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Archive for the Mealtime Facts Category

Published on: April 28, 2014  

11 Fun Facts About Bananas

Banana monk

~ The scientific name for banana is musa sapientum, which means “fruit of the wise men.”

~ Bananas float in water, as do apples and watermelon.

~ Some cultures use the fiber in the banana plant to make fabric and sometimes even paper.

~ The fastest marathon ever run by a competitor dressed as a fruit was 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 20 seconds – recorded at the Barcelona Marathon on March 6, 2011. The runner was Patrick Wightman from England, who dressed like a banana.

~ The Banana Club Museum, located just south of Palm Springs, CA houses the world’s largest collection devoted to any one fruit. It contains more than 17,000 banana items. Visit their site to learn more about bananas and to join the club.

~ A man in India once ate 81 bananas in a half hour.

~ More songs have been written about bananas than any other fruit.

~ A cluster of bananas is called a hand, and a single banana is called a finger. Each banana hand has about 10-20 fingers.

~ About half of all people who are allergic to latex are often allergic to bananas.

~ Banana peels are actually edible if cooked.

~ If you put a banana in the refrigerator, the peel will turn dark brown or black, but it won’t affect the fruit inside.

Hope you and your family enjoyed these fun facts!  Stay tuned…more fun facts are on the way.

Gyro Psychology Services

360.236.0206

866.616.4976 (GYRO)

Published on: April 21, 2011  

Eggie in a Basket

Eggie in a Basket

This is another egg based recipe that is so much fun to make with your kids.  All you need is bread, eggs and butter.

Ingredients:

1 slice of bread per person

1 egg per person

butter

cookie cutter, or cup of your choice

Directions:

Take the cookie cutter or cup of your choice, press down on the center of the slice of bread and remove the shape from the bread leaving a whole.  Butter both sides of the bread and place in a pan or on a griddle.  Crack one egg into the whole of the bread and either beat for a smooth scrabbled like egg or leave for sunny side up.  Cook the bread and egg until bread is golden brown, and egg is cooked to your desired consistancy. 

ENJOY!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

Pick out different shapes one for every member of the family to creat a fun bunch of breakfast treats!

Published on: April 12, 2011  

Jell-O Eggs!

Jell-O Eggs!

It’s spring, the time when the Easter Bunny comes to our homes and brings yummy sweets and colorful eggs.  So this month we are going to focus on funny recipes all centering on the egg.  This week we are going to make a blast from my past Jell-O eggs.  Go to the Kraft website to see more pictures or to order the mold.  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/jell-o-egg-jigglers-50280.aspx

Ingredients:

Your favorite flavor of gelatin package

Jell-O egg mold

Cooking spray

Directions:

Spray the Jell-O egg mold with cooking spray on both sides so the eggs do not stick.  Mix the gelatin according to the package.  To make an egg with two different colors fill the bottom half of the mold with one color let set and fill the top half with the second color of your choice.  Let the eggs cool in the refrigerator until solid.  Remove the eggs from the mold carefully.  Mix and match the fun colors and create a beautiful basket full of your own eggs. 

ENJOY!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

Ask your friends and family what their favorite color is and make them their own special Easter egg.

Published on: March 8, 2011  

Sheppard's Pie

If you are like me, you have a hard time coming up with dinner ideas week after week.  And the answer you always get when you ask for suggestions is “I don’t know whatever is fine”.  However once you make this recipe your family will always have something they are craving, just like mine.

Sheppard’s Pie

1 pound of lean ground beef

                For every 3 people

1 can of condensed tomato soup

1 large onion diced

1 bad of frozen and chopped green beans thawed and drained

                If fresh beans are available use them but blanch

 them for 30-45 seconds  before adding to pie

4-5 medium russet potatoes diced

Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

In a large frying pan brown meat, once meat is about half way done add the diced onion and continue to cook until onion is soft.  Place mixture in a 9/13 baking dish (use a larger one if you increased the recipe).  Meanwhile dice potatoes and add them to boiling salted water, cook until tender.  Use the tender potatoes to make smashed potatoes, add butter, salt, pepper and milk until you achieve your desired consistency.  Now add chopped green beans and tomato soup to beef and onion mixture.  Stir together until well mixed.  Pile the mashed potatoes on top of the beef mixture creating an even layer all over the beef mixture.  Now top with the best part, the cheese.  Add as much cheese as you want, don’t forget the edges, you wouldn’t want to miss out on the crusty browned cheese. 

Cover with aluminum foil and heat in the oven for 30-45 minutes or unit bubbly and delicious.  To help keep your oven clean place baking dish on a cookie sheet in case of bubble over.  Remove foil and allow the cheese to brown for the last 15 minutes or so. 

ENJOY!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, and Sheppard’s Pie is a traditional Irish dish.  Get together with your kids a learn some other facts about St. Patrick’s Day and the many other Irish traditions.

Published on: February 23, 2011  

Tuna and Crouton Salad

                                                                                                        

 

Tuna and Crouton Salad

What kid doesn’t like tuna?  This is a great way to combined your child’s love of tuna, with a new fun and colorful salad great any time of year.  Toss out that old tuna sandwich and give this a try.

 

Ingredients:

2 cans of Albacore Tuna

1 cucumber peeled

1 bell pepper (pick your favorite color)

1 cup diced cherry tomatoes

1 cup diced carrots

1 can black olives sliced

1 table spoon diced parsley

1 tablespoon diced basil

Olive oil

Red wine vinegar

1 loaf French or sour dough bread chopped into cubes

Garlic salt

Directions:

Chop bread into cubes, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Place on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until crunchy.  In a large bowl place all chopped vegetables and tuna.  Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and 1-2 table spoons of red wine vinegar, taste to see if you want to add more.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the diced parsley and basil, top with croutons and mix up well. 

ENJOY!

Danielle

Learning Corner:

  • Have your child pick which veggies go in the dish, let them try new and fun looking things.
  • Jazz up the croutons by letting your child pick their favorite spice to add to them
Published on: February 16, 2011  

Pretzel and Strawberry Short Cake

 

Pretzel and Strawberry Short Cake

I got this recipe from a low carb cook book I use called Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking.  It is a great low sugar, low carb way to give your family something sweet as a treat after dinner. 

Ingredients:

2 cups thin pretzels, crushed

2 tablespoons margarine melted

½ cup of sugar, or sugar substitute

                Plus 1 tablespoon sugar for crust

1 8 ounce package of light cream cheese, softened

1 8 ounce container of lite whip topping thawed to room temp

¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 0.6 ounce package of sugar free strawberry Jell-O mix

3 cups of fresh strawberries chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a zip top bag add the pretzels and crush into small pieces to make the crust.  Mix up crushed pretzels with margarine and 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Put mixture in a 9X13 glass baking dish and press into the bottom with your hands.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, and then remove and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl beat up ½ cup of sugar or sugar substitute with the soften cream cheese until smooth, add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.  Gently fold in whip topping, and then pour mixture over the cool pretzel crust.  Make sure to cover all the way to the edge of the dish with the cheese mixture.  Spread evenly out with a spatula and place into refrigerator for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile mix jell mix with 2 cups of boiling water very carefully and stir for 2 minutes or until Jell-O is fully dissolved.  Then add one more cup of cold water to Jell-O and put the bowl into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  While that is cooling chop up the fresh strawberries, after the Jell-O has cooled for 30 minutes mix in the chopped strawberries and refrigerate again for 30 more minutes.  Remove Jell-O from the refrigerator and stir to loosen, pour over the cream cheese mixture and refrigerate for at least 2-3 more hours.  Serve after dinner or for any special occasion. 

ENJOY!

Danielle

Connecting in the Kitchen:

  • This recipe should allow your child to get really hands on
  • Have them smash the pretzels, stir the Jell-O  and mix the cheese spread together
  • Try adding differently flavor Jell-O mixes and fruit to fit each family members favorite flavors
Published on: January 19, 2011  

Welcome to "Kids in the Kitchen"

Spending quality time with your kids can be not only fun, but also educational and productive.  We at Gyro Psychology Services, Inc (www.GyroPsychology.com) are proud to introduce “Kids in the Kitchen”, our latest series that will give you and your kid’s and opportunity to share in a special and meaningful activities that benefit you, the child and your family. Each week we will share a new “child friendly” recipe with you that you and your child can create and share with your family at your regular mealtimes.

Cooking is a creative way to teach your kids valuable math skills as you weigh and measure out ingredients; it’s a way to introduce new and exciting textures and flavors to them; expose them to new foods and tastes; build your child’s self- esteem as they create something that is both nutritious and shared by members of your family.  Cooking together will also strengthen and deepen the bond you share with your all while creating healthy and delicious meals that your entire family can share and enjoy.

Having children participate in making meals or giving them a role in meal preparation or even preparing the table for mealtime is a great way to encourage your family to sit down together and share dinner as a whole family. Setting aside a specific time in your day for family mealtimes helps establish structure for your child’s afternoon and evening schedule and, if done consistently, will give them something to look forward to. Having your child play a valuable role in this special event makes shared mealtimes just that much more special and exciting. You may even find that you have helped awaken a lifelong passion for cooking in your child, just by having fun together in the kitchen now.

So let’s get in the kitchen together and find our inner Paula Dean’s and Emeril Lagasse’s and create something fabulous.  We hope you enjoy our latest series “Kids in the Kitchen” as much as we enjoy putting it together.

ENJOY!