Category Archives: Recipes & Food

Food For Thought; Save The Children Reports

Food For Thought; Save The Children Reports

report copyOn June 17th and 18th world leaders, including President Obama, will convene in Northern Ireland for the G8 Summit.  Based on a newly released report by Save The Children, titled Food For Thought, Global nutrition should be high on the agenda.   We have known for a long time that good nutrition is important for kids.  What the Food For Thought Report highlights is that it is not just important, it is critical.  Good nutrition, it turns out, especially in the first 1,000 days of life when the body and brain is growing rapidly, is more crucial to proper development than we realized.

“A quarter of the world’s children are suffering the effects of chronic malnutrition. Poor nutrition in the early years is driving a literacy and numeracy crisis in developing countries and is also a huge barrier to further progress in tackling child deaths,” said Carolyn Miles, Save the Children CEO and President.

Save the Children’s report also highlights the huge economic cost of chronic malnutrition. Chronic Malnutrition causes stunting of cognitive development that results in the inability to reach full adult potential.  That means a quarter of the worlds adults will not be able to fully contribute to their communities in the way they would had they received proper nutrition as a child.  Spending on nutrition programs is one of the most cost effective forms of development assistance, yet currently amounts to just 0.3 per cent of global development spending. Any investment now, the report says, would be a down payment on future prosperity.

 

brain copy

“Improving the nutritional status of children and women in the crucial 1,000-day window – from the start of a woman’s pregnancy until her child’s second birthday – could greatly increase a children’s ability to learn and to earn,” said Miles. “World leaders gathering in London on June 8th must commit to concrete actions to tackle malnutrition in those critical 1,000 days, and invest in the future of our children.”

Of course the need for good nutrition does not end there. As a parent I know it is a life long commitment to ensure that my kids eat healthfully. I also know how challenging it can be to make sure to fit in all of the nutrients kids need in their daily meals.  That’s why I love easy finger food vegetables for my kids like sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks or Iceberg lettuce wedges.

My favorite easy Gr8 recipe that all my kids love is Edamame:Edamame

Steam fresh or frozen Edamame in the pods.

Toss the cooked pods with a bit of kosher salt.

Let the kids pop out the beans and enjoy!

Check out more Gr8 recipes for healthful eating options on twitter #Gr8Recipes .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can help let President Obama know that nutrition is an important item on the agenda by tweeting @whitehouse with your messages using the hashtags #next1000days and #Nutrition4Growth . A sample tweet may read something like this:

  •  @whitehouse let’s make sure all kids get healthy food in their #next1000days so they can reach their full potential. #Nutrition4Growth

Save the Children is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

global teamI wrote this post as part of The Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health.

Our Motto: Individually we are all-powerful. Together we can change the world. We believe in the power of collective action to help others and believe in ourselves to make this world a better place for our children and the world’s children.

 

The BBQ Grilling Hazard You Need To Be Aware Of

The BBQ Grilling Hazard You Need To Be Aware Of

I love nothing more than to grill our meals when the weather permits.  It saves me a mess in the kitchen and is a delicious way to prepare low-fat, healthful meals for my family.  Last year a few of my husband’s colleagues published a finding about a medical issue  that I don’t think many people are aware of. It can cause severe health risks so I wanted to share the information with my readers as the grilling season begins.

The hazard comes from the wire bristles on the grill cleaning brush that can become dislodged from the brush and end up in food.  The thin wire bristles can be tiny, and hard to detect on food, but cause major internal damage if ingested.  The Radiologists discovered the bristles in internal images taken of six patients who had come in between the months of May and November with severe abdominal pain. All six of the patients had  just eaten grilled meat of some sort before coming in.

Since then my husband has switched our grill brush to the pumice stone type, and we still wipe down the grill before cooking on it. There may be other safe types of grill cleaning brushes out there,that is just what we are trying this season. If you do continue to use a brush with metal bristles the reccomendation is to wipe down the grill after cleaning with the bristle brush before cooking on it.   With a metal bristle brush the likely hood of ingesting a metal bristle is probably very low, but the risks if you do are quite high. All last sumer after learning about this finding every-time I ate at a  BBQ I was convinced I’d accidentally swallowed a bristle. Luckily that was never the case.  As grilling season resumes again I wanted my dear readers to be aware and keep safe, and enjoy their grill!

La Dolce Vita At Dolci Gelati

La Dolce Vita At Dolci Gelati

The Author with the co-owner of Dolci Gelati Cafe, Anastasia Dellaccio

When visiting Washington, DC with my family last week, we visited the monuments, the Smithsonian, and the Zoo, but there was one place on our travel agenda that I was most looking forward to.  My friend Anastasia had recently opened an artisan Gelato shop in Takoma Park, MD with her husband, Chef Gianluigi Dellaccio (a former Italian champion water polo player!!), and business partner Marcello Minna.  I knew that my gelato loving family would be as enthusiastic as I was to celebrate our Dolce Vita with some Gelato at Dolci Gelati.  It also happened to be the start of  World Immunization Week, and the week of the United Nations Foundation Shot@Life campaign’s digital #BirthdayBash in honor of its first birthday. It seemed the perfect way to kick off the Shot@Life #BirthdayBash week since I had met Anastasia through The United Nations Foundation where she works. When Dolci Gelati decided to add a flavor called “Shot@Life”, where 50 cents per serving will be donated to the Shot@Life Campaign , she had asked us Shot@Life Champions for flavor ideas.  Vanilla/Pistachio Swirl had won out, and I was eager for a taste.

Photo Courtesy of Dolci Gelati

It is times like this that I am grateful to have a big family, in that way I was able try each of their Gelato flavors along with my own!  Don’t worry, although Gelato tastes as rich as ice cream, it only has 1/3 the fat and none of the artificial ingredients, so gelato is a guilt free indulgence.   Dolci Galati was founded in 2006 and is sold at Nationals’ Stadium, restaurants and markets throughout the Washington Metro area such as Whole Foods, Dean & Delluca, and Taylor Gourmet, but the couple was thrilled to open their first storefront this spring.

 “Gianluigi uses an authentic Italian recipe that has been in his family for generations but mixes in local ingredients and exotic flavors to create a modern twist to a traditional Italian favorite.”- Dolci Gelati

Eating my “Shot@Life” flavor Gelato to kick of the #BirthdayBash

It was so much fun to see Anastasia, get to meet  her family, and to hear her husband’s ideas for combining his skill as a trained Pastry Chef  to come up with creative flavors and treats to offer customers.  With Anastasia’s background working for humanitarian causes at the United Nations Foundation it is no surprise that the couple will offer a Social Good flavor each month as a way to support the causes they care about. Our stop at Dolci Gelati was the perfect sweet way to top off a fun visit with family in DC, and to launch into celebrating the first birthday of Shot@Life.

 

For more information about Dolci Gelati you can visit their website , follow Dolci Gelati on twitter and like them on facebook .
Better yet, go visit them in person!

Dolci Gelati is located at 7000 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, MD

ONE Sweet potato Day

ONE Sweet potato Day

Photo Source ONE.org

Today I am sharing my favorite Sweet Potato Recipe along with a group of bloggers in conjunction with ONE to call attention to the star of their global nutrition campaign, the Sweet Potato.

Why The Sweet Potato?

Although more than 7 million tons of sweet potatoes are produced each year and are widely eaten in Africa, they’re not the kind that have essential nutrients. They’re white in color and low in vitamin A, a vitamin that helps prevent blindness and infant mortality. Read the rest of this entry

Together With The World Food Programme We Can Make A Difference

Together With The World Food Programme We Can Make A Difference

*This Infographic comes from the World Food programme Website

 The World Food Programme is globally poised to provide food to populations most in need, and to be there when emergencies hit. Emergencies such as the drought in Somalia, hurricane Sandy or armed conflicts in Syria, all of which have caused communities to suffer severe food shortages.  Families around the world depend on the World Food Programme to be there when disaster strikes, and the donations we give provide life saving meals to those in need.  Feeling blessed after the past weeks holiday festivities with family, contributing to The World Food Programme is one of the ways I look forward to giving back in the New Year.

I wrote this post as part of The Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health.

Our Motto: Individually we are all powerful. Together we can change the world. We believe in the power of collective action to help others and believe in ourselves to make this world a better place for our children and the world’s children.

Follow along with us here on Tumblr, on TwitterPinterest, and Facebook for the latest Global Team of 200 news.