From Healthy Travels: What To Do When Flying:
“I take oatmeal packets! The airlines always have hot water, and although I usually eat it in a paper cup with two stirrers, it beats the soggy (and questionable) sausage, pancake and egg breakfast on long international flights.” –Msjuju

“I always buy two big bottles of water after the security gate if the flight is four hours or more (otherwise just one). My last long flight, I took a small package of trail mix (just nuts, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries), a granola bar, a cut-up apple and some baby carrots. All things that would fill me up but not make me feel uncomfortable while sitting around for long periods of time.” –Julo

From Cranberries 5 Ways:
“I love cranberries. I make a berry pie that contains cranberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries in any combination, along with cherry pie filling. I add very little sugar and use tapioca for the thickener. It is great.” –Cheryl

From 5 Tips For Smarter Tailgating:
“Buffalo chicken dip with shredded chicken, nonfat sour cream, hot sauce and light Mexican shredded cheese is unsurpassable. I’ve put it in a wrap and just eaten it like that — no chips necessary!” –FoodMakesFunFuel

From Leftover Chicken 5 Ways:
“I always make triple batches of whole-wheat pizza crust and freeze the leftover dough. Then when I have leftover chicken, I make pizza. I’ve done Mexican pizza, buffalo wing pizza and chicken/garlic pizza. Or just regular chicken, cheese, veggies and tomato sauce. Lots of room to be creative when it comes to chicken and pizza.” –Sabina

TELL US: Have a food tip or creative cooking suggestion? Share it on the blog, Twitter or our Facebook page.

From Leftover Chicken 5 Ways:
“My favorite way to use leftover chicken is in stir-fry. Saute onion, garlic and any other veggies you like, then stir in chunked leftover chicken and season with soy sauce and any other seasonings you like. You can also add sliced almonds, peanuts or even walnuts. Serve on rice if desired.” –Avon

From Roast Your Own Pumpkin Seeds:
“I have been roasting seeds since I was a little girl. It’s something my mother and I did after carving the pumpkins for Halloween. I’m 48 now and my daughter, grandson and I still carry on the tradition. I use olive oil and sea salt on some batches. Other batches I might use ancho chili powder and dried garlic. Cracked black pepper is good too — always something different.” –Erin

From In Season: Pumpkins:
“I have two suggestions for using canned pumpkin: I mix in either hot cocoa mix or chocolate chips and microwave for a low-cal dessert, or I also mix some into my morning oatmeal.” –Beth

From But I Just Want Some Pizza?!?:
“I started making my own pizzas several years ago. One package of dough mix makes enough dough for two personal thin crust pizzas. When split, we can personalize each pizza: less cheese and more mushrooms for me, a little more prosciutto for him. Not to mention, pizza is refrigerator velcro — toss on that little bit of leftover chicken, the last of the peppers or whatever you have that needs using up. Throw them on the grill for 5-7 minutes and voila!” –Becky

From Meet This Grain: Oats:
“I mix 1/2 cup dry oats, 1 cup of fat-free vanilla yogurt and 1 cup of mixed frozen berries. Let it sit overnight, and it makes 2 servings for breakfast!” –thismomsguide, via Twitter

Tell us: Have a food tip or creative cooking suggestion? Share it on the blog, Twitter or our Facebook page.

Pasta Salad
Shred up leftover chicken (boneless or picked from the bone), toss with some small pasta and you’ve got a quick dinner the entire family will love. Add a few veggies from the fridge or freezer — peas, bell peppers, carrots or even olives (my favorite) — and you up the vitamin C and potassium. Try this pasta works warm or cold.
RECIPE: Asian Chicken and Orzo Salad

Chicken Sandwich
In about five minutes, you can mix your leftover chicken into delicious sammie. Instead of slices of whole wheat bread, try pumpernickel or rye bread or roll up a flour tortilla. I bulk up my sandwiches with fresh veggies such as arugula, tomatoes, peppers and onions, and then top with one or two spoonfuls of hummus or babaganoush (pureed eggplants).
RECIPE: Rolled Chicken Sandwich with Arugula and Parsley Aioli

Chicken Salad
How ‘bout a budget-friendly chicken salad? Of course, you don’t want to drown your chicken in gobs of mayonnaise. Instead, check out our ideas for  lightened up versions of this easy dish.
RECIPE: Chicken Salad with Peanut-Lime Vinaigrette

Chicken Soup
Instead of toiling over the stove for hours, toss chicken pieces into some pre-made stock or broth with your family’s favorite veggies — presto, a perfect soup in minutes. Mix it up by adding beans, lentils, cabbage, collard greens or tomatoes.
RECIPE: Chicken and White Bean Soup

Classic Salad
Skip that drive-thru salad. Prep an easy lunch at home or on the go with sliced pieces of cooked chicken tossed on a bed of greens with two tablespoons of your favorite bottled vinaigrette (or make your own). Switch up those greens for a change of pace and different nutrients. Don’t forget a slice of bread or small roll on the side to balance it out.
RECIPE: Classic Salad with Chicken

TELL US: What are your tricks for stretching leftover chicken into more exciting meals?

Recipes to try:
• Slow Cooked Provencal Beef Stew
• Mexican Chicken Stew
• Vegetable Couscous Stew
• Chicken Stew (shown above)
• Baja Vegetable Stew
• Quinoa, Chicken and Red Lentil Stew
• Italian Seafood Stew

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[Photo: Redsie / Recipezaar]

Packing Up
If you don’t have a cooler, buy one. In fact, buy a few medium-sized ones, and keep them handy for any outdoor dining (whether in your own backyard, at a friends, at the beach or at the park). If you’re having a barbecue somewhere, that mean you’ll be toting along raw meats; sometimes they end up sitting in your car or sitting around for several hours until chow time. Make sure to keep raw foods and ready-to-eat salads cold (get some ice packs for those coolers); bacteria love hot weather!

Three Things to Remember
To keep your food safe for your cookout, here’s what to do:

1. Separate: Use at least two coolers — one for raw meats and one for your ready-to-eat salads and cut-up fruits and veggies. Don’t place raw meats, fish and chicken in the same cooler as veggies, fruits or salads. You could end up with burger juice as your salad dressing — ick!
2. Wrap: Wrap each type of food separately so meat drippings don’t get on everything else. Make sure to tightly seal the bags so juices can’t escape.
3. Batch cook: Don’t cook everything up at once. Cooked food shouldn’t be in the sun for more than an hour. Instead, take a headcount on who’s hungry and start grilling small amounts at a time. Leave the extra raw meats in the cooler (or the fridge if one’s nearby) until you’re ready to grill them up.

More info on grilling food safely:
• 8 Grilling Safety Tips You Need To Know
• Using a Thermometer

This is the first post in a weekly series we’re doing in honor of National Food Safety Education Month.

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Here are some tips for packing a lunch that will tease your kids’ taste buds.

What Goes Into a Well-Balanced Lunch?
Nothing too difficult or tasteless, I promise! Teaching kids to eat 3 balanced meals with 2 or 3 small, healthy snacks every day is important to start at a young age. Ideally, your kid’s daily meals should contain a whole-grain carbohydrate, a lean protein and veggies. Whole grains (e.g. whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta and brown rice) offer fiber to help regulate a healthy digestive system. Protein (e.g. skinless chicken, beef, pork, fish and eggs) helps build up body tissues and muscles; protein also contains iron, an important mineral for your blood. Add in some cheese or a glass of milk and you cover the calcium needed for growing bones.

Every bite your kid takes should be packed with nutrients — that’s where the veggies come in. Are you convinced your kid hates ALL veggies? Many of my younger clients (I’m a child obesity counselor, too) wrinkle their noses when I even mention vegetables, but I always find at least one or two that they “sort of” like. Make sure those veggies your kid likes are on their plate every day and keep offering a variety of new options, too. You’ll be surprised when one day they give the new stuff a try. I’ve also discovered that many kids get their “yuck veggies!” attitude from parents, who may also unknowingly wrinkle their nose at certain produce, too. Remember, parents and caregivers are role models!

Plan the Meals Together
Don’t tell your kid what he has to eat. Talk to him about what he likes (yes, communication!). Your kid may want a pear instead of an apple or celery instead of carrots. And don’t just serve the foods plain. Offer options — they may be more likely to eat those fruits and veggies if they have some nut butter or ranch dressing to dip it in (ask!). Kids are more likely to want a healthy, packed lunch — and actually eat it — if they’re part of the planning and packing process.

Lunches to Go
Sandwiches and wraps are quick lunches that are easy to pack — they’re easy to pack with good flavor, too. Use a tablespoon of condiments like mustard, light mayo, ketchup or just leave the sandwich plain. Of course, make sure you pack anything perishable safely. Check out these lunch-packing tips for that.

For drinks, water is always the winner — for extra flavor, just throw a slice of lemon or lime in the bottle. For a sweeter choice, add in a 4 or 6-ounce 100% fruit juice. If the meal doesn’t already include dairy foods like cheese or yogurt, low-fat milk is another option. For a once-or-twice-a-week treat, my son gets a reduced-fat chocolate milk. Big no’s: sodas, juice-flavored drinks, packaged iced teas, lemonades or other highly-sweetened, bottled beverages.

Here are some more simple ideas that my younger clients love:
• PB & J on whole-wheat bread, a fresh fruit, 1 cup of low-fat milk
• Ham or turkey and 1 slice of low-fat cheese on whole wheat bread, topped with lettuce and tomato (optional: 1 tablespoon of the kids’ favorite condiment)
• Cheese sandwich with 2 slices of cheese and tomato slices
• Grilled chicken wrap with lettuce, tomato and 1 tablespoon of ranch dressing
• Hummus on pita with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on the side
• Vegetable sushi rolls

As for my son’s beloved chicken wrap, it’s a simple mix that we throw together, cut in half and split:
1 8-inch tortilla
4 ounces grilled chicken (even leftovers from the night before work)
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1 tablespoon ranch dressing

Lunch at Home
When eating at home, there’s more of a chance for versatility. Whip up a lightened-up batch of faves like mac and cheese and chicken fingers (please, not the boxed or packaged frozen stuff!). If you’re time-starved on weeknights, set aside time on the weekend to cook up 2 or 3 easy lunches and freeze them in single portions. Label each lunch and let your child choose their own “frozen lunch” every day.

Here are some more lunch ideas to try:
• Mamma’s Mac and Cheese
• Chicken Burgers
• Crispy Chicken Fingers
• Crispy Fish Fingers
• Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
• Sloppy Joes
• Rosemary Vegetable Kabobs
• Buffalo Chicken Wrap
• Vegetable Noodle Soup
• Fruit Salad
• Brown Rice Crispy Treats

TELL US: What’s your kid’s favorite yummy (but still healthy) lunch choice?

“D” For “Deficient”
According to the first national study of its kind, our kids aren’t getting enough vitamin D. An estimated 7.6 million kids between the ages of 1 and 21 are considered deficient by governmental standards. Why is this a big deal? Well, low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The likely culprit for these deficiencies? Kids are watching more TV and going outside less (you get vitamin D from sunlight). Plus, they are drinking more sodas and juice drinks instead of vitamin-fortified milk.

Raising Your Own Chickens
With the recession in full swing, some folks have turned to raising chickens in their backyards to save money by collecting their eggs or using their meat. Not surprisingly, some neighbors aren’t happy about extra noise and are demanding that no-poultry laws be put in place. In some states like Colorado, small flocks (without the noisy roosters) are allowed. As a dietitian and whole food advocate, it’s refreshing to see that people are getting back to those “Little House on the Prairie” days and getting closer to the source of their food. Would you ever raise your own chickens?

“Healthy” Beverages Coming to a Fast-Food Joint Near You
As if there aren’t enough places to get a specialty drink these days, more fast-food joints are serving up new signature drinks like jazzed-up coffees, teas and juices. Yogurt chain Red Mango recently launched three new iced tea drinks, and no doubt you’ve seen all those ads for McDonald’s McCafe line. Mickey D’s also has more specialty smoothies and coffees in the works. Promos for some of these new drinks tout their inclusion of “super foods,” but as I’ve said before, buyer beware — boosted juice drinks are not all they’re cracked up to be.

Is Collagen the Real Fountain of Youth?
A hot new trend in Japan is eating collagen (a.k.a. “nabe” in Japanese), a substance that comes from the protective tissue, skin and bones of animals. Although it looks yellowish, clumpy and utterly unappetizing, Japanese women are falling for claims that the collagen will keep you looking young. Restaurants are cashing in, too. Collagen cocktails are appearing at trendy bars, and folks are even taking liquid collagen supplements. So is collagen really the next fountain of youth? If someone wants to add some to their diet, I say go for it — the body treats it like any other protein and digests it with amino acids. But if you think you’re going to look younger and live longer by eating more of it, that’s doubtful.

Updating Info on Omega-3 Needs
Debate has been brewing around whether omega-3 fats need their own official recommended dosage. There’s been so much hype about omega-3 benefits (heart health, etc.) that you’d think some set recommendations would already exist. Well, omega-3 guidelines are finally in the works. In a paper recently released by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, experts suggest you get a minimum of 500 milligrams per day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We’ve previously explained what omega-3 fats are, how to get your fill and what those complicated names really mean here.

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