August is Kids Eat Right Month!
Kids Eat Right Month is hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation. So this month, look out for all kinds of Dolce Diet blogs on kid-friendly, healthy snacks, dinners, lunches and breakfasts, along with other kid-friendly advice, like shopping with your kiddos! #DolceDietitian
Fuel Growing Athletes With These Dolce-Approved Kid-Friendly Recipes!
by Samantha Wilkinson, MS, RDN, LD, Dolce Dietitian
If you are a follower of the Dolce Diet Principles, chances are your kids are too, which means they are active and fit! What we eat pre-, during and post-workout is extremely important, and it is especially important in our aspiring athletes. So let’s properly fuel them to keep those little feet moving and get those bodies growing!
Note: As always, strive for organic, grass-fed ingredients!
Pre-Game/Practice
Gather everyone around the table for breakfast. Odds are if you’re all going to the game, then you all have time to eat together. Try to do this approximately 3 hours before game time to get digestion started and to avoid an upset tummy. To make things easier, make the same breakfast for everyone, even if not everyone is going to be active. You’ll still be getting nutritious, delicious food. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests a breakfast of potatoes, eggs and nutrient-dense carbohydrates, such as fruit. Try out this Dolce-Approved breakfast pairing with your family:
Egg Scramble with Tater Tots (both recipes from the Living Lean Cookbook)
Egg Scramble (makes 1-2 servings)
3 whole eggs
¼ diced red pepper
¼ diced onion
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Handful of spinach
Dash of sea salt
1 slice organic white cheese (optional)
*If you have picky eaters who won’t eat many veggie choices, simply choose one veggie that they like to add into the scramble. If making for more than two people, simply double or triple this recipe to make preparation easier, and so that everyone can eat at the same time.
Directions
Lightly coat medium sauté pan with grapeseed oil and put on low heat.
Dice peppers and onions and add to pan. Sauté about 2 minutes, then add mushrooms.
Whip eggs in medium mixing bowl.
Once the peppers, onions and mushrooms soften, add spinach leaves.
Once spinach begins to wilt, evenly pour eggs into pan.
Lightly stir into a scramble.
Once desired consistency is reached, turn off stovetop, mix in cheese and serve with toast smeared with avocado.
*If you have picky eaters who won’t eat many veggie choices, simply omit or choose one veggie that they like to add into the scramble. If making for more than two people, simple double or triple this recipe to make preparation easier, and so that everyone can eat at the same time.
Tater Tots (makes 4-6 servings)
8 red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
¼ red bell pepper, diced
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
Black pepper, to taste
*Simply divide this recipe up into however many servings necessary.
Directions
In large pan, heat grapeseed oil on medium and add potatoes, mixing frequently.
When potatoes begin to brown, add in onion, bell pepper and garlic and continue mixing about another 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serve hot.
To finish off your breakfast presentation, place a bowl of fruit at the center of the table filled with berries and melon. Freshly squeezed orange juice is another great way to get your kids some fruit prior to their game.
During & After Games/Practice
Hydration is the most important aspect to closely monitor during games and practice. Sweat loss of greater than 2% of bodyweight can be dangerous for your little athletes. Be sure to have plenty of water for your child(ren) and have potassium-rich and carb-rich snacks for them post-game such as, bananas or Greek yogurt. The same goes for throughout the week. Your kids may need a small snack to hold them over before dinner is ready. Fruit and yogurt is a great post-workout/game snack.
Post-Game/Practice Family Dinner
Your kids have worked hard during their practice or game, and probably had school all before that. It’s time to refuel them to keep their growing muscles grow even stronger. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests lean protein, whole wheat pasta and veggies. And luckily, Mike and Brandy really hit it on the head with this Dolce-Approved dinner (you’ve probably tried them out for yourself, now it’s time to share the wealth!):
Noodles a la Roon (makes 2-4 servings) (via Living Lean Cookbook)
16 oz of your favorite whole wheat or gluten-free pasta noodle
16 oz plain 2% cottage cheese
½ lb. ground turkey
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
¼ cup nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil noodles until soft, rinse and drain and add to a large casserole dish.
If using turkey meat, brown in pan and drain juices. Add to casserole dish.
Add cottage cheese to casserole dish along with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Sprinkle top of casserole with nutritional yeast or Parmesan and bake for 20-30 minutes until the tips of the noodles at the top of the casserole brown.
Serve and enjoy!
Round off dinner with Gram’s Baked Apples (via Living Lean Cookbook) and a glass of almond milk or dollop of Greek yogurt!
Gram’s Baked Apples (makes 2-4 servings)
4 large apples
¾ cup plain almond milk
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Drizzle of organic maple syrup
½ cup golden raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice apples in half. Clean out the seeds and hard center. Place in baking dish.
Coat in maple syrup and then almond milk.
Add in raisins.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bake 40 minutes while intermittently basting apples with the milk/syrup mixture from bottom of baking dish. The apples are done when a fork easily pierces the apple.
Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.
Place apples in bowls and spoon the almond/maple syrup mixture over the apples again in the bowls. Be sure to get the raisins, too!
*You can always add more almond milk/syrup to taste.
It’s refreshing when modalities match up. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics works around the clock to provide sound, evidence-based nutritional information for children and adults. The suggestions above are based on science, and we are lucky enough to have delicious, Dolce-Approved recipes that fall exactly under those recommendations. Science and flavor can’t lie! The goal here wasn’t to re-create the wheel, it was to support the fact that the Dolce Diet is battle-tested and backed by sound evidence. You’ve probably tried many of these recipes before, but now you know that there is merit behind them, and when it comes to your kids, you want and need concrete evidence.
Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
