Moms' Meal Makeovers
by Janice N. Bissex, MS, RD

Janice Bissex, speaker, nutrition consultant, mom and co-author of the Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way Your Family Eats One Meal at a Time, shares tips for helping time-crunched moms keep nutrition front and center.

What is a meal makeover?

It's streamlining favorites so they're healthier, easier, and also tasty, because flavor is number one. Let's say you are making tacos. Instead of sautéing the meat with taco seasoning mix, use a lean ground meat, 90 percent or higher, to reduce the saturated fat, and spices from the cupboard to lower the sodium. Add a can of black beans that has been rinsed to get rid of about 40 percent of the sodium. Then we add some salsa, some pre-shredded cheeses, cumin and chili powder. The cheese makes it a delicious filling, and you've tripled the fiber and boosted the calcium and antioxidants while lowering the fat and sodium. It's thinking of small things you can do to make every meal and snack a little bit healthier.

What's your 5-step Meal Makeover model?

• First, start somewhere. Don't strive for A-plus all of the time. Instead, make small changes that have a big impact.

• Second, market nutrition to kids. Make food taste good and be a role model. For example, add flavor to broccoli with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese, and eat it yourself.

• Next, establish food rules. We have no problem setting rules about brushing teeth and wearing seat belts, but for some reason, we're reluctant when it comes to food. Decide what's appropriate for your family and set rules that are realistic and enforceable.

• Fourth, streamline time in the kitchen. Think smart, get organized, and have a shopping list and a well-stocked pantry so you can work efficiently. Use convenience foods, but use them wisely.

• Last, eat together as a family. Research shows that families that eat together have healthier diets. Turn off the TV. It's a distraction for everyone.

Let's start with Step 1. How do we start?

Take it one step at a time. Our book has a section called "Five Weeks to Change," and you change one thing every week. The first week you might add an extra serving of vegetables to your family's diet. The second week you might add a healthy beverage — drinking milk with dinner instead of a soda or sugary drink for example. The next week it might be eating an extra high-fiber grain each day. Every week it's one change. Together, they have a big impact.

It's 6 o'clock and you haven't a clue what's for dinner. What do you do?

Have foods in the pantry you can turn to for a fast meal in minutes. If your kitchen is bare, your options are fairly limited. For example, tortellini with broccoli pesto. You cook the tortellini, which takes 5 minutes. Cook the broccoli right in with the tortellini and drain them both. I use frozen broccoli if I don't have fresh. I add Parmesan cheese and a little olive oil and I'm done. My kids love it, and it took me 10 minutes. Find five or six fast meals that your family likes. Once you start, you'll begin thinking out of the box. Don't be afraid to be creative and substitute or add different things. If your child doesn't like peas, substitute green beans.

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