Methodist Health System | Methodist Richardson Medical Center | Shine | Fall 2015

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How to sneak more produce into your daily diet
Mom said, “Eat your vegetables!” Turns out, Mom
was right: Eating vegetables and fruit helps you
feel better, maintain a healthy weight, and perhaps
reduce your risk of disease.
But just because Mom was right about veggies
doesn’t mean it’s easy to get the number of servings
we need — or to get our kids to eat them.
Sometimes you have to be sneaky.
In honor of Fruit and Veggies —More Matters® month
in September, try sneaking vegetables into your
meals. To help jog your creative juices, we invited our
food services teammembers to offer their crafty tips:
w w "Sneak shredded carrots into muffins or diced
squash into mac and cheese," suggests Chef
Salvador Gomez, Methodist Richardson Medical
Center. "Toss leftover vegetables and fruit into the
next-day salad. Try roasted pears with pecans or
oranges with wonton strips."
w w "Turn zucchini or squash into noodles for pasta
dishes, or throw spinach or kale into your morning
smoothie," says Ashlyn Harmon, registered
dietitian, Methodist Charlton Medical Center.
w w "Make a 'sneaky dessert' with a fruit pizza," offers
Chef Jose Soto, Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
"Slice watermelon into circles, then into triangles
like pizza slices. Top with kiwi, strawberries,
blueberries, mango, and peaches. Add crumbled
goat cheese."
w w "Top baked potatoes with salsa," says Chef Eladio
Ollarzabal, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center.
"Sneak kale into meatloaf or broccoli into omelets.
Use shredded cauliflower for a pizza crust and top
with vegetables. Grill veggie kebabs and let the
kids select the veggies (bell pepper, mushrooms,
zucchini, red onion) and place them on the skewer!"
Additional source: Produce for Better Health Foundation
on the sly
SEE YOU ONLINE!
You’re on your way to a sneak attack on
nutrition! Search "vegetables" for more
nutritious tips in our health library at
Grab inspiration from
the Internet. More and more,
parents are posting, pinning,
and tweeting their creative
takes on school lunches.
Try this: On Pinterest, check
out our new “Healthy School
Lunches" board, or do your
own online search: #kidslunch
#kidfood #lunchideas
#schoollunch #bentoforkids.
Choose the right container.
Not only do they provide
portion control, but
containers also give you a
consistent canvas to plan
around. Reusable containers
often have bright colors
and inside compartments
to keep food separate, and
disposable bags come in all
shapes and sizes.
Try this: Cinch a snack-size
zip-close bag full of grapes in
the middle with a decorated
clothespin to make a butterfly,
or send a smoothie in a
silicone ice pop mold.
DON’T FORGET
Our “Healthy School Lunches” board on
Pinterest has plenty of ideas to spark
creative lunches for your kids. Visit us at
.
Methodist Richardson Medical Center • ❁ Fall 2015 5