Back to School Health Tips

It's that time of year - the kids are headed back to school.  Back to more interactions with other kids which can lead to being exposed to more germs and illnesses.  Check out these tips from Yahoo! on ways to help your children avoid excessive colds & illnesses this school year.

http://voices.yahoo.com/8-simple-back-school-health-tips-parents-4052075.html

Veggie Pizza

Try this healthy delicious veggie pizza! This recipe is a great way to maximize the use of the veggies in your garden or roadside stands that you may pass on the way home.

Ingredients

•             1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough

•             2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms

•             1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini

•             1/4 teaspoon black pepper

•             1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced

•             1 medium red onion, cut into thick slices

•             5 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

•             1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

•             1/3 cup tomato sauce

•             1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

•             1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

•             1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

•             2 tablespoons small fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. Position an oven rack in the lowest setting; place a pizza stone on rack. Preheat oven to 500°.

2. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes.

3. Combine mushrooms and next 4 ingredients (through onion) in a large bowl; drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Toss. Arrange vegetables on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes.

4. Punch dough down. Sprinkle a lightly floured baking sheet with cornmeal; roll dough out to 15-inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Brush dough with 1 teaspoon oil. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce; top with vegetables. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and red pepper over zucchini mixture. Dollop with ricotta. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone. Bake at 500° for 11 minutes or until crust is golden. Sprinkle with basil.

Susan Russo, Cooking Light

APRIL 2011

~ Jean Sauder

Garlic-Ginger Chicken Thighs

From the Food Network

2 pounds skin-on, boneless chicken thighs

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup fresh tangerine or orange juice

Freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil, for the grill

Directions

Combine the chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, juice and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal and shake to coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat a grill to medium high and oil the grate. Grill the chicken skin-side down until marked, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and continue to grill until cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

~Kari McCauley