LEMON PANCAKES

Lemons have several health benefits, as well as being a great low calorie way to flavor a dish!  Lemons contain vitamin C, which boosts your immune system protecting your body from getting sick.  

Here is a great whole grain low calorie lemon pancake recipe your family is sure to love! Top with low-fat yogurt and fresh strawberries, on sale at our local grocers thru April 3.  

Recipe from: https://eatwellutah.org/

TIP TUESDAY

Stuffing stuffed peppers - Hold stuffed peppers upright in a greased muffin tin. 

Easily greasing muffin tins, cookie sheets or cake and bread pans: Use a 1-1/2 inch natural bristle paintbrush dipped in melted margarine or oil to grease muffin tins, cookie sheets or cake and bread pans. It’s much faster than using a skimpy pastry brush. 

When working with dough: don’t flour your hands; coat them with olive oil to prevent sticking.

Flour a cake pan: Use a bit of the dry mix instead of flour. There won’t be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Glossy pie crust finish: Brush beaten egg whites over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

APPLE CRANBERRY BITES

This recipe is packed with protein and whole grains.  Make ahead of time & use for breakfast on the go or a quick healthy snack fix. Only 152 calories per serving!

*** DRIED CRANBERRIES WOULD BE A GREAT ALTERNATIVE IN THIS RECIPE.

TIP TUESDAY

THIS WEEKS KITCHEN TIPS AND TRICKS 

#1-Keep bananas from ripening too fast: Wrap the crown of a banana bunch with plastic wrap to keep the bunch from ripening too fast. 

#2-Mashing potatoes: When making mashed potatoes, after you drain the potatoes, return them to the hot pan, cover tightly and let steam for 5 minutes. This allows the potatoes to dry out so they'll mash to a beautiful texture and soak up the butter and cream more easily.

#3-Adding nuts to a batter: heat the nuts first in the oven, then dust with flour before adding to the batter to keep them from settling to the bottom of the pan. 

#4-Cutting butter into a recipe: First freeze the butter, this will make it easier to cut into the dry ingredients.

BEEF STIR FRY

Veggies on sale this week at our local markets!

SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK

Utah School Breakfast Week is March 19-23, 2018! Food $ense loves school breakfast! Why? Because students who eat school breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight, drink more milk, and eat more fruit daily! Studies also show a decrease in absenteeism, fewer behavioral problems, and higher grades and increased standardized test scores. 
#UTSchoolBreakfastWeek #NSBW18 #schoolbreakfast

TIP TUESDAY

Check out this weeks kitchen tips and tricks:

#1- Prevent mushrooms from getting slimy: Wrap them in paper towels before refrigerating or store them in brown paper bags.

#2- Cutting corn from the cob: Minimize waste and mess when cutting corn from the cob by mounting the cob in the hollow center of a Bundt cake pan, where it will be secure. When you run a knife down the cob, kernels will collect in the pan.

#3- Storing Leftover guacamole: If you have leftover guacamole, spray it with just a bit of cooking spray before you refrigerate it. The oils from the cooking spray will help to keep your guacamole from turning brown. You can also keep the pit from the avocado in the guacamole because the pit contains natural oils that will also help to preserve it and keep it from turning brown. 

#4- Keep berries longer: Soaking berries in a vinegar and water solution before you store them in the refrigerator will make them last for several days longer than simply putting them in the fridge. Just add one part vinegar to 10 parts water and swirl the berries around for just a few seconds. Rinse and store. 

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI PASTA

This is an EASY flavorful dinner your family will love!  Includes 4/5 of the MyPlate food groups, and ingredients are on sale at our local grocery stores (until March 13). 

Skinny One Pot Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 3 TBL Butter (divided)
• 4-5 Cloves Garlic (minced) 
• 3 3/4 cup Chicken Broth (Low-Sodium preferred) 
• 2 1/2 cup Milk (more if needed)
• 1 lb. Whole Wheat Pasta (linguini or other)
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 cups Broccoli
• 1 tsp Basil (dried or fresh)
• 2/3 c Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Season chicken with Italian seasoning (or other seasoning as desired).  Saute chicken in large skillet (or large stock pot) until it is cooked through (165 degrees), remove from pan and cover.

2.  Heat 2 TBL butter over medium heat, add garlic and cook for about a min.

3.  Add chicken broth, milk, remaining butter, pasta, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and stir occasionally.  Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. 

4.  Add broccoli, continue to cook (stirring occasionally) for 6-10 more min until pasta is cooked through. 

5.  Stir in Parmesan and cooked chicken, and enjoy!  

(add more milk if thinner consistency is desired.)

TIP TUESDAY

THIS WEEKS KITCHEN TIPS AND TRICKS

Keep bananas from spoiling so quickly: Bananas spoil less quickly it they are kept in a bunch. Also, do not store bananas with any other fruit. The gasses they emit will ripen the other fruit faster than normal. 

Need a soft fruit or vegetable sliced quickly? Use your pastry cutter. It works well with avocados, strawberries and bananas. 

Quick & easy way to core an apple: Sit it on its bottom and slice off a piece close to the core, then place on flat side. Slice off the other two sides; then turn on side and slice last section off. No core and great pieces for slicing smaller or dicing.

Easy methods to peel a garlic clove: Try one of these 3 methods: 

1. Put the clove in the microwave on HIGH for 10- 12 seconds. Skins peel right off. 
2.  Use a rubber jar opener. Lay clove in the middle of rubber jar opener and fold it over the clove. Rub clove vigorously and skin comes right off.
3. Use a large knife and lay the blade horizontally across the clove. Place one hand carefully on the blade and push down with your hand cracking open the clove. The skin comes right off. 

Storing leftover tomato paste: Most recipes for pasta sauce and chili call for only a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. If your paste comes in a tube, leftovers aren’t a problem. But, if it’s in a can, don’t toss the remainder or let it dry out in the refrigerator. Instead, freeze it in tablespoon-size portions. Once they’re solid, transfer to a plastic freezer bag. Later add them directly to recipes—no need to thaw. Try this with chipotles in adobo and pesto, too.

BELL PEPPERS

Bell peppers are a great addition to any diet!  Loaded with Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants, bell peppers improve eye health & reduce risks of developing preventable chronic diseases.  

Bell peppers are also very versatile, they can be eaten raw or cooked.  Which makes they a great option to add to any dish.  They can also be found at grocery stores year round, which makes them a practical choice as well.  

With a wide variety of color options, these veggies are packed with vitamins and minerals to boost immunity and increase heart health.

https://eatwellutah.org/2018/02/28/taste-the-rainbow-eggs-over-peppers/