Healthy Schools, Healthy Minds and How YOU Can Help!

Nutritious meals are one of, if not THE most important aspect of a child’s development. By teaching children about proper nutrition at a young age, parents and caregivers can encourage life-long healthy eating habits. Right now, Stop & Shop and Produce for Kids are hosting their second annual Healthy Schools, Healthy Minds campaign. From now until October 20, you can contribute to this cause and support your local school simply by adding produce to your Stop & Shop shopping list. Throughout this campaign, participating suppliers of fresh fruits and veggies will make a donation based on sales to DonorsChoose.org. This donation will help support local schools!

How can you help? Simple! Eat more produce! The more you purchase, the more will be donated! Just head on over to your local Stop & Shop and look for the Produce for Kids display. You can’t miss it- it will feature your kid’s favorite characters from Sprout shows such as LazyTown and Noodle and Doodle. The more you buy, the more will be donated!

Ideal Meals cards will also be featured at Stop & Shop. These cards will provide 12 quick and easy healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Check out some recipes below:

Nutty Breakfast “Cookie”

Serves 12
Preparation Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients:
· 2 large eggs
· 1 tsp. vanilla extract
· ½ cup honey
· 2 Tbsp. olive oil
· ¼ cup pistachios, chopped
· ¼ cup cashews, chopped
· ½ cup banana, peeled, mashed
· 1 ½ cup apples, peeled, cored, diced
· 2 cups rolled oats
· 1 cup whole wheat flour
· 1 ¾ tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine eggs, vanilla, honey, oil, pistachios, cashews, banana and apple in large mixing bowl.
3. Combine oats, flour and cinnamon in separate mixing bowl.
4. Combine wet and dry mixtures until thoroughly mixed.
5. Separate into ⅓ cup portions. Place portions on parchment lined baking sheet about ½-inch apart.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until firm. Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack until warm.

Nutrition Information:
Nutty Breakfast “Cookie” Calories 439; Fat 11.98g; Protein 12.94g; Carbohydrate 71.24g; Fiber 6.36g; Cholesterol 53mg; Sodium 23mg; Calcium 45mg; Vitamin A 110 IU; Vitamin C 2.16mg; Iron 3.89mg

Florentine Egg Muffins

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
· 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
· 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
· ½ cup tomatoes, diced
· 2 cups spinach, loosely packed
· 1 cup red bell peppers, seeded, diced
· 6 large eggs
· 1½ cups grated potatoes, cooked
· ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach and peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, or until tender and water evaporates. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Lightly beat eggs in large mixing bowl. Mix in cooked vegetables, potatoes and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Line large muffin tin with 8 greased foil cups. Portion ½ cup mixture into each cup.
5. Bake in oven for 10-20 minutes, or until eggs puff and are firm.

Nutrition Information:
Florentine Egg Muffins Calories 294; Fat 12.36g; Protein 15.83g; Carbohydrate 29.88g; Fiber 4.24g; Cholesterol 297mg; Sodium 212mg; Calcium 149mg; Vitamin A 2362 IU; Vitamin C 59.32mg; Iron 2.75mg

Baja Breakfast Burrito

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients:
· 1 Tbsp. olive oil
· ½ cup bell peppers, seeded, diced
· ½ cup onions, diced
· 1 cup black beans, drained, rinsed
· ½ cup tomatoes, diced
· 1 cup spinach, cooked, drained
· ⅓ cup salsa
· 6 large eggs, scrambled, cooked until firm
· 4 whole wheat tortillas
· ½ avocado, peeled, sliced
· 12 cucumber slices
Directions:
1. Heat oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add peppers and onions, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender and browned.
2. Add beans, tomatoes and spinach. Cook until beans are heated through, stirring often.
3. Remove from heat and set aside. Mix in salsa.
4. Assemble tortillas by adding eggs, bean/vegetable mixture, avocado and cucumber.

Nutrition Information:
Baja Breakfast Burrito Calories 472; Fat 16.42g; Protein 25.36g; Carbohydrate 55.84g; Fiber 10.87g; Cholesterol 288mg; Sodium 371mg; Calcium 443mg; Vitamin A 2092 IU; Vitamin C 31.65mg; Iron 4.04mg

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Produce for Kids. All opinions are my own.