As Seen on CHCH Global TV June 10, 2009

Breakfast Picnic

Cranberry Orange Muffins
From: Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health and don’t forget the chocolate!
By: Mairlyn Smith PHEc & Liz Pearson RD
Makes - 12
Kid Friendly

Food has the sensory power to conjure up memories; and cranberries are one of those foods for me. My dear friend, confidant and pseudo mother, Nina Roberts, made me cranberry walnut tarts every Christmas. There would be a phone call and then a knock on my front door and there she’d be with my Christmas treat.
Nina passed away in 2006 at 91 and I will miss her forever, but every time I have cranberries I think of her and her spirit of laughter, sense of fun and how lucky I was to have my own personal fairy godmother.

Wet Ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) oat bran
1 omega-3 egg
1 ¼ cups (310 mL) buttermilk
1 cup (250 mL) dark brown sugar

Dry Ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour
¾ cup (175 mL) ground flaxseed
¼ cup (60 mL) walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. (5 mL) baking powder
1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) cinnamon
1 cup (250 mL) dried cranberries
1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen whole cranberries
Zest of 1 orange

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C.) Line a muffin tin with paper cup liners.
2. In a large bowl mix together all the wet ingredients: oat bran, egg, buttermilk and the brown sugar.
3. In a medium bowl using a wire whisk or a fork mix together all the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, ground flaxseed, walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, and the cinnamon. Add the dried cranberries, whole cranberries and the zest from the orange.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Scoop into muffin cups. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until done.

Each muffin contains
230 Calories, 6 g Total fat, 0.5 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 170 mg Sodium, 45 g CHO, 6 g Fiber, 6 g Protein

Tea Party Picnic

Pack lots of ice tea for this Girls Only Tea Party.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Makes - 8 sandwiches to yield - 32 triangles

250 g (½ lb.) boneless, skinless, cooked chicken, finely chopped
¼ cup (60 mL) finely diced celery
1 ½ Tbsp (25 mL) finely diced red onion
¾ cup (175 mL) finely chopped walnuts
3 tbsp (45 mL) light mayo - may need more
1 Tbsp.(15 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp.(30 mL) mango chutney
16 slices Country Harvest Flaxseed bread
¼ cup (60 mL) canola oil non hydrogenated margarine

Mix together the chicken, celery, onion, walnuts, mayo, lemon juice, and chutney. If dry add a bit more mayo. This can be made up to 1 day in advance covered and in the fridge.
The night before the picnic prepare the sandwiches. Lay out the bread and spread the margarine onto the filling side of the bread. Spread with the chicken mixture. Gently press the sandwiches together. You will end up with 8 whole sandwiches.
Trim off crusts. Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles. Wrap in wax paper. Place into a resealable plastic container. Store in the fridge overnight.
Day of the picnic pack the sandwiches in a cooler. Pack a good supply of cold sources – frozen ice tea in Tetra Pak cartons.


Shrimp Salad Sandwiches
Makes - 4 sandwiches to yield - 16 squares

1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen shrimp, thawed, diced
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) light mayo
2 tsp (10 mL) minced fresh dill, or more if desired
8 slices Country Harvest Stone Milled 100% Whole Grain Whole Wheat bread
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil non hydrogenated margarine

Mix together shrimp, avocado, lemon juice, mayo and red pepper.
The night before the picnic prepare the sandwiches. Lay out the bread and spread the margarine onto the filling side of the bread. Spread with the shrimp mixture. Gently press the sandwiches together. You will end up with 4 whole sandwiches.
Trim off crusts. Cut each sandwich into 4 squares. Wrap in wax paper. Place into a resealable plastic container. Store in the fridge overnight.
Day of the picnic pack the sandwiches in a cooler. Pack a good supply of cold sources – frozen ice tea in Tetra Pak cartons.

Japanese Themed Picnic

Japanese Brown Rice Salad
From: Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health and don’t forget the chocolate!
By: Mairlyn Smith PHEc & Liz Pearson RD
Makes - 5 cups (1.25 mL)
Serves - 4- 1 ¼ cup (300 mL) servings

By now I’m sure you’ve figured out that I have been greatly influenced by Japanese cuisine. I love the clean flavours, the attention to detail, the simple yet unique use of ingredients but most of all I’m really into their dishes. You can’t find any plate bigger than your head, a definite plus when it comes to portion control.

2 cups (500 mL) cooked long or short grain brown rice
½ English cucumber, diced, leave peel on
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 green onion, finely chopped
½ avocado, diced

Dressing
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20 mL) rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) water
2 tsp. (10 mL) lite soy sauce
1 tsp. (5 mL) canola oil
1 tsp. (5 mL) Wasabi paste

Toss together the rice, cucumber, carrots, celery, red pepper and green onion in a large bowl. Cover and store overnight in the fridge.
In a small bowl whisk together the rice vinegar, water, soy sauce, oil and Wasabi paste. Cover and store overnight in the fridge.
Day of the picnic, pour salad dressing into salad and toss till well coated. Toss in avocado, cover well and pack into cooler with a cold source. Don’t forget to pack dishes of bowls to serve the salad in.

Each 1 ¼ cup (300 mL) serving contains:
200 Calories, 6 g Total Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 160 mg Sodium, 34 g CHO, 4 g Fiber, 4 g Protein.

Big Cooking Tip
Want a bigger Wasabi hit? Add an extra 1 tsp. (5 mL) Wasabi paste to the dressing and be prepared to have your sinuses cleared.


Picnic for Four

This is a pick up all the food at your local grocery store picnic, no cooking required:

 Antipasto ingredients – olives, hot pepper poppers, sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts
 A bag of the baby carrots
 Whole baby cucumbers
 Grape tomatoes
 Hummus or your favourite dip for the veggies
 Your favourite cheese
 Cold meat
 A knife and a small wooden chopping board
 Assortment of crusty rolls
 Cookies
 Assortment of drinks packed in Tetra Pak cartons - half of them frozen the other half cold from the fridge