The Weekly Spread + tips on choosing healthier canned foods Thank you to everyone who came to cooking class last week! I hope your family loved the tuna casserole as much as I did! One class participant had a question about canned fruit. She was curious if it is healthy for her child. So I thought I would write up some info on canned fruit. Here’s how I think about fruit: It’s important to eat fruit at every meal (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner) Fresh fruit is healthiest, but I run out of it before I can make it back to the store. Frozen fruit is just as healthy as fresh fruit, I use it often. Canned fruit makes it possible for me to eat fruit at every meal. It is nutritious, but can have added sugar. Some nutrients can be lost during the canning process. Even though it’s not as healthy as fresh fruit, canned fruit is still healthy. It is better to eat canned fruit than to eat no fruit at all! Here’s some ways to make a healthier choice when choosing canned fruit: Buy unsweetened fruit Buy fruit packed in FRUIT JUICE (see photo above) Avoid buying fruit packed in syrup (avoid all kinds of syrup, light or heavy) Look at the label, there should be 0g added sugar (see photo below) Got more questions about canned fruit? Send me an email: nicolebuhlerRD@gmail.com Here's my menu for the week: Sunday: chili + cornbread + fresh oranges Monday: crock pot cabbage, leek and potato soup + bread + fresh apple slices image from tasteofhome.com Tuesday: chinese new year! Salmon + cabbage and ramen salad + frozen stir fry veggies + fresh oranges image credit: https://www.fromvalerieskitchen.com/ramen-cabbage-salad/ Wednesday: vegetable curry + rice + mango smoothie (using frozen mangoes, I'll be out of fresh fruit by Wednesday, so I'll use frozen or canned the rest of the week) Thursday: green split pea soup (new recipe for me, never made it before!) + canned pineapple + crackers image credit: https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegan-split-pea-soup/ Friday: leftover chili + cornbread + canned applesauce Saturday: ground elk tacos + canned pineapple

The first time I made a salmon a few weeks ago, my daughter ran into her room and would not emerge until we were done eating it. She would rather skip dinner than be anywhere near people eating fish. Why? Because it was a totally new food for her, and it's smelly, and she's sensitive to smells. That's why I was surprised when she asked me if we could try salmon tacos. She said she might eat fish in taco form.......maybe.....if they were like mashed up or something. That's a big change! LOL. This is what happens when you expose your kids to food repeatedly WITHOUT FORCING them to eat it. I've been cooking salmon twice a week for about a month now. The first time we had it, she locked herself in her room. The next time she was able to sit at the table, as long as she couldn't SEE the salmon. Then she was able to have salmon within view the next week. When I cooked it last Friday, she was talking about how she might be ready to try it. I never once tried to get her to eat it. Why am I telling you this? Because this is how kids learn to like new foods. Being around the food, smelling it, seeing it, and watching other people eat it are all forms of "trying" a new food. Will my daughter eat the fish tacos we make this week? I'm guessing no. But will the exposure do her good? Yes it will. And I will keep on trying because the rest of us like salmon. You might be wondering what she eats when she's not eating the salmon I serve? The side dishes of course! We're having fish tacos Thursday. If she's not feeling brave enough for fish tacos she'll have a cheese taco, which is fine. I know that my job is done when I offer my kids healthy food and sit down to eat it with them. It's okay if she doesn't eat much at dinner. She has a good breakfast, school lunch and afternoon snack every day. If she doesn't eat much at dinner, she can make up for it by eating more at breakfast. Are you struggling with a picky eater? I hope this message gives you encouragement. For more help with picky eating, send me an email or visit this page on my website. With that intro on picky eating, here's my menu for the week: Monday: my 9 year old is cooking: Whole Wheat Crepes with filling options: sauteed mushrooms, cooked spinach, chopped bell peppers, defrosted berries, or nutella photo credit: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/recipe-whole-wheat-crepes/ Tuesday: Cooking Class Night! Tuna Noodle Casserole + frozen peas + oranges. I'm super excited. I love this recipe. https://www.ddinutrition.com/tunanoodlecasserole Wednesday: my 11 yr old cooking: One pot lasagna + canned green beans + applesauce (I'm trying this recipe for cooking class, I hope it turns out!) photo credit: https://www.foodhero.org/recipes/quick-lasagna Thursday: grilled salmon + whole wheat tortillas + salsa + mango smoothie photo credit: https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/249647/grilled-salmon-soft-tacos/ Friday: pizza with pesto sauce, artichokes, chopped spinach and olives This is a photo from summer, we will probably have oranges on the side, not cantaloupe, which is out of season. I use frozen whole wheat dough from WinCo. Saturday: soup with what’s left in the fridge, ? bean burritos for dinner. I'll be posting my bean burrito recipe soon. It's our new favorite food that we eat on weekends.

Did you read last week's blog about vitamin D? If so, you might be wondering.... What 3 oz of salmon looks like. That actually might not be what you are wondering; but it is what I was wondering. So we bought some salmon last night for dinner and I weighed some before I ate it. This is what 3 oz of salmon looks like on a plate and next to my hand. It's really small! Why do I want to know what 3 oz looks like? Because 3 oz provides between 12 and 15 mcg of vitamin D, which is enough for the day (everyone age 1-70 needs 15 mcg per day). Vitamin D isn't found in a lot of other foods, so it's important to eat those foods or take a supplement. Point of this photo: it's not very much salmon. The salmon I bought was 8$ per pound. There are five, 3oz servings in 1 pound. Which would make this vitamin D rich food only $1.60 per serving. I think that's reasonable. I plan to start adding salmon to my menu. I hope this encourages you to think about adding fish to your menu too. Here's my dinner menu for the week: Monday: (11 year old is cooking) Burrito Bowls + mango smoothie (just frozen mangoes and milk blended together) Tuesday: (my 9 year old is cooking) Basic Noodles + roasted frozen Brussel sprouts + canned peaches Wednesday: Quick Curry + rice + naan bread + mango smoothie Thursday: Corn chowder (new recipe, lots of exciting ingredients) + cornbread image source: fromachef'skitchen.com Friday: Miso salmon, ramen with a package of frozen stir fry veggies image source: america'stestkitchenkids Saturday: Bean and Cheese burritos Here's how I make my burritos In a big bowl mix: 1 cup cooked beans (drained canned beans work too), 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, 1/2 cup salsa, and about 1 pound cooked ground taco meat Put about 1/3 cup filling in each burrito, roll them up and bake at 350 until warm throughout, about 20-30 minutes tip#1: I keep bag of cooked and frozen beans in the freezer, it saves $$ tip #2: use whole wheat tortillas for more fiber tip#3: the meat is optional, if you leave it out, add less salsa tip #4 I don't actually measure, I just estimate the ingredient amounts

I was curious if I was getting enough vitamin D. So I did a little research and started taking a supplement. Maybe this information will help you too! What is vitamin D? Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps build bones. Children and adults who don’t get enough vitamin D are at risk for weak bones. Vitamin D might also help prevent cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and depression. Where does vitamin D come from? The Sun: Your skin makes vitamin D from the sun Your skin can't make vitamin D in winter because of the angle of the sun's rays Food: Vitamin D is naturally found in fatty fish, egg yolks and UV-light-exposed-mushrooms. Vitamin D is added to fortified foods: Milk (dairy and non-dairy), orange juice, cereal How much vitamin D does my family need? Vitamin D is labeled in units called micrograms (mcg) and International Units (IU) You'll usually see mcg on food labels and IU on supplement labels (confusing!) Infants age 0-12 months: 10 mcg (400IU) kids + adults 1-70 years: 15 mcg (600 IU) Pregnant/nursing women:15 mcg (600 IU) Older adult at 70+ years: 20 mcg (800 IU) Is my family getting enough vitamin D? It's tricky to know if you are getting enough vitamin D. Here's 3 things to think about: 1. The skin's ability to make vitamin D changes Winter sunlight isn't "strong" enough to make vitamin D Wearing sunscreen stops your skin from making vitamin D (but it's still important for preventing skin cancer!) Darker pigmented skin makes less vitamin D. Clouds and pollution block the sun's rays that make vitamin D. Summary: Being outside for 5-30 minutes in the summer will give you enough vitamin D. You probably don't make enough vitamin D during the winter. 2. There are not many food sources of vitamin D 4 cups of milk = about 12 mcg vitamin D, you need 15 mcg per day 3 ounces (size of a deck of cards) of fatty fish has 14.5 mcg, you need 15mcg/day. Egg yolks only have 1 mcg, you need 15 mcg Vitamin D per day. Check food labels to see how much you get from fortified foods Summary: If you don't eat fish 2 times/week or drink 4-5 cups of fortified milk/day, you don't get enough vitamin D from food. I encourage everyone to check labels of foods you commonly eat to see how much you are getting. 3. The amount of vitamin D in breastmilk is variable Breast milk is low in vitamin D. Exclusively breastfed infants need to take 400 IU of vitamin D from birth until 12 months. Don't give an infant cow's milk until 12 months. Exclusively formula fed babies get all the vitamin D they need from formula. Summary: If your child age 0-1 year is not taking a vitamin D supplement, check with your pediatrician about starting one. If I don't get enough from food or sunshine, how do I choose a Vitamin D supplement? Here's 2 things to look for in a Vitamin D supplement 1. USP Mark Supplements are not regulated like drugs. To make sure a supplement is safe and effective, I look for the USP mark on a supplement label before I buy it. Here is an online list of USP certified supplements: https://www.quality-supplements.org/verified-products/verified-products-listings#list1 image from USP.org 2. Take an amount less than 1,000 IU Taking too much vitamin D is dangerous and can cause high calcium levels in the blood. High calcium levels can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, kidney stones and other problems. Do not take more than this amount of Vitamin D Children age 0-7 months: 1,000 IU Children age 7-12 months: 1,500 IU Children age 1-3 years: 2,500 IU Children age 4-8 years: 3,000 IU Children AND adults age 9+ years: 4,000 IU Summary: Vitamin D is important for bone health. You probably get enough during the summer from sun exposure (but you should definitely wear sunscreen after 5-30 minutes - depending on your skin color) If you don't eat fish twice a week or drink 4 cups of milk/day (dairy or non-dairy), you probably don't get enough vitamin D during the winter. To get enough vitamin D during the winter: drink more milk, eat fatty fish 2 times/week (salmon is a good choice) or choose a USP approved supplement that is between 400 IU and 1,000 IU. Most multivitamins have the right amount. Have questions? Email Nicole: nicolebuhlerRD@gmail.com References: NIH Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Professionals: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/ Harvard School of Public; The Nutrition Source; Vitamin D: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-d/ American Academy of Pediatrics; healthychildren.org; Vitamin D and Iron Supplements for Babies: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Vitamin-Iron-Supplements.aspx

One of my 2022 goals is to get my 11 and 9 year old cooking dinner independently. We cook together a lot, but I want them to be able to do it independently. From now on, Monday night is my 9 year old's night and Tuesday night is my 11 year old's night. They choose the menu, I buy the food, they do the cooking. Will they mess up? Yes! I hope so, mistakes are a great way to learn. Will they make messes? Yes! They will also learn how to clean them up. So! Here's my menu this week, with Monday and Tuesday being chosen by grade-schoolers. Monday: One pot pasta, meatballs + canned green beans + orange slices Tuesday: Black bean burgers + grapefruit + canned artichokes image from allrecipes.com Wednesday: Elk meat tacos + rice and bean salad + mango smoothie (this photo was from summer, when cantaloupe was actually in season - we will be having frozen mangos this week) Thursday: Miso soup + tofu + rice + kiwis (new recipe, I've never had this before) image from minimalistbaker.com Friday: Leftovers Saturday: tomato soup from a can + cheese sandwiches + oranges/apples + smores

Happy New Year! If I could make one New Year Wish for every DDI Vantage family, it would be that once per day, their parent(s) turn off all electronics, and sit down to eat a meal with their child. Research shows that kids who have screen-free family dinners at least 5 times per week do better academically, socially and emotionally. Family dinner isn't just about healthy eating, it's about taking time to connect with your little ones. The goal for this blog is to motivate you to sit down and eat with your family. Planning, preparing and cleaning up after meals is hard work, I want to try and make it a little easier for you by giving you ideas of simple meals to cook. This week, I'm making some easy comfort foods for my family. I hope you see something here that you want to try: Monday: Baked Eggs w/frozen broccoli & leftover holiday ham + sliced apples Tuesday: One Pot Chicken and Rice + canned green beans + oranges Wednedsay: Cottage Cheese & Broccoli Lasagne + canned applesauce image from https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/051636/spinach-lasagna-recipe Thursday: Hummus + a new recipe for Beef Kwarma + naan bread from the freezer + frozen mangoes Friday: fondue + veggies for dipping + apples for dinner + bread for dipping image from superhealthykids.com Saturday: New crock pot white bean soup recipe. I found it in a food magazine and don't see it online. If it's good I'll make a webpage for it. Enjoy the fresh start of your new year! Let me know if you have any nutrition questions you would like me to answer on the blog this year! nicolebuhlerRD@gmail.com

Hello Winter Break! The kids are home from school, which means I have to feed them 3 times a day (isn't school lunch amazing?!). To make it easy, I’ll make big batches of our dinner meal and serve the leftovers for lunch. Here’s what we’ve eaten so far this week and plan to eat the rest of the week: Saturday: A huge pot of chili + baked potatoes Sunday: Elk roast w/twice baked potatoes, green beans and apple slices image from meateater.com - my husband made this! Yay for cooking dads! Monday: Dinner: bean burritos + mango smoothie image from budgetbytes.com Tuesday: North African stew + homemade rolls + apple slices image from honest-food.net My husband is making this! yay for cooking dads! Wednesday: Spinach Lasagne + green salad + oranges image from myfoodandfamily.com My daughter will make this, yay for cooking kids! Thursday: - crustless spinach quiche + grapefruit Friday: First Century Feast What is a first century feast? It’s a fun way to celebrate biblical times by eating the foods biblical people might have eaten. Here’s what that menu looks like: Hummus Tzatziki Falafel tabbouleh Unleavened bread Lentil soup Dried apricots Figs pomegranates oranges apples Olives (fresh and canned) Goats cheese Thick plain yogurt Grape juice I like this menu because it's very inexpensive, healthy and simple. It also happens to include my kids’ favorite foods: hummus, tzatziki and flatbread. It’s very easy for my extended family to contribute because no cooking is required; they just bring a can of olives, bag of dried fruit or some sliced cheese (we have 26 people coming this year!). What will you be cooking and eating over winter break?? If you have any holiday menus you would like to share, send me an email nicolebuhlerRD@gmail.com Thanks for reading and happy holidays!

I had my iron level checked during my "adult-well-child-checkup" on Friday (also known as an annual physical). I give blood a few times a year, and started taking iron supplements a few months ago because I was feeling tired, and thought I was probably anemic. While the lab work didn't show anemia, it did show that I have low iron stores, which indicates that I probably was anemic before I started taking iron. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know that everyone needs a checkup, every year. I eat a very healthy, balanced diet, but it looks like I need to start including better sources of iron. Beans and dark leafy greens are a good source of iron, but I'm not absorbing enough to make up for the losses from giving blood. Iron in red meat is easier for the body to absorb, so I'll start eating more of that. I'll use lean red meat so I don't increase my cholesterol while trying to fix my iron. I will also continue to take supplements. The topic of iron is also important for babies and young children. Iron is required for growth, and it's easy for kids to become anemic. It's important to make sure your child is getting enough iron. Iron in high amounts can be toxic, so it is not recommended to give your child supplements unless you know that they need them. The only way to know what's needed is to check in with your doctor at your child's well child checkup. Do you have questions about iron deficiency and the best food sources of iron? You can read more here, and here, or you can email me nicolebuhlerRD@gmail.com and I will happily answer any questions you have! Thanks for reading! Here's my iron rich menu for the week: Monday: ground elk* stroganoff + spinach salad + oranges (i won't put peas in it, I don't like peas in things) Tuesday: cooking class! Chicken Noodle soup + green salad + crackers + grapefruit Wednesday: Taco soup + chips + mango smoothie (https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/simple-taco-soup/) Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce + green beans + canned applesauce (ground beef + ragu simple jarred sauce...because it has less sugar than other kinds) Friday: Homemade pizza topped with artichokes, spinach, pepperoni and pesto! (i use whole wheat frozen dough from winco) Saturday: elk* stew + whole wheat bread + any fruit I can find in the house (my husband will make this for us) *My husband is a hunter, that's why I have elk. It is equivalent to 99% lean ground beef or lean stew meat. If you don't eat meat, you can use lentils/beans or leave out the meat!

It finally snowed!! I loved playing in the snow when I was a kid. I still remember the delight of coming inside from the chill, and indulging in CUPS of hot coco heaped with marshmallows!! Now that I'm a mom, I love playing with my kids in the snow. When we come in, I like to whip up some quick warm snacks. However, I save hot coco for very special occasions, because it's loaded with sugar. 1 envelope usually has around between 12-20 grams of added sugar. For reference, the American Heart Association says kids should have no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. So, instead of drinking our entire sugar allotment for the day, I make mugs of warm vanilla milk (link takes you to the recipe on my website). It is just milk, warmed up in a mug in the microwave, with a splash of vanilla flavoring in it. I usually sprinkle cinnamon on top. My kids love it! I also usually whip up a batch of peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies in my blender (link takes you to the recipe on my website). They only take 5 minutes to make, and you can eat the dough raw without getting sick (that's important if you are impatient like me). My kids love these cookies and will usually eat the entire batch. I don't want you to think that we never eat sugar at my house. We do eat sugar, and we love it! I just try to cut back on things don't matter as much. I also cut back on the sugar in my holiday baking. Whenever I make a recipe, I'll cut out at least 1/4 cup of sugar. My family rarely notices the difference. Take this pumpkin cake recipe that I just posted on the website. The original recipe had 1 2/3 cups of sugar. I used 1 1/3 cup of sugar instead and they were still plenty sweet. For reference, 1/3 cup is 67 grams of sugar. We usually eat the entire batch of pumpkin cake, so between the 5 of us, that saves 13 grams a person. (remember, the limit should be 25 grams per day). It's not a huge amount, but little changes like that make a big difference over time! Do you have any great low sugar recipes you would like to share? If so, send me an email at nicolebuhlerRD@gmail.com thanks for reading and have a happy snow day!

I've been planning January's cooking class menu and want to make Tuna Casserole. It's healthy, easy, and comforting, but my kids don't like the classic version with canned soup. So, I decided to come up with my own recipe. Last week, I created a tuna noodle casserole recipe and made it for dinner. The family devoured it! Even my pickiest daughter ate an entire plate and asked for more (she didn't realize it had tuna in it LOL). Now I'm going to work on fine tuning the recipe for cooking class and taking photos, so we will be eating tuna noodle casserole a few times this week. Good thing my family likes it! Hopefully I can wrap that up and post the recipe soon. Until then, here is my menu for the week, ENJOY! Monday: TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE + green salad + fresh oranges (doesn't it look good in the photos) Tuesday: LENTIL TACOS + salsa + lettuce + mango smoothie (milk, mangoes, orange juice) (image from allrecipes) Wednesday: VEGGI NOODLE SOUP (December's cooking class recipe) + green salad + fresh apple slices Thursday: VEGGI CURRY W/ RICE + canned applesauce Friday: TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE AGAIN! w/fruit and vegetable that's still in the house Saturday: CHILI + CORNBREAD + any fruit that's left in the house (probably canned peaches) Sunday: LEFTOVERS

I hope your thanksgiving weekend was full of good food! It's cold and I'm in the mood for some veggie soups, as you can see from my menu this week! Sunday: homemade black bean enchiladas w/SALSA (as we learned in cooking class, salsa counts as a vegetable!) - I was too tired to include any other parts to that meal Monday: Leftover turkey soup with wild rice + orange slices + canned croissant rolls FYI to make that recipe healthier, I'll use about 1 Tablespoon oil to cook the carrots and onion, and then I'll add in whole milk instead of half and half image from tasteofhome.com Tuesday: Potato and leek soup + whole wheat breadsticks + apple slices (the leeks are frozen, but potatoes and apples are inexpensive winter produce) image from tasteofhome.com Wednesday: tuna noodle recipe from a cooking class participant (thanks Lanetta!) + applesauce (I'll be adding frozen peas, the applesauce is canned) Thursday: pumpkin black bean curry + naan bread + rice + mango smoothie (using frozen broccoli and frozen mangoes!) image from minimalistbaker.com Friday: pumpkin garbanzo bean soup + naan bread + pomegranates image from thespruceeats.com Saturday: leftovers, cottage cheese, crackers and canned peaches

When I menu plan, I always look through the fridge and freezer first to see what needs to be used up. Things I needed to use up: leftover chili, leftover stew, and cottage cheese. Instead of eating just chili and stew again, I'm going to turn them into a different meal - see how below! Monday: Leek and potato soup (using garden leeks that I put in the freezer in September and potatoes) + homemade breadsticks + green salad (from my garden) + canned pineapple image from wix.com Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna (using up cottage cheese) + canned green beans + oranges (I bought these last week, they last a few weeks in the fridge) image from https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/051636/spinach-lasagna-recipe Wednesday: Black beans + rice + frozen mangoes + green salad (I've been cooking my own dry beans, it's a great way to save money, the link below shows you several ways to do this!) image from https://vanillaandbean.com/how-to-cook-black-beans/ Thursday: Shepherd's Pie, made with leftover stew from last week + canned applesauce https://www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes/venison-shepherds-pie-recipe Friday: Baked potatoes with leftover chili from last week + canned pineapple (I cook my potatoes in the microwave, it's fast and easy - it only takes about 5 minutes on high heat) Saturday: trial of new tuna noodle casserole recipes Sunday: Thanksgiving celebration (we do it early with extended family so that we can travel over the holiday) We split up the meal and are in charge of stuffing, pecan pie and rolls. Have a great week!