Marianne Mancusi
For moms on the go, take-out dinners and pre-packaged food are very convenient, but at what cost? Some say it may be time for a meal makeover. The take home dinners are often loaded with fat and preservatives and not to mention expensive. Tonight, 7's Frances Rivera tells us how a new cookbook by two local authors explains how to get "More Bang for Your Buck" at dinner time.
These Massachusetts moms are getting a makeover. But they're not changing their hair or clothes, they're learning to make over their menus.
"Do I have a taster?"
Local dieticians Liz and Janice are authors of the new book The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers. Their mission -- to help parents drive-by the drive through and save money by making nutritious, kid-friendly food at home instead.
Janice Bissex, Dietician
"Make it at home, you save a lot of money by doing that and you can also control the nutrition."
Their recipes take traditional pre-packaged or fast-food faves and modify them to add nutrients and reduce fat. The foods taste great, so kids don't realize they're eating health food.
Liz Weiss, Dietician
"We believe in just eating a healthy, delicious diet. If it doesn't taste good, who's going to eat it?"
Their Wagon Wheel Alfredo for example, is less fattening and more nutritious than your average box of mac and cheese. At only $0.97 a serving, it's made with reduced fat sour cream and has ham and peas for added protein and veggies.
Janice Bissex, Dietician
"If your kids don't like peas, don't add the peas, just switch vegetables."
Or how about a chicken burrito? Kids won't notice the finely chopped yellow pepper. And the can of pinto beans adds lots of fiber.
Liz Weiss, Dietician
"Drain and rinse the canned beans and when you do that, you rinse away 40 percent of the sodium."
The burritos only take about 10 minutes to prepare and cost half the price of take out.
Liz Weiss, Dietician
"The cost of the dish is about $1.30 per serving versus $3.00 if you had a similar dish at a fast food restaurant."
And for dessert? Toss that expensive pre-packaged pudding with all the preservatives. Making all-natural, low-fat chocolate pudding, topped with fruit, only takes about five minutes in the kitchen and costs only $0.24 a serving.
Liz Weiss, Dietician
"You're saving money, you're getting rid of all these artificial ingredients and you're getting more calcium cause we're using real milk."
Dinah, a mom from Melrose, says she's excited to try out these recipes on her family.
Dinah, Melrose Mom
"I know the choices I make are going to make a big difference in their health day to day."
So next time your kids say "what's for dinner," instead of opening a box or calling for delivery, consider doing a meal makeover of your own.
Featured Recipes:
Recipe from The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers (Broadway Books, 2004)
Written by: Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD & Liz Weiss, MS, RD
Join “The Meal Makeover Moms' Club" by visiting
www.MealMakeoverMoms.com
Wagon Wheel Alfredo
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
8 ounces dried small pasta wheels (about 3 cups)
1 ½ cups 1% lowfat milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 ounces lean deli ham, diced
1 ½ cups frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return and set aside.
2. Return the saucepan to the stove. Do not place over heat just yet. Add the milk and flour and whisk until well blended.
3. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and sour cream and stir until well blended. Stir in the cooked pasta, ham, and peas and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
450 Calories, 11 grams Total Fat, 6 grams Saturated Fat, 630 milligrams Sodium, 5 grams Fiber, 27 grams Protein
Recipe from The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers (Broadway Books, 2004)
Written by: Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD & Liz Weiss, MS, RD
Join “The Meal Makeover Moms' Club" by visiting
www.MealMakeoverMoms.com
Confetti Chicken Wraps
Makes 6 to 8 Servings
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large orange bell pepper, finely diced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder
One 15 ½-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup preshredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
¾ cup salsa
6 to eight 8-inch flour tortillas
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream, optional
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook until tender, 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken, cumin, and chili powder and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans, corn, cheese, and salsa and cook until heated through and the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, uncovered, and heat in the microwave until warmed through, 30 to 45 seconds.
5. Assemble by placing the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Wrap burrito style and serve with sour cream as desired.
330 Calories, 8 grams Total Fat, 1.5 grams Saturated Fat, 510 milligrams Sodium, 8 grams Fiber, 24 grams Protein
Recipe from The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers (Broadway Books, 2004)
Written by: Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD & Liz Weiss, MS, RD
Join “The Meal Makeover Moms' Club" by visiting
www.MealMakeoverMoms.com
Chocolate Pudding with Toppers
Makes Six ½-cup Servings
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups 1% lowfat milk
½ cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPINGS (optional):
Graham crackers, crushed
Chopped nuts or granola
Fresh fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries
Directions:
1. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan.
2. Gradually whisk in the milk until well blended. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer, stirring gently until the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt and vanilla.
4. Spoon the mixture into 6 individual serving bowls. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper (this will prevent a film from forming) and chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Sprinkle with toppings as desired and serve.
160 Calories, 1.5 grams Total Fat, 1 gram Saturated Fat, 115 milligrams Sodium, 1 gram Fiber, 5 grams Protein
