Cookbook Review: Deliciously Healthy Family Meals

Are you a busy parent that wants to make healthful meal planning a family affair?  You need the Keep The Beat Recipes:  Deliciously Healthy Family Meals cookbook.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) partnered with the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) program to develop this cookbook to help families build lifelong healthy eating habits.  It features 40 wholesome recipes that are fairly inexpensive, realistic, and fast. The cookbook features main-dish meals, pasta dishes, lunch/brunch, vegetable side dishes, grain side dishes, and snacks that will please both adults and kids.  It even includes info on cooking, nutrition, and feeding children (including picky eaters).

What I really love

This book gives a lot of advice and strategies for putting meals together such as tips for pairing side items with entrees, fast meal prep, and making the most of leftovers.  The appendix has tons of guidelines for parents on what to feed and ways to get kids involved in the cooking process.  Involving kids in the kitchen and teaching them to have fun with food and cooking is essential for preparing them to lead a healthy lifestyle.  Families have to have the “know-how” to get a meal on the table, and this cookbook is chock-full of instructions and information.

Below are samples of featured recipes your “chef in training” can help prepare:

Crunchy Chicken Fingers with Tangy Dipping Sauce

For chicken:

½ tsp reduced-sodium crab seasoning (or substitute ¼ tsp paprika and ¼ tsp garlic powder for a sodium free alternative)

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp whole-wheat flour

12 oz boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cut into 12 strips

2 Tbsp fat free (skim) milk

1 egg white (or substitute 2 T egg white substitute)

3 C cornflake cereal crushed

For sauce: 

¼ C ketchup

¼ C 100% orange juice

¼ C balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp deli mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix crab seasoning, pepper, and flour in a bowl.
3. Add chicken strips and toss well to coat evenly.
4. Combine milk and egg white in a separate bowl, and mix well.  Pour over seasoned chicken, and toss well.
5. Place crushed cornflakes in a separate bowl.  Dip each chicken strip into the cornflakes and coat well.  Place strips on a nonstick baking sheet.  (Discard any leftover cornflake mixture).
6. Bake chicken strips for 10-12 minutes (to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining all ingredients and mixing well.
8. Serve three chicken strips with ¼ cup dipping sauce.

Parmesan Green Beans

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic, minced (about 1 clove) (or ¼ tsp garlic powder).

1 small onion, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)

1 bag (16 oz) frozen green beans

1 C low-sodium chicken broth

¼ C grated parmesan cheese

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1.  Combine olive oil and garlic in a large sauce pan.  Cook until garlic is soft, but not browned (about 30 seconds).
2. Add onion, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until soft.
3. Add green beans and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, until the beans are heated through.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pepper, and serve.

Mexican Lasagna

10 6-inch corn tortillas

2 C canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed

4 C Super Quick Chunky Tomato Sauce

1 ½ C Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 bag (10 oz) baby spinach leaves, rinsed

2 C grilled chicken, diced (leftover friendly)

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, rinsed, dried and chopped (or substitute 1 tsp dried coriander)

Nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly spray a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Place two to three corn tortillas on the bottom, trimming as necessary for a good fit.
3. Add beans, 1 cup tomato sauce, and ½ cup grated cheese.  Top with two to three more corn tortillas.
4. Add 1 cup tomato sauce, spinach, and ½ cup cheese.  Top with two more corn tortillas.
5. Add chicken and 1 cup tomato sauce.  Top with two more corn tortillas.
6. Add 1 cup tomato sauce, ½ cup cheese, and cilantro.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned and chicken is reheated.
8. Let stand for 5 minutes.  Cut into eight even squares, and serve.

The best part is that you can view or download the cookbook FREE by clicking here.  There are more resources and recipes you can check out.

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Contributing Author:  Katherine Fowler, MS, RD, LDN