Back to School Dinner Dishes

According to Pediatrics 2011, children and adolescents who have family meals 3 or more times per week are more likely to have a normal weight and eat healthier than those who had less than 3 family meals.

A Harvard study published in the March 2000 issue of Archives of Family Medicine showed that families that ate meals together every day or almost every day generally consumed higher amounts of important nutrients such as calcium, fiber, iron, vitamins B6 and B12, C, and E, and consumed less overall fat, compared to families who rarely ate meals together. According to a study done in Washington, DC, when the family turns off the television and shares a family meal, kids are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables as well as eat less snack foods.

Overall, family meals contribute a lot to helping the kids and bringing the family together. So no matter how busy you are, try to organize more family meals during the week. You’ll find that your kids will eat healthier, be less likely to use drugs and alcohol, do better in school, and increase communication. Once you start spending more time eating together, you’ll understand what you have been missing- quality time with the family.

Honey Mustard Pretzel Crusted Chicken

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Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 cups of pretzel crisps, ground in a food processor
  • ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup of Dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup of honey
  • ¼ cup of water
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup of flour

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400⁰ F. Lightly grease large baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil cooking spray.
  2. Add panko and pretzel crumbs to a medium- shallow bowl. Add oil, mustard honey, water and vinegar to a food processors and pulse to mix. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness using a mallet. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
  4. To set up dipping station, pour half of the honey mustard dressing into a large shallow bowl and reserve the rest for dipping once chicken is cooked. Place flour in a shallow bowl.
  5. Dip each chicken breast in the flour then into the dressing and then into the pretzel panko mixture. Place on baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes and serve with the remaining honey mustard dressing.

Grilled Caesar Salad Pizza

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Serves 6

Basic Pizza Crust:

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp. active yeast
  • 1 tbsp. organic cane sugar
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups of organic white, unbleached flour
  • ½ cup of pesto

Caesar Salad:

  • 2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
  • ½ bottle of Caesar dressing* (or desired amount needed to coat lettuce)
  • ¼ cup of shaved parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup of chopped carrots
  • ¼ cup of sheep feta, crumbled

Directions:

  1. To make crust, mix together warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast mixture forms bubbles.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salt, oil, and flour with a hand held mixer. Add yeast and water to the flour mixture and mix until mixture forms a dough ball. Form into a nice ball. Coat bottom of bowl with a little olive oil and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 30 minutes.
  3. While dough is rising, combine romaine and Caesar in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add in parmesan and carrots and mix.
  4. Set grill to medium heat. Remove dough from bowl and place on a clean floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion out to a thickness of ¼”.
  5. Brush olive oil on one side each pizza crust and place crusts oil-side down on grill. Cook with the cover up until the bottom of the crust has nice grill marks and is stiff enough to flip (about 5-7 minutes).
  6. Brush a small amount of pesto on crust once flipped and cover grill. Cook for another 5 minutes and remove crusts from grill.
  7. Divide salad mixture evenly among pesto crusts and top with feta cheese. Serve warm.

*I use Karyn’s Raw Vegan Caesar Dressing

Stop by Mrs. Green’s Natural Market on Thursday, September 4th from 4-7pm for our Back to School In-Store Event.  We will be featuring a variety of kid-friendly vendors all providing education, goodies, and snacks.

Meet the Author

Kristen Johnson

Kristen Johnson

Kristen Johnson is a graduate of Western Michigan University with bachelor degrees in Dietetics and Exercise Science. Kristen completed her Dietetic Internship at Spectrum Health, Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2010. Immediately following her internship, Kristen worked in the corporate world as a Dietitian for Meijer, Inc. From there she dove into the retail world of Superfoods where she worked as a Dietitian for Mrs. Green’s Natural Market in Chicago, IL learning everything she could about wheatgrass, healthy skin care, and homeopathic remedies. Now, as the Dietitian, Speaker, and Director of Marketing for On Target Living, Kristen teaches people how to live a healthy and delicious lifestyle full of the things they love. Her message empowers people to live a healthy lifestyle full of purpose and meaning. She is the co-author of the newly published cookbook, Target To Table: Healthy & Delicious Meals One Superfood At A Time.
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