Grilled Cheese and Chicken on Cinnamon Raisin Bread
4 slices cinnamon raisin bread (with or without nuts)
2 T. mayonnaise
1 package pre-cooked grilled chicken strips
4 sandwich-sized slices of Harvarti cheese
2 T. butter
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
While skillet heats, assemble sandwiches. Spread bread with mayonnaise. Lay one slice of cheese on each piece of bread and layer the chicken on top of the cheese, on one piece of bread per sandwich. Gently join the two halves of each sandwich, so that each has a layer of chicken in the middle.
Put half the butter into heated skillet and coat skillet surface with the melting butter. When butter is melted, place sandwiches in skillet.
Cook sandwiches on medium heat, so cheese has time to melt, but the bread doesn't burn. Use a spatula to check on the grilling bread's progress.
When first side is toasted and cheese has begun to melt, gently flip the sandwiches. Slip remaining butter into skillet just before flipping the sandwiches, to brown the other side of sandwich.
When the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, remove from the skillet and serve.
Kraft singles with sliced tomato, baby spinach and honey mustard on a length of French bread
1 French baguette
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
1 cup of baby spinach leaves, washed and patted dry
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thinly
2 T. honey mustard
2 t. canola oil
If you have a panini press, use it to make this sandwich. If you don't have one, you can use a George Foreman grill, the flat, griddle side of a waffle iron or a plain old skillet.
Heat cooking vessel of choice to medium heat.
Cut ends off baguette, then cut baguette into 6-inch lengths. Cut lengths in half and spread the insides with honey mustard. Spread half of the cheese on the bottom halves of bread. On top of the cheese, layer the tomatoes and spinach. Top with the remaining cheese and close the sandwich with the top of the bread.
Panini press: Brush with canola oil and put sandwiches in.
Electric grill/griddle: Brush the top and bottom of the sandwiches with oil.
Skillet: If using a skillet, top it with a cast-iron skillet. Add a can or two from the pantry to this top skillet to give it extra heft, and give it a push to compress the sandwiches a bit.When bread begins to brown, remove the top skillet and turn the sandwiches gently. Replace the skillet you're using to weigh it down and compress again.
The sandwiches are done when the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.
Kraft singles, provolone and cheddar on whole wheat
4 slices of whole wheat bread
2 KRAFT Singles
2 sandwich-sized slices provolone cheese
2 sandwich-sized slices cheddar cheese
2 T. butter
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
While skillet heats, assemble sandwiches so that there is one slice of each kind of cheese between two slices of bread.
Put half the butter into heated skillet and coat skillet surface with the melting butter. When butter is melted, place sandwiches in skillet.
Cook sandwiches on medium heat, so cheese has time to melt, but the bread doesn't burn. Use a spatula to check on the grilling bread's progress.
When first side is toasted and cheese has begun to melt, gently flip the sandwiches. Slip remaining butter into skillet just before flipping the sandwiches, to brown the other side of sandwich.
When the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, remove from the skillet and serve.
While skillet heats, lay one slice of cheese on each piece of bread and layer the ham on top of the cheese, on one piece of bread per sandwich. Gently join the two halves of each sandwich, so that each has a layer of ham in the middle.
Put half the butter into heated skillet and coat skillet surface with the melting butter. When butter is melted, place sandwiches in skillet.
Cook sandwiches on medium heat, so cheese has time to melt, but the bread doesn't burn. Use a spatula to check on the grilling bread's progress.
When first side is toasted and cheese has begun to melt, gently flip the sandwiches. Slip remaining butter into skillet just before flipping the sandwiches, to brown the other side of sandwich.
When the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, remove from the skillet and serve.
Grilled Cheese With Sliced Apple and a Little Whole Grain Mustard on Sourdough Bread
4 slices sourdough bread
4 sandwich-sized slices of cheddar cheese
2 T. whole grain mustard, divided
1 apple, cored and cut into thin slices
2 T. butter
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
While skillet heats, spread mustard thinly over all slices of bread.
Lay one slice of cheese and layer apple slices on one piece of bread per sandwich. Gently join the two halves, so that each has a layer of apple in the middle.
Put half the butter into heated skillet and coat skillet surface with the melting butter. When butter is melted, place sandwiches in skillet.
Cook sandwiches on medium heat, so cheese has time to melt, but the bread doesn't burn. Use a spatula to check on the grilling bread's progress.
When first side is toasted and cheese has begun to melt, gently flip the sandwiches. Slip remaining butter into skillet just before flipping the sandwiches, to brown the other side of sandwich.
When the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, remove from the skillet and serve.
Is getting dinner on the table each night starting to get you down? Are your kids tired of your five staple meals and clamoring for something new? Have no fear, Scott and Marisa are here to help with a series of simple and quick dinners that will quickly become Family Favorites. In this first episode, they make quick quesadillas and a simple, fresh home-made salsa.
These quesadillas are parent and kid pleasers because they incorporate a green veggie, whole grains and protein-rich cheese for an easy meal. Whip up a bowl of salsa with a tomato or two, some diced onion, garlic, cilantro and some canned diced chiles for a side that you can feel good about. What are you waiting for? Go and create a new favorite dinner for your family!
Click below to visit our Five-Minute Family Favorites hub, complete with full-sized video and recipe, grilled cheese recipe ideas, and more!
My husband and I share the personal opinion that we're doing our kids a favor by eating their Halloween candy at night. After all, they don't need the sugar, right? Of course, neither do we, but we don't usually acknowledge that fact while fighting over the last mini-Snickers bar.
If our neighbors start handing out treats like those suggested in this gallery from Forbes, there wouldn't be any arguments, because there wouldn't be anything good to fight over. But these treats are healthier for kids, so they're worth taking a look at. For instance, Forbes recommends avoiding:
The Kansas City Academy offers kids in grades 6-12 foods like pizza with whole wheat crust, hormone-free cheese and organic toppings. What salad with that? Help yourself to greens and veggies grown in a nearby organic, pesticide-free garden.
The school is one of three in the Kansas City area participating in Bistro Kids' Farm 2 School program, which replaces your basic, high-fat cafeteria fare like cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets with natural, locally grown food, such as free-range meats.
Whats that? You're vegetarian, you say? Vegan, even? No worries, just ask the chef to prepare you a special, fresh meal that meets your dietary requirements.
Bistro Kids' owner, Kiersten Firquain, believes kids' dietary habits contribute to poor physical and mental health, and she isn't alone in that belief. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overweight kids has increased drastically in the past 20 years, which in turn has increased the number of kids with diabetes.
Schools have responded by trying to offer fresh-food alternatives, but are often stymied by cost. Those with high poverty rates suffer the most -- the federal government reimburses schools about $2.57 per free meal served, but most districts say an average meal costs $2.88.
Students who participate in free-lunch programs are often the ones most in need of a nutritional boost. I, for one, would be more than willing to put a few more bucks in my school-tax bill to help children in my neighborhood eat a healthier diet. How about you?
Sure, we have a problem with childhood obesity in this country but, come on, what country doesn't? What's it going to hurt to let kids pig out one night a year? I mean, Halloween only comes once a year, just like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, birthdays (of siblings and friends), anniversaries... Okay, so maybe they do end up eating a lot of junk a lot of the time.
Some parents are trying to make a difference -- by skipping the Halloween candy and handing out less fattening treats. Toys, pencils, stickers, Play-doh, and glow sticks are some of the alternatives people are handing out. "I thought, here I am trying to take care of my health," says Lisa Bruno, of Des Plaines, Illinois, who ditched the candy five years ago. "I felt a responsibility to my community to take care of the kids around me."
Experts suggest that Halloween can be used as a vehicle for teaching kids about portion size and limits to help them deal with food issues all year long. "It's important that we as parents help them find the balance between that very traditional fun activity and a healthy lifestyle," says Connie Diekman, past president of the American Dietetic Association.
I like the idea of giving out pencils or Play-doh -- things that will last longer than the length of a single swallow. I'm not so sure, however, how kids feel about it. Are you giving out candy or a less sugary alternative this year?
It's important for kids to read in order to become well-rounded, knowledgeable adults and positive members of society. It turns out there's another benefit to reading -- it can lead to weight loss. Scientists at Duke Children's Hospital in North Carolina have found that overweight girls who were given a book that featured an overweight girl reduced their body mass index by one percent in just six months.
The book the girls read, Lake Rescue, promotes a healthy lifestyle, including exercise. A control group that was not given the book actually increased their BMI by half a percent. Even though the loss was small, it represents a significant impact because the expected outcome, sans book, would be for the girls to increase their BMI, as, in fact, the girls in the control group did.
"The idea that a book can positively influence weight loss and decrease BMI is encouraging because it's fairly easy to implement," says Dr. Sarah Armstrong, who specializes in Nutritional Disorders and Obesity at Duke. "And it's a welcome addition to a world where there aren't a lot of alternatives." Whether a healthier lifestyle is a good reason to read or reading is a good way to live a healthier life, I say it's a win-win situation.
The United States isn't the only country with a problem of childhood obesity, it seems. Apparently, South Korea is battling the problem as well. In fact, the situation is bad enough that the government there is planning to do something about it -- they're going to pay for gym memberships and other weight loss activities.
A changing diet and more sedentary lifestyle has led to a tripling of obesity, according to health ministry official Chun Myung-sook. Kids will get as much as thirty dollars a month to help reduce their weight. "Kids won't be able to waste the money on eating sweets. We will give them electronic vouchers that can only be used in designated places," Chun said.
In 2006, the government spent two trillion dollars on childhood obesity-related costs; spending a bit to reduce that and help kids live healthier lives makes sense.
I doubt any parent thinks of a product called "Sugar Smacks" as nutritious. We reserve that kind of labeling for cereals that have no taste or taste like compacted sawdust. Still, would it surprise you to find out that many cereals, especially those designed for kids, are essentially candy? Move over Butterfinger, moms and dads could be handing out samples of cereal to the sweet seeking trick-or-treaters hitting their doorsteps this October!
Sugar Smacks were renamed Honey Smacks some time well after I stopped eating cereals (and being a kid--I guess those two things are linked) but a consumer group still found they were half sugar by weight. So, too did they find as such for Golden Crisp. Never heard of that one. If you'd told me that Cocoa Puffs were half sugar I would believe you, but the consumer group didn't test those.
As you might expect, Cheerios (champion cereal of small children everywhere) and Honey Nut Cheerios were found to be the healthiest. Cheerios ranked first with only one gram of sugar and three grams of fiber per serving. The study of cereals also found that kids serve themselves at least twice as much per serving as recommended. Who doesn't--especially if it's delicious and full of sugar??? Kellogg, who make Honey Smacks, noted they've made strides to increase the nutritional content of several cereals, including Fruit Loops, and that a serving of yogurt contains more sugar than a serving of Honey Smacks. What they didn't point out is the size of a serving of each--I'd wager you get a lot more yogurt than you do cereal per recommended serving. It also depends on what kind of yogurt you're discussing, as some brands add sugar a lot more liberally than others.
Would you hand your preschooler a bag full of live ammunition?
Now you know how parents of kids with food allergies feel about Halloween. The treats so many children look forward to with glee can be deadly for those who suffer from reactions to peanuts, tree nuts and dairy. But who wants to tell their child that trick or treating is forbidden?
First and foremost, remember that your normal food-allergy rules still apply: read the label of every piece of candy your child collects before they eat it, make sure he or she carries their medication with them while trick-or-treating, and check that he adult in charge knows how to administer the medication if the need arises. Also, give your child a small packet of hand wipes, so they can clean their hands if they accidentally come in contact with an allergen.
These simple rules don't mean your child can't have fun. Rather than trying to read the fine print on candy labels with your flashlight, bring a small bag of "safe" candy from home, so your little trickster can snack along the way. You can also invent new Halloween traditions, such as a "Halloween fairy" who brings safe treats or non-food presents.
Afraid your little one will get into the stash you plan to hand out? Don't give out candy -- try stickers or pencils. Or skip the door-to-door candy collecting altogether, and attend a local event that doesn't focus on food. Local zoos or farms often host Halloween parties loaded with activities.
And remember, your child can always say "no, thank you."
Last but not least -- don't panic. Taking care to follow your normal food-safety rules will help everyone enjoy a fun holiday.
My husband and I share the personal opinion that we're doing our kids a favor by eating their Halloween candy at night. After all, they don't need the sugar, right? Of course, neither do we, but we don't usually acknowledge that fact while fighting over the last mini-Snickers bar.
Chef-prepared vegan meals? Organic salad bar? Free-range meats?
Sure, we have a problem with childhood obesity in this country but, come on, 
It's important for kids to read in order to become well-rounded, knowledgeable adults and positive members of society. It turns out there's another benefit to reading -- 
The United States isn't the only country with a problem of childhood obesity, it seems. Apparently, South Korea is battling the problem as well. In fact, the situation is bad enough that the government there is planning to do something about it -- they're going to 
Would you hand your preschooler a bag full of live ammunition?
