6th Biennial CHILDHOOD OBESITY CONFERENCE

http://www.childhood-obesity.net/

BBQ Chicken EASY CROCKPOT

EASIEST DINNER EVER!!

• Chicken Breasts (Organic & Free Range if possible)
• BBQ Sauce
• Small Whole Grain Buns

Directions: Put several chicken breasts in CROCKPOT. Completely cover with favorite BBQ Sauce. Cook on low for 8-9 hours... or cook on high for 5+ hours.

NOTE: I just cooked this recipe on high for 11 hours and it was sooooo good! There's no messing this one up! Quick preparation, easy, affordable and delicious!! The kids LOVE it! Also, when cooked, the BBQ sauce thins out... so when it's dished up, there's less sauce on the chicken which means fewer calories!

White Chili

INGREDIENTS

4 cups diced cooked chicken

4 cans small white beans (seasoned) (drained)

3 cups chicken broth

2 cans white corn (drained)

1 cube chicken boullion

1 large onion, chopped

1 large can diced green chili

1 T garlic powder

1 T oregano

2 T cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 large carton sour cream (optional)

Directions: In LARGE stock pot, sautee onion with spices... then add the rest!

Yield: Approximately 13-14 cups (Makes lots!!)

Please note the following:

ONION: To reduce calories and fat, I sauteed the onion in a little chicken broth with the spices instead of using oil or butter. Always use organic vegetables, if possible.

OREGANO: If you use finely ground oregano, the chili will have a greenish tint. Use oregano flakes if you want to keep the color of the chili more pure.

SPICES: A great TRICK to saving time while cooking white chili is to pre-measure all the spices and store in a snack sized plastic seal bag. Make sure to label the bag. It's a great quick grab idea for cooking your favorite recipes that require lots of spices!

SOUR CREAM: The original recipe calls for regular sour cream, but light sour cream works just as well. Yesterday I did not add any sour cream, at all... and the chili tasted great!! My vote is for no sour cream... it adds too much fat and calories to the chili!

CHICKEN: I always boil the chicken on medium for an hour or so. I cook extra chicken breasts to keep in the fridge to add to salads, make chicken quesadillas, etc. Always use free range and organic chicken, if possible.

COOKING: I usually start off on a medium high temperature... then reduce the heat to medium and let the chili simmer for a while. Heating the chili to a serving temperature is really all that is required.

KERR JARS: I like to put the chili in small Kerr jars (holds 1 cup) and store in the fridge on a small turn table. My family is able to quickly grab a small jar to heat up as a healthy snack or meal. I love this TRICK... it helps everyone to eat smaller portions and looks cool in the fridge!! I always put a label on the jar using my handy masking tape and pen... always writing the day, date and what's in the jar.

Today's Kid Menu

BREAKFAST - 1 cup dry cereal with 1 cup milk

In my pantry I have various boxes of dry cereal for my kids to choose from... like Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Grape Nuts, Granola and Rice Krispies. I used a black sharpie to label each of the boxes with the point value calculation per serving from the weight watchers program. My child is able to keep track of his points for the day on his own.

LUNCH - 1/2 PBJ, 1 organic apple, 10 petite organic carrots, water bottle

For the PBJ sandwich I used 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1 T peanut butter, 1 T jelly. I packed the lunch in a paper sack and threw in a slip of paper telling my child I loved him and provided some words of encouragement for the day!

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK - 1/2 Lean Cuisine cheese pizza, water bottle

The cheese pizza by Lean Cuisine has half the point value of a regular piece of cheese pizza. The lower the points, the better!

DINNER - 1 turkey taco w/lowfat cheese, 1 cup milk

Instead of using the recommended vegetable oil to brown the ground turkey, I used about 3/4 cup water and it worked great! (FYI - I always use two packs of mild taco seasoning whenever I make my taco meat with turkey... mostly for the color to resemble beef taco meat). I also used lowfat cheese to reduce the overall calories and fat. My kids have never complained! :)

MEAL PREPARATION FOR TOMORROW - White Chili

At the same time I was making turkey tacos, I was also boiling several chicken breasts in my large stock pot. I decided to make a super healthy white chili recipe with half of the chicken breasts. The other half of the chicken breasts I'm using for adding to salads, making healthy chicken quesadillas, etc. I filled and labeled several Kerr jars with the white chili so my family can grab individual servings from the fridge for the next couple of days. I will post the white chili recipe tomorrow.

• TIP: a helpful hint (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tips)
• TRICK: a quick or artful way of getting a result (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trick)
• TOOL: anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tool)

Tips, Tricks & Tools PLEASE

This morning I woke up DETERMINED to create a blogspot that will allow parents to network by sharing tips, tricks and tools in an effort to help combat childhood obesity at home. I know my child needs to eat more fruits and vegetables, I know he needs to increase his activity level, etc... but I need to know "how to" do it! I always have good intentions to plan ahead for meals, etc... but I haven't found a consistent, healthy meal planning method that works for me and for my kids. I need tips, tricks and tools to help me get organized in meal and snack planning, after school activity planning, healthy pantry, refrigerator and home management and practicing simple, healthy lifestyle changes that will bring about healthy, SlimmerKIDS!