Smackdown: Barbara Walters vs Paula Deen

Tweet Yesterday I watched this video.



Wow! Did Barbara Walters say Paula Deen makes kids fat? Yes, she did, sort of ... all while she was eating Paula Deen's creations.

Barbara is right in that obesity in children is a horrible problem. WebMD says that one out of every five children in the U.S. is overweight or obese. That number is growing and may very well lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, skin conditions, diabetes, stress, self-esteem issues, and perhaps depression.

Paula Deen was on The View to promote her new children's cookbook "Paula Deen's Cookbook for the Lunch-Box Set." The recipes are simple and fun and designed for special activities such as bake sales, sleepovers, and pool parties. As Paula said, "Moderation...we don't eat this way everyday of our life."

So Barbara and Paula are both right. Paula's recipes can be fattening if eaten all the time. But Paula is also right in that these kinds of foods should be eaten in moderation. Both Barbara and Paula failed to mention what an important part physical activity plays in all this. No food need be off limits if children are getting plenty of exercise.

I was also thinking that a cookbook for children is a great idea. It's fantastic quality time that parents can spend with their children. And children can learn the skill of cooking while also improving their reading, math, measuring, and science skills.

After watching this, I began wondering what our local schools were serving for lunch this week. I was pleasantly surprised. Items on the elementary and middle school menu include hot ham & cheese on a whole wheat bun, broccoli and cheese, oranges, cheese dippers with salsa, garden salads, mixed veggies, pears, and Sun Chips. The high school menu didn't seem quite as healthy to me. It had the broccoli, salads, fruits, and green beans, but also had cheese burgers, pizza, oven fries, chicken drummies, chili crispitos, and school made cookies. But I did notice last time I was there that vending machine choices included milk, juice, water, sandwiches, cereal bars, and crackers. So there are good foods, if children make the healthy choices. This is something parents and teachers must stress to children...healthy choices.

It appears schools are moving in the right direction. What about parents? Two other videos I found show how parents can also move in a healthy direction. These are not recipes for children to make, but are ones that parents can use to get more fruits and vegetables into their children's diet.

The first is Jessica Seinfeld, author of "Deceptively Delicious." The second is Missy Chase Lapine, author of "The Sneaky Chef."





Enjoy! And Be Healthy!

Information: http://children.webmd.com/obesity-children

School Cafeteria Food

Tweet Yesterday I was thinking about some of the food available in the school cafeteria when I was a kid. I thought, "Wow, I haven't had any of 'that' for a long time." The 'that' refers to school-made cinnamon rolls, yeast rolls, peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, turkey tetrazzini, weanie winks, and creamed chipped beef served on toast or mashed potatoes. It got me thinking, "Wow, I wonder if those recipes are available anywhere." To my surprise, I found many of them on the internet.

Since many of the recipes are copywrited, I'm going to provide links to them. Just remember, these are cafeteria recipes. Check to see how much the recipe makes before you dive in. The turkey tetrazzini recipe makes 6 gallons. If you wanted just four 2-cup servings, you'd have to divide each recipe ingredient by twelve. If you wanted just one 1-cup serving, you'd have to divide the ingredients by 96.

I think that a lot of school cafeteria food today is prepackaged and not homemade like these recipes were. Make one or two of these dishes and your children can see and taste what school food was like when you were in school.

Turkey Tetrazzini: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/roosevelt/recipe.html
Yeast Rolls: http://www.recipegoldmine.com/school/school-lunch-rolls2.html
Toastie Dogs (we called them Weanie Winks): http://www.recipegoldmine.com/school/toastie-dogs.html
Peanut Butter Cookies: http://www.recipegoldmine.com/school/chicago-peanut-butter-cookies.html
Cookies and Cinnamon Rolls: http://www.theingredientstore.com/joesplace/swap1.pl?noframes;read=6201
Brownies: http://www.bigoven.com/23097-Truman-Elementarys-Chocolate-Fudge-Brownies-recipe.html
Creamed Chipped Beef: http://recipes.smashits.com/23692-recipe-creamed-dried-chipped-beef-over-toast.html

Eat Breakfast Like a King

Tweet I've heard it said that you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a pauper. Whether this is true or not, research shows that breakfast is the most important meal. It fuels your body for the upcoming day. As a teacher I encountered many students who skipped this meal, usually because they were running late for school. Often, they could not concentrate on their studies and certainly were not doing their best in school.

Breakfast doesn't have to be a big extravagant event. Something simple will do. Whole grain cereal, low-fat milk, and orange juice. A piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana. Even leftover pizza from the night before will do, just add a piece of fruit. Try to include a lean protein, a complex carbohydrate, and a healthy fat.

The following websites will give you more information:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/most-important-meal
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119
http://www.bellybytes.com/articles/breakfast2.shtml