Fruits and Veggies More Matters

The theme for Fruit and Veggies More Matters Month in September is Family Meals. This is a good reminder of the importance of setting time aside for family meals. With our busy hectic schedules, it is not easy to sit down every night for dinner. But, setting small goals like 2 to 3 times a week for a sit-down, device-free, family dinner is very important. If dinner isn’t an option, try doing breakfast once or twice a week! Sharing a fun family meal is good for the spirit, brain and health of all family members. Recent studies link regular family meals with the kinds of behaviors that parents want for their children: higher grade-point averages, resilience and self-esteem.

Source: Familydinnerproject.org

Here are some family-friendly recipes for getting more fruits and veggies into daily eating. (As seen on Indy Style, WISH Channel 8, Sept. 20, 2018. Watch here.)


Recipe:  Homemade Hummus

Ingredients:

  • 1 can chickpeas, low sodium
  • 2 cups raw spinach
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • 2 Tbsp chives
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until creamy.
  2. Serve with your favorite dippers (raw vegetables, rice crackers, tortilla chips, you name it!)


Recipe: Rainbow Sushi Sandwiches

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices whole grain bread (can be gluten free if necessary)
  • 8 tsp hummus
  • 1/2 carrot, grated (about 2 Tbsp of grated carrot)
  • 2 Tbsp grated or shredded purple cabbage
  • 8 cucumber slices

Directions:

  1. Roll each piece of bread very flat with a rolling pin.
  2. On each slice of bread, spread 2 tsp hummus. Then, top one end of the bread with 1 1/2 tsp of
    grated carrot and 1 1/2 tsp shredded purple cabbage (1 Tbsp total). Add 2 skinny slices of
    cucumber and 2 skinny slices of tomato.
  3. Roll the bread very tightly starting with the end that contains the ingredients.
  4. Cut into 4 slices.
  5. Serving is 8 slices (2 slices of bread)

Recipe: Fruit Kabobs

Ingredients (one serving):

  • 4 grapes (green or purple)
  • 3 berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
  • 2 pieces of melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, etc.)
  • 1 dollop of dip
  • 1 coffee straw

Dip:

2 cups vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

  • Take a coffee stirrer (or something similar) and rotate putting grapes, berries, melons on until
    stirrer is completely filled
  • Dip or roll fruit kabob in dip and enjoy!

 

Calories: 41, Fat: 0.3 g, Fiber: 2.7g, Carbohydrates: 9.2 g, Protein: 1.1 g, Sodium: 10.9 mg