News Type: Healthy Meal Time

a-PEEL-ing Recipes

Posted on March 20, 2015 by -

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It’s Spring Break, which means no school, warmer weather and the arrival of new fruits and veggies! The break also provides time for us to test some recipes in the Brighter Bites kitchen. When coming up with new recipe ideas, we like to create dishes that are fun and inviting. For example, we recently developed several recipes that combine fruit and vegetables. Various fruits bring sweet, citrusy, creamy, crisp, or tart flavors to a dish, while vegetables add fresh, spicy, bitter, or earthy ones. Creating a combination of the two can produce the perfect harmony of flavors and it might be a great way to introduce new foods to your kids! Think about these salads: the sweet zest of a summer melon with the crispness of a cucumber; the fresh taste of a juicy watermelon with the tartness of a tomato; or even the sweet flavor of a carrot with the earthy tang of fresh cauliflower. We’ve also taken our smoothie to a whole new level. Have you tried baking spinach into a muffin? With the sweetness of bananas and applesauce to balance out the neutral flavor of the spinach, we were able to make our HULK Smoothie into a MUFFIN. It’s perfectly green, scrumptiously sweet and absolutely kid approved! These dishes are just some of the fruit and vegetable combinations we tried this week. We encourage you to do the same in your own kitchen. Look for inspiration from fruits and vegetables currently in season. Try pairing them to make simple salads, salsas and smoothies, and find out if your kids like these combinations too!  We think you will be berry peas-ed!

Liven Up Your Lunch with Fruits and Veggies

Posted on March 10, 2015 by -

March 10th is National Pack A Lunch Day. Packing a lunch can be a budget-friendly way to make sure you have nutritious foods to enjoy at lunch. We’ve gathered tons of great ways to include flavorful fruits and veggies in your midday meal. Salads are a fun, customizable way to include loads of produce in your meal. Create a base using a variety of greens such as kale, spinach, or arugula. Top the greens with a healthy protein like grilled chicken or beans and other vegetables including tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and broccoli. Fruit and chopped nuts make great toppings to liven up salads even more. We’ve included the recipe for a tasty corn and black bean salsa below that would be a great topping for salads! You can also pack in more fruits and veggies by putting them on sandwiches. Great sandwich toppings include spinach, shredded carrots, avocado, and cucumbers. Dips are another fun way to energize sack lunches. Peanut butter mixed into low fat or fat free yogurt makes a delicious dip for fruit while hummus or salsa are good matches for carrots and celery. Packing your lunch may seem like a time consuming task, but if you give some of these tips a try, lunchtime might become a bit more tasty!

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Harvest of the Month: Grapefruit

Posted on February 17, 2015 by -

Locally grown fruits and vegetables have become increasingly popular as people become interested in the farm-to-table movement. To expand the movement even further, the Food and Child Nutrition Services  department at Dallas ISD has created a program called Harvest of the Month.  This program has enhanced the farm-to-table movement by promoting locally grown fruits and vegetables in the menus at Dallas ISD schools. Each month, the Harvest of the Month program promotes one fresh produce item by providing students with meals consisting of the regional produce and teaches them about growing the food on local farms.. February’s Harvest of the Month item is grapefruit which is the state fruit of Texas. Like most citrus, grapefruit is in season in the winter which is why now is the perfect time to give it a try! Grapefruit is high in vitamin C, which helps boost the immune system, and vitamin A, which can help support eye health.

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Beyond its health benefits, grapefruit is delicious! Of course grapefruit can be enjoyed on its own, either by cutting it in half and scooping it out or using a knife to segment it. Grapefruit would also make a great addition to a leafy green salad or placed on top of yogurt as a quick breakfast or snack. You could also throw grapefruit into a smoothie or toss it into your favorite fruity salsa to add a tangy kick. We’ve been including grapefruit in our Brighter Bites bags this month so that our families can enjoy this tasty winter citrus fruit. Support a regional grower and give grapefruit a try this February!

Make Valentine’s Day Berry Bright!

Posted on February 13, 2015 by -

At Brighter Bites, February 14 offers us another opportunity to provide nutritious and yummy recipes that appeal to your creative side. This Valentine’s Day we challenge you to make your own tasty treats instead of buying cakes, chocolates, and heart-shaped candies! Fruit is wholesome and sweet in a natural way.  Check out our Pinterest page where we’ve pinned delightful kid-friendly delicacies, including our own Love Potions and Cupid Kabobs! You might want to carry the Valentine’s Day theme through breakfast, lunch and dinner to make the kids feel extra special all day. Children love to create, explore and learn. Give them an apron and ask them to help you in the kitchen. Use their own enthusiasm to help them learn about the benefits of some of the freshest and most nutritious treats available.

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Creating (and Tasting!) New Recipes

Posted on January 4, 2015 by -

One of the best parts of Brighter Bites (in our humble opinion) is providing a fun food experience to our families. We really enjoy seeing their reaction when they try something new and end up loving it! We are constantly coming up with new recipes to share with our families, which is one of our favorite parts of the job! New Recipe Over the break, we tested tons of tasty new recipes for the spring. The samples ranged from a Spicy Honeydew Salad to beet chips, which were super scrumptious! Needless to say, we’ve been pretty popular around the office because people love getting to try all of our new creations. We love coming up with new ways to prepare fruits and veggies that pack a nutritious punch but still taste great too. We can’t wait to share these fresh creations with our Brighter Biters! We’ll give you a little sneak peak in the meantime with a tasty recipe for Ridiculously Good Radish Salad. New Recipe Recipe: 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen peaches, finely diced 1 bunch radishes (12 small radishes), thinly sliced 1 small cucumber, finely diced 1 small clove garlic, finely diced 1 Tbsp lime juice ½ tsp chili powder ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper Place all ingredients in medium bowl and mix well. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.

CATCH a Healthy New Year Kick-Off

Posted on January 2, 2015 by -

CATCH Education and health are two peas in pod.  Numerous studies indicate that healthier students have increased academic performance.  This is why CATCH is one-third of our Brighter Bites recipe for success.  It creates an environment that encourages healthy eating and physical activity with help from teachers, health professionals, cafeteria staff, administrators, and parents.    Using CATCH, we will reinforce those healthy New Year’s Resolutions by hosting a 5-day jumpstart to a healthier life at all of our schools in Houston and Dallas.  It’s a fast and effective way to get everyone on the same path to greater health.  When we share a common goal, there will always be the support we need to accomplish it. Luckily, there’s a place for everyone to encourage healthy eating and physical activity!  The administrative staff is responsible for getting the school jazzed each morning with an MVP Health Tip of the Day.  They also get the parents involved by sending home a flyer so they can provide encouragement at home. The cafeteria staff will promote GO foods and recognize the kiddos who choose those items over their WHOA counterparts.  Teachers have binders and binders of lessons, which they incorporate into their lesson plans throughout the year.  The best part of the campaign comes from the P.E. Teachers!  They will reinforce everything with games centered on physical activity!  These games are designed to teach our kiddos about nutrition and get them moving! When kids are supported and inspired from every direction, they are more likely to exhibit those encouraged behaviors.  Healthier kids exhibit better academic performance so help the children in your life start the journey of greater health!

Season’s Eatings – The Holidays are Upon Us

Posted on December 24, 2014 by -

Happy Holidays and Season’s Eatings from Brighter Bites!  The holidays are the perfect time to try new foods, especially fruits and veggies!  From artichokes to zucchini, the options are endless.  Try gorgeous green kale with ravishing red beets and outstanding orange sweet potatoes for a vibrant holiday feast.  Filling half your plate with veggies at holiday meals is a great way to make sure you get a good balance of tasty treats and healthy eats! We want to share a recipe with you for a side dish that’s Brighter Bites approved to serve to your family and friends.  This roasted butternut squash will make a great side dish for your holiday meal or any other night of the week!  We hope you have a bright holiday season full of lots of healthy bites! holidays

Food Safety Matters!

Posted on July 3, 2014 by -

As you head out this holiday weekend for barbecues and pool parties, keep time and temperature in mind. If food sits out over two hours at room temperature it can potentially make folks sick. Food should travel in the air-conditioned area of your car; high-risk foods like tuna salad, sliced fruit or raw meats should be kept on ice, especially if you’re traveling an hour or more.