Spring Ahead of

Your Health!

Brittany Lawrance RD, CSO, LDN, CNSC

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Color Your Plate with Fruits and Vegetables • Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables!• Whole, cut-up, pureed, or 100% juice • Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried

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Health Benefits

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Health Benefits

• Fruits and vegetables are full of many nutrients:• Vitamins• Minerals • Fiber• Antioxidants

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Health Benefits

• May help protect against:• Cancer• Diabetes• Heart disease

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Health Benefits

• Are also: • Fat-free• Cholesterol-free• Sodium-free

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Key Nutrients

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Key Nutrients: Why is Vitamin A important?

• Vitamin A• Keeps eyes and skin healthy• Protects against infections• Strawberries, tomatoes, mangos, asparagus

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Key Nutrients: What does Vitamin C do?

• Vitamin C• Helps heal cuts and wounds• Keeps gums and teeth healthy• Peppers, onions, tomatoes, mangos, oranges,

pineapple, zucchini, squash, bananas, cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, blueberries

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Key Nutrients

• Potassium• Helps maintain healthy blood pressure• Potatoes, bananas, oranges, orange juice,

tomatoes, tomato sauce, broccoli

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Key Nutrients: Why is Fiber important?

• Fiber • Decreases risk for heart disease • Helps maintain good bowel function• Apples, pears, berries, oranges, bananas,

grapefruit, baked potato with skin, squash, carrots, corn, broccoli, mixed vegetables, spinach

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Nutrient-Rich Fruits & Vegetables

Most fruits and veggies contain many different nutrients:

• Bananas: vitamin C, potassium, fiber

• Tomatoes: vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, lycopene

• Mushrooms: riboflavin, niacin, copper

• Spinach: iron, folate, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber

• Snow peas: iron, manganese, vitamin C

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Variety of Colors

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Color Your Plate!

• The best way to get all the important nutrients is to eat lots of variety and color• Choose fruits and vegetables from different color

groups• Try new fruits and veggies

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Name some Red fruits and vegetables

• Apples• Red grapes• Strawberries• Red peppers• Red onions• Tomatoes

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What are some Orange and Yellow fruits and vegetables?

• Lemons• Mangos• Oranges and orange juice• Peaches• Pineapples • Carrots• Summer squash• Orange and yellow peppers• Sweet potato

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Name fruits and vegetables that are White and Tan/Brown

• Bananas• Cauliflower• Mushrooms• Onions• Potatoes• White corn

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What vegetables and fruits are Green?

• Green apples• Green grapes• Limes• Asparagus• Broccoli• Green beans

• Leafy greens• Spinach• Green peppers• Snow peas• Zucchini

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Name some Blue and Purple fruits and vegetables

• Purple grapes• Blueberries• Blackberries• Raisins• Eggplant• Purple potatoes

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Recipes

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Pasta Primavera

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 25 minutes Ready in: 1 HourCook Time: 35 minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients2 (12-ounce) packages penne pasta 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning2 yellow squash, chopped 1 cup grated Romano cheese 2 zucchini, chopped 2 Tablespoons butter2 carrots, julienned ½ large onion, thinly sliced1 red bell pepper, julienned 1 pint grape tomatoes

2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced10 spears of asparagus, trimmed and chopped 4 teaspoons lemon zest ½ cup olive oil, divided 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves½ teaspoon salt 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley½ teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ cup and 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

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Pasta Primavera

Directions1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. 2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10

to 12 minutes; drain. 3. In a bowl, toss squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes,

green beans, and asparagus with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Arrange vegetables on baking sheet, and roast for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until tender.

4. Heat remaining ¼ cup of olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in onion and garlic. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowel. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza Pitas

Ready In: 25 minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken ½ cup chopped pineapple, fresh or canned½ cup BBQ sauce 1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese4 pita breads (6 inches) 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, drained

Directions1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 2. In a small bowl, combine chicken and BBQ sauce, spoon over pitas. 3. Top with onion, green pepper, chilies, mushrooms, pineapple, and cheese.4. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10

minutes.

Source: www.tasteofhome.com

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Strawberry Spinach Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 Ready In: 10 minutes

Ingredients6 oz (about 6 cups) baby spinach 1 ½ Tablespoons balsamic vinegar1 pint strawberries 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil½ cup pecans, chopped ¼ cup feta cheese¼ cup red onion 1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustardDirections1. Whisk dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large salad bowl.2. Slice red onion and slice or quarter strawberries. Mix with spinach,

pecans, and cheese.3. Toss to coat evenly.

Source: http://faithfulprovisions.com/

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Safety in the Kitchen

1. Wear gloves and an apron at all times while preparing food in class.

2. Wash your hands for 20 seconds before handling food and after handling raw food.

3. Do not touch your face, hair, phone, or clothes while cooking. If you do, remove your gloves, wash your hands, and put on clean gloves.

4. Change your gloves in between different food tasks.5. Turn pot handles away from the front of the stove, so that people do

not bump into them. 6. Do not put knives into the sink with other items. Someone could reach

in and get hurt. 7. Never put water on a cooking fire – use a fire extinguisher. 8. Do not leave food unattended while cooking.

Food Safety Video

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Which is better…Fresh, Frozen, or Canned?

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Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

Positives• Larger Variety• Cost less in season• Able to touch, smell,

see before buying

Negatives• Lose nutrients during

storage• More expensive when

not in season • More easily

contaminated• Use quickly before

rotting

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Frozen Fruits & Vegetables

Positives• Already washed and cut • Frozen at peak

freshness• Lower cost • Longer shelf-life • Available year round

Negatives• Vegetables: may have

added sodium, fat • Choose plain

vegetables or those with low-fat sauces

• Fruits: may have added sugar• Choose unsweetened

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Canned Fruits & Vegetables

Pros• Convenient, ready to

eat• Canned at peak

freshness• Protected against

foodborne illness and contamination

• Low cost • Longer shelf-life• Available year round

Cons• Vegetables may be

high in sodium• Choose “low sodium”

or “reduced sodium”• Fruits: may be high in

sugar• Choose “packed in its

own juices,” “packed in fruit juice,” or “no sugar added”

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Fresh, Frozen, and Canned

• Don’t worry about the form – Just try to get more fruits & veggies in your diet!

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Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables

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Which spring fruits and vegetables are in season right now?

• Apricots• Limes• Mangos• Pineapple• Strawberries

• Asparagus • Broccoli• Collard Greens• Green Beans• Mushrooms• Spinach • Swiss Chard

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What are some Summer Fruits & Vegetables?

• Apricots• Blackberries• Blueberries• Cantaloupe • Cherries• Grapes• Honeydew• Kiwi• Mangoes• Nectarines• Peaches• Raspberries• Watermelon

• Bell peppers• Corn• Cucumbers• Eggplant• Green Beans• Lima Beans• Summer Squash• Tomatoes• Zucchini

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Thank you for coming!

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Resources

1. http://www.choosemyplate.gov2. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org3. http://www.eatright.org4. http://www.allrecipes.com5. http://www.hiddenfruitsandvegetables.com6. http://www.food.com7. http://

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/barbecue-chicken-pita-pizzas