June is the perfect time to celebrate summer AND our favorite food group, the DAIRY group. Dairy foods include milk and other foods like yogurt and cheese that retain significant calcium content.
One cup of milk provides between 10-30 percent of your daily values of calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein, vitamin A, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin and niacin. At about 25 cents per serving, dairy makes real nutritional cents! Additionally, dairy food intake is linked with multiple health benefits like improved bone health, maintaining healthy blood pressure, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend three daily servings of dairy foods for everyone ages 9 and above. Choose low-fat and fat-free dairy foods most often as part of your healthy eating pattern.
Celebrate this week with specially selected recipes that showcase a variety of dairy food group foods. Start with a dairy special family breakfast with Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Custard, Yogurt Fruit Salad and Baked Parmesan Tomatoes.
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OVERNIGHT APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL BREAKFAST CUSTARD
Number of servings: 4
Total preparation time: more than 2 hours
Actual cooking time: less than 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups fat-free milk
2 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 apple, cored and chopped (unpeeled)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten
PREPARATION:
1. The night before serving, combine in a saucepan: Milk, oats, sugar, cinnamon and apple. Cover pot and refrigerate overnight.
2. In the morning, remove pot from refrigerator and stir. Replace cover and heat over medium-low heat for about 4 minutes until creamy; stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; stir constantly with a fork until eggs are no longer shiny and are cooked, about 1-2 minutes.
This recipe can easily be adjusted down to 2 servings or up to 5 or 6 or more. Just follow this simple formula: For each serving, use 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup oats and 1 LESS egg than the number of servings (i.e., 1 egg for 2 servings, 4 eggs for 5 servings.) Add sugar, cinnamon, apples and vanilla to taste.
COOK’S NOTES:
Can be made in the morning without overnight soak; just cook milk/oats mixture a little longer, about 5-6 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
Source: WA State Dairy Council + Dairy Council of CA
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YOGURT FRUIT SALAD
Number of servings: 8
Total preparation time: less than 15 minutes
Actual cooking time: No cooking required
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cantaloupe melon
1 cup red grapes, halved
2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
2 cups yogurt (your choice: great with maple, vanilla or strawberry yogurt.)
PREPARATION:
Add all ingredients into a big bowl, Mix until fruit is coated with yogurt. Serve.
COOK’S NOTES:
For fun, add some Blueberries, or add some honeydew for added color. (1/4 cantaloupe, 1/4 honeydew!) Enjoy! Kids have fun adding all the colorful healthy ingredients. (Mom does the slicing.)
Source: Megan Malkin
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BAKED PARMESAN TOMATOES
Number of servings: 4
Total preparation time: less than 15 minutes
Actual cooking time: less than 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
4 tomatoes, halved horizontally
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Top with Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Source: EatingWell
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"Family Meals Matter" features registered dietitian-approved recipes with foods from all the food groups to reflect Dairy Council of California's nutrition philosophy. For more information, nutrition tools and additional family meal recipes, visit healthyeating.org
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