Stop Blogging and Cook

We are our children’s best, first and often only, role models..  ~Michelle Obama

FLOTUS’ CHAT WITH US
Did anyone tune into the First Lady’s chat yesterday morning?  They’ve updated the Let’s Move! website to include more resources, and she wanted to highlight this and take the opportunity to interact with the public.  She took submitted questions – alas, not mine – and had some good advice based upon what she herself implemented years ago to more her family towards healthier eating:

1.  Kids will do what they see their parents do. “When I tell my girls to eat their vegetables,” she said, “I’d better be eating mine.”

• Remove processed foods and sugary drinks from the pantry.
• Limit television time.
• Go outside and play.  Girls should sweat and compete, just like boys, and kids should focus on a sport they like, practicing and getting good at it.
• Don’t say, “No” to fast food, just hold it in balance with other things.  Balance is key.
• When she was growing up kids had to find things to do to entertain themselves, and it usually involved moving.
• Children’s eating habits are set by ten years old.  It’s never too early to learn.

2.  It is a challenge to find funds for things that are important in public schools. Citing cities that had achieved  success, she called on the states to find a way to follow their example.

• “Exercise isn’t an option.”  Sixty minutes of play per day – not a task or a penalty, but the high point of the day – should be the norm.
• Schools have to find ways to make phys ed, better nutrition and gardening part of the curriculum.
• Teachers should eat with their kids; to provide modeling opportunities and to see what the kids are eating, what they’re bringing from home.
• Every major sports league should invest in schools, providing role models for healthy behavior.
• Lunch programs should be healthy, affordable and tasty.

3.  The food industry should do it’s part:

• Reduce sugar, salt and fat in processed food products.
• Good front-of-package labeling so parents don’t have to squint to read food labels.
• Market healthy foods to kids.

4.  Kids quickly adapt, that often it is parents’ inability to change the status quo.  “Kids are malleable and more open to change.  They are more susceptible to trying new foods.”  She continued, “The problem is us [adults] who are often resistant to change.”

TODAY’S HINT
Yesterday I was on the Let’s Move! website and saw a video of a chef demonstrating, among other things, an easy way to core and cut a sweet bell peppers.  I spend about a half hour last night trying to find it so I could provide the link, but to no avail.  So I’m going to describe it to you, without video.

Imagine the pepper as a box with four sides, a top and a bottom.  With a chef’s knife to one side of the stem area, cut off one side.  Rotate pepper and cut off a second side, then a third side, the fourth side and, lastly the bottom.  You’ll be left holding the stem and the bulk of the seeds which can be discarded.  The few seeds clinging to the spines of the slices can be easily pulled away.

This method is for when you’re using the whole pepper; don’t cut more than you need.  If you only need one slice (side), cut out the core at the top and it will be easy to remove.  Store the remainder of the pepper in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for later use.

Today’s preparation is for Balsamic Chicken.  Jumping off the idea of shoving chicken quarters in the oven for an hour, I tried marinating them in plain balsamic vinegar for a couple of days until I was ready to cook them.  They looked a little bare in the roasting pan, so I sprinkled a little thyme on top, cut up an onion and forgot about them until they were done.

After they were safely ensconced in the oven, I put on some basmati rice to cook, and threw some mushrooms to absorb the leftover marinade. When the rice was almost done, I added the mushrooms, gave it a stir, covered the pot and let it sit until the chicken was ready.  The heat of the rice was enough to cook the mushrooms just enough.

Baste the chicken the last ten minutes of cooking time.  Remove the quarters, reduce and thicken the pan juices for gravy; I did not use wine in this variation..  Chicken with rice and savory gravy:  it was good!  A little differently-flavored than my usual, but that’s what cooking is about.  Will also be good cold, or in a sandwich or topping a salad.

Tags: dinner, gluten-free, real food, rice