RECIPES
Lime and Cilantro Grilled Chicken
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 33 minutes to 8 hours and 33 minutes (depending on time in marinade)
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, rinsed
2 chile peppers, such as jalapeno or serrano, seeded and minced (to taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
Black pepper, to taste
Vegetable or canola oil, for grilling
Instructions:
1. Mix lime juice, cilantro, minced peppers and chili powder in a large bowl.
2. Add chicken breasts to the mixture above and turn several times, coating chicken completely.
3. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.
4. Brush grill rack or grate lightly with oil and heat to medium heat.
5. Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill about 9 minutes per side, until cooked through and meat thermometer registers 165 degrees in center of breast.
6. Remove chicken from grill and let rest before serving.
Note: If you don’t have a grill, this recipe also works well as lime and cilantro baked chicken.
SOURCE: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life
Go for the Gold Infused Water
Ingredients:
1 ripe pineapple
3-4 springs fresh mint
2 liters sparkling water, chilled
Instructions:
Wash mint and place it into a large pitcher. Do not remove the leaves from the stems. Use a muddler, meat mallet or potato masher to slightly crush the mint.
Wash pineapple under cold running water. Remove crown and slice off the top, bottom and skin of the pineapple. Cut into chunks and place into the pitcher. You will probably use only about half of the pineapple.
Fill the pitcher the rest of the way with sparkling water. Place pitcher in the refrigerator to infuse for 30 minutes before serving.
SOURCE: Joy Goetz, a dietitian at the Atlanta Community Food Bank
Red, white and blue veggie platters. Lime and cilantro grilled chicken with rice and a special salad. Balloon tennis.
With the Rio Summer Olympics beginning, let the games inspire you to throw your very own family-friendly Olympics-inspired festivities — with a Brazilian flair. From popcorn torches and golden fruit-flavored water to playing games, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the Olympics.
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Strong4Life nutritionists have put together a healthy, Brazilian-inspired dinner featuring foods easily found in Atlanta's supermarkets — chicken, kale, mango, cilantro.
The Strong4Life team has also rounded up its favorite healthy ideas for patriotic snacks for Olympic Games viewing parties along with some fun Olympics-inspired games to play. Those include balloon tennis and Olympic bowling, using household items such as paper towel rolls, paper plates and markers.
Here’s a look at seven ideas for throwing your own Olympics party that incorporates a taste of authentic Brazil into the festivities.
Summer Olympics-inspired food:
Pair a lime and cilantro grilled chicken dish (see box for full recipe) with steamed rice and a kale and mango salad.
Other ideas include an American star watermelon platter: Cut watermelon with star cookie cutter; combine with blueberries on platter or in bowl. Craft popcorn torches by making cones out of paper, lining with yellow and orange tissue paper and filling with one-half cup of plain popcorn.
Joy Goetz, a dietitian at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, shared a recipe for a Go for the Gold Infused Water, which calls for pineapple, fresh mint and sparkling water. (See complete recipe in box.)
Summer Olympics-inspired games:
Javelin Throw
What you need: straws, multiple plastic bowls and pool noodles
How to play: Identify your point system by determining how many points each successful toss will earn (the farther the toss, the higher the points should be). Identify a line outside that contestants must stand behind. Give each contestant one or more pool noodles, and have contestants take turns throwing pool noodles (one at a time), seeing who can throw the noodle the farthest. To play inside: Line bowls up in a single file line. Identify a line that contestants must stand behind, and have contestants throw straws into bowls, earning points for each successful toss. Of course, make sure you're in a play room or space that's safe.
Balloon Tennis
What you need: balloons, a basket and paddles (a fly swatter or a pingpong paddle)
How to play: Form two teams. Have team members hit balloons back and forth, keeping in the air for as long as possible. As balloons fall to the ground, place them in the basket. To make the game more difficult, use multiple balloons.
Olympic Bowling
What you need: 10 empty clear plastic bottles, 10 glow sticks and a ball (preferably the size of a tennis ball)
How to play: Crack glow sticks to activate them and drop one each in the plastic bottles. Arrange plastic bottles in bowling pin arrangement. Have contestants roll ball toward bottles, keeping track of how many bottles each contestant knocks down.
Olympic Ring Contest
What you need: Hula Hoops
How to play: See who can Hula-Hoop the longest.
3 ways Atlanta drinkers can get in the Olympic spirit
MORE: Summer Olympics 2016: How to watch the Games; what time is the opening ceremony?
MORE: 8 tips for getting your kids on a back-to-school sleep schedule
MORE: How to jazz up a boring school lunch (while keeping it healthy, too)
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