Kid Friendly

From – Healthy Starts Here! (Whitecap 2011)

With peanuts being banned from most schools the best time to serve heart healthy peanut butter is afterschool.

Here’s a great after school snack for you and your kids, this smoothie is loaded with good for you ingredients like skim milk, natural cocoa powder, bananas, and good old reliable PB.  

Get your kids to make it themselves – empowering your children in the kitchen by teaching them how to cook is a life skill worth cultivating.

Serving peanut butter after school in this smoothie adds heart healthy fats and B-vitamins to your diet.

2 very ripe bananas – fresh or frozen – see below

1 cup (250 mL) skim milk

1 cup 9250 mL) ice cubes, about 4 large ice cubes

2 tbsp (30 mL) natural peanut butter – I use Kraft Natural PB – see below

2 tbsp (30 mL) natural cocoa powder

2 tbsp (30 mL) skim milk powder – see below

2 tbsp (30 mL) honey, or sweetener of your choice, optional

Directions:

1. Whirl everything in a blender. Divide equally between two glasses. Depending on how big the bananas are, if they were frozen, how much ice you added, and how powerful your blender is this will make up to 3 cups (750 mL). From a calorie stand point – it still needs to be divided into 2 servings. Enjoy.

Makes 2 servings. One serving contains: 354 Calories, 9 g Total Fat, 1.5 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 108 mg Sodium, 61.3 g Carbs, 4 g Fiber, 42.3 g Sugar, 14 g Protein

 Diabetes Food Choice Values Per Serving: 4 Carbohydrate, 2 Meat and Alternatives, ½ Fat

Professional Home Economist tips:

Frozen Bananas -  For a thicker smoothie use frozen bananas.

The next time you have overripe bananas on your kitchen counter, jump for joy. They are a concentrated form of natural sweetness. Peel overripe bananas, break into small chunks, drop into a freezer safe bag or container and put them into your freezer. Add these frozen chunks to blender drinks. They help freeze the drink, add sweetness, as well as add that all important potassium.

Peanut Butter

As much as I would love you to use natural peanut butter, I am sure most of you don’t so, for the non-natural peanut butter people, the brand you’re using probably has sugar in it. Check the label, if it does, skip the added honey or sweetener of your choice. The peanut butter is probably sweet enough without the added carbs and sugars from the honey.

Skim milk powder

I find that adding this to a smoothie adds extra protein and calcium, plus it makes the drink thicker. You can find skim milk powder where they sell the canned milk in most grocery stores.

]]> http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?feed=rss2&p=2729 0 http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?p=2713 http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?p=2713#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 19:57:33 +0000 Mairlyn http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?p=2713 …

 

My mom always said the real reason she was a gardener was because she found a bit of peace when she was working the soil.  As one of the main reasons why she needed to find some peace, I didn’t get it the whole peace thing until I was in my twenties and had a wee patch of grass that I laughingly called my plantation.

My mom and dad’s garden in Vancouver BC. Only a tiny portion of their huge backyard oasis.

I started creating my Patch of Peace with shrubs, perennials and grass. Every year I would pour over gardening books for new ideas.  The water hungry grass was replaced with bricks in a patchwork mish mash. The shrubs grew and created more of a shade garden. I added a tree, a mini deck and a fountain. Every year my mini garden took on a new look as I created my own personal Secret Garden.

A tiny portion of my tiny Secret Garden in Toronto.

Although I still have patches of colour from my perennials; herbs and vegetables have replaced most my flowers pots, and I now have a  kitchen garden. Need some basil or a grape tomato for that salad? I just walk right out the door with my snippers and snip a few leaves or pick a couple of tomatoes. It doesn’t get much fresher than that.

Need a grape tomato? I just walk outside my kitchen door and pick one.

May 7, 2013 Planting my kitchen garden

As a fan of all leafy greens I plant arugula every year. Here are my tips on planting a perfect patch of heart healthy greens. I’ll be planting beets, green beans and herbs later this week.

Step 1
Your vegetables are only as good as your soil. Start off with rich soil, add bone meal and compost and mix in. I like really like using mushroom compost as well as the compost from my backyard composter.

 

 

Step 2
After you have mixed the soil well, lightly water it.
Then sprinkle the seeds to the depth suggested on the package.
Lightly tap down the soil so the seeds are in contact with it.
Tip – open the seed package from the bottom so when you place it in the garden to mark the area it will be right side up.

 

 

Step 3

To prevent squirrels or other animals from rooting around your precious seeds place some type of screening over top and anchor with sticks.
Label what you planted. Gently water again.
Over the next several days don’t let the soil dry out.  And then the best part of being a gardener waiting for Mother Nature to do her thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My breakfast cup and saucer – Spode

I have a foodie confession to make; I am a tea junkie.

On any given day you can find at least seventeen different kinds of tea tucked away in my tea pantry. My taste ranges from everyday orange pekoe to more exotic blends from tea houses all around the world; black, green, smoky, sweet, herbal, rooibos, and flavoured. Depending on my mood I’ve got a tea to go with it.

Tea makes me happy. It soothes my soul when I’m crabby, helps me to solve a problem when I’m searching for an answer, and is one of the ties that binds me to my heritage.

My Gran and her sister Great Aunt Nellie were alchemists with a tea pot. They professed that a great cup of tea could melt a spoon with its shear strength of tannins. You wanted weak tea? The door was over there. Strong black tea with whole milk solved life’s dilemmas, was an afternoon pick me up and a nightly respite. Tea was it. Tea was the answer. Tea was perfection.

I never had a chance at any other hot beverage; it was tea or nothing, so I signed the dotted line and became a full-fledged card carrying member of the Tea Granny Club.  

All great things usually need a collaborator, an accomplice, or a partner in crime. Tea needs a china tea cup and saucer to fully reach its nadir.  

Is it the light clinking sound of the china cup as it finds its home on its matching saucer? Is it the pretty patterns? A throw back to my dear old Granny? Or a Pavlovian-reflex (as in the dogs not as in the dessert) to my love of Downton Abbey? Insert – all of the above.

My collection is more of an archeological foodie heritage dig than a mere compendium of function china. Each and every one of my ninety-two cups and saucers means something to me. A breakfast cup and saucer I bought with my very first paycheque from the Second City Comedy Troupe, several antique pairings from my Fairy Godmother Nina, and many more from my dear mother in law. Add in too many to count from my mom, who I inherited the cup and saucer gene from, and a variety of singletons I lovingly received from friends gave them to me for safe keeping; each and every cup and saucer has a story to tell.

Part of my collection.

To honour of all these women in my life who I have shared a cup or two of tea with I am making May my salute to mothers, grandmothers, great aunts, aunts, women friendships and tea.

Stay tuned for tea time. There will be cups to look at, stories to read, and suggested teas to drink.  Here’s to thirty-one cups of tea.

]]> http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?feed=rss2&p=2706 7 http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?p=2696 http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?p=2696#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:06:05 +0000 Mairlyn http://www.mairlynsmith.com/?p=2696 …

My five kids!

A day does not go by without someone telling me about their genius idea for a new fabulous cookbook. From movie stars to my neighbour down the street, the latest craze is penning your favourite recipes.

I took choir and drama as electives in high school instead of what all my friends took – typing and commerce, as a result of my creative decisions I ended up hand writing my first cookbook in 1998 on the back of old scripts.

I had just finished a four year stint cooking on the popular TV show Harrowsmith Country Life. My producer told me that I should write a cookbook and I thought – that would be fun, so I cold-called a Canadian publishing company and told them that I wanted to write a cookbook. Oh, to be young, stupid, and lucky. I don’t know if it was my blatant ballsey pitch, my sense of confidence or the cosmic powers aligning – but they said yes, and so began my career as a cookbook author.

I am blessed with my Father’s optimism gene, believing that everything will work out just fine, eventually. Thank goodness for Dad’s DNA, because I had no idea how labour intensive, mind blowing, or expensive writing a cookbook would be – I cooked all the time,  had a degree in home economics and had been creating recipes ever since I was 12 years old. How hard could writing a cookbook really be? For all you rookies out there – insert - Bye-bye Life, Hello Hell.

To save you some time and pain here are some of the lessons I’ve learned over my 15 year career as a cookbook author.

Lesson #1

Flying by the seat of your pants in the kitchen may be fun and creative but you can’t replicate it. Measuring can totally screw up your recipe for Poached BC Salmon with Dill Sauce. A dash of this and sprinkle of that doesn’t necessarily translate into a recipe that works 100% of the time.

Lesson #2

Every time you enter the kitchen to play, write down what you do. In the heat of the moment you might just forget that it was 1 tbsp (15ml) of baking powder not 1 tsp (5mL) and size really does matter in many areas of life, especially in a recipe.

 Lesson #3

Computer skills are really, really important – singing, dancing, and being creative are good for your soul but learning how to talk to your computer is good for your bank account.

Lesson #4

Writing is just as important as recipe development – you can’t have a great cookbook based on recipes alone – learn how to write.

Lesson #5

Recipe development is costly – I spend at least $7000.00 on my creations per book. If you want that recipe to be perfect, you need to make sure that they taste fabulous and work every time someone makes them. Create the recipe and then test it at least three more times to make sure that it is worth putting your name on. I farm my recipes out to see if other people can make them. My motto: Test, test, and test again.

Lesson #6

The success of any cookbook isn’t necessarily based on how great your recipes or your writing is.

You have to promote the living daylights out of it.

Even though I ‘d been on a TV show for four years I still didn’t have a big enough profile to sell a ton of books. My first cookbook, Lick the Spoon, become my introduction into the foodie world, not a paycheque.

It took me many, many years to build up my audience. I started doing free dems in Church basements to mom’s groups and eventually was lucky enough to end up on TV and radio. I have hosted Cooking Competitions, been an MC at foodie events, written hundreds of articles as a freelance writer, done media work, and have eventually have become a regular on Cityline and Breakfast TV in Toronto. The cookbook market is a huge competitive event; you need to stand out from the crowd.

Make a name for yourself. Inevitably the people who sell the most books have amassed a following via many different forms of media exposure.

Lesson #7

Only a small group of cookbook authors make a living from their book sales. Yes, it can be done but the majority of authors are happy to sell 5,000 copies. At 10% of list that works out to be around $15,000 for at least 2 years of work.

Success is a combo of the right topic at the right time, an established media presence, the willingness to work your ass off prompting your baby, and a magic wand.

I’ve written five cookbooks – four were National Bestsellers, one won an award and I still don’t make a living at writing cookbooks. My living is a combination of freelance writing, TV appearances, key note speaking engagements, and my work as a voice over actor.

Lesson #8

So why on earth does anyone write a cookbook? Is it the desire for complete strangers to love you via your recipes? Is it the sense of accomplishment when an idea becomes a fabulous main course? Is it the love of the written word? Or is it your passion?

My modus operandi  is to help Canadians become healthier one yummy recipe at a time, oh…. and the love from total strangers part too.

Jennifer Bain, food editor of the Toronto Star, wrote an in depth article on The making of the Toronto Star Cookbook. It’s a must read for all would be cookbook authors. I highly recommend reading it before you sign your first cookbook deal.

Three types of barley plus the two recipes I demmed on Breakfast TV in Toronto picture by: Mairlyn Smith

Asian Barley Salad

Asian Barley Salad picture by: Mairlyn Smith

Spring/Summer

Cholesterol-lowering barley with two folate stars – peas and peanuts – makes this another heart healthy dish.

This is one of my all-time favourites for a spring or summer dinner. Plan ahead and cook the barley the night before. Then in the heat of the day all you have to do is chop a couple of onions, toss in some peas and peanuts and top with a great salad dressing.

I serve this in large Asian-style soup bowls and we eat it with chopsticks usually in the backyard while I stare at my garden, one of my summer hobbies.

 The night before or early in the serving day:

1 cup (250 mL) pot barley

3 cups (750 mL) cold water

 Serving day:

2 green onions, finely sliced including the white end

1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen peas, thawed

1 cup (250 mL) red skinned peanuts – see sidebar

Dressing:

2 tbsp (30 ml) natural peanut butter – it has to be natural

2 tbsp (30 mL) rice vinegar

2 tbsp (30 mL) lower sodium soy sauce

2 tsp (10 mL) wasabi paste – found in the Asian section of your grocery store or where they sell sushi

1. The night before or the morning of serving day: Place barley in a mesh colander and rinse under cold water.
2. Put barley into a medium saucepan. Add water, bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 40-50 minutes or until cooked. Stir once or twice to evenly distribute any remaining liquid, remove from heat, fluff with a fork to separate the grains and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff again and then let it cool for 30 minutes. Place in a container and store in the fridge covered for up to 3 days.
3. Serving day: In a large bowl toss together the sliced green onions, peas, and all of the cooked barley.
4. Whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce and Wasabi paste in a small bowl. Pour over barley mixture and toss well.
5. Spoon into bowls. Sprinkle each serving with ¼ cup (60 mL) peanuts over top each bowl.

Makes 4 cups (1 L)

Each serving = 1 cup (250 mL)

One serving contains: 476 calories, 24.1 g total fat, 3.1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 354 mg sodium, 53.6 g carbs, 14 g fibre, 5.9 g sugar, 19 g protein

Diabetes Food Choice Values Per Serving

2 ½ Carbohydrates, 2 ½ Meat and Alternatives, 3 ½ Fat

Tuscany Supper

A main course made with pot barley and Mediterranean herbs. Picture by: Mairlyn Smith

Year Round

It got four thumbs up from the Decade Divas the first time I made it and another big thumbs up from my publisher and his partner the next time I made it. All that praise, and it can lower your cholesterol too, what a fabulous dish.

4 cloves garlic

1 onion

1 cup (250 mL) pot barley

1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil

4 cups (1L) sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp (15 mL) dried basil leaves – dried works best in this recipe

1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano leaves. What! Can’t I use fresh? Yup – 1 tbsp (15 mL) will do

¼ tsp (1 mL) cracked black pepper

One – 19 fl oz (540 mL) can diced tomatoes

1 cup (250 mL) lower sodium vegetable or chicken broth

½ cup (125 mL) loosely packed grated Asiago cheese, approx 1 oz. (25 g) or really good Parmesan or if you are lucky enough to make dinner in my publisher’s amazing kitchen then a Pecorino is perfect.

1. Mince garlic and set aside.
2. Mince onion and set aside.
3. Place barley in a mesh colander and rinse under cold water. Set aside to drain.
4. Heat a medium/large pot over medium heat. Add oil and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes or until golden brown. This extra bit of time browning the onion pays off in the end with a deeper flavour.
5. Add garlic and sliced mushrooms and continue cooking for 3 minutes. I know what you are thinking – this pot isn’t big enough. Trust me, the principle of shrinkage applies here and in about 3 minutes they will have shrunk down.
6. Add basil, oregano, and cracked pepper. Sauté for 1 minute.
7. Add barley and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and broth, stirring well to make sure any bits clinging to the bottom of the pot are mixed in. Bring to the boil, stir once more, cover, reduce heat to low/simmer and cook for 45 – 50 minutes or until barley is cooked through and soft. Stir occasionally and adjust heat so it doesn’t burn.
8. When cooked remove from heat stir once and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve each bowl with 2 tbsp (30 mL) of grated cheese over top. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

Makes – 6 cups (1.5 L) One serving = 1 cup (250 mL)

One serving contains: 207 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 309 mg sodium, 33 g carbs, 8 g fibre, 5.5 g sugar, 9 g protein

Diabetes Food Choice Values Per Serving

2 Carbohydrates, 1 Meat and Alternative, ½ Fat

Professional home economist tips:

What does 4 cups (1 L) of sliced mushrooms look like?

Some stores sell mushrooms loose, others in packages so it’s about 24 medium mushrooms or one and a half 227 g packages.

Can I use fresh basil?

Yes, but add it at the end so the flavour isn’t completely cooked out of it. It works out to be 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh basil leaves, chopped

To make this a vegan side dish use the vegetable broth and eliminate the cheese. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) pine nuts and you have a Vegan main course.

For the recipe for the Barley Scones seen on the set of BT Toronto and Barley 101 click here.

For more recipes using barley go to www.gobarley.com

Recipe for Barely Scones from the Alberta Barley Commission

This super grain is one of the richest sources of both soluble and insoluble fibre. These dietary fibres provide your colon with friendly bacteria which helps makes your colon a happy camper.

Barley’s true claim to fame lies in its high levels of beta glucan, which helps lower cholesterol which in turn lowers your chances of developing heart disease. It also promotes healthy blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of glucose, a winning combination for diabetics. And it just got an official health claim from Health Canada stating that barley can help lower your risk of heart disease. Yes, this Canadian super food is a rock star!

Store uncooked barley in a cool dark cupboard or your fridge for up to one year.

When cooking pot barley as a side dish I use 1 cup (250 mL) of pot barley to 3 cups (750 mL) of liquid (use chicken, veggie, beef broth, or water), bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 40-55 minutes or until cooked to your doneness level. I like mine a bit chewy so I aim for 40-45 minutes. It should be chewy but not rubbery and not mushy. Stir once or twice to evenly distribute any remaining liquid, remove from heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Serve. Or let cool and use instead of rice or beans in a salad.

Barley and Lentil Salad

Created for the YWCA and the Women of Distinction Event by: Mairlyn Smith PHEc

The goodness of Canadian barley and lentils paired with Ontario Ice syrup, pomegranate concentrate and pomegranate seeds make this high end vegetarian main course salad a salute to healthy and delicious.

2 tbsp (30 ml) pomegranate concentrate

2 tbsp (30 mL) pomegranate balsamic vinegar, I used Chefjono brand

2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil, I used an Italian DOP EVOO – to read more on EVOO click here

1 tbsp (15 mL) Ice Syrup, product of Ontario – to read more on Ice Syrup click here

¼ tsp. (1 mL) cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne

3 cups (750 mL) cooked pot barley, cooked in water

2 cups (500 mL) cooked lentils, cooked in water

1 cup (250 mL) coarsely chopped fresh parsley, loosely packed

1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped green onion, approx. 1 large bunch including the white

1 cup (250 mL) fresh pomegranate seeds, approx. 1 large pomegranate

1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh mint

1. In a large bowl whisk together pomegranate concentrate, pomegranate balsamic, extra virgin olive oil, Ice Syrup, cinnamon and cayenne.
2. Add barley and lentils, toss until well coated.
3. Add parsley, green onion, pomegranate seeds and mint. Toss until combined. Serve. Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Professional home economist tip: this tastes the best the day of. If storing in the fridge to serve the next day, add the dressing just before serving.

Makes – 8 cups (2 L)

Serves – 8 – 1 cup (250 mL) servings

One serving = 368 calories, 5 g total fat, .5 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat 140 mg sodium, 69 g carbs, 15 g fibre, 13 g protein

Barley Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms

From: Healthy Starts Here!

Every time you eat this fabulous barley dish you are getting a beta glucan rich meal. Throw in those all-important garlic and onions and you have a risotto that is the equivalent to sending your heart a love letter.

1 cup (250 mL) boiling water

20-24 g dried porcini mushrooms or approx. 1 cup (250mL)

6 cloves garlic

1 onion

1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme leaves

1 cup (250 mL) pot barley

1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil (don’t heat EVOO over 180°F)

3 cups (750 mL) lower sodium chicken broth

¾ cup (175 mL) crumbled goat or sheep’s milk feta or approx 3 oz. (75 g)

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired

1. Brush any dirt off of dried mushrooms. Place in a heat resistant bowl; pour boiling water over and let sit covered for 15 minutes.
2. Mince garlic and set aside.
3. Mince onion and set aside.
4. Mince thyme and set aside.
5. Place barley in a wire mesh colander and rinse under cold running water. Set aside to drain.
6. Read all of Step 7 before doing anything, one of my reality testers read the first part of the next section and stopped at the coma after mushrooms. It’ll make sense when you read it.
7. When your 15 minutes is up, drain the mushrooms, (note coma) reserving the liquid. Chop drained mushrooms and set aside.
8. Heat a medium/large pot over medium heat.  Add oil and onions and sauté for 3 minutes or until the onions are just starting to turn golden brown. Add garlic and thyme and sauté for 1 minute.
9. Add barley and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, reserved mushroom liquid and chopped mushrooms, stirring well to make sure any bits clinging to the bottom of the pot are mixed in. Bring to a boil, stir once more, cover, reduce heat to low/simmer and cook for 50-55 minutes. Stir occasionally to promote the creaminess of a risotto.
10. When done, remove from heat, stir, sprinkled with the cheese and stir in. Serve.

Makes – 5 cups (1.25 L)

One serving = 1 cup (250 mL)

One serving = 306 calories, 12 g total fat, 6.4 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 478 mg sodium, 38 g carbs, 9 g fibre, 3 g sugar, 15 g protein

 Yogurt Barley Fruit Scones

From: Alberta Barley

For more recipes using barley go to www.gobarley.com

This recipe was created by the Alberta Barley people.

2 cups (500 mL) whole barley flour

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

2½ tsp (12 mL) baking powder

½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda

1 egg – I used an omega-3 egg

1 cup (250 mL) 0% fat Greek-style plain yogurt

1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil

½ cup (125 mL) raisins, currants, or dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375⁰F (190⁰C).  In a large bowl, mix together whole barley flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
2. In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg and combine with yogurt and oil; stir into flour mixture along with dried fruit.
3. With lightly floured hands, gather dough into a ball and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten into a round about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.
4. Cut with a knife to divide into 6 scones. Spread apart on baking sheet.
5. Bake in for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm.

Makes 6 scones – one serving = 1 scone

With raisins: 243 Calories , 10 g Total Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 283 mg sodium, 43 g carbs, 5 g fibre, 5 g protein

With cranberries: 230 calories, 10 g total fat, 1 g sat fat, 280 mg sodium, 41 g carbs, 5 g fibre, 4 g protein

I was one of those weird people in high school who actually liked going. I liked hanging out with my friends, the clubs, intramural sports, and the after school activities.

I hated and loathed Chemistry, Physics, and Math, but I loved History, English and my blessed Home Economics classes.

The Home Ec area was an entire building at my school which was dedicated to teaching foods, nutrition, and sewing. Whenever I walked through the arches I felt like it was my building.

I learned how to scramble an egg, decorate a cake, and make a pitiful looking tote bag. After my sewing and design courses in University my professor told me I should never teach sewing, I was that challenged at it. I took her advice and I never taught anyone sewing, but I did teach many students that eating healthy was a choice we all needed to make.

In the early 1970’s every girl in my school had to take Grade 8 Home Ec. The guys took Shop. It was sexist, but it was normal back then, girls cooked, guys fixed stuff. Hmmm, have things changed that much?

By Grade 10, with some progressive thinking in the school board, the guys were finally allowed into the home ec classes.

It was weird and exciting to have males in our building. By the end of the first mixed class I had a mad crush on a Grade 12 hunk of burning love.

Lorne was a rough and tumble bad boy and I adored him. He wore key chains hanging out of his rugged ripped jeans, had long hair, and drove a hearse. The guy was hot!

Every classroom had small complete cooking units set up around the room and his unit was right beside mine. (And yes, I am well aware of the double meaning of that one)

Anyway, one day we had a fire in our unit and Lorne saved us. No pot over the flames, no fire extinguisher, no baking soda, no, Lorne just walked over and blew it out.  My hormones went into overdrive. I was in love.

It was, like most of my early love affairs, one sided. I never missed a class for an entire semester; I would sprint down the hall, through the arches and be there when Lorne arrived. I could always figure out how to wheedle my way over to his unit and offer some pearls of wisdom. And after it was all said and done, Lorne knew how to cook some stuff. Not brilliant, but he could cook. And I learned how to talk to older boys, not brilliant, but I could talk.

Those classes were teaching us valuable life lessons; how to get along in a group and knowing your way around a kitchen are important skills that you can use every day of your life.

Home Economics or whatever you want to call a class that teaches foods and nutrition is no longer required as a mandatory element in education. As a result we are seeing generations of people who know nothing about cooking. They barely know that the kitchen is the room with the stove.

They know how to order take out, how to navigate a drive-thru, and how to get a pizza in their house in forty minutes or it’s free, but how to make something from scratch, is a total mystery.

And this is now affecting the health of our country.

In an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Alice Lichtenstein, a nutritional biochemist at Tufts University, and David Ludwig, a physician at Children’s Hospital Boston, argued that mandatory home ec should be incorporated back into the classroom as a means of combating obesity.

They suggest that teaching all kids to cook healthy foods will begin a domino effect in the health of the next generation.

Now, there’s a concept. Let’s educate our kids to eat better by making home ec mandatory, again.

In our country’s quest for healthier citizens we need to combat the ever increasing numbers of diabetes and heart disease. We need to bring back home ec. It will take a while to see the results, but if we don’t do something soon, it may be too late for many of us.

Petition your government to make foods and nutrition a mandatory class in high schools. Chemistry, Physics, and Math may have expanded my brain, but Foods and Nutrition has expanded my knowledge of health, and with it my chances of making healthier decisions all of my life.

Peace, love and fibre,

Mairlyn Smith PHEc

Tracy and I blow eggs, decorate them for an egg tree as well as make three recipes using the eggs we blew out of the shell!

Catch us on CityLine on Wednesday, March 20!

First you have to blow an egg out of its shell!

Then you have to have a really huge laugh!

Followed by dying them using food colouring plus vinegar to make sure the dye sets

We used pipe cleaners to hang the eggs from the tree

Then hang them on a twig tree and voila!

Easter Morning Life Saver

Adapted from an original recipe from www.eggfarmersofontario.ca

Serving: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

8 slices 100% whole grain whole wheat bread

1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil

½ cup (125 mL) lean back bacon, chopped, approx. 110 g

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups (500 mL) loosely packed shredded Cheddar cheese, I used Goat Cheddar on the show

6 large eggs

½ tsp (2 mL) dry mustard

½ tsp (2 mL) black pepper

½ tsp (2 mL) Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp (2 mL) paprika

Dash Tabasco

2 cups (500 mL) skim milk

Directions:

Line the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking dish with wet parchment paper that has been wrung out. Set aside.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat; add oil and onion, sauté until the onion is lightly browned, add bacon and sauté until the onions are golden brown, remove from heat.

Tear 6 slices of bread into bites sized pieces and place in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with cooked bacon and sprinkle with all of the cheese. Tear up the rest of the bread and top the bacon /cheese layer.

Whisk eggs, add dry mustard, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and Tabasco; whisk to combine. Whisk in milk. Pour mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day: Bake in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven until puffed and golden brown, and a tester comes out clean from the centre of the pan, approx. 1-1 ¼ hours

Nutrients Per Serving:  303 Calories, 12.8 g Total Fat, 5 g Sat Fat, 525 g Sodium,  26 g Carbs, 3.2 g Fibre: 19.8 g Protein

French Toast Casserole

Adapted from an original recipe from www.eggfarmersofontario.ca

Serving: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

12 slices 100% whole grain whole wheat bread or any 100% whole grain bread you like

8 large eggs

2 ¾ cup (675 mL) skim milk

1 tbsp (15 mL) pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon

½ tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg

¼ tsp (1 mL) ground allspice

2 local apples, sliced into thin slices or cut into small chunks

½ cup (125 mL) raisins or dried cranberries

Pure maple syrup for pouring over at serving time

Directions:

Line the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking dish with wet parchment paper that has been wrung out. Set aside.

Tear 6 slices of bread into bites sized pieces and place in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with all of the apples and raisins or dried cranberries. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Tear the remaining 6 slices and place on top of the apples.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl, add milk and the vanilla. Whisk until combined. Pour mixture over bread. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day: Bake in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven until puffed and golden brown, and a tester comes out clean from the centre of the pan, approx. 1-1 ¼ hours

Spoon into soup bowls and serve drizzled with pure maple syrup.

Nutrients Per Serving using dried cranberries: 308 Calories, 7 g Total Fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 348 g Sodium,  44 g Carbs, 5.6 g Fibre: 16.6 g Protein

Spanakopita Frittata

Original recipe by Mairlyn Smith

Serves -4

1tbsp (15 mL) canola oil

one – 300 g pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained

6 omega-3 eggs, whisked until fluffy

1 cup (250 mL) chopped green onions, approx. 1 bunch

1 cup (250 mL) crumbled goat feta cheese, 120 g (4 oz)

Pepper to taste

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat a large frying pan with a heat resistant handle over medium heat; add oil and spinach and sauté until the spinach has heated through.
3. Evenly pour in the whisked eggs. Sprinkle with green onions and feta cheese.
4. When almost set, place the frying pan under the broiler and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the eggs are set, the cheese has softened and it is golden around edges.
5.  Remove from broiler. Let sit in the pan for 2 minutes. Cut into 4 quarters and serve.

Nutrients Per Serving:: 261 Calories, 17 g Total Fat, 11 g Sat Fat, 514 g Sodium,  7 g Carbs, 1.5 g Fibre: 17 g Protein

Brown Rice Bowl x 3 = easy dinner for ONE using the mini cans of Clover Leaf Flaked Light Tuna

I make a big pot of brown rice or pot barley once a week and store it cooked in the fridge so I always have a complex carb ready to go at dinner time. I make stir fried rice or barley, add it to soups, or make it into a rice or barley bowl.

Here are three recipes for my Brown Rice Bowl Dinner that serve one. Feel free to use cooked barley instead.

Professional Home Economist tip: Cooking for one:

When I’m making dinner for myself I measure things by the handfuls, so it’s a handful of tomatoes, a small handful of green onions and cilantro or whatever you think looks right. The measurements in the recipe is just a guide, it’s your taste – your recipe.

For the family I start chopping and let everyone create their own rice bowl.

For more recipes using Clover Leaf click here.

To watch the segment click here.

Spicy Thai Chili 

½ cup (125 mL) cooked brown rice, long, medium or short grain

½ cup (125 mL) grape tomatoes cut in half

¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup (60 mL) finely sliced green onion

1-85 g tin Clover Leaf Spicy Thai Chili Flaked Light Tuna

Juice of half a fresh lime, just cut the lime in half and squeeze in as much as you want

1/8 avocado, cut up

Hot sauce to taste

1-      Assemble all the ingredients into a large single serving deep bowl, toss up and eat with chopsticks.

Lemon and Pepper 

½ cup (125 mL) cooked brown rice, long, medium or short grain

½ cup (125 mL) grape tomatoes, cut in half

¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup (60 mL) finely sliced green onion

1-85 g tin Clover Leaf Lemon & Pepper Flaked Light Tuna

Juice of half a fresh lemon, just cut the lemon in half and squeeze in as much as you want

6 Kalamata olives, chopped

1 tbsp (30 mL) capers, rinsed well and drained

Hot sauce to taste

1-      Assemble all the ingredients into a large single serving deep bowl, toss up and eat with chopsticks.

Dill and Lemon 

½ cup (125 mL) cooked brown rice, long, medium or short grain

½ cup (125 mL) frozen green peas, thawed – rinse under hot water and drain well

¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup (60 mL) finely sliced green onion

¼ cup (60 mL) chopped celery

1-85 g tin Clover Leaf Dill & Lemon Flaked Light Tuna

Juice of half a fresh lemon, just cut the lemon in half and squeeze in as much as you want

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped pickle, approx. ½ a pickle

Hot sauce to taste

1-      Assemble all the ingredients into a large single serving deep bowl, toss up and eat with chopsticks.

The Ultimate Salmon Sandwich Filling

 From: Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health and don’t forget the chocolate!

By: Mairlyn Smith PHEc & Liz Pearson RD

Makes – 1 1/3 cups (325 mL)

Serves – 4 – 1/3 cup (75 mL) per serving

Kid Friendly

My mom packed me salmon sandwiches every time I stayed at school for lunch. I’d open my Barbie lunchbox and no one would say, “What the heck did your mom pack you?” because their moms had packed the same thing. When I moved to Ontario many years ago and packed my salmon sandwiches I got so many comments I was almost tempted to stop bringing them, but then I thought, “Who cares about what people think. I love these sandwiches.”  Morale of the story: Don’t let people ruin your lunch, if its heart healthy and you love it, pack it and enjoy.

1 – 7.5 oz. (213 g) can Sockeye salmon, I prefer Clover Leaf

¼ cup (60 mL) diced celery, approx. 1 stalk

¼ cup (60 mL) green pickle relish

3 Tbsp. (45 mL) minced red onion

1 Tbsp. (15 mL) light mayonnaise

Adult Version – add 1/8 – ¼ tsp. (1 mL) Wasabi Paste per every 1/3 cup (75 mL) filling

1. Drain can of salmon well. Transfer to a medium bowl. Gently mash salmon including the skin and bones. Yes, mash it all up, make sure that the bones are well mashed; kids and some adults don’t like crunchy sandwiches.
2. Gently mix in the celery, pickle relish, red onion and mayo. Mix till well combined.
3. If adding the Wasabi, measure out the correct amount and mix it in well.
4. Measure out 1/3 cup (75 mL) per sandwich and start Building Your Sandwich.

Each 1/3 cup (75 mL) serving contains: 300 Calories, 7 g Total Fat, 1.5 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 240 mg Sodium, 56 g CHO, 2 g Fiber, 10 g Protein

Build Your Own Sandwich

Bread:

Ÿ  100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain bread

Ÿ  100% whole wheat English muffin

Ÿ  100% whole wheat tortilla

Ÿ  100% whole wheat hamburger bun

Ÿ  100% whole wheat pita

Veggies:

Ÿ  Sun dried tomatoes

Ÿ  Slice of tomato

Ÿ  Spinach

Ÿ  Diced herbs – basil, cilantro, dill or parsley are great

Ÿ  Pickles

Ÿ  Slice of avocado

Ÿ  Romaine lettuce, shredded

My Favourite Combo:

I add the Wasabi paste to my sandwich filling, then put it in a toasted whole wheat English muffin. I add a skinny slice of avocado, chopped spinach, diced cilantro and a pickle. It’s amazing.

Professional Home Economist Tip:

Packing a sandwich for school or the office?

To cut down on added fat, line both halves of the bread or bun with lettuce, spinach or a green of your choice. Cover the greens with the salmon filling plus any other ad ons. Top with the other half of the sandwich, wrap tightly and pack with a cold source to keep your lunch cold and safe. I use a100% juice or milk that I froze the night before in a tetra pak. The frozen drink, which doesn’t explode because it’s in a tetra pak, keeps the lunch cold and will be thawed out for the ride home from school or work.

Where the Heck do I buy the Wasabi Paste?

Most grocery stores carry the ever growing popular Wasabi Paste in the Asian section of their stores or in a bunker with the sushi. Once opened store it in the fridge for up to 6 months.