Recipe Rx for Families on the Go!, with Elaine Magee

Is your family always on the run? Too busy to make healthy meals? on Oct. 10, 2002, we talked about recipes and tips for healthier meals, lunch boxes, and snacks for families on the go, with "The Recipe Doctor," WebMD's own nutrition expert, Elaine Magee, RD.

The opinions expressed in this transcript are those of the health professional and have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician. If you have questions about your health, you should consult your personal physician. This event is meant for informational purposes only.

Moderator: Welcome to The WebMD University Student Lounge, and to our "Let's Eat!" course, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Today's lounge guest is The Recipe Doctor, nutrition expert Elaine Magee, RD.

Member: My daughter has just begun first grade and I'm amazed by the horrible snacks that the parents bring in for the whole class to eat. My daughter did have a good diet. Now it's white-flour muffins, yogurt with candy sprinkles on top, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. What can I do?

Magee: That's a good question. I have 9- and 11-year-olds, so I know what you are talking about. However, I have raised my kids with the idea that there are going to be treats (foods that have no nutritional value) like Krispy Kreme donuts. I don't make them bad foods; I just make them "sometimes" foods. So I think it's a healthy way of approaching this to allow some of those foods some of the time. Try not to make them so special that your child might crave them or overeat them down the line. I try to make sure I don't give any foods power. It's a hard philosophy to embrace when you've been raised the other way. So we, for example, have Krispy Kreme donuts like once a month if they happen to be somewhere where we are, and I never see my children overeat them.

As far as yogurt with sprinkles, for some kids yogurt, even if it does have added sugar, may be one of the only ways they are getting calcium. That's not so horrible, but you could maybe tell your child that's something they have occasionally at school or a friend's house.

I think the most important thing is what they are doing most of the time. And that's where you play a role at home. For children today, it boils down to eating more fruits and vegetables, eating whole grains and beans when possible, and choosing leaner animal foods, and even maybe getting your child to enjoy fish every now and then. It's what you do most of the time. I promote moderation. That's the bottom line.

Member: Do you have suggestions for quick, nutritious breakfasts? My teen doesn't have time and doesn't like cereal. He skips the fresh fruit too. He wants something hot, and will skip breakfast if he doesn't find something he likes. I want him to eat breakfast though. What can I have on hand for him to eat? I'm not crazy about the packaged frozen breakfast foods (too much sodium and fat). I'm willing to cook ahead of time if you have ideas about what I can fix that he can zap in the microwave in the morning and go.

Magee: I agree about the frozen breakfast entrees, and am not for them in general. I know some people really depend on them, and that's why I include tips on frozen meals in whatever book I am doing. But I personally hardly ever rely on them. For a teen and breakfast that has nothing to do with cereal I suggest frozen waffles (Trader Joe's or Whole Foods) where it's frozen but they are not too bad and are whole-grain with flaxseed added. Perhaps those would work. Pop them in the toaster. Beyond that there are great muffin recipes (whole chapter) in my Flaxseed Cookbook coming out in January. And I think muffins are a wonderful way to get your early morning sort of grain or carb food. You can freeze a batch and warm them in the microwave. I tested these out on my daughters and most would appeal to the younger set.

Another option is a multi-grain bagel toasted with something he likes, like peppered turkey breast and cheese. A warm bagel is easy to throw together. It takes three minutes. Open the bagel, lay on the meat, reduced fat cheese, broil. It's literally done in three minutes. My kids like bagels and cream cheese in the morning. Cream cheese (I use light) adds some fat and protein to help balance the carbohydrate from the bagel.

Another option that I do is when I make pancakes on the weekend, I have some leftover and I freeze them. Then, all I have to do is warm them in the microwave. This is for hectic weekday mornings.

Member: Is it OK for kids to eat dinner leftovers for breakfast? My kids argue that if it is OK for dinner it should be OK for breakfast. What would be some things you think would "translate" from dinner to breakfast?

Magee: This is funny because I think even grownups are divided. Purists think there is a right time and wrong time for certain foods. Some are more liberal. I am married to a purist. But I, myself, love to mix things up. I love to do breakfast for dinner once a week. And I don't usually do dinner for breakfast with my family, but I actually personally have done that myself a few times. Actually a dinner entree for breakfast would generally give you something substantial with high satiety and generally balanced with protein, carbs, and fat. It's our traditional breakfast foods that tend to be high carbohydrate, not including bacon and sausage and eggs.

I think my kids love breakfast so much because I have gone out of my way to cook pretty good homemade breakfasts since they were tiny. Cereal is rare. If they have something like cereal two days in a row, they think something is wrong because they are used to things from scratch, even on a weekday morning.

It would not even be that bad to have low-fat, leftover pizza in the morning. I really do think that certain people wake up ready to eat a full meal and others wake up more slowly and they can't handle a full meal first thing in the morning. It's just individual difference; that's all. I have one daughter who is a big breakfast eater and one daughter who mainly wants protein first thing in the morning. She's hungry later in the morning. That's just how her body works. So I guess my answer is I think it's fine and just try to gear your child toward healthier dinner leftovers, so you can feel good about what he's eating in the morning, since it's from a healthy dinner the night before.

Moderator: Whatever we choose for breakfast, what should be our nutritional goals?

Magee: Good question. I don't believe in carbohydrates being bad because if you really think about it, the best foods on the planet are carbs -- fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. I believe there are just some carbohydrates that are smarter than others. So the goal with breakfast is to get in some smart carbohydrates and keep it balanced with a little bit of protein and a little bit of fat. This way your child is not hungry one hour later.

There are some better choices in terms of bacon and sausage these days. You don't want to have preserved meat every day. But we have Louis Rich turkey bacon at least once per week, and a light turkey sausage at least once per week. There are some vegetarian products, too, but I have not yet found one that my family likes. Others, though, have told me that they have success with them. But it would be the difference between a white bagel and a whole-grain bagel, the difference between french toast slathered in syrup and a lighter french toast made with higher-fiber bread served with fresh fruit. It's the difference in getting in fresh foods.

When it comes to bread, I personally love whole-grain or whole-wheat bread. But my kids have never quite gotten there, unless it's hot from the oven -- that they will eat. For sandwiches and toast, I buy Iron Kids type bread that has 3 grams of fiber for two slices and it's still white. They are basically adding soluble fiber so the fiber is there but you can't see it. That's going to be better than regular white bread, although my goal is to move them toward the whole-grain eventually since you get phytochemicals from whole grain.

Member: No one markets whole-grain foods to kids! When will food companies get with it and try to make wheat bread, etc., attractive to kids? They establish a taste for nasty stuff like Wonder Bread and then it takes years for kids to adapt to healthier choices.

Magee: Good point. A lot of it is marketing and anyone with a child knows that. You are reminded of it daily. Some kids are just more adventurous eaters and some are pickier. It's amazing how the line is drawn. And I think so much of it is conditioning and exposure, so I think if mom and dad are enjoying a certain bread or food, eventually it will influence the children. But I think we need better products out there too. I know there are certain whole-grain products I like, and certain products that take a lot of motivation to eat.

Moderator: Whole-wheat pasta tastes terrible.

Magee: Pasta is low glycemic. Andrew Weil says whole-wheat pasta doesn't taste good. What I tell folks is to include whole grains anywhere you can; but it's OK to have certain foods where you choose not to have whole grain. Pasta is one of the foods I enjoy when it's not whole-grain. But when I enjoy pasta, I make sure to get nutrients from fruits and vegetables.

Member: Schools serve all their sandwiches and other bread products on white bread. Is it too much to ask cafeterias to switch? Are whole-grain breads more expensive to purchase for institutions like schools and hospitals?

Magee: I think some of it is what comes first: the chicken or egg. The school serves food the kids will like and eat. There is a gray area that if you introduce them to it, they may like it. But which comes first? The cafeterias try to feed the kids with the least amount of food wasted. I agree though that most cafeterias have a long way to go, in terms of nutrition.

Member: My kids always seem to be starving at the time I'm cooking dinner. I try to give them something nutritious to tide them over, but by the time I'm done cooking they aren't hungry any more. What do I do?

Magee: I personally agree with feeding children when they are hungry. Don't teach them to ignore hunger. What I try to do is feed them the part of dinner that's ready and that way they are getting dinner just a little early. It might be fruit or bread I am going to serve with dinner. Whatever's ready I serve it to them early. The key is trying to get them to respect their hunger but trying to feed it with part of the nourishing dinner when possible.

Another quick solution is yogurt, which is ready to go at any time.

Or if your children drink milk with dinner, have that early and then have water with dinner. I tend to put out baby carrots and light ranch dressing ready to go at all times. I can also put that out early. But I think that will change as your children get older. They will find it easier to wait. That's what I have found with my daughters.

Member: I know it's weird, but I don't like sandwiches. I prefer hot meals, but that makes lunch hard. What are some hot lunches that can be thrown together on a tight schedule?

Magee: I am with you. I grew up not liking sandwiches. My Mom gave me white bread and I hated the softness and gumminess of it. I love sandwiches now, but you won't see me have one on white bread. But I learned to like sandwiches. I like leftover pasta that you warm up in the microwave. If I am at home I make a quesadilla with leftover meat and veggies. I always have tortillas and a low-fat jack-cheddar blend cheese on hand in the fridge. And there are great tasting canned soups now. Wolfgang Puck makes some good low-fat soups. And soups are an easy way to work in some beans.

I make grilled sandwiches. You might like that better than cold -- where you make a tuna melt (light tuna salad) and broil with cheese on other side of the bread. I love a nice bread broiled with fresh mozzarella and add fresh basil, tomato, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. It's not complicated and it's yummy. That's a warm sandwich.

Another easy idea: Gardenburgers. I do this myself when working at home. You just pan fry it with no added fat. Pan heat it while toasting bread, add some cheese, tomato, whatever you like. Or just make a burger with a bun. That's nice and warm. The Gardenburger is in your freezer whenever you are ready. They each have 5 g of fiber.

Moderator: When I make dinner, I take a small portion and set it aside for lunches. What I do to make it different is I add some ingredient that the rest of the family may not be crazy about, like extra onion or mushrooms or additional spices. Or I save some pasta and microwave my favorite veggies to put on top. A baked potato with a bit of leftover chili on top or some veggies is great, too.

Magee: And sometimes even just adding reduced-fat grated cheese along with vegetables can perk it up.

Member: Which is the healthier way to cook frozen or fresh veggies -- steaming them or using the microwave with a small amount of water while covering the bowl with wax paper?

Magee: I think it's fine to use the microwave. You need some but not too much water so the nutrients don't leach into the water. Steaming is great too, but it takes a lot of time and effort. My advice on microwaving is the key is using containers made for the microwave.

Member: My 16-year-old hates the cafeteria food in her school but refuses to bring food from home because it's "geeky." She arrives home starving and then overeats. Any suggestions?

Magee: I think maybe take her shopping and find easy to pack. wrapped-up foods that will help sustain her until she gets home. For example, those Luna bars are glorified granola bars for women. They taste pretty good. Some have soy protein. They aren't perfect but they are easy to pack. Walk around the store and help her find non-geeky backpack-friendly foods to help sustain her. Maybe there is something she can buy at the cafeteria that's not too bad -- a la cart items like mozzarella cheese sticks or soft pretzels or something that's not a perfect lunch, but could be part of a lunch. But I agree it's tough. My daughter is in junior high and she's still willing to bring lunch, but it has to be in a bag because lunch boxes are not "in" anymore. But I always pack her a frozen bottle of water during the warmer months of school so she's not drinking soda.

There are some nice, packaged salad bowls now that have chicken in them. If you pack the frozen ice bottle it should keep it cool. Maybe even have a complete meal ready for her when she gets home so she's not just snacking. She's truly eating the meal that she was missing. The idea of snacking isn't bad; it's what we snack on that makes it so nutritionally dangerous.

Member: For convenience-sake our family will make a large portion of main meals and side dishes and reheat throughout the week. But is it true that you shouldn't reheat a dish more than once? My wife insists we throw out any leftover leftovers, but I'm not sure that's correct. What do you think?

Magee: I think the key is throwing it away after two days in the refrigerator. Some say two to three, but I think you have two days. If you made it on Monday night, eat it by Wednesday night. It should also not sit out for more than two hours at room temperature. Re-heating two or three times could make it more likely for the food to be at room temperature for too long. Maybe a way to do it is to make several smaller dishes in smaller pans. When you reheat one pan, then you're not reheating the whole dish. That's just my personal pet peeve, food poisoning. I am cautious. If I go to a party, and I arrive late, I will not eat food that I know has sat out for more than an hour.

Moderator: What would you recommend for healthy snacks?

Magee: For me, my kids do not drink milk. We don't like it. It's not an ethical thing; we just don't like it. We try to get calcium in our snacks -- grilled cheese after school, fruit and yogurt, or yogurt with granola, nachos with veggie refried beans and chopped tomatoes and low fat cheese. I almost always have fruit and vegetables out. While the kids do homework, I put out fresh chopped washed fruit, celery sticks, carrots, and I don't say to eat this or you can't have this other thing. I put it out and it's always gone. We also do some more convenient processed snacks like bagel bites (frozen and not too bad).

My kids love boiled pasta with a little bit of butter and pepper. It's a great snack. Often I boil extra pasta and keep it in the fridge to microwave for a snack. Smoothies are great for a snack. If you have the ingredients on hand, it can be a quick process. Get some fiber in there as well as calcium. Try to pick something that's not empty calories, which are what many popular snack foods are: calories without nutrients.

Moderator: My kids do drink milk -- lots of milk. We switched to non-fat milk years ago. They like a really cold glass of milk with fat-free chocolate syrup shaken up well for a quick snack.

Magee: That's the only way my kids drink milk: ice cold chocolate milk or hot chocolate. But I think it's interesting that again there are two camps: the gallons of milk camp and the half-gallon a week camp. What I find more fascinating is that I did not drink much milk as a child. My husband didn't like milk, either. Our kids don't like it. Our kids didn't like milk anymore when they had to start drinking it from a cup. When I do buy milk, I buy organic. I personally feel the benefit of buying organic milk outweighs the cost. We have hot chocolate; I put it in smoothies. We don't think of it as a beverage. There are those who go through gallons and those who don't consume much. I have good teeth, but I am a cheese lover, so that saves me, probably.

Moderator: Before we wrap up for today, do you have any final comments for us, Elaine?

Magee: I think I have made the point about the importance of smart carbohydrates and that all carbs are not bad. The other part of the equation is that there are smarter fats as well, basically the omega-3 fatty acids from fish. There are also plant omega-3s that appear to be very beneficial for many reasons. We get plant omega-3s from flaxseed (has to be ground), canola oil, and off the top of my head, there are quite a few other sources: cantaloupe, kidney beans, and spinach, so those become important choices. Switch to canola for cooking. For an adult, think about a tablespoon of ground flaxseed a day. And use olive oil also, since it has one of the other better fats, which are monounsaturated fats. For example, I started taking a tablespoon of ground flaxseed a day (The Flax Cookbook out in January) and my serum cholesterol went down 15 mg in those three months.

So even if you are doing pretty well, there is always room for improvement. Choose better fats and smarter carbs; get more fiber and fruits and vegetables. That's key. Please feel free to visit me on my message board at WebMD. It's the Healthy Cooking -- Special Needs board. Every Monday I make over a recipe to be healthier. Every Friday we have flaxseed Friday with tips, research notes, and recipes -- anything about flaxseed.

Moderator: Unfortunately, we are out of time. Thanks for joining us, members, and thanks to Elaine Magee for being our guest.