Powerful Bones Toolbox: Recipes

Lunch and Dinner Ideas

• Create an Italian feast by combining low-fat cottage and mozzarella cheeses, garlic, and basil with cooked pasta and covering with your family's favorite sauce. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Make a sesame stir-fry by combining pieces of tofu (look for calcium sulfate on the ingredient list), with your daughter's favorite calcium-containing vegetables like bok choy and broccoli in a skillet and cook. Then, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Steam and chop broccoli and top it with low-fat dressing.
• Make tomato or mushroom soup with fat-free or low-fat milk.

Cooking with Your Daughter

Fun foods with calcium...

• Yogurt Popsicles
• Individual Pizzas
• Non-dairy and dairy smoothies
• Breakfast Banana Split

...are foods girls will love to make

Yogurt Popsicles

Ingredients: 1 cup plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt 1 banana, sliced 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup fruit juice or fruit chunks

1. Blend ingredients together and pour into small paper cups. 2. Freeze. 3. Place a plastic spoon or popsicle stick in each cup when yogurt mixture is half frozen. 4. To serve, turn cup upside-down and run hot water over it until the popsicle slips out. Keep the cups to use as a holder. Makes 4-5 small popsicles. [For a simpler version, pour fat-free or low-fat drinkable yogurt (or regular yogurt) into a paper cup. Add a stick and freeze. Peel the cup and eat.]

Individual Pizzas

Ingredients: 1 package of English muffins (whole wheat) 1 jar pizza sauce Chopped onions/green peppers Parmesan cheese Other desired toppings Shredded low-fat, part-skim mozzarella

1. Cut English muffins in half and toast until golden. 2. Spread desired amount of pizza sauce on each muffin half. 3. Top with desired toppings. 4. Broil until cheese is bubbly. 5. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese. 6. Yields about 12 servings.

Smoothies

Carla's Berry Patch Smoothie: 1. Blend 1 cup of your favorite fruit juice with added calcium. 2. Add one cup of your favorite fruit (try frozen berries). 3. Toss in some ice cubes to make it extra thick.

Banana Blast Smoothie: 1. Blend 1 cup of rice beverage or soy beverage with added calcium, 1 banana, a cup of your favorite fruit, 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring, and a dash of honey. 2. Toss in some ice cubes to make it extra thick.

Sunshine Smoothie: Blend 1 cup of orange juice with added calcium, fat-free or low-fat milk or soy beverage with added calcium, ice cubes, and a handful of fruit.

Very Berry Smoothie: 1. Blend 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk, a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, and a dash of honey. 2. Toss in some ice cubes to make it extra thick.

Fruit Smash Smoothie: 1. Blend 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk, a bunch of frozen strawberries, apricots, bananas, and fresh raspberries. 2. Toss in some ice cubes to make it extra thick.

Vanilla Smoothie: Blend 1 cup of orange juice with added calcium, a handful of strawberries, a banana, and 1 8-ounce container of fat-free or low-fat vanilla yogurt.

Breakfast Banana Split

Ingredients: One medium banana One 8-ounce container of low-fat or fat-free fruit yogurt Frosted cereal and fruit for topping

1. Slice banana lengthwise. 2. Top with one small container of low-fat or fat-free fruit yogurt. 3. Add a sprinkle of frosted cereal and pieces of your favorite fruit. Serves 1-2.

Eating Out

Point your daughter toward menu items with calcium. Here are some delicious ideas:

• A tall glass of fat-free or low-fat milk (plain, chocolate, or strawberry flavor)
• Salad bars where you can serve up half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese and a cup of broccoli
• A slice of pizza topped with broccoli and low-fat cheese
• Half a cup of macaroni and cheese with half a cup of cooked collards on the side
• Half a cup of low-fat frozen yogurt or smoothies made with low-fat milk or yogurt (they make a delicious dessert or snack)
• A cup of fruit juice with added calcium — some delis or cafes may sell these in bottles or cartons

Pressed for Time

Give your daughter one of these quick and easy foods with calcium for meals and snacks...

• A cup of cereal with added calcium for breakfast. Top it off with fat-free or low-fat milk
• A cup of fat-free or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese topped with a handful of almonds and fruit
• Almonds and low-fat cheddar cheese cubes with apple slices
• A toasted whole wheat English muffin, spread with half a cup of low-fat ricotta cheese and topped with tomato or salsa
• A cup of broccoli florets
• A wrap with her favorite sandwich fillings, plus: • Low-fat cheese • Low-fat cottage cheese • Tofu (with calcium sulfate on the ingredient list)

For Your Girl On-the-Go

Your daughter may skip meals with her busy schedule. Introduce her to the many foods with calcium she can eat on the go, such as

• A cereal bar with added calcium
• A handful of almonds. Add dried fruit for added flavor and toss in a bag (you can make up several of these in advance)
• A cup of fat-free plain or fruit flavored yogurt
• A small container of low-fat pudding made with milk

For Your Health-Conscious Girl

If you're concerned about the fat content in your daughter's diet, there are several delicious, low-fat foods with calcium to eat for meals or snacks. Choose low-fat or non-fat versions of foods such as yogurt, milk, cheese, pudding made with milk, tofu (look for calcium sulfate on the ingredient list), and soy and rice beverages with added calcium. Vegetables such as collards, broccoli, kale, and bok choy, naturally low in fat and calories, can be prepared in different ways.