After watching the premiere of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, its fair to say that Jamie had his work cut out for him. He arrives at Central City Elementary school to find Pizza being served for breakfast. Pizza! Doesn’t anyone realize that these are elementary students not college students?
Next was lunch, which consisted of processed Chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes made with potato pearls? What are potato pearls? They are potato pellets made with potatoes, salt, partially hydrogenated canola oil, mono and diglycerides, artificial color, artificial flavour. Freshness preserved w/ sodium bisulfite and BHT. These pellets are mixed with water and whipped up to make mashed potato’s. Yuck! To top it off this meal is washed down with either strawberry or chocolate milk.
Not only does Jamie have the challenge of changing the school’s menus but he also has to deal with ‘The Lunch Ladies’! They do don’t want him there which is apparent by their cold demeanour and resistance to change. Also Jamie called them ‘The Lunch Ladies’ which earned him the evil eye from Alice. Way to win them over Jamie, I believe the correct term for ‘Lunch Ladies’ is Cafeteria Cooks (?)
Jamie pulls out all the stops to get his message across. He has dressed up like a giant pea, to get the kids excited about their new lunch menu, but that did not work. Then he tried the more drastic approach where he cuts up a whole chicken in front of a group of kids. He puts the chicken carcass in a food processor once he had a sloppy gooey mess he tells the kids this is what their nuggets are made of. They made faces but once Jamie finished cooking the chicken nuggets
he asked the kids if they would still eat them knowing what they are made of. They all said YES! Oh no Jamie now what?
Jamie is not detoured he has more tricks under his belt. He gets the parents to come to the school and he shows them how much chocolate milk their kids are consuming, and adds the Sloppy Joes to the mix. This trick works, the parents want change! Jamie’s point hits home. Smart move Jamie, but he still has to contend with the school and get them to want to make the change to fresh cooked. Jamie as one last chance to win Ronda over so that he can stay on another week. Ronda is in charge of all food purchases for the Huntington schools, and Jamie is over budget and hasn’t given her the nutritional assessments of the meals that is required. Will she let him stay?
Ronda decides to give Jamie another week to prove to everyone that this change is doable. Jamie has a lot of work to do, he needs to win over Alice because that is one ‘Lunch Lady’ that you want to have on your side. He has to come within budget and get his nutritional assessments in. Will next week be better for Jamie? I guess we’ll have to tune in next Friday to fine out.
Good Luck Jamie, the Cookin Greens Team is routing for you!
Natalie
The Cookin Greens Team
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Food Revolution hits America
Tonight is the premiere of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Jamie’s challenge is to get the whole community of Huntington, West Virginia cooking. He wants to get people away from processed foods and snacks, one of the causes of obesity and other health issues. Will Jamie be able to change this communities mind set? I guess we will have to watch a see, the Cookin Greens Team believes he can!!!
Check out the trailer:
To Learn more about Jamie's Food Revolution go to http://www.jamieoliver.com/about
Good Luck Jamie!
Natalie
The Cookin Greens Team
Check out the trailer:
To Learn more about Jamie's Food Revolution go to http://www.jamieoliver.com/about
Good Luck Jamie!
Natalie
The Cookin Greens Team
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Dark Leafy Greens and Eye Health
Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses? No… right? The obvious reason being they are Rabbits however their diet consists of carrots which we have all heard over the years “Eat your Carrots, they’re good for your eyes” and…now… dark-leafy greens as well…
Iowa State University recently wrote this article “Can Dark Green Leafy Vegetables Save Your Eyesight? They state that dark green leafy vegetables are rich in the antioxidant lutein, which has been claimed to help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Beside Lutein, Vitamins A, C, E the three most important vitamins for eye health.
Vitamin A is known to help night blindness. It has been reported to prevent cataracts from forming and may have a role in preventing blindness from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the world. One cup of Spinach gives you 120% of your daily Vitamin A requirement.
Vitamin C has antioxidant qualities to help prevent crystallization and accumulation of foreign molecules that result in the blurred vision of cataracts. One cup of Kale gives you 70% of your daily Vitamin C requirement.
Vitamin E is the third antioxidant in the trio. Like vitamins A and C, vitamin E also helps prevent cataracts, and macular degeneration. The best sources of Vitamin E can be found in nuts and seeds. Dark leafy greens also contain Vitamin E but to make sure you get enough for proper eye health why not add Walnuts to your spinach salad.
Want more dark leafy greens in your diet, check out the Cookin’ Greens web site(www.cookingreens.com) for some delicious recipes like Herb Tortellini with Spinach, Turkey Sausage & Feta and Turkey Meatloaf with Kale.
Links/Sources
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2010/mar/120301.htm
http://www.cnib.ca/en/about/Default.aspx
Natalie
The Cookin Greens Team
Iowa State University recently wrote this article “Can Dark Green Leafy Vegetables Save Your Eyesight? They state that dark green leafy vegetables are rich in the antioxidant lutein, which has been claimed to help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Beside Lutein, Vitamins A, C, E the three most important vitamins for eye health.
Vitamin A is known to help night blindness. It has been reported to prevent cataracts from forming and may have a role in preventing blindness from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the world. One cup of Spinach gives you 120% of your daily Vitamin A requirement.
Vitamin C has antioxidant qualities to help prevent crystallization and accumulation of foreign molecules that result in the blurred vision of cataracts. One cup of Kale gives you 70% of your daily Vitamin C requirement.
Vitamin E is the third antioxidant in the trio. Like vitamins A and C, vitamin E also helps prevent cataracts, and macular degeneration. The best sources of Vitamin E can be found in nuts and seeds. Dark leafy greens also contain Vitamin E but to make sure you get enough for proper eye health why not add Walnuts to your spinach salad.
Want more dark leafy greens in your diet, check out the Cookin’ Greens web site(www.cookingreens.com) for some delicious recipes like Herb Tortellini with Spinach, Turkey Sausage & Feta and Turkey Meatloaf with Kale.
Links/Sources
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2010/mar/120301.htm
http://www.cnib.ca/en/about/Default.aspx
Natalie
The Cookin Greens Team
Monday, March 8, 2010
The healthiest vegetable of all? It’s kale!
All vegetables are healthy, so it’s hard to choose favourites. But, non-profit group Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) took up the task. They rated 85 different vegetables in terms of their vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and fibre content, and found that kale was by far the healthiest option.
“Kale?” you might ask. Perhaps you’ve never heard of it – but you will! It’s a dark green leafy vegetable that quickly going from obscurity to popularity. With its deliciously mild taste and hearty leaves, it’s a winner in pasta, soup, sandwiches, omelets and stir-fries. The only drawback for some people is its intimidating size – it is sold in very large bunches and some consumers don’t know what to do with so much foliage.
Enter Cookin’ Greens – the first line of frozen, chopped kale that requires no washing or chopping. Adding the healthiest vegetable to your diet just got easier. In addition to 500-gram bags of chopped kale, Cookin' Greens also offers spinach, rapini and a thoughtfully crafted "Designer's Mix," which is a healthy blend of spinach, collard greens, rapini, yellow beans and onion.
In CSPI’s rating system, vegetables were given a score based on their content of fibre, calcium, iron, folate, vitamin K, vitamin C and carotenoid antioxidants including lutein. Overall, dark green leafy vegetables were the healthiest choices, taking seven of the top ten spots for nutritional power. Spinach and collard greens take spots two and three, just behind kale.
Why are these leafy vegetables so much healthier than turnips and corn? One reason is their colour. “Dark green vegetables are filled with important antioxidants” says dietitian Cara Rosenbloom. “Beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are concentrated in the dark green leaves. These antioxidants play an important role in maintaining good health.” Plus, tasty dark greens are naturally low in calories and sodium, but high in fibre.
For optimal health, Canada's Food Guide recommends that adults eat seven to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. “Currently,” continues Rosenbloom, Canadians are getting less than half of the vegetable and fruit servings that they need for optimal health”. Making vegetables more convenient and accessible is one way to encourage increased consumption.
With Cookin' Greens, the frozen vegetable market finally makes it easy to include delectable dark-leafy greens in the diet. Cookin' Greens takes the fuss out of washing and chopping bunches of fresh greens by doing all of the work for you. Plus, buying pre-cut and pre-washed greens mean that there is no waste to dispose of and very little mess to clean up.
For a delicious side dish, simply sauté any Cookin' Greens variety in a ribbon of olive oil, lots of garlic and a touch of sea salt, and splash some balsamic vinegar. Cookin' Greens can also be added to omelets, pasta, stews, pizza, casseroles and soups. The culinary uses for Cookin' Greens are limitless. Inventive cooking ideas can be found online at www.cookingreens.com.
For more information, please contact Cara Rosenbloom at cara@wordstoeatby.ca or call 416-846-3865.
“Kale?” you might ask. Perhaps you’ve never heard of it – but you will! It’s a dark green leafy vegetable that quickly going from obscurity to popularity. With its deliciously mild taste and hearty leaves, it’s a winner in pasta, soup, sandwiches, omelets and stir-fries. The only drawback for some people is its intimidating size – it is sold in very large bunches and some consumers don’t know what to do with so much foliage.
Enter Cookin’ Greens – the first line of frozen, chopped kale that requires no washing or chopping. Adding the healthiest vegetable to your diet just got easier. In addition to 500-gram bags of chopped kale, Cookin' Greens also offers spinach, rapini and a thoughtfully crafted "Designer's Mix," which is a healthy blend of spinach, collard greens, rapini, yellow beans and onion.
In CSPI’s rating system, vegetables were given a score based on their content of fibre, calcium, iron, folate, vitamin K, vitamin C and carotenoid antioxidants including lutein. Overall, dark green leafy vegetables were the healthiest choices, taking seven of the top ten spots for nutritional power. Spinach and collard greens take spots two and three, just behind kale.
Why are these leafy vegetables so much healthier than turnips and corn? One reason is their colour. “Dark green vegetables are filled with important antioxidants” says dietitian Cara Rosenbloom. “Beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are concentrated in the dark green leaves. These antioxidants play an important role in maintaining good health.” Plus, tasty dark greens are naturally low in calories and sodium, but high in fibre.
For optimal health, Canada's Food Guide recommends that adults eat seven to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. “Currently,” continues Rosenbloom, Canadians are getting less than half of the vegetable and fruit servings that they need for optimal health”. Making vegetables more convenient and accessible is one way to encourage increased consumption.
With Cookin' Greens, the frozen vegetable market finally makes it easy to include delectable dark-leafy greens in the diet. Cookin' Greens takes the fuss out of washing and chopping bunches of fresh greens by doing all of the work for you. Plus, buying pre-cut and pre-washed greens mean that there is no waste to dispose of and very little mess to clean up.
For a delicious side dish, simply sauté any Cookin' Greens variety in a ribbon of olive oil, lots of garlic and a touch of sea salt, and splash some balsamic vinegar. Cookin' Greens can also be added to omelets, pasta, stews, pizza, casseroles and soups. The culinary uses for Cookin' Greens are limitless. Inventive cooking ideas can be found online at www.cookingreens.com.
For more information, please contact Cara Rosenbloom at cara@wordstoeatby.ca or call 416-846-3865.
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