7 One-Pot Recipes for Back-to-School Season

(Family Features) School is back in session, and so are hectic weeknights with little time to cook dinner. Instead of reaching for ready-made meals or takeout, serve up tasty one-pot dinners made with wholesome ingredients like spaghetti squash and quinoa. These seven kid-friendly recipes bring everything together in a single baking dish or skillet, so there's less prep and clean up, and more time for reconnecting around the dinner table.

SOURCE:
McCormick Spice

5 Tips for Building a Better Lunch

(Family Features) Keeping lunch ideas inventive and exciting can become challenging over time. Lunchbox envy may start in grade school, but when you open yet another uninspired sack lunch, you may find yourself wishing you could trade with a friend or co-worker, if only for the change of pace.

Whether you’re packing lunch for the kids or looking for ways to boost the grownup lunches in your family, these ideas will help pull you out of your lunchtime rut.

Customized carrier: Get a customized lunch box that will make you and your kids excited about lunch. Add a monogram, showcase a favorite color or pick a favorite character or hobby to personalize your pack. Features like bento boxes and cooler compartments add a practical touch to the fun.

Menu collaboration: Talk to your kids about what they want to eat and come up with menus together. Involving them in the process helps them feel empowered and may give you some ideas to liven up your own routine.

Tasty treats: Kids and adults alike can appreciate new ways to enjoy their favorite flavors. For example, Dole Mixations are a one-of-a-kind fruit fusion that’s a simple and delicious twist on two snack time favorites: applesauce cups and cups of fruit. Available in four satisfying varieties, each serving includes a combination of smooth fruit sauce with juicy chunks of real fruit that kids and adults of all ages will love.

Words of encouragement: Whether you’re packing a lunch for your little loves or your big one, include a note or message that’s sure to bring a smile at lunch. Look for fun, inventive packaging features that you can customize with personal messages for a fun lunch-time surprise. You can also add a pen to your youngsters’ lunch boxes and encourage them to express their own creativity on the lid before they dive into the delicious fruit fusion.

Pack a punch: Balance basics like sandwiches with fruit and crunchy veggies to ensure the meal has a healthy, fulfilling variety to keep energy up throughout the day. An option such as Dole Mixations is an enjoyable mix to brighten any meal. They contain non-GMO fruit, no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors. Plus, they are naturally gluten free and rich in vitamin C.

Find more ideas to wipe out lunchtime boredom at dolesunshine.com.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

SOURCE:
Dole

Celebrating Everyday Moments

Top family-friendly ice cream desserts

(Family Features) Finding time to celebrate family moments is always sweeter with a delicious ice cream dessert.

Breyers partnered with celebrity chef Curtis Stone and his wife, actress Lindsay Price Stone, to celebrate its 150th birthday. The couple created 12 delicious ice cream recipes inspired by each month of the year using Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream. From January’s recipe featuring Fortune Cookies and Natural Vanilla Ice Cream with Mandarins and Oranges to December’s Spicy Hot Chocolate Floats, families have desserts to celebrate everyday moments all year long.

“Beyond a great taste, Breyers Natural Vanilla offers families peace of mind with its simple ingredients like sustainably farmed vanilla beans,” Curtis Stone said. “Also, it’s made with milk and cream from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones*.”

Start making the most of family time by visiting Breyers.com for more recipes and join in on the birthday celebration.

*Suppliers of other ingredients such as cookies and sauces may not be able to make this pledge. The FDA states that no significant difference has been shown between dairy derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated cows. Find more information about the Breyers pledge at Breyers.com.

SOURCE:
Breyers

Master Your Family’s Morning Routine with Protein

How milk can help power the day

(Family Features) As the weather cools down and routines ramp up, parents know it becomes increasingly challenging to keep the whole family on track. While most people know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, many don’t realize that protein in the morning is key to starting the day off right.

A protein-rich breakfast including milk can help energize your morning. Plus, protein at breakfast can help you feel full and satisfied, so you won’t feel hungry by mid-morning, which helps the whole family tackle work, errands, school, extracurricular activities or whatever else the day has in store.

One easy way to increase your family’s protein intake at breakfast is to simply add a glass of milk. Each 8-ounce serving has nine essential nutrients, including 8 grams of high-quality, natural protein. If mornings in your household are chaotic, plan ahead by making protein-rich breakfasts the night before that are easy to pair with milk, ensuring that the whole family can get out the door on time and fed in the morning.

“As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m focused on what I feed my kids each day,” said Dr. Jennifer Shu, pediatrician and author. “Milk is a simple, nutritious way to make sure they get high-quality protein at each meal, plus other nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and more.”

When thinking about the week ahead, consider tasty, protein-rich recipes the whole family will love that can be prepared in advance and eaten on the go – like these PB and J Protein Power Muffins. For more recipe ideas and morning inspiration, visit milklife.com/morningprotein.  

PB and J Protein Power Muffins
Servings: 6

• Nonstick cooking spray
  
• 1 3/4    cups milk, divided
  
• 1          cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed according to package directions
  
• 2          cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2       cup loosely packed brown sugar
  
• 1 1/2    teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/2       teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4       cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  
• 2          large eggs
  
• 1          teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 4          tablespoons creamy reduced-fat peanut butter
  
• 1/4       cup strawberry preserves

1. Heat oven to 350°F and grease 12-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In medium saucepan, stir together quinoa and 1 cup milk. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook 10-15 minutes until quinoa is tender and milk is absorbed.
3. In large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt; whisk to combine. In medium bowl, combine remaining milk, Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla and peanut butter; mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in cooked quinoa. Divide batter among muffin cups.
4. Drop 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry preserves into center of each muffin tin on top of batter. Bake 20-25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes. Serve with 8-ounce glass of milk.

Nutritional information per serving: 540 calories; 8 g fat; 1.5 g saturated fat; 70 mg cholesterol; 25 g protein; 91 g carbohydrates; 4 g fiber; 520 mg sodium; 517 mg calcium (50% of daily value). Nutrition figures based on using fat free milk, and include an 8-ounce glass of milk.

SOURCE:
MilkPEP

Homemade Sushi is Easy with Surimi

Homemade California Roll Sushi Stacks

(Family Features) Sushi is a popular choice for a night out with friends or a romantic date night, but good sushi can also break the bank. If you’re looking for a way to indulge your sushi cravings while sticking to your monthly budget, surimi seafood is a great alternative to raw seafood that you can prepare right at home.

Surimi is a fully cooked Japanese seafood ingredient, so it’s a great introduction for those new to sushi. Made from premium wild Alaskan Pollock – a highly-sustainable whitefish – and real snow crab, surimi is a good source of protein and is more cost effective than cuts of raw seafood.

It’s also an ideal ingredient for a variety of people: expectant mothers can indulge their sushi cravings anxiety-free and parents can introduce the nutritional benefits of seafood into their kids’ diets by hosting a family fun night crafting sushi together. Additionally, more young adults are now choosing to cook at home, but still have a penchant for customization. Surimi allows you to skip the pricey sushi restaurant and instead create your own unique sushi at home.

Made with Crab Delights by blogger Nicole Harris of Wonky Wonderful, you can enjoy these Homemade California Roll Sushi Stacks with friends, family or a date. You can see how the sushi stacks were formed in this video.

Find more delicious surimi seafood recipes at louiskemp.com.

Homemade California Roll Sushi Stacks

Description
Photo courtesy of Nicole Harris

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked sushi rice, divided
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 large (28-ounce) can or round food mold
• 2 avocados, peeled and chopped, divided
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped, divided
• 2 cups Louis Kemp Crab Delights surimi seafood, chopped, divided
• 2 teaspoons lemon, finely chopped, divided
• 4 teaspoons sesame seeds, divided
• 4 individual size seaweed sheets, torn into bite-size pieces, divided

Spicy Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Preparation

1. Prepare rice according to package instructions.
2. Mix together rice vinegar, sugar and salt, and pour over cooked rice. Gently toss to coat.
3. Prepare can by removing contents, removing top and bottom with can opener then cleaning thoroughly. Round food mold will also work.
4. Place can upright on flat plate and hold firmly in place while layering ingredients.
5. Press 1/2 cup cooked rice in bottom of can. Follow with 1/2 cup avocado, 1/4 cup chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup chopped surimi seafood and 1/2 teaspoon chopped lemon. Use back of a spoon to firmly press ingredients down to ensure sushi stack stays together.
6. Top with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and 1 sheet of seaweed.
7. Gently pull can up to remove.
8. Repeat process to create three more sushi stacks.
9. To prepare spicy sauce, mix mayo, Sriracha and soy sauce until incorporated.
10. Serve sushi stacks with drizzle of spicy sauce, if desired, and soy sauce.

Serves
4

Preparation Time:
25 minutes

SOURCE:
Louis Kemp Crab Delights