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Contest: Treats for the
Tots
Send us your favorite treats for the tots. We're looking for kid-friendly (adults too!) recipes that are healthy and use California Ripe Olives. Send
us as many recipes as you want. As usual, we'll
test 'em and taste 'em and feed them to our own
little tykes until we come up with a winner. If
your recipe is chosen, it will appear on the California
Ripe Olive Website with the other contest
winners. You'll also get a free California
Ripe Olive Apron. So why the dilly-dallying?
Time to get in the kitchen (with or without the
tykes) and cook up a winner!
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Spring 2002
By Meryl Bennan
As
springtime kicks in, if you're like me, you're starting to
think about shedding those extra insulation pounds to make
yourself a little more presentable by the pool. This year
though, I'm a little less concerned with beauty and a little
more focused on healthy eating habits. You see, as a new parent,
I have less time for anything these days, let alone worrying
about how I look...(O.k. so I try to brush my teeth and lose
the bathrobe most days, but sometimes that's about all I can
handle.) Also, as a new parent, it's hard to ignore the obesity
epidemic that's taking over our nation's kids. Time to change
that, and it's up to us adults to lead the way.
Now, I'm not going to get preachy on you (believe me I've
taken in enough advice for all of us in the past few months),
but there are a few things you can do to help your tots, tweens
or teens stay fit, healthy and happy. Primarily, keep the
kids active and well fed.
By that I mean, serve them well-balanced meals with fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, proteins and monounsaturated fats-you
know, the ones found in California Ripe Olives, nuts and seeds.
Slim on ideas? Don't worry, I've already given it plenty of
thought. Try one of these California Ripe Olive Recipes the
next time your kids got a craving. They're so easy your kids
can make 'em and so delicious you'll probably end up snagging
a bite or two (if you can). Looking for more information on
the obesity epidemic and healthy eating habits for kids, check
out what our nutritionist
has to say.
Brown Bagging It
Don't bore your kids with PB&J. Send them to school with
lunches they'll enjoy. This way, their brown bag won't end
up in the trash and their "milk money" in the nearest vending
machine. Season with nutritious foods that little ones enjoy
like California Ripe Olives and zesty salsas, and watch their
taste buds grow, while their waistlines remain unchanged.
MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS
Ingredients
|
| 2 cups Chopped, cooked
chicken breast |
| 1 cup Salsa |
| 1 cup Sliced California
Ripe Olives |
| 4 Romaine lettuce leaves,
trimmed to about 8-inches |
| 4 10-inch tortillas |
Directions
Combine chicken, salsa and olives in a
small bowl. Place one lettuce leaf on each
tortilla. Fill the center of each leaf with
a line of chicken salad. Turn ends of tortilla
inward and roll up around filling to enclose.
Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and toss
in lunch bag. Serves 4 kids.
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It's a Family Affair
Kids love to get in on the action in the kitchen. Let
them get their hands a little dirty, measuring ingredients,
cracking eggs and stirring up pots of tasty, nutritious food
and they'll appreciate their meals more and more each time.
Teach them how to prepare healthy lunches and after-school
snacks now and they'll be stirring up their own crazy California
Ripe Olive concoctions and other radical recipes before you
know it. Just think, once they get the hang of it, you may
never have to cook again! Fat chance, right?
CALIFORNIA RIPE PIZZA POCKETS
Ingredients
|
| 1 package Prepared dinner
roll dough |
| 1 (41/4oz) can Chopped
California Ripe Olives |
| 3/4 cup Pizza sauce |
| 1 cup Grated reduced fat
mozzarella cheese |
| water |
| 1 egg, beaten |
Directions
Flatten dinner roll dough into 5-inch discs
and line up on a parchment lined baking
sheet.
Combine California Ripe Olives, pizza sauce
and cheese in a small bowl. Spoon 1 heaping
Tablespoon of the California Ripe Olive
mixture into the center of each dough disc.
Brush around the edges with water and fold
into half moon shapes to enclose filling.
Brush tops with beaten egg and bake in a
375 degree oven for 13-15 minutes until
golden.
Makes 8. Eat a few right out of the oven
and toss the rest in the freezer, then nuke
'em when you're ready for the next batch.
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Kill Two Birds with One Potato
Next time you're preparing mashed potatoes for dinner, hold
onto those potato skins and invite your kids into the kitchen.
Instead of grabbing for a bag of chips and hunkering down
in front of the TV while you churn out the family meal, the
little tykes can help you turn these unwanted skins into their
very own nutritious snack.
Start by baking a few potatoes. Cut them in half and remove
the flesh for mashed potatoes. Slice the skins into wedges,
sprinkle them with a little bit of cheese, California Ripe
Olives and chopped chives (or anything else your kid might
like), and toast them until they're golden brown. Just remember...save
some room for dinner!
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