3 Home Habits Help Youngsters Stay Slim

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay Reporter – Mon Feb 8, 6:03 AM PST

- MONDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) — Something as simple as sitting down to dinner together as a family can go a long way in helping a child fend off obesity.

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That’s just one of the findings from new research that suggests that family behaviors can have a significant impact on the weight of preschool children. Other behaviors that may help youngsters stay slim include getting adequate sleep and limiting time in front of the TV.

“Four-year-olds who regularly ate dinner with the family, got enough sleep and watched less than two hours of TV a day were 40 percent less likely to be obese,” said the study’s lead author, Sarah Anderson, an assistant professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health at Ohio State University in Columbus.

“One of the things that’s potentially useful about recommending these routines, if they’re suggested as part of obesity-prevention counseling, is that they may have other benefits, too. And, for pediatricians and other clinicians, we don’t have easy, effective treatments for obesity in children, so it’s very important to try to prevent obesity,” said Anderson.

Results of the study are scheduled to be published in the March issue of Pediatrics.

The study included a nationally representative sample of 8,550 four-year-old children. One parent of each child answered researchers’ questions about the family’s routines and behaviors.

From this group of children, 18 percent were considered obese, which means their body mass index (a measurement that includes weight and height) is greater than the 95th percentile when compared to others of their age and gender.

Just 14.5 percent of the children were exposed to all three of the study behaviors on a regular basis: Eating the evening meal as a family five or more nights a week, getting more than 10.5 hours of sleep per night, and watching less than two hours of TV, video or DVDs a day.

The researchers found that in children routinely exposed to all three of these behaviors, the obesity rate was 14.3 percent. In children who weren’t exposed to any of these behaviors, the obesity rate was 24.5 percent.

Anderson said that each behavior was associated with a 17 percent reduction in the risk in obesity.

These findings held true even when the researchers controlled for factors that may affect a child’s risk of obesity, including maternal obesity, race, gender, socioeconomic status and living in a single-parent household.

Anderson pointed out that this study could only find an association between these behaviors and a child’s risk of obesity. The study was not designed to assess cause and effect.

“We don’t know if it’s the routines per se, or if it’s the parenting associated with these routines or something else correlated with these routines, but we do know these routines are associated with a lower incidence of obesity,” said Anderson.

“These are relatively simple things that you can do in your home that change the health environment of your child. Not only will it help your child with obesity risk, but plenty of other studies have shown that it will also help with behavior and cognitive development. These are great changes to make if they’re not already in place,” said Dr. Jennifer Helmcamp, a pediatrician and director of the Jump Start Pediatric Weight Management Clinic at Scott & White Healthcare in Round Rock, Texas.

If it seems impossible to institute all three of these behaviors, Anderson said that any one of them alone can have an effect. “Each of these routines was related to a lower risk of obesity, so you can choose to try the one that you think you’ll have the most success with. If you’re already doing one, consider doing another,” she suggested.

Helmcamp said it can be hard to institute some of these behaviors. But she suggested that parents “make these behaviors a priority. Sit down and figure out how you can make it happen. Maybe your child doesn’t need to be involved in four or five different activities.”

She said if it’s tough to eat together five times a week, shoot for at least three nights a week. And, she also recommended removing TVs from children’s bedrooms, which can help with limiting screen time and with getting enough sleep.

A second study in the March issue of Pediatrics found that preschoolers aren’t the only age group that can be influenced with positive behaviors. This study, which included 81 obese teenaged girls, found that when girls read a book that featured an overweight girl who learns about nutrition, physical activity and improving her self-esteem, readers reduced their body mass index percentile more than girls who didn’t read the book.

More information

Learn more about overweight and obesity in children from the Nemours Foundation’s KidsHealth Web site.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/3homehabitshelpyoungstersstayslim.html

Obama’s Dinner Time Game

Roses and Thorns

February 24, 2009 3:33 PM

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We learned at the White House lunch today that the Obama’s have a family tradition that I want to adopt at our house.

At dinner, they play a game called “Roses and Thorns.” Everyone takes a turn describing a good thing that happened that day (rose) and a low moment or tough problem they had to deal with (thorn).

When the President finished his turn after a particularly challenging day at the White House (we didn’t learn which one), Malia told her Dad: “You have a really thorny job.”

Smart girl!

–George Stephanopoulos

http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/02/roses-and-thorn.html

Seafood Cioppino

I know I have already posted several times before on this dinner but it is my favorite Dream Dinner and after Feb 2010 the recipe goes back in the vault and won’t be on the menu until 2011!  Yikes!  I will have to order 12.  Really!  I add a little more heat to it (1/2 tsp more red pepper flakes) and serve it in sourdough rolls that  I hollow out for bread bowls.  I made 3 of these so that I can serve them as a first course at my holiday dinner parties.  It really makes a home-cooked dinner fancy when you serve a cup a soup before your main entree.

St. Patrick’s Corned Beef and Cabbage

I always make this on March 17th for a gathering of friends and family! Dream Dinners makes it easy to entertain on a weeknight and I cook this all day in my crock pot on low.   Friends bring the salad and I make the Irish soda bread:

Easy Irish Soda Bread

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Crispy Southwest Lasagna

Dream Dinners thanks Chef Holly Clegg and the American Diabetes Association for inspiring this delicious dish.  I made 2 full pans and fed 12 adults and 4 kids!  Chips, salsa, non fat sour cream, and a big tossed green salad with slices of bell peppers and dinner was a hit!  I did take the lasagnas  from the freezer and took them out of the foil pan and thawed them in my beautiful southwestern style baking pan.  Dont forget to spray the pan with non stick so you don’t have to soak it for ever before cleaning and all the lasagna will come out beautifully.

Reclaiming Family Dinner

Chicago Tribune

Family dinner

Kudos to Tribune reporter Barbara Mahany for “Reclaiming family dinner; A new year brings a call for the return of meal togetherness” (Good Eating, Jan. 6). After seeing the headline of her article, my usual morning rush of packing lunches, backpacks, the kids’ snow gear while getting them on the school bus was interrupted; I had the desire to read more on this topic. I’m glad I did! I was refreshed and enlightened to see that some of us do value and make family meals a priority.

I’ve been preaching for years about the importance of eating dinner as a family and the immeasurable benefits to the children, as well as to the marriage. Unfortunately “dinner time” has taken the back burner in many households, and the negative consequences of overloaded schedules and electronic distractions are blatant and, often, irreversible. I’m often appalled by the frequent fast-food, drive-through trips parents make and use as substitutes for real dinners many days a week. Too often I know of kids who eat alone, watch cable TV and text while eating, or have unhealthy snacks for dinner or don’t really eat dinner at all because they were “too busy.” Some even eat late-night junk food as a substitute for supper. Consequently poor table manners and disrespectful behavior from adolescents are often unnoticed because the parents themselves are doing the same thing or are too self-absorbed, distracted or exhausted to care. The children don’t know how to act at a “sit-down” dinner because it’s an infrequent event.

I’m a wife, mom and teacher, so I know the day-to-day challenges and demands of life and why kids act like they do today. However, I believe we need to change our mind-set and re-evaluate our priorities in this new decade ahead. I truly believe one solution to help strengthen family life and core values is to make dinner time and family meals the cornerstone of our daily lives again.

What a great environment to train our kids how to be polite, use manners, show respect, communicate, pray and, most important, appreciate each other and the abundance of the healthy good food we have in this country. Thank you for printing this article. I hope it hits home for many.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0116vplettersbriefs1jan16,0,7274872.story

– S. Risop, Barrington

Never too Young to Learn How to eat a Home Cooked Dinner

It’s about kids and their future, this little girl is learing, its easy with Dream Dinners, too cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYMEts9miOQ

Maple Glazed Pork Roast

You can cook your Maple Glazed Pork Roast in a crock pot on low by placing the roast cap up, in the crock sprayed with non stick cooking spray, add 1 cup of  white wine or chicken stock, cover with glaze and cook 6 -8 hours, baste roast with glaze every 2 -3 hours, if you can or at least before removing from crock.  Let rest 10 min. Slice and serve drizzled with remaining glaze.

Jeweled Chicken Pinwheels

These are so pretty… and delicious.  I had to add red pepper flakes to the sauce just to give it a kick, the sauce alone is kid friendly but beautiful enough to serve at any company dinner.  If you have a wedding coming up, these would be beautiful to serve at the reception or rehearsal dinner. They are easy and the sauce can be heated separately.

Crispy Parsley Shrimp over Polenta

Dream Dinners gets our shrimp from Certi-Fresh and they are not the bad for you shrimp, don’t read this if you have a weak stomach;

http://www.menshealth.com/men/health/other-diseases-ailments/seafood-food-safety/article/4b1661d9bfa34210VgnVCM10000030281eac

This recipe is delicious as a dinner or wonderful appetizer!  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed French Bread

A new twist on our ever famous Canadian Bacon Stuffed French Bread.  We received several email from guests saying they want more stuffed french breads from Dream Dinners, so in 2010 you will find 3 new Stuffed French Breads!  Two of  the emails told us they cut the loaf in 6 servings before freezing, wrap each piece in a second piece foil and use for lunches!  They take them right from the freezer to the lunch box. At work, they take them out of the foil and microwaved for a few minutes.  Easy!
Jeb from our home office actually threatened to quit if we didn’t put this on the Jan 2010 menu so he could serve it on Super Bowl Sunday!

Canadian Stuffed French Bread:

Citrus Marinated Steaks

I love Dream Dinners steaks!  They are fork tender and healthy! 230 calories and 21 g of protein. We grilled these and sliced them thinly against the grain and served them over a salad of mixed greens, sliced red onion and segments of satsuma oranges.  I used balsamic vinegar and crumbled blue cheese to top it off.  Enjoy!

Pub Style Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

I think this is our new family favorite Dream Dinner!  Winner winner chicken dinner   My husband love to grill so we modified the cooking instructions by grilling the chicken, then covering with the Ranch sauce, bacon and cheese under the  broiler on foil, just until bubbly, about 5 min.  Placed the chicken on top of the mashed potatoes, using a rubber spatula I scraped the foil pan juices over the chicken and topped with some fresh chopped green onions.  Yum! 

For lunch the next day I used the left over cooked chicken and made delicious chicken burgers! Easy.

Dream Dinners 4 ounce Steaks

 We get comments from some of our guests about the size of our steaks.  They love the flavor and the tenderness but want a bigger steak!4 ounces is the recommended size of protein.  Dream Dinners is not diet food, but it is good for you, it is a lifestyle.  Once in a while it is Ok to eat a big steak but as a lifestyle, everyday dinners should have a 4 ounce portion of meats.

 

Cooking and Portion Control

by the Editors of Easy Home Cooking Magazine

• Q. What’s all the fuss about measuring and weighing your food?

A. You may think that eating just a little more than your daily meal plan allows won’t make much difference. In fact, you may be surprised to discover that consistently eating more than your recommended intake, even as little as 200 or 300 calories a day, has an impact on your weight and blood glucose levels.

It’s difficult to imagine that eating an extra banana or a large baked potato rather than a medium one could affect your health. After all, they are healthful foods. However, this excess food may raise your blood glucose levels, and consistently eating extra calories will increase your weight unless you increase your exercise as well.

That’s why it is so important to measure portions and learn techniques for accurately determining portion sizes. The more practice you have weighing and measuring food, the easier it will be to estimate the correct portions when you’re eating out.

portion sizes when you eat out is easy when you use tricks like these.

• A deck of cards is equal in size to a 3- to 4-ounce portion of meat, poultry, or fish. The palm of a small or average-size hand is about the same portion.
• The last joint of your thumb or a domino is about the size of a 1-ounce portion of cheese.
• A tennis ball is equal in size to a medium apple or orange.
• A medium-size closed fist or a baseball is about the size of a 1-cup measure of cereal, pasta, fruit, or vegetables.
• A handful of chips is equal to a 1-ounce serving.
• A computer mouse is equal in size to a medium potato.

Although these are excellent guidelines, even an experienced estimator will need to reassess portion sizes against weights and measures occasionally.
When portioning recipes, look for a definition of the serving size. If this information is not provided, use these tips for determining that information yourself.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-illness/wellness/physical-fitness/weight-loss/cooking-and-portion-control.htm

Mango Chutney Chicken with Jasmine Rice

This is one of my children’s favorite Dream Dinners.  It is sweet and savory and the chicken is tender and we love the smell of Jasmine rice cooking.  This is a great dinner to have leftovers!  The next day you can make a delicious rice salad.  Cut the chicken in bite size pieces, mix with the rice, add some chopped celery, chopped green onions and frozen peas.  Toss with enough sesame salad dressing (Kraft has a great one) to hold the salad together, chill until ready to serve.