The new school year is the perfect time to think about ways to fight lunch bag boredom while encouraging healthy eating habits for your children.
Proper nutrition for children is critical for growth and development, and it’s no surprise that it also plays a role in behaviour, mental function and school performance. In other words, healthy snacks and lunches should provide a child with enough energy and nutrients to help them stay active and help them concentrate throughout the day.
While packing a lunch that is enjoyable and healthy may seem daunting, a little planning and know-how can make things a lot easier.
Plan Ahead
Organizing healthy lunches for your child doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task, particularly if you put a few simple things together ahead of time. Instead of tossing whatever’s handy into their lunch boxes as they are running out the door, consider some of the following tips:
* Plan for leftovers. When cooking dinner, plan on making extra for an easy lunch the next day.
* Do some food preparation ahead of time. For example, peel and chop enough fruits and vegetables to last the whole week (to prevent the fruit from going brown, sprinkle it with lemon juice). Better yet, package them ahead of time so that they are ready to throw in a lunch bag.
* Encourage your kids to help with the planning, shopping and preparing. This will allow you guide them in making their own healthy food choices.
* Keep all lunch supplies together. If your child is old enough to pack their own lunch, dedicate one cupboard or shelf to lunch and snack foods. This will take the guesswork out of what to pack and give them a sense of independence, but you’ll still be sure they’re getting nutritious food.
* Keep the house stocked with healthy foods that your child likes, and don’t keep unhealthy snacks stacked in the pantry. If junk food isn’t easily available, they will be less likely to eat it.
* Pack lunches the night before — this will help with the morning rush and get everyone out the door on time.
What to Pack
Ensure that the healthiest foods from a variety of food groups are included in your child’s lunch. That means plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, milk products (or calcium fortified alternatives), and protein from lean meats or alternatives such as legumes. If your child has a favorite treat, let them enjoy it in moderation by adding it to their lunch box once a week.
Mix things up a bit and make lunchtime something your child looks forward to during the day — that way, they’ll be less likely to trade their lunch for something less wholesome. For younger children, consider making things fun by engaging their senses with brightly coloured bite-sized pieces of fruit and vegetables, sandwiches cut into shapes using a cookie cutter, or foods they can stack, dip, or roll.
To avoid the sandwich blues, here are some healthy meal and snack ideas that are lunchbox appropriate:
* Pita pockets: Pack tofu or chicken, lettuce and tomatoes in a container so your child can fill their own pita pocket at lunch.
* Use a wide-mouth thermos to pack warm foods such as macaroni and cheese, chili, stew.
* Tortilla roll: Spread hummus on a whole-wheat tortilla and cover with veggies before wrapping into a roll.
* Pasta salad: Combine whole-wheat pasta (wagon wheels or ABCs) with flaked tuna, chopped veggies, and low fat salad dressing.
* If your child is used to regular sweet peanut butter, add honey to organic unsweetened peanut butter and slowly decrease amount of honey over time to wean them off of the excess sugars.
Green Earth Organics Inc. is a home and office certified organic grocery and natural product delivery service. We have a wide selection of 100% Certified Organic fruit, vegetables, and other grocery products. We also carry a growing list of environmentally friendly products that make it easier for our customers to tread lighter on our planet. This blog offers exiting information on organic food and healthy eating habits.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tofu Salad Sandwich
INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp mayonnaise or vegan alternative
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp curry powder
8 oz extra-firm tofu, well drained
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 Tbsp green onion, finely minced
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 large whole-wheat pita breads, cut in half
Optional additions:
vine tomatoes
romaine lettuce
field cucumber
spicy deli sprouts
DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine mayo, mustard, turmeric and curry powder. Gently stir in tofu, carrots and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine. Chill.
Spoon into pita pockets and serve. Feel free to add vine tomatoes, romaine lettuce, field cucumber, and deli sprouts for extra veggies.
3 Tbsp mayonnaise or vegan alternative
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp curry powder
8 oz extra-firm tofu, well drained
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 Tbsp green onion, finely minced
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 large whole-wheat pita breads, cut in half
Optional additions:
vine tomatoes
romaine lettuce
field cucumber
spicy deli sprouts
DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine mayo, mustard, turmeric and curry powder. Gently stir in tofu, carrots and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine. Chill.
Spoon into pita pockets and serve. Feel free to add vine tomatoes, romaine lettuce, field cucumber, and deli sprouts for extra veggies.
New email newsletter coming soon!
We're always looking for ways to cut down on our waste and our environmental impact. We have been using 100% recycled paper for our newsletters, but now we are hoping to reduce the number of newsletters we send out.
In the next week or two, we will be launching a brand new monthly email newsletter. This email will contain all kinds of important information, so we hope you will be excited to receive it every month.
Like our paper newsletter, the email newsletter will often contain news items that might be of interest to Green Earth Organics members. It will also contain recipes, new grocery item announcements, and lots of sales. Most importantly, it will be one of our main ways of letting our members know about changes in the Green Earth Organics service, such as our annual week-long closure around Christmas, so it will be very helpful to everyone.
To avoid sending out unwanted emails, we have chosen an "opt-in" system for this new newsletter. Sometime in the next two weeks, you will receive an email to the email address you have registered with Green Earth Organics. This will be a one-time email, and you will just have to answer it to register for the monthly newsletter.
For more frequent organic news and for lots of organic recipes, you can also check out our new blog at http://greenearthorganics.blogspot.com/ (there are also links on our https://greenearthorganics.ca home page), or continue to read our paper newsletter.
If you have any questions or concerns about the email newsletter or anything else related to Green Earth Organics, please let us know!
Thank you for being a part of Green Earth Organics!
In the next week or two, we will be launching a brand new monthly email newsletter. This email will contain all kinds of important information, so we hope you will be excited to receive it every month.
Like our paper newsletter, the email newsletter will often contain news items that might be of interest to Green Earth Organics members. It will also contain recipes, new grocery item announcements, and lots of sales. Most importantly, it will be one of our main ways of letting our members know about changes in the Green Earth Organics service, such as our annual week-long closure around Christmas, so it will be very helpful to everyone.
To avoid sending out unwanted emails, we have chosen an "opt-in" system for this new newsletter. Sometime in the next two weeks, you will receive an email to the email address you have registered with Green Earth Organics. This will be a one-time email, and you will just have to answer it to register for the monthly newsletter.
For more frequent organic news and for lots of organic recipes, you can also check out our new blog at http://greenearthorganics.blogspot.com/ (there are also links on our https://greenearthorganics.ca home page), or continue to read our paper newsletter.
If you have any questions or concerns about the email newsletter or anything else related to Green Earth Organics, please let us know!
Thank you for being a part of Green Earth Organics!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Corn and Black Bean Salad
INGREDIENTS
2 heads of corn, cooked and pared from stock
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red or yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped (optional)
Cilantro sprigs or red onion wedge, for garnish
DRESSING
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
DIRECTIONS
In large bowl, combine corn, beans, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, and Jalapeno pepper.
To make the dressing, combine Italian salad dressing, hot pepper sauce, chili powder, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro in a jar with a close-fitting lid. Close lid. Shake to mix well. Pour dressing over corn mixture. Stir to mix. Refrigerate, covered, at least 6 hours, or overnight. To serve, put corn mixture in attractive salad bowl. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro or a thin wedge of red onion.
2 heads of corn, cooked and pared from stock
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red or yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped (optional)
Cilantro sprigs or red onion wedge, for garnish
DRESSING
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
DIRECTIONS
In large bowl, combine corn, beans, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, and Jalapeno pepper.
To make the dressing, combine Italian salad dressing, hot pepper sauce, chili powder, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro in a jar with a close-fitting lid. Close lid. Shake to mix well. Pour dressing over corn mixture. Stir to mix. Refrigerate, covered, at least 6 hours, or overnight. To serve, put corn mixture in attractive salad bowl. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro or a thin wedge of red onion.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tofu and Rainbow Chard Stacks
INGREDIENTS
Tofu:
2 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine) (or balsamic vinegar)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 package extra-firm tofu
Chard:
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups thinly sliced rainbow chard
2 tsp tamari
1 or 2 cups cooked rice
DIRECTIONS
Tofu: Combine the first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 slices. Carefully place tofu in a 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture over tofu. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, carefully turning once.
Preheat broiler.
Remove tofu from dish; save marinade for rice. Place tofu on an oiled baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes on each side or until tofu is lightly browned.
Chard: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, pepper, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add chard; cook 3 minutes or until chard wilts. Stir in 2 teaspoons tamari.
Place 1/4 cup chard mixture on each of 2 plates; top each serving with 1 tofu slice. Repeat layers with remaining chard and tofu.
Tofu:
2 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine) (or balsamic vinegar)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 package extra-firm tofu
Chard:
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups thinly sliced rainbow chard
2 tsp tamari
1 or 2 cups cooked rice
DIRECTIONS
Tofu: Combine the first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 slices. Carefully place tofu in a 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture over tofu. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, carefully turning once.
Preheat broiler.
Remove tofu from dish; save marinade for rice. Place tofu on an oiled baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes on each side or until tofu is lightly browned.
Chard: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, pepper, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add chard; cook 3 minutes or until chard wilts. Stir in 2 teaspoons tamari.
Place 1/4 cup chard mixture on each of 2 plates; top each serving with 1 tofu slice. Repeat layers with remaining chard and tofu.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
BBQ Potatoes and Onions
INGREDIENTS
3 or 4 large potatoes
2 Tbsp butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion
1/4 tsp black pepper
Any other spices to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cut potatoes into small bite size pieces. Slice onions (not too small). Add potatoes, onions, pepper (and other spices if desired), and butter or oil into a mixing bowl. Make sure all the onions are scattered throughout the potatoes. Place on aluminum foil-cover using a double layer of foil so that the potatoes don't get all brown. The longer the length of foil the better and shorter time it will take to make. If BBQ grill has cover, do put the cover on, if not the potatoes might take a little more time. Should be ready in 30 mins.
3 or 4 large potatoes
2 Tbsp butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion
1/4 tsp black pepper
Any other spices to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cut potatoes into small bite size pieces. Slice onions (not too small). Add potatoes, onions, pepper (and other spices if desired), and butter or oil into a mixing bowl. Make sure all the onions are scattered throughout the potatoes. Place on aluminum foil-cover using a double layer of foil so that the potatoes don't get all brown. The longer the length of foil the better and shorter time it will take to make. If BBQ grill has cover, do put the cover on, if not the potatoes might take a little more time. Should be ready in 30 mins.
What the new website can do
It's hard to believe that our new website has already been up for two weeks! I hope everyone is enjoying using the new website as much as I am!
Many members have been logging in and checking it out. For most people, it seems to be going very smoothly, and thank you to everyone who has reported any errors and bugs they've come across. We've been keeping our programmers busy with a few pesky issues, but those are being fixed almost as fast as they can be found.
I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know about a few functions of the new website that weren't available on the old one. Some of these have been on my wish list for years, so I'm pretty excited.
Just a reminder that the deadline to all changes is 9 AM the day before your delivery. Any changes to your account after that time may not be applied until your next delivery.
Update your credit card information! The "Your Billing" page lets you update your credit card number and expiry date, view your charges, and see all the credits issued to your account. This is where you can see bottle and cold pack deposits being credited back to your account.
Add extra fruits and vegetables to your bin! If you want more peaches, for example, you no longer have to give up another bin item to get them. All the bin contents and substitution items are now available for individual purchase. Just browse through the fruit and vegetable categories and add items the same way as you add any of our wonderful grocery items.
Enter your own "likes" and "dislikes"! If there's a fruit or vegetables that you never want in your bin, go to "Your Dislikes" and let us know. You can use the "Your Likes" page to tell us what you prefer to receive instead. We have transferred over the information from our old database, so you don't need to re-enter anything you've told us in the past, but you can now view and modify both lists whenever you want.
Create your own standing orders! If you love any of our grocery items, arrange to have them delivered automatically at a 5% discount by going to the "Standing Order" page. If you always need extra potatoes, bananas, or other staple fruits and vegetables, you may create a standing order to always receive extra pounds at 5% off that week's best price.
Let us know about delivery changes! If you are renovating, if your buzzer number changes, or if you want us to deliver to the back door instead of the front, let us know on the "Delivery Instructions" page.
Skip your own deliveries! If you are going on vacation or need to skip your bin for any reason, just log on to the website and click on "Delivery Schedule". Click on the delivery date you need to miss, change the status to "Delivery On Hold" and click "Update status". You can also go to "Delivery Schedule" to take a delivery off hold, to check when your next delivery is coming, or to check whether or not you did remember to skip the next bin.
View past deliveries! Go to the "Your Orders" page to see your past orders, including your substitutions, additional items, and any standing orders. You can see the total balance owing for each order, though credits on your account are not currently shown there (you have to go to "Your Billing" for that). We are working on improving the design of the invoices so they will be easier to read and so the credits and charges will all be visible in one place.
Besides all these wonderful new features, you will still be able to make your substitutions and order any additional items. So far, people seem to be loving our drop-down substitution system, and I know I love that the grocery items are now in categories with pictures and descriptions.
Though there's now a lot more you can do on your own if you would like to, we're still here to help! If you prefer to call (604-708-2345) or email (info@greenearthorganics.com) us for any of the above, please feel free. And if you have any questions about the new website, we are eager to assist you.
Thank you for being a part of Green Earth Organics!
Many members have been logging in and checking it out. For most people, it seems to be going very smoothly, and thank you to everyone who has reported any errors and bugs they've come across. We've been keeping our programmers busy with a few pesky issues, but those are being fixed almost as fast as they can be found.
I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know about a few functions of the new website that weren't available on the old one. Some of these have been on my wish list for years, so I'm pretty excited.
Just a reminder that the deadline to all changes is 9 AM the day before your delivery. Any changes to your account after that time may not be applied until your next delivery.
Update your credit card information! The "Your Billing" page lets you update your credit card number and expiry date, view your charges, and see all the credits issued to your account. This is where you can see bottle and cold pack deposits being credited back to your account.
Add extra fruits and vegetables to your bin! If you want more peaches, for example, you no longer have to give up another bin item to get them. All the bin contents and substitution items are now available for individual purchase. Just browse through the fruit and vegetable categories and add items the same way as you add any of our wonderful grocery items.
Enter your own "likes" and "dislikes"! If there's a fruit or vegetables that you never want in your bin, go to "Your Dislikes" and let us know. You can use the "Your Likes" page to tell us what you prefer to receive instead. We have transferred over the information from our old database, so you don't need to re-enter anything you've told us in the past, but you can now view and modify both lists whenever you want.
Create your own standing orders! If you love any of our grocery items, arrange to have them delivered automatically at a 5% discount by going to the "Standing Order" page. If you always need extra potatoes, bananas, or other staple fruits and vegetables, you may create a standing order to always receive extra pounds at 5% off that week's best price.
Let us know about delivery changes! If you are renovating, if your buzzer number changes, or if you want us to deliver to the back door instead of the front, let us know on the "Delivery Instructions" page.
Skip your own deliveries! If you are going on vacation or need to skip your bin for any reason, just log on to the website and click on "Delivery Schedule". Click on the delivery date you need to miss, change the status to "Delivery On Hold" and click "Update status". You can also go to "Delivery Schedule" to take a delivery off hold, to check when your next delivery is coming, or to check whether or not you did remember to skip the next bin.
View past deliveries! Go to the "Your Orders" page to see your past orders, including your substitutions, additional items, and any standing orders. You can see the total balance owing for each order, though credits on your account are not currently shown there (you have to go to "Your Billing" for that). We are working on improving the design of the invoices so they will be easier to read and so the credits and charges will all be visible in one place.
Besides all these wonderful new features, you will still be able to make your substitutions and order any additional items. So far, people seem to be loving our drop-down substitution system, and I know I love that the grocery items are now in categories with pictures and descriptions.
Though there's now a lot more you can do on your own if you would like to, we're still here to help! If you prefer to call (604-708-2345) or email (info@greenearthorganics.com) us for any of the above, please feel free. And if you have any questions about the new website, we are eager to assist you.
Thank you for being a part of Green Earth Organics!
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