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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006

Frightfully simple breakfast ideas, treats to start your child's day off
right

By Patrice Stewart
DAILY Staff Writer
· 340-2446

It's almost Halloween, and many parents are thinking of stocking up on candy
treats.

But one area woman is dreaming of pumpkin pancakes with a raisin and yogurt
topping as she encourages others to fill their pumpkins, kitchens and cars
with healthy snacks.

Today's families often are in too big a rush to eat correctly, especially at
breakfast time. But if there's no time for pancakes except on weekends, you
need to have other options.

Parents should make sure they have breakfast items and snacks to get their
children's school day off to a good start and keep them going through
after-school activities such as dance class and soccer games.

ABC's are important, said registered dietitian Mary Martin Nordness of
Huntsville, and they play a big part in making sure children are successful
at school. For her, A stands for activity, B for breakfast and C for
convenience.

Nordness, nutrition communications director for Southeast United Dairy
Industry Association, suggests making autumn breakfasts fun by preparing
Creepy Black Forest Haunted Smoothies with cherry and chocolate chip eyes
and Pumpkin Pancakes with a lowfat vanilla yogurt and raisin topping.

"These pancakes have half a cup of canned pumpkin in them, and instead of
syrup, you can use vanilla yogurt and plump raisins mixed as a topping to
give it sweetness," she said.

French toast can be quickly prepared with chocolate Nesquik, and baked
apples with a cinnamon yogurt topping are another idea. Layer berries or
other fruit with yogurt and granola to make parfaits.

Other simple ideas include sprinkling lowfat cheese on scrambled eggs and
blending strawberry milk with banana slices.

"The main goal is to bring back breakfast," said Nordness. "There's so much
hustle and bustle, especially during the back-to-school season, but parents
need to remember that students who eat breakfast make better grades and get
better test scores." They are also less likely to be tardy and overweight,
studies show. Some schools even offer breakfast, as well as lunch.

Don't forget about activity, though, because one of three American children
is physically unfit and at risk of heart disease. Parents should make sure
they get 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity a day, and that doesn't
include Xbox and TV, Nordness said.

"Think about giving the gift of physical activity, whether it's bowling
tickets, skates, hiking boots or a new bike," she said. And while the family
is watching TV, hold jumping-jack or sit-up contests during commercials.

As a mother, she understands the mad afternoon rush between school and work
and ball field, music lessons or dance class. That's where convenience comes
in.

"Because today's parents and children are often in the car, they need to
keep a small cooler in the vehicle and fill it with smart snacks," said
Nordness. This is a good idea for trips, too.

Use a refreezable plastic ice pack and load the cooler with items such as
granola bars, Go-Gurt (on-the-go containers of yogurt), whole-wheat
pretzels, string cheese, boxes of raisins, and all types of nuts, seeds and
fresh fruit.

"When children eat these snacks, they are full of nutrients, instead of
empty calories," she said.

Fast-food restaurants now are providing many more options. Parents should
guide children and teens to choose fruit, fat-free and flavored milks,
yogurt, salads and other items when eating out.

Call the Dairy Association at (800) 651-6455 to get a free bookmark with
healthy snacks from A to Z, and try these tasty but good-for-you recipes.

Creepy Black Forest Haunted Smoothie

1 cup lowfat chocolate milk

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

1 cup crushed ice

Optional spooky eyes:

Maraschino cherries

Chocolate chips

Place ice in blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for 30
seconds. Pour into tall glass and top with spooky eyes.

For spooky eyes: Pat dry with a paper towel the number of cherries you need
(two per glass). Stick a chocolate chip into the indentation in the top of
each cherry to form spooky eyes. Add whipped cream if desired.

Makes 2 servings, each with 190 calories, 3g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 25
percent daily value calcium, 34g carbohydrates.

Pumpkin Pancakes

For the topping:

2 cups lowfat vanilla yogurt

1 cup raisins

For the pancakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup 1-percent lowfat milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 egg

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt

In a small mixing bowl, briskly combine vanilla yogurt and raisins until
yogurt has a looser texture. Reserve. For the pancakes, combine flour,
sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, egg, pumpkin and yogurt,
mixing well.

Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir until just moist. Do not
overmix. Batter may be lumpy. For thinner batter, add milk. Lightly coat a
griddle or skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Using a
quarter-cup measure, pour batter onto hot griddle. Cook until bubbles begin
to burst, then flip pancakes and cook until golden.

Serve warm, topped with yogurt-raisin mixture and dusting of cinnamon.

Makes 12 pancakes, or 4 servings. Each serving has 490 calories, 10g fat, 6g
saturated fat, 86g carbs, 45 percent daily value calcium.

Here are some more easy breakfast ideas:

Nesquik Chocolate French Toast

1 cup Nesquik Chocolate Ready-to-Drink Milk

1 cup egg substitute

8 slices white bread 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

Raspberries (optional)

Whisk together Nesquik milk and egg substitute in a medium bowl. Lightly
spray non-stick cooking spray in large skillet over medium heat and dip
bread into milk and egg mixture, coating evenly.

Cook bread on each side for about 3 minutes or until cooked through. Top
each slice with approximately 2 tablespoons of lowfat vanilla yogurt and add
raspberries if desired.

Makes 4 servings, each with 270 calories, 4g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 25
percent daily value calcium, 42g carbs.

Baked Apples with Cinnamon Yogurt Topping

4 Granny Smith or Gala apples (with or without skin)

1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Cinnamon Yogurt topping:

2½ cups low-fat plain yogurt

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with
nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Core and thinly slice apples. Place apples in a medium bowl and toss with
apple juice. Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together
in a small bowl. Sprinkle over apples and stir gently until apples are
coated.

Pour apples into prepared baking dish. Bake 40 minutes or until apples are
slightly browned at edges and sauce is bubbling. For the cinnamon yogurt
topping:

Line a colander with several paper towels and place over a bowl to catch
drips. Pour yogurt into colander and allow to drain, refrigerated, about 30
minutes. Spoon yogurt into a small bowl and stir in honey and cinnamon.

For each serving, top 1/4 of the warm apples with 1/4 of the yogurt topping.

Makes 4 servings, each with 330 calories, 2g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 30
percent daily value calcium, 72g carb.

Pleasin' Yogurt Breakfast Parfait

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup crunchy low-fat cereal or granola, divided

1/2 cup fresh fruit, sliced (i.e. strawberries, blueberries, pineapple)

To assemble parfait, begin with 1/2 cup yogurt in the bottom of a bowl or
tall glass. Add 2 tablespoons cereal and 1/4 cup fruit. Repeat. Top with the
remaining 2 tablespoons of cereal.

Makes 1 serving, with 460 calories, 6g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 40 percent
daily value calcium.

Bury sugary sweets on Halloween

Halloween offers special challenges and a chance to offer healthy treats
instead of sugary ones at gatherings.

Registered dietitian Mary Martin Nordness of Huntsville hands on out
stickers instead of candy to trick-or-treaters. Miniature boxes of raisins
or plastic-wrapped string cheese are other options.

Parents who are providing party fare at school can consider small containers
of Jell-O, pudding and yogurt, as well as fruit and cheese platters and
creamy dips made with plain yogurt. Only 2 percent of today's children are
getting enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy foods, Nordness
said, and three servings of dairy products a day helps build strong bones.

"Lots of moms will bring the sugary, high-fat snacks - you should be the Mom
who brings the good-for-you stuff," she said.

Here are some other healthy snack ideas to serve to children at fall
festivals, Halloween and school parties and to keep handy while traveling to
after-school and weekend activities:

Unbuttered popcorn, slices of turkey, sliced or whole fruit such as apples
and oranges, boxes of raisins, whole-grain bagel with jam, animal crackers,
pretzels, nuts, Jell-O, string cheese, granola bar, English muffin with
pizza sauce, dried fruit, chunks of melon, fruit juice pop, carrot and
celery sticks and broccoli with lowfat dip.

If you have time and equipment available, make a veggie pizza or a
quesadilla with lowfat cheese, a lettuce and tomato salad, or put together a
milkshake with fruit, nonfat yogurt and milk.

- Patrice Stewart