The Mix Blog

Not just for breakfast...

2012-02-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

Sure there are some common connections - fresh berries and bananas, for example. But when you think fruits and veggies, you don’t always think of cereal. Our friends over at Shreddies do and they’ve included Fruits and Veggies – Mix it up!® In an exciting contest that will help you think about it a little bit more too.

Think about some of the ways that you incorporate fruits and veggies into your meals and snacks. Now think about to mix that up by adding Shreddies to your favourite recipe – you might surprised at what you can come up with when you think outside the box! When you’re ready, cruise on over to our Facebook page (While you’re there, feel free to like us), follow the link to the Shreddies "Cook of the Week" contest and enter your new recipe for a shot at winning a cool $1,000 cash prize!

Don’t be afraid to Mix it up!®

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GUEST BLOGGERS: ANNA & KRISTINA (Part 2: Kristina)

2011-04-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

If I had to choose one favourite fruit, it would be raspberries. I love to get my fill when they come in season in the summer. The best way to eat them is - they’re just bursting with flavour and don’t need any dressing up at all. Of course, who doesn’t enjoy raspberries on top of ice cream and other sweet delights?
I also enjoy raspberry jam any time of the year, on toast, as a cake filling or topping, and even in tarts or cookies. Have you ever tried baked brie with raspberry compote spread on a warm slice of baguette? A warm, sweet treat on a chilly winter’s day.

Buying Tips: Fresh raspberries have a pretty short shelf life, so it’s best to buy them and eat them right away. Look for plump, somewhat firm berries that are a deep pinky-red. Avoid any berries that are mouldy or squashed. Raspberries also freeze well and will last for up to a year.

As for my favourite vegetables, I want to say tomatoes and avocados, but those are actually fruit! When it comes to my favourite true vegetable, I do love potatoes. You can do so many things with them. Bake, boil, poach, fry, smoke, mash. Potatoes are so versatile, and they never disappoint!

Buying Tips: Choose potatoes that are fairly clean, smooth, firm and heavy for their size. Avoid any potatoes with dark spots, large cuts, growth cracks, bruises, decay, sprouts, or shrivelling. If you’re cooking from a recipe, pay attention to the type of potato called for. For example, baking potatoes are really only good for baking and turn chalky if cooked other ways. For boiling, you want smooth, new potatoes, which have more fibre and so hold together well.

I also love corn, asparagus, butter lettuce, and red peppers, all when in season. I enjoy them most when they’re freshly-picked, plain and simple, maybe with a bit of salt, pepper, and a dollop of good olive oil.

And I think radishes are totally under-appreciated. Beets too. I could go on and on.

-Kristina

Anna Wallner (left) & Kristina Matisic are journalists, shopaholics, and hosts of the cookbook and product testing series Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag, airing on W Network in Canada and OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) in the USA. You may also know them from their original series, The Shopping Bags, and their fashion & beauty series, Anna & Kristina’s Beauty Call.

Read more about Anna & Kristina and all of their product reviews at annaandkristina.com.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GUEST BLOGGERS: ANNA & KRISTINA (Part 1: Anna)

2011-03-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

I am a tomato lover through and through. Any shape, type, size, or colour. Heirloom to beefsteak to Italian roma, cherry, grape, red, yellow, purple, or striped. I love them all. And there are so many different kinds of tomatoes.

I like to eat tomatoes plain, or dress them up with some simple sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil on toasted bread. Tomatoes are easy to take along for lunch, a snack, or a picnic. Little nuggets of juicy goodness. And they’re really good for you, too.

When they’re not in season, I still enjoy tomatoes year round. Stewed in a hearty pasta sauce, or as a sun-dried topping on my favourite food in the whole world: pizza. (Think tomatoes have anything to do with my pizza addiction? Yes, they certainly do.)

Buying Tips: Tomatoes should be somewhat firm yet yield to the touch. Choose the reddest, ripest tomatoes you can find for the most nutritional value, and then eat them right away. Avoid tomatoes that are going soft, wrinkly, or that have cracks or bruises. (If it’s just a small bruise and the rest is fine, you can get away with slicing off the bad part.)

Spinach is my favourite vegetable. I can’t get enough of it. Of course, I enjoy the usual spinach salad, which can easily be dressed up with nuts, even sunflower and pumpkin seeds. For a heartier salad, add some crumbled or grated cheese, and diced bacon or prosciutto. In the summer, try spinach salad with dried cranberries or other fruit, crumbled goat cheese, and top with raspberry vinaigrette.

But it doesn’t stop there. I really enjoy hot spinach dishes too. Spinach steamed with butter, salt, and garlic: yum. Spinach is also so easy to add to omelettes and other egg dishes. And of course, I like to put it on my homemade pizza!

Buying Tips: Look for plump, fresh-looking leaves that are a dark, even green. Smaller leaves (baby spinach) tend to have a sweeter flavour than larger ones. Avoid any spinach that is turning yellow or that have started to go slimy. These are past their prime.

- Anna

Anna Wallner (left) & Kristina Matisic are journalists, shopaholics, and hosts of the cookbook and product testing series Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag, airing on W Network in Canada and OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) in the USA. You may also know them from their original series, The Shopping Bags, and their fashion & beauty series, Anna & Kristina’s Beauty Call.

Read more about Anna & Kristina and all of their product reviews at http://www.annaandkristina.com/. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eating more fruits and veggies

2011-02-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

The U.S. government released their new Dietary Guidelines for Americans on January 31st. One recommendation was to “Increase vegetable and fruit intake.” Another recommendation was to “Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark green and red and orange vegetables and beans and peas.” These are very similar recommendations to what you find in Canada’s Food Guide.

What was interesting was that they translated the recommendation to “Increase vegetable and fruit intake” to “Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.” Now that makes it real. This helps you visualize how to increase your vegetables and fruit intake. I would add to this “Include vegetables and fruit as a main part of your snacks.”

How many servings of Vegetables and Fruit do we need every day?
Children need 4 – 6 servings a day; Teens need 7 – 8 servings a day and Adults need 7 – 10 servings a day.

Plan to have a serving at breakfast; morning snack; lunch; afternoon snack and a couple of servings at dinner. Here is an example of what that can look like, taking into account that it is February!

It is still easy to include those brightly coloured vegetables and fruits in the middle of winter.

Breakfast
1 cut up orange 1 serving
Snack
Carrots and celery sticks 1 serving

Lunch
Squash Soup 1 – 2 servings
Afternoon Snack
Pear 1 serving

Dinner
Green salad 1 serving
Broccoli 1 serving

There are many great options when it comes to vegetables and fruits no matter the season. You can also check the frozen plain vegetables and fruits to increase the variety.

Remember that a serving is ½ cup (125 mL) of fresh, frozen or canned vegetables; ½ cup (125 mL) cooked leafy vegetables; 1 cup (250 mL) raw leafy vegetables; 1 fruit or ½ cup (125 mL) fresh, frozen or canned fruits and ½ cup (125 mL) 100% juice.

By Carol Dombrow
Heart and Stroke Foundation registered dietitian,
Health Check program

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kids can Mix it up!™ too

2011-02-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

One of the (many) things that is so great about the Fruits and Veggies - Mix it up!™ program is the Freggie™ Children’s Program we’ve designed to compliment it. Our friend Freggie™ lives at www.freggietales.ca and encourages kids not only to eat their fruits and veggies each day but to learn and understand why it is so important for them. The website has fun games and recipes as well as the Freggie Tales Adventures™ newsletters and our popular Write to Freggie™ program. You’ll also find information about the Freggie Friday™ program and let me tell you, this is a program that we are both proud of and excited about – and not just because my kids think it’s “totally cool” that I get to work with Freggie!

Freggie Friday™ is available to schools across the country and we’re currently running a fully integrated pilot project with the Ottawa Catholic School Board and working with CHEO’s Healthy Active Living Obesity Research team to measure the impact of the program. We visit schools each week and deliver a 45 minute interactive presentation to help the kids (and their teachers) kick off the program.

We recently had the opportunity to bring the Freggie Friday™ program to St. Leo Catholic School in Etobicoke, Ontario, thanks to the generous support of our friends at Gambles Produce. The staff and students at St. Leo could not have been more welcoming – and polite! Freggie made some new friends while Kyla and Tom from Gambles Produce (pictured with Freggie below) provided apples, bananas and Clementines for each of Freggie’s new friends.

Our thanks to St. Leo for having us and to Gambles Produce for making our visit possible. We look forward to bringing Freggie™ to more schools across Canada so our kids can learn to Mix it up!™ too.

You can find out about Freggie by visiting http://www.freggietales.ca/ – click on the Parents and Teachers section for information about Freggie Friday™!

That’s all for now!
Lianne

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Plan to Mix it up!™

2011-01-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

Always on the run? Too busy to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and veggies? Doing a little prep work can help you include more fruits and veggies in your day. Here are some ways I try to Mix it up!™:

My favorite breakfast is a smoothie. Once fresh bananas start getting a little overripe, I peel them and place them in freezer bags to have on hand as the start of my breakfast smoothie. Check out CPMA’s Guide to Freezing Fruits and Veggies for more tips. I add some low-fat yogurt and then whatever fruits and veggies tempt me. Yes, veggies too! Carrots, celery and cucumber work great. My latest favorite is mango, banana, carrot, Clementine and yogurt. It takes just a couple of minutes to blend together and off I go. My son likes to experiment and choose what to layer in the smoothie – then we try to guess what colour it will turn out once blended.

Pack lots of fruits and veggies into your lunches - plan a little extra time after a shopping trip to prep your fruits and veggies for the week. Having cut up veggies makes it easy to throw together a quick salad for lunch or stir fry for dinner. I try to pack a small portion of veggies – red peppers, carrots, snow peas – for my afternoon snack.

Sunday afternoon we try to batch cook - spaghetti sauce, stew or soup – we keep enough on hand for a couple of lunches then freeze the remainder in smaller portions for a quick weeknight meal. I always know I have something in the freezer in a pinch.

-Melanie

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And finally...

2011-01-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Over the last few of weeks I’ve shared a few tips for how I trick..er...convince my children to eat their recommended 4 -6 servings of fruits and veggies each day. I am happy to say that they are coming around. Taking charge of their choices has made them more aware of what they like and what they really aren’t ready to like. There are tips available on the Fruits and Veggies – Mix it up!™ website but here are just a few final tips that work for us.

Be patient: Studies have shown that kids should try a new food at least 13 times - it can take that many times before they like it. We have a chart to keep track of what they’ve tried, like or don’t like. Taking charge of the chart has made them more open to the idea of trying things.

Good beginning and sweet ending: Start the day with sliced fruit, berries, or a small glass of unsweetened 100% fruit juice. Offer fresh fruit like grapes, blueberries, raspberries or peach slices and let the kids choose their own mix to add to their cereal or oatmeal. For dessert, serve pieces of fruit like banana slices, strawberries, slices of pear or apple with low-fat yogurt.

Finally,

Teach (and learn) by example: You are the best role model for your kids simply by eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies every day. And don’t forget the best resources for tips that work are probably at your fingertips; talk to your friends – old and new - to find out what has worked for them.

We’re always looking for good ideas…if you have a success story worth sharing, please let us know. Don't forget to Mix it up!

Lianne

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T10:38:00.001-08:00

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I use Mix it up!™ tips and tricks

2010-12-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

We know that fruits and veggies are an important part of our daily diets but we also know that our kids can be...a little stubborn when it comes to eating their fruits and veggies. I am constantly telling my kids to eat their fruits and veggies and, with the help of tips and tricks gathered the Mix it up!™ team, have found a few creative ways to help ensure that my children get their recommended 4-6 servings of fruits and veggies each day. I shared a few tips with you last week and am happy to share a few more with you now.

Be creative: Add shredded carrots or diced peppers to a chicken salad sandwich or add some pureed fruit to muffins and pancake batter.

Double dip: Give kids raw veggies with hummus or a low fat salad dressing. Serve fresh fruit with low fat yogurt.

Let them take charge: Let children help in the kitchen. They are more likely to eat their fruits and veggies if they help prepare them – PLUS you’ll get to enjoy some quality time together.

Timing is everything: Offer fruits and veggies when your kids are most hungry: as a pre-dinner snack or right after school.

There are more tips available on the Fruits and Veggies – Mix it up!™ website and I’ll post a few more that have worked for us next week. We’re always looking for good ideas…if you have a success story worth sharing, please let us know.

In the meantime, have fun, explore and…mix it up!
Lianne

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They're good for you!

2010-11-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

“Eat your fruits and veggies, they’re good for you!” We heard it over and over as kids and have almost certainly repeated it in some form or other as adults, especially as parents. Unlike many of our parents, we now have access to endless sources of information that can help us understand why each nutrient, vitamin and mineral found in any given fruit or vegetable is important and how it can impact our overall health.

I read recently that 70% of Canadian children are not meeting the recommended daily intake of fruits and veggies, as outlined by Canada’s Food Guide and that the same is true of more than 85% of elementary school age children in the US. As a mom to two fussy eaters - who are not actually as fussy as they can be stubborn - I have learned that when it comes to getting kids to eat their fruits and veggies, sometimes we need to have a little fun and be creative.

The Mix it up!™ team has searched, gathered and tried almost any tip or suggestion we could get our hands on and I am happy to say that my kids are coming around. They now know that they should have between 4 and 6 servings of fruits and veggies each day and they are beginning to understand that a serving may not be as much as they thought it was.

I know there are moms out there who, like I do, find themselves constantly saying, “Eat your fruits and veggies, they’re good for you!”, over the next few weeks, I will share some of the tried and true Fruits and Veggies – Mix it up!™ tips that have worked on my kids.

Have fun with food: Make a face on a mini pizza with carrot slivers for hair, mushroom eyes, an olive nose and a pepper slice mouth. Make fruit kebabs for a snack or dessert.

Be sneaky: Add fruits and veggies in with other foods – chop ‘em up or puree them and mix in with pasta sauces, casseroles, soup, omelets, muffin mix and so on.

Teamwork: Make tasty (and healthy) popsicles with 100% fruit juice and pieces of fresh fruit like strawberries, banana or berries - let the kids create their own popsicles.

There are more tips available on the Fruits and Veggies – Mix it up!™ Website and I’ll post a few more that have worked for us in the coming weeks. In the meantime, have fun, explore and…mix it up!

Lianne

___________________________________________________________________

GUEST BLOGGER: GRAHAM KERR

2010-08-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

A simple change can mean so much

In my 'hey-days' as the Galloping Gourmet, I served large portions of meat, usually 8-10 ounces, that had been sautéed in clarified butter and often flamed in Cognac and drowned in cream. To this I added a vegetable garnish.

No wonder Weight Watchers International sent me their "Broken Wooden Spoon Award" as the public enemy number 1 for world health!

I have now changed and I'm eating much better than I ever ate and enjoying it more. The meat is no longer the center of attention; it has become part of the chorus of tastes, aromas, colors and textures (T.A.C.T.) that truly represent what we love most about food.

We have lost weight, regained our health and have enough energy to continue to try to make a positive contribution as we seek to live within reason at the end of an unreasonable age.

So, won't you join us . . . just decrease the 'meats' by an ounce or two and add a vegetable or fruit that you enjoy. It's a real upgrade you'll never regret.

Go on . . . do yourself a flavor at every meal.

Graham Kerr
www.grahamkerr.com

Graham Kerr, once known as The Galloping Gourmet, is an internationally known culinary and television personality, award-winning author, and master of metaphorical speaking. His focus is on serving people who want to make healthy, creative, lifestyle changes and he believes that the only lasting changes are the ones that we enjoy. His life goal is “to help to convert habits that harm into resources that heal both for ourselves and others in need.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I Mix it up!™ too - Melanie

2010-06-25T12:13:00.001-07:00

The last year of working on the Fruits and Veggies - Mix it up!™ campaign has been an exciting one! My work has taken me to California, Whitehorse, Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and more. I’ve been privileged to see romaine lettuce harvested in the Salinas Valley, apples sorted in Kelowna, B.C., and I’ve talked to growers from around the world.

I’ve always loved fruits and veggies and as a mom of a 4 and a half year old boy, produce is a major part of our diets. What I didn’t know before starting on the Mix it up!™ campaign was the vast array of fruits and veggies that are available to us. I now make it a point to try something new every week. Whether I’m mixing it up by trying a new colour, a new variety or a new recipe, there’s no shortage of ideas. In the last couple of months our family has tried artichoke (I had no idea it was so easy to prepare), passion fruit, medjool dates, making our own potato cakes, and a rainbow of smoothies and salads.

I’ve also taken another look at a great tool – Canada’s Food Guide – to help me plan my snacks and meals. Most Canadians don’t eat their daily recommended servings of fruits and veggies and I wanted to know how I stacked up. Taking a look at all the food groups was an eye opener – I was over consuming in some areas and under consuming in others. No surprise – I have no trouble meeting my fruit and veggie requirements as I make a point to include them in some form at every meal and snack. I have posted the Food Guide on my fridge and now refer to it every morning as I pack our lunches for the day.

As we move forward with the Fruits and Veggies – Mix it up!™ campaign, you can expect more great tips, recipes, information on fruits and veggies, and some guest blogs!

Remember to Mix it up!™ at every meal and snack.
-Melanie

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Mix Blog

2010-03-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Fruits and Veggies - Mix it up!^TM! To say that we are excited to have you here would be an understatement. What you see here is the result of months of research, discussion, passion and anticipation…and maybe some blood, sweat and tears too. We’re proud of the Mix it up!^TM message and we’re thrilled to share it with you.

When we started talking to people around the country we found that they didn't need us to tell them that fruits and veggies are good for them, what they really needed were easy ways to incorporate them into their meals and snacks every day. We couldn’t agree more.

As moms we know that being creative with fruits and veggies can be a challenge in our busy day-to-day lives. We know that convincing the pickiest of eaters to eat the veggies we’ve sent for their mid-day snack can be an exercise in exhaustion. That’s why we’re so glad that fruitsandveggies.ca offers great tips for picky eaters (letting them help in the kitchen has worked) and eating fruits & veggies on the go (grabbing a banana or some cut carrots on the way to swimming class works well) as well as some fantastic recipes (mmm…Apple Chicken Curry in a Hurry)! We’ll share our Mix it up!^TM experiences with you and we’ll introduce you to some great people with great ideas about fruits & veggies. We’d also like to hear from you so, come back often. First though, we’d like to tell to you a bit about the team behind Fruits and Veggies - Mix it up!^TM

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) is proud to continue a long-standing partnership with the the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check™ Program and the Canadian Cancer Society. These organizations, widely respected for their role in health promotion and disease prevention through healthy eating education support the Mix it up!^TM campaign.

Mix it up!^TM is a team-effort. CPMA, a member driven association representing all aspects of the produce industry from farm gate to dinner plate, is working with a network of Public Health practitioners and the produce and retail industry – including grocers, media and more – to spread the word to all Canadians about the role of fruits and veggies as part of a healthy lifestyle.

We are looking forward to having you with us as we Mix it up!^TM

Melanie & Lianne