and for many of you, even in your own home. Just like everything else, the trick is to teach your kids how to enjoy their treats responsibly. For many kids, simply heading out for an evening of trick or treating with a tummy full of nutritious, filling foods will help them make better decisions and not overeat all of the sweet treats they receive.
Here are a few simple & fun ideas to help you fill your family up before you head out for a night of Halloween fun!
Turkey Mummy’s: Slice your mummy wrap (square wonton wrappers) in to strips. Then, wrap the strips around your mummy (a turkey hot dog) and bake. 350° for 20 minutes should do the trick!
Pumpkin Veggie Tray: Simply fill a plate with any vegetables of your choice and use them to make a pumpkin outline. Your kids will think its fun to make and then enjoy snacking on it too!
Pumpkin Krispies: Prepare your crispy rice treats the way you’ve always done it. But, add orange food coloring once your marshmallows have melted. After you’ve mixed in your crispies, set the mixture out on parchment paper in ‘blobs’ to let it cool. When it has cooled, but not quite set, form the blobs in to a pumpkin shape and add your features. We used chocolate chunks for the eyes and nose, almond slivers and white pearl candy for the mouth and Twizzlers for the stem. But, you can use your favorite treats to decorate your pumpkins.
Strawberry Ghosts: A Halloween twist on an old favorite. Using white dipping chocolate, give your strawberries a ghostly cloak, then decorate their faces using chocolate decorators icing.
Let’s Move ~ Eat Local, Eat Fresh
Are you tired of searching through fad diets and grocery store freezers to learn how to eat healthy? It’s pretty time consuming reading food label after food label to find the pre-packaged food that best meets your goals. But, I’ve never seen a piece of fruit or a vegetable with a food label on it. Why? Because they don’t need them! The ingredients in fresh fruits and vegetables are exactly what your body has been begging you for! Plus, there’s no calorie counting! And, who says that eating fresh has to be boring? Here’s a fresh recipe that’s sure to entertain your palate!
Stuffed Chicken Breast
With only 5 ingredients, you can create a fresh meal that is so full of flavor, you’ll start thinking that you should open a restaurant so you can share it with the world!
Ingredients
1) Chicken Breast
2) Garlic
3) Heirloom Tomato
4) Mozarella Cheese
5) Herbed Goat Cheese
Instructions
Take your pressed garlic, diced tomato and crumbled cheeses and stuff them in to your chicken breast. How much is up to you! Remember to get enough for flavor, while remembering portion control! Toss the stuffed chicken on the grill and cook both sides thoroughly. (About 10 minutes on each side depending on the heat of your grill)
Not sure that 5 ingredients is enough for you? You can always add anything you want for more flavor! Basil, spinach and other types of cheeses are all great options.
We hope that you are looking forward to cooking fresh for your family! Let us know what you think of this recipe! It’s all about finding ways to live healthy and fight obesity in America, especially childhood obesity! Need some more inspiration? The experienced staff at NCES is always here to help! You can find us at www.ncescatalog.com, chat with us from our homepage, or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.
Can You Avoid Diabetes?
Paula Dean has diabetes! Of course, you have to have been living in a cave to not have already heard this news! First, we’d like to offer our sincere apologies to Mrs. Dean for her recent diagnosis. Type II Diabetes is a disease that would be tough to live with. And, if left ignored, can have a huge impact on the expected lifespan of the person diagnosed. So, our thoughts go out to Paula and her family while they adapt to the changes required in her life to treat her disease.
However, the true topic of controversy here is that Paula has announced that she has no desire to change her cooking and eating habits to accommodate her newly diagnosed disease. Instead, she is turning to medication to treat it. Although modern medicine provides great opportunities to treat sicknesses in our society, we believe that the best way to treat Type II Diabetes is through a combination of diet, exercise and medication when necessary. And, although claims have been made that her diabetes is hereditary, Type II Diabetes is primarily caused by poor eating habits like choosing foods that are high in fat, sugar and calories. Rather than fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and foods that are low in carbohydrates and fatty oils, which we all know are used heavily in Paula’s most famous recipes.
Here are some shocking statistics! Approximately 26 Million Americans are currently living with some form of diabetes. And, approximately 58% of them are treating their disease with oral medication. The total cost for Diabetes Management is estimated at $174 billion, yes that’s BILLION, each year! It’s important to note here that we acknowledge there are times when medication is necessary to treat diabetes. However, using it as a blanket treatment for diabetes is very expensive for the patient, and isn’t always necessary in order to treat it appropriately. This is why diabetes education is so important!
I’m not sure if you know this, but NCES offers a wide range of diabetes education products to help patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes. We also carry a number of products designed to help the diabetes educator teach their patients about the disease. Check them out today, and be sure to share them with your friends too. Diabetes is the most commonly diagnosed health-related illness in our society. Let’s turn this trend around! Plus, you never know… maybe if we share this enough, Paula Dean herself could get wind of these great tools and incorporate them in to her daily life!
A Plum a Day Keeps the Doctor Away! Wait… What?
Have you had your plum today? That’s right, I said plum! This isn’t the most common of fruits in our daily diets. However, I would say that a large majority of us have tried this sweet, juicy fruit at least once. So, why don’t we keep eating them? Well, that’s simple. They just don’t rank up there with apples, oranges, bananas and even pears, in the hierarchy of ‘popular fruits’. But, they should… this fruit is packed with a lot of the nutrients our body’s need. Plus, adding it to your diet can change things up for your palate… which will encourage you to eat more fruit!
So, let’s say you’re ready to run out to the store and purchase some plums to pack in your lunches this week. What do you look for? What makes one plum better than another? Do you scratch & Sniff like a sticker? Wait, I know, do you cut a chunk out and taste it? No… it’s much simpler than that. Just take a look at the skin! The darker the skin, the better the fruit, it will taste better and is also going to be more heavily packed with essential vitamins and minerals. This is actually a good rule of thumb for any fruit!
There are also many great ways to add plums to your diet without biting in to a fresh one. Many recipes, which are sure to satisfy even the pickiest of taste buds, incorporate plums into the mix. From jam to bread and marinades to summery drinks, plums add an intriguing flavor to some of our most traditional dishes. We cooked up one of our favorite plum dishes… just for a reminder of how we feel about these fallish fruits. And, we remembered correctly. What a great treat! Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy too! Don’t forget to leave us your feedback on the recipe. You can leave a comment here on the blog, visit us on Facebook or Twitter OR you can even call us directly at 800.NCES.BOOKS.
Looking for a fun way to introduce plums in to your diet? Check out this delicious recipe from www.allrecipes.com!
Have you had Your Peaches Today?
That’s right… we said peaches! August is National Peach Month. We couldn’t let this time go by without highlighting some of the benefits of eating peaches. Not to mention, we all LOVE peach cobbler but often avoid it because of all the added sugar and fat. So, we’ll give you a recipe for ‘Light, Fresh Peach Cobbler’ (via www.food.com)
Do you often feel fatigued, stressed, anxious or weak? Well… of course you do! You’re alive. The demands of everyday life often cause these symptoms. But, many times these feelings come from a lack of nutrients that your body needs; one of these being potassium. Peaches contain healthy levels of potassium and can replenish lacking levels in your body. Because of this, the ancient Chinese often referred to this fruit as the ‘longevity peach’. (www.healthyfood-guide.com)
Another great component of a peach is the amount of fiber it contains. Fiber is great for our digestive tracks and helps our body’s process food correctly. A healthy amount of fiber in your diet contributes to keeping your body regular and serves as a ‘cleanup crew’ for your colon.
So, next time you are roaming through the grocery store aisles trying to come up with the perfect snack for your family, pick up some peaches! Not only do they taste great. But, they will also provide your body with many vitamins and minerals that you need to remain healthy!
Light, Fresh Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
- 6 medium peaches, sliced
- 6 1/3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 3 tablespoons reduced-calorie margarine
- 1/2 cup nonfat milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large saucepan, combine peaches, 1/3 cup of the sugar (5 1/3 tablespoons), cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon; toss to coat peaches.
- Set pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Cook until mixture thickens, about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and transfer mixture to an 8-inch square baking pan.
- To make the topping, in a large bowl, combine flour, remaining tablespoon of sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Work in margarine with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add milk and stir until flour mixture is evenly moistened.
- Drop 8 tablespoons of topping mixture onto peach mixture.
- Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Cut into 8 pieces and serve.
NCES HealthBeat Blog 