WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS
“A lot of parents ask me how to get kids to eat more vegetables. The first thing I say is that it starts from the top.”
--Chef Emeril Lagasse
Our Growing Healthy Kids movement features some awesome classes in the kitchen for kids. One thing I love to watch is how the kids all clamor to do something. When the kids show up for a class, the first thing they see is a display of all the ingredients we are going to play with. A lesson I learned from my father who was an aerospace engineer was to always use the right tool for the job. That same lesson applies in the kitchen, which is why this week’s WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS topic is about kids’ favorite kitchen tools: lemon squeezers and garlic presses.
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| A recent GROWING HEALTHY KIDS IN THE KITCHEN program in Vero Beach, Florida. Kids wait with anticipation to use the lemon squeezer! |
Lemons have seeds. Using fresh lemon juice is so much better than using bottled lemon juice. Having a lemon squeezer in your kitchen makes having fresh lemon juice to use a no-brainer. Look for one that is easy for the kids to use and easy to clean. You can get a great lemon squeezer for under $5.00.
In our Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen educational programs, we ask kids if they know the trick for releasing the juice from lemons (or limes) so it is easy to squeeze. No one ever guesses the trick but it is so easy: roll a lemon on the counter with just a little bit of pressure. Another trick is to put the lemon in the microwave for ten seconds but I really don’t like using a microwave anymore.
Garlic is really good for keeping us healthy and protecting us from colds. So good that I look for ways to have garlic every day. I am one of those people who never takes a sick day because I don't get sick and I owe a big part of my own wellness to eating garlic. One of my observations in every Growing Healthy Kids in the Kitchen class is how much the kids LOVE to use the garlic press. They will stand in line to wait for a turn to be able to use the garlic press. Buy your family a good garlic press – one of my favorites is made by Pampered Chef.
Garlic and lemon are great additions to vegetable dishes. Try these ideas at your house this week:
RECIPE IDEA: Steam some broccoli and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on it for flavor instead of butter. The lemon is healthier and better for you than butter!
RECIPE IDEA: Use the garlic press and add fresh garlic to a foil packet of vegetables such as zucchini, green beans, and carrots. Add a little extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt and pepper. Wrap tightly. Throw the foil packet on the grill with some fresh fish and you will have an amazing vegetable dish that the kids will devour!
With gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich
Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
