Thanksgiving for $1.25 November 24, 2008

The other day I saw an ad from a non-profit agency requesting donations, and it showed a child eating cereal for Thanksgiving. It is tough times for a lot of people this holiday season, but it is still possible to do a holiday meal for cheap, and may actually be less expensive than milk and cereal!

1) Skip the ham, and find frozen turkey on sale – it’s going for as low as 29 cents a pound. Those leftovers can last a long time, and make wonderful soups and sandwiches. Compare prices online to get the best deal before driving to the store. If you estimate three-quarters of a pound of unprepared turkey per person, that’s about 25 cents a serving once you account for salt, pepper, spices, and/or herbs. Meat doesn’t come much cheaper than that, and cereal is even more expensive!
2) Buy a bag, rather than single potatoes. Mash them with the skins for extra nutrition, then add chicken boullion and milk instead of butter to save calories and money. You’ll be amazed at how good they taste! Afterwards, you can make a great potato soup by thinning it with milk or water and adding a little ham and green onions. At 50 cents a pound, most people will eat about 1/2 pound of cooked potato…which comes out to about 30 cents a serving after adding powdered milk and chicken boullion.
3) While fresh green beans are pretty, often the frozen or canned can be found for about $1 a pound. Serve a small amount to add color and vitamins. Just 2 ounces (12.5 cents) will make your plate pretty and healthy.
4) At 20 cents a pound, HEB sells sweet potatoes at a steal. Chop, boil, peel, and mash, then top with a few marshmallows for eye appeal. That’s about 15 cents a serving if you have a large potato.
5) Make your own gravy with the turkey drippings rather than paying a premium for storebought packages. Just mix a little cornstarch with cold water, then add the mixture to the turkey drippings. Voila! For a couple cents you have a made a great tasting gravy to drizzle (lightly!! it’s high in calories!) over your turkey and potatoes.

So far we have a cheap and very healthy dinner for less than $1 a person. If you want more than that, than go ahead and add dressing or stuffing (homemade will be much cheaper) and a pumpkin pie (homemade crust) for additional holiday flavor. These two items will probably add an additional 20 cents per person, but hey, where can you buy such a great-tasting, healthy meal for less than $1.25?

Is your baby vitamin D-ficient? November 5, 2008

Which is healthier – 1) eating ice cream at the beach on a sunny day, or 2) eating a house salad with nonfat salad dressing in a dimly lit restaurant?  According to a recent study, eating ice cream and spending time in the sun may be the clear winner for most toddlers and even some adults.

the American Academy of Pediatrics recently came out with a report suggesting that breastfed infants two months and older be given a vitamin D supplement (formula is fortified with vitamin D) based on the low amount of vitamin D in most mothers’ milk.  This vitamin varies widely in milk depending on how much the mother is consuming or making from exposure to sunlight.  The AAP recommends that babies continue supplementation until they drink at least a pint per day of vitamin D fortified milk or formula.  They do NOT recommend sun exposure without sunscreen, even though studies show that 10-30 minutes of being in sunlight while wearing only a diaper would be all infants need to make sufficient vitamin D.  (However, I find it hard to believe that 10 minutes of sun once a day is that likely to cause cancer).

Why the sudden focus on D?  Roughly 30% of babies may be D-deficient, and many adults are as well.  Extreme deficiency leads to rickets, but even low levels of this vitamin are associated with poor bone development in children and diabetes, cancer, and heart disease in adults.  Recent studies also show a possible link between autism and low vitamin D levels.  As people are drinking less D-fortified milk and spending less time in the sun without sunscreen, more Americans are becoming D-ficient and seeing the negative health consequences.   

Technically, vitamin D is more of a hormone than a vitamin since our bodies can make it from exposure to UV rays from sunlight.  Unfortunately, what boosts D production may also cause skin cancer.  Because D production varies so widely depending on the season, location, amount of sunlight, and a person’s genetics, doctors recommend a dietary supplement to ensure adequate amounts.  In the old days people gave their children cod liver oil which is a great source of vitamins D and A as well as omega 3’s, but this supplement has a wildly unpopular flavor, and better-tasting D’s are on the market.  Also, seafood such as salmon, shrimp, and sardines are rich sources of vitamin D if you do not eat or drink fortified dairy products.

  Talk to child’s pediatritian on what he or she recommends for your baby’s D levels… and if you always wear sunscreen and never drink milk, it may be time to take a beach trip, put the sunscreen on after the first 20 minutes, and enjoy a vitamin D-rich smoothie or ice cream cone!

Fall Favorites November 5, 2008

Ah, fall.  This is my favorite season – I love the colors, the cooler temperatures, and the foods associated with fall and harvest.  Whether I’m eating a fresh, crunchy apple from my parents’ farm in Minnesota or homemade pumpkin pie, nutrition comes in a delicious variety this season.  Following are a few of my favorite fall foods.

1) butternut squash.  this is a great way to get your vitamin A if you are burned out on carrot sticks and don’t enjoy liver.  Wrap  the whole squash in tin foil (place a cookie sheet underneath to catch drippings)  and bake in the oven at 350 for about an hour  depending on size.  You can also microwave it if you need a side dish in a hurry.  Add a little cinnamon or nutmeg, a dash of brown sugar, and your family will love it!

2) Butternut Bisque is a great recipe on allrecipes.com.  I substitute 1% milk for the cream to lower the fat, and used low-sodium broth so it could double up as babyfood.   

3) Chocolate Chip Pumpkin cookies.  I hear this is a weightwatchers recipe so I’ll give them the credit, but I have never verified that rumor.  Regardless, it’s a great recipe for beginning cooks because of its simplicity:

2 cups chocolate chips

1 spice cake box mix

1 15oz can pumpkin (not the pie mix)

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix ingredients.  drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!  These have a cake-like consistency and also taste good as mini-muffins.  If you want to make it healthier, substitute raisins or dried cranberries instead of chcolate chips to decrease the calories and boost immunity-promoting anthocyanins.

This makes two dozen cookies, each with 150 calories, 7g fat, 23g carbs, 2g fiber and providing 54% of your vitamin A for the day.  I’ll take that for dessert!