August 20 - 26, 2010

Keeping it healthy
Back to school meals can be stress
free – and wholesome

FAMILY FEATURES – For many parents, back to school time can be stressful and hectic. Luckily, healthy eating doesn't have to be.

"As the mother of picky eaters, I am always trying to find ways to sneak nutritious foods into my daughters' meals, especially during the school year when schedules can get packed and I don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner," said "Sneaky Chef" cookbook author Missy Chase Lapine.

"Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice is a great solution because I know I am providing a nutritious whole grain meal my girls will truly enjoy," she said.

Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice is the first and only whole grain rice that looks and tastes like white rice. Each serving contains nearly a full day's worth of whole grains and has 4 to 5 grams of fiber per serving, meeting nearly 20 percent of the daily recommendation.

Lapine has created a number of kid-friendly, healthy and easy whole grain recipes that will help eliminate dinner table nutrition battles. This recipe for Chicken Parmesan Rice Casserole combines comforting flavors with whole grains in an easy one-dish recipe.

Find more recipes and tips on incorporating healthy foods into your family's meal repertoire at www.UncleBens.com.

Chicken Parmesan Rice Casserole
Serves: 10
Serving Size: 1 cup
Prep Time: 45 minutes

2 boxes Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice Chicken
1 medium sweet potato
3 carrots
3 to 4 tablespoons water
2 1/2 cups cubed roasted or rotisserie chicken, ideally white meat
2 1/2 cups store-bought tomato sauce
3 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare rice as instructed on box.

Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with oil.

For simple homemade Sneaky Chef Orange Puree, peel, chop and boil sweet potato and carrots for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain and add to food processor with 3 to 4 tablespoons water, and puree until smooth. (Makes about 2 cups of puree. Leftovers can be kept in refrigerator for up to three days, or frozen for up to three months.)
Place cooked rice and chicken in the prepared baking dish. Mix tomato sauce, and 1 cup Orange Puree (or baby food carrots) in a bowl.

Toss chicken and rice with sauce mixture and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Top casserole with a combination of Parmesan and remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese, sprinkling evenly over top.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes or until top is lightly browned and bubbly.

Recipe created by Missy Chase Lapine, author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals. www.TheSneakyChef.com

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August 13 - 19, 2010

Beat the heat with lemonade treats

FAMILY FEATURES – There's nothing like the sweet tartness of lemonade to help you cool down on a hot summer day. This summer, try some new ways to enjoy the refreshing taste of lemonade.

• Fresh Homemade Lemonade: The best lemonade is made with a simple syrup - the smooth sweetness of the syrup means that you don't get undissolved sugar in your glass. To make it, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in sauce pan until sugar dissolves. Add 1 cup fresh lemon juice to the simple syrup. Then add 3 to 4 cups cold water, some lemon slices, and you're ready to drink sunshine in a glass.

• Frozen Lemonade Slushy: Use your blender to make a quick frozen treat. Add 1 cup fresh lemon juice, sugar to taste (up to 1/2 cup), ice cubes and chilled water to the fill line; blend until slushy. Pour into tall glasses and enjoy with a spoon. For a variation add some strawberries or mint to the blender.

• Lemon Ice Cubes: Freshen up summer drinks with lemon ice. Squeeze fresh lemons and put the juice in ice cube trays. (You can also add some zest for an extra lemon boost.) Freeze them, and then store in a plastic bag in the freezer. Use them to flavor your water, or add fresh lemon taste to a glass of cola, iced tea or fruit juice.

Another thing you can look forward to making is this Frozen Lemonade Pie. Cool and creamy and full of fabulous lemonade flavor. With all this delicious flavor, it's going to be easy to chill out this summer!

For more ways to beat the heat, visit www.VeryBestBaking.com.

Frozen Lemonade Pie
Makes 8 servings
1 can (12 fluid ounces) NestlÈ Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 package (3 ounces) lemon-flavored gelatin
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/2 cup (3 to 4 lemons) fresh lemon juice
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 prepared 10-inch graham cracker crumb crust
2 candied lemon half slices, cut into 8 wedges (optional)

MICROWAVE evaporated milk in medium bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute or until warm. Whisk in gelatin. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes. Add lemon peel and juice; mix well. Gently whisk in 2 cups whipped topping. Pour into crust.

FREEZE for 4 hours. Dollop remaining 1 cup whipped topping around edge of pie. Top each dollop with lemon wedge. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

TIPS:
• Sliced fresh lemon can be substituted for the candied lemon slices.
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) NestlÈ Carnation Evaporated Fat Free Milk, 1 package ( .3 ounces) sugar free lemon-flavored gelatin and sugar free whipped topping can be substituted. Prepare as above.

Nutrition Information per serving: 350 calories; 150 calories from fat; 17g total fat; 9g saturated fat; 15mg cholesterol; 230mg sodium; 42g carbohydrate; 0g fiber; 26g sugars; 5g protein; 15% Vitamin C; 10% Calcium

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August 6 -12, 2010

Wake up dinner?

(Family Features) Who says waking up your taste buds only happens in the morning? The novelty of breakfast for dinner can be a lively change for the whole family. And when you give them the added kick of picante sauce, you can create hearty family meals with variety.

Cooking with Pace Picante sauce adds texture and zest to a surprising number of traditionally "breakfast-y" foods. These tips and recipes will add ease, taste and fun to the table in a fast and budget-friendly way.
Breakfast for Dinner Tips

Simple Supper Solution: Spoon scrambled eggs or egg whites onto a warmed whole wheat flour tortilla. Add cooked, crumbled bacon or diced turkey sausage, cheese and picante sauce. Fold the tortilla around the filling and you've got a fast and hearty dinner.

Hard-boiled Eggs Made Easy: To hard-cook eggs, place eggs in a saucepan (do not crowd) and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water and let stand 5 minutes before peeling. This causes the egg to shrink away from the shell, making peeling a snap.

Morning Fun at Dinnertime: Invite the family to dress for dinner — in PJs, of course. Add fruit as a garnish to different foods. Use strawberries and bananas to make a friendly face next to crêpes. Cookie cutters aren't just for cookies — use them to cut an omelet or breakfast pizza into hearts, stars and other fun shapes.
Wake up to these and other recipes at PaceRecipes.com.

Ham Spinach Fiesta Crêpes
Makes: 8 servings (2 crêpes each)
Prep: 10 minutes
Chill: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 package (15 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 jar (16 ounces) Pace Mexican

Four Cheese salsa con queso
8 slices (1 ounce each) smoked fully-cooked ham
1 cup Pace Picante sauce
4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
1. Place milk, flour and eggs into a blender. Cover and blend until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Stir spinach and salsa con queso in a medium bowl.
3. Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into a hot, greased nonstick skillet or crêpe pan, swirling skillet to spread batter over bottom of skillet. Cook for 1 minute or until crêpe is golden on both sides. Remove crêpe from skillet. Repeat, making 16 crêpes in all and stacking cooked crêpes.
4. Place 1/2 slice ham onto each crêpe. Top each with 3 tablespoons of spinach mixture. Roll up crêpes around filling. Place filled crêpes seam-side down into 2 (2-quart) shallow microwave-safe baking dishes. Top with picante sauce and cheese.
5. Microwave, one dish at a time, on high for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Tip: Chill time is important for this recipe, because it allows bubbles in batter to subside, which makes crêpes less likely to tear during cooking.

Breakfast Pizza
Makes: 6 servings (1 slice each)
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Bake: 5 minutes
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped Canadian bacon
1 (12-inch) prepared pizza crust
8 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup Pace Picante sauce
2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Heat butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and bacon, and cook until vegetables are tender.
3. Place pizza crust onto a pizza pan or baking sheet. Place in oven to warm.
4. Stir eggs and black pepper into skillet. Cook and stir until eggs are set. Spoon egg mixture onto pizza crust. Top with picante sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro. Cut pizza into 6 slices.

Fiesta Breakfast Casserole
Makes: 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each)
Prep: 15 minutes
Chill: 2 hours
Bake: 45 minutes
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
12 slices Pepperidge Farm
White Sandwich Bread,
cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
1 cup Pace Picante sauce
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1. Cook sausage in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off fat.
2. Spoon sausage into 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with bread cubes and cheese. Beat picante sauce, eggs and milk in medium bowl with fork or whisk. Pour picante sauce mixture over bread mixture. Stir and press bread mixture into picante sauce mixture to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
3. Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish.
4. Bake 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Tip: Prepare dish the night before and pop into oven in the morning. It's great when you have overnight guests. Add a simple side of sliced melon and breakfast is ready!

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