Category: Healthy Eating

Idaho Family Dinner Night 2021

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Celebrate Idaho Family Dinner Night on September 27!

Idaho Family Dinner Recipe Guide

Eating together regularly as a family is one of the best ways to build and maintain strong relationships with your children. Frequent family dinners are linked to positive benefits for youth, including lower rates of substance use, decreased stress, higher self-esteem, and better academic performance in school.

That’s why the Office of Drug Policy (ODP) is kicking off an Idaho Family Dinner Night campaign to encourage parents across the state to celebrate Idaho Family Dinner Night on the fourth Monday of September which falls on the 27th this year. Let’s make family meals a regular event in your homes all year round.

Idaho Family Dinner Recipe Guide

To help families celebrate and connect around the dinner table, ODP created the Idaho Family Dinner Recipe Guide, which is filled with conversation starters, games and activities, and simple, budget-friendly recipes, including:

  • Slow Cooker Chicken Santa Fe Soup
  • Quick Trick Chicken Tacos
  • 5 Minute Easy Egg Fried Rice
  • Build Your Own Baked Nachos
  • Baked Chicken Parmesan

To develop the Recipe Guide and share resources with parents, ODP has partnered with The Family Dinner Project, a national nonprofit initiative that champions family dinner as an opportunity for family members to connect with each other through food, fun, and conversation about things that matter. ODP is encouraging Idaho parents to sign up for The Family Dinner Project’s free online program – Food, Fun, and Conversation: 4 Weeks to Better Family Dinners – for tools and resources to help make family dinners a household staple in just four weeks.

For more information about Idaho Family Dinner Night, download the Recipe Guide, and learn how to become a family dinner pro in three easy steps, visit https://odp.idaho.gov/family-dinner-night/

25 Ways to Use Zucchini

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sliced zucchini in a baking dish

It’s that time of year when the zucchini starts popping up in backyard gardens. Here are 25 delicious ways to prepare this summertime staple!  

  1. Add it to a salad
  2. Add it to a smoothie
  3. Bake it
  4. Eat if for dessert
  5. Eat it for breakfast
  6. Eat it raw
  7. Freeze it for later
  8. Fritter it
  9. Grill it
  10. Hasselback it
  11. Layer it in lasagna
  12. Make a pie
  13. Make chips
  14. Make ratatouille
  15. Make vegetarian “meat”balls
  16. Make zoodles
  17. Make zucchini bread
  18. Marinate it
  19. Mash it
  20. Pickle it
  21. Roast it
  22. Roll it
  23. Stuff it
  24. Turn it into oven fries
  25. Turn it into salsa

Nutrition Myths

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By: Leslee Blanch, RD, LD, Family Consumer Science Associate Extension Educator, University of Idaho Bonneville County Extension

Deciphering Facts From Fads

Sifting through nutrition information can be challenging, to say the least. Keep in mind that diets which promote the following principles are not based on fact, but rather on “fad”:

Myth 1: Rapid weight loss with extreme dietary restrictions.

FACT: A healthy rate of weight loss ranges from 1-2 pounds/week. More rapid weight loss is more difficult to keep off, and can initially include a significant amount of water weight. Extreme restrictions are difficult to sustain in a life-long eating pattern, and thus when previous eating patterns are resumed, lost pounds return (often bringing more pounds with them!) Extreme dietary restrictions can result in loss of muscle mass, excessive hunger, and nutrient deficiencies.

Myth 2: Avoid ALL grain products to lose weight.

FACT: Whole grains can be part of a balanced, weight-loss diet pattern. Whole grains are a primary source of energy and B vitamins for energy metabolism, minimizing fatigue. They provide fiber to help with satiety, balance rapid changes in blood sugar, and promote digestive health.

Myth 3: Skip meals to help with weight loss.

FACT: Research shows that skipping meals may actually result in weight gain. Skipping meals can slow down metabolism as our bodies temporarily go into “starvation mode”, conserving energy until fed again. Small frequent meals/snacks can stave off excessive hunger that often leads to overeating. Make sure meal and snack choices include “real” food:  Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein (including nuts and legumes), and dairy, as tolerated. Listen to your hunger cues: Are you eating because the clock says it’s time, out of stress or boredom, or because you are truly hungry?  Learn to “tune in” to satiety cues and only eat until comfortably full—not “stuffed”.  Slowing the rate of food consumption by chewing thoroughly and putting down utensils between bites helps avoid overeating and increases the enjoyment of our meals.

FACT!

Utilizing the “Healthy Plate” model can control portions and support a balanced diet. Filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits, one fourth with lean protein, and one fourth with whole grains, adding dairy on the side, is a wonderful start to nutrition habits that can promote weight loss and maintenance and support lifelong sustainable eating patterns. Limiting or avoiding refined grains and high-sugar products will decrease unnecessary calorie intake.  Remember that regular physical activity can balance appetite, improve bone and muscle strength, balance moods, and assist in healthy sleep habits, all of which can play a role in weight management.

References:
  • Jackie Amende, MS, RDN, LD, Family Consumer Science Extension Educator, University of Idaho
  • Laura Andromalos, MS, RD, CSOWM, CDE, Northwest Weight and Wellness Center, Everett, Washington
  • choosemyplate.gov