Happy Mothers Day!
Did you ever stop to think about what your mother taught you
about foods, cooking, and exercise? What
are your childhood memories? I remember baking apricot pies with my mother for our family’s weekend trips to Stinson Beach north of San
Francisco. I remember learning how to
make stews filled with carrots, potatoes, and turnips in our family kitchen in
California. I remember making homemade
ice-cream and sitting on the freezer, struggling to hand crank it right before an adult
would deem it ready to eat. I remember
skateboarding to travel from my house to my best friends’ houses. I remember hiking in the Sierra Nevadas on
snowshoes (now, that is a workout!)
Create some new family memories for Mothers Day. Take your children to the Saturday Green
Market today and buy locally grown veggies from the farmers who are also your
neighbors. Then teach your kids how to
make a veggie frittata. Buy some navel oranges
and have fresh squeezed orange juice. Take a 30 minute walk together.
Last month, one little girl who attended one of our Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen programs told me, "My mother never lets me help in the kitchen. She thinks I'm too young." I told her what a great job she was doing. She was smiling and having so much fun helping with each job she was asked to do by myself and several other volunteers that night. Our children deserve to our respect and if we don't teach them how to enjoy, respect, and prepare foods that nournish their growing minds and bodies, then who will?
This Mothers Day, teach
your children respect for real foods.
Create a new family favorite recipe together.
Below, is one of the recipes from the soon-to-be-released book from
Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. to inspire you.
Frittata
with Spinach and Cheese
HEAT in a 9-inch
nonstick skillet until hot:
- · 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
ADD in this ingredient
and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes:
- · 1 onion, finely chopped
ADD in these 2
ingredients and cook for about 2 minutes:
- · 1 cup spinach, finely chopped
- · ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped OR ½ cup grape tomatoes
MIX these 5 ingredients
in a large bowl:
- · 8 large eggs
- · ¼ cup extra sharp cheese, grated or thinly sliced
- · ¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- · Sea salt
- · Freshly ground black pepper
POUR egg mixture into
the skillet and cook until bottom has set, about 5 minutes.
HOLD a flat plate over
the pan and invert frittata onto the plate, then slide it back into the
pan. (Note: If you use an oven-proof pan, you can place
frittata into oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes after the bottom has cooked instead
of flipping it.)
COOK until just set,
about 5 minutes more, and serve hot.
Adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali.
Nancy Heinrich teaching at a recent GHK in the Kitchen program. |