Chef Rick Moonen – December, 2013

Hip4Kids Chef – Rick Moonen

The chef is a noted Culinary Institute of

America graduate, and basically a New York

guy (with a Las Vegas restaurant). His specialty

is seafood, and he is a national celebrity in this

regard. The good chef is a strong advocate for

sustainable fishing and ocean conservation,

and he believes in buying and serving seafood

that comes from abundant populations. “All

our fish are caught or farmed in a way that is

not harmful to the ocean environment or to

other ocean creatures.” www. Rickmoonen.com

“If you haven't got any charity in

your heart, you have the worst

kind of heart trouble”.

… Bob Hope

December Quotation

It’s time to bake the Cookies!

by Chef Christopher Daly…

The best of childhood memories is always

connected to the seven to ten days preceding

Thanksgiving and leading straight through to

Christmas. The cooking that was happening in my

Mom’s kitchen was reaching its full zenith.

This is the time of year for the fond recurring

cookie baking memory, and assisting Mom day in

and day out to get what seemed like cookies in the

millions to everyone on her list.

The packages included some of those all-butter

cookies; or Mom’s famous wreaths; the chocolate

dipped almond cookies; and those wonderful

Linzer Cookies.

My mother is an incredible cook to this day and my

love of food is a direct result of watching her, and

my Grandmother transform basic ingredients into

family feasts. I am forever thankful for those first

hand lessons especially at this time of the year

when we see firsthand that so many people have

so very little.

These days, the model for making cookies for me is

a little different. Hip Snacks was created as a

fundraising idea for Hip4Kids with 14 years of

community service, and we have started baking all

year-round. The spirit and the ingredients are

pretty much the same with one added twist, we fill

Hip Snacks with Chia Seed and this gives the

cookies a terrifically healthy twist.

Hip Snacks is doing lots of demos in Whole Foods

Markets and the guests and workers in the stores

are raving about our quality. Cookies with Chia!? A

Healthy Twist!? Brilliant!!! And the Whole Foods

customers are really up on the benefits of Chia.

Hip Snacks is in a very special place nowadays

where the concept is readily received. We bake

gourmet level cookies with the finest ingredients

available from top shelf organic flours; to Triple A

Shield butter; to Hudson Valley cage free eggs; to

gourmet chips; to organic sea salt; and a healthy

amount of organic chia that provides a huge dose

of Omega 3, and multiple other health benefits.

I call it adding functionality, or creating functional

food, but there is still lots of education to follow

through when we visit venues apart from Whole

Foods.

Some folks notice butter and ask “How could

anything be healthy and have butter? “

My reply is always the same “Have you ever heard

of Vitamins A, D, E and K? (a group of Fat soluble

vitamins available grouped together almost

exclusively in butter) not to mention the minerals

that are great for your health found only in butter?

Did I mention your body cannot process all of the

other vitamins and minerals you need if you do not

get A, D, E & K? More about butter in this issue…

Inevitably I invoke the spirit of Julia Childs or Mom

for good measure who both were always keen to

dismiss any would-be butter naysayer! Julia’s and

Mom’s mantra was a tiny bit goes a long, long

way. To add butter also means we eschew trans-

fat laden chemically induced shortenings that

could never replicate Mom’s or Julia’s flavors,

much less see the shelves of Whole Foods Market.

When people ask about the sugar, I generally tell

them much to their astonishment that “Sugar is

Sugar.” Lactose from milk, fructose from fruit, or

sucrose in table sugar is all the same.

Your body does need sugar and besides, we do not

advocate sitting down to two dozen cookies at a

time. We created the cookie to a size 1.25 oz. to be

the exact portion according to The Harvard Food

Pyramid.

The consumer may also be interested to find the

low glycemic properties in chia would actually

prevent such a craving from having any real follow

through. The real science and chemistry of our

formulas (and chia) are practically innumerable,

but I digress.

In the spirit of one of the best bakers I have ever

known (which includes Mom, Julia Childs and the

terrific people in The Whole Foods Universe.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah,

Happy Kwanza, Happy Holidays, And a

very Happy New Year from Hip4Kids

and Hip Snacks!

I Can’t Believe it’s Butter!

Chef Chris Daly’s healthy cookies generate some interesting feedback. Some folks are demanding to know how a so-called “healthy” cookie could include real butter.

The chef responded accordingly… “Real butter is just another one of the foods that have been vilified by people who have no idea what they are talking about”.

Here is all you have to know – In the past several years, Americans' average saturated fat intake (and your body does need fat) has dropped considerably, while rates of obesity, diabetes, and most definitely heart disease climbed to an all-time high. Margarines are a processed food, created chemically from refined polyunsaturated oils. The process used to make these oils into a spread-able form is called hydrogenation”. Margarine and similar hydrogenated or processed polyunsaturated oils are potentially more detrimental to your health than any saturated fat. The fact of the matter is that people bought into the myth that real butter was somehow dangerous to our health, and the results speak for themselves”.

Organic Valley Stringles® and milk are full of pasture-raised dairy goodness from our family farms. Give them all the good stuff they need — and none of the bad stuff they don’t — to be full and energized, readied to learn all the lessons of the day.

Organic Valley supports Joe Gurrera and Citarella in their effort to support autism research.

G�d nutrition is fundamental.

FUEL THEIR MINDS BYFUEL THEIR MINDS BY

FEEDING THEIR TUMMIESFEEDING THEIR TUMMIES

Berry Good for Your Health and Available Year Round

by Julie Upton

Berries–whether they’re blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or cranberries–are always on dietitians’ must-eat lists. They are truly superfoods for your health. Research shows that berries pack in more antioxidants than most of their fruit peers, which is thought to be why they help protect against heart disease, certain cancers, neurological decline and our constant battle against the bulge.

Antioxidant Powerhouses…

When researchers in Norway conducted a full evaluation of the plant-based foods (herbs and spices; nuts and seeds; fruits and veggies and grains) they found that berries ranked among the richest of all foods–on a per-serving basis.

Of the top antioxidant foods, blackberries ranked the best with a score of 5.7/ serving; with strawberries at 3.6; cranberries, 3.1; raspberries, 2.9; and blueberries, 2.6. For comparison, red wine was 2.2; broccoli, .8 and oranges scored 1.2.

Berries contain a collection of naturally occurring phytochemicals including anthocyanins, which give berries their rich colors and which may be effective against raising harmful blood lipids. Some other of their antioxidant phytonutrients may improve cognitive and motor function as we age and the unique proanthocyanidins in cranberries provide antibacterial-type properties. New research also shows that some anthocyanins present in berries may boost hormones that help increase fat burning and blunt hunger.

Eating berries several times a week can be one of the best things to do for your health. While berries may be best in the summer, you can find fresh domestically-grown strawberries most of the year and cranberries are harvested in the fall, and available through Christmas. Thanks to the new varieties of unsweetened frozen picks at my supermarket, I’m enjoying frozen raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries this winter. Freezing fruit at the peak of ripeness actually helps lock in nutrients and research shows that the beneficial phytonutrients survive freezing.

AFH’s Tips for Getting More Berries In Your Diet

Use frozen berries instead of ice cubes when making smoothies…

Top whole-grain frozen toaster waffles with fresh berries….

Mix berries in to your yogurt or enjoy with your morning cereal…

Add dried berries to the top of your yogurt, trail mix or wild or brown rice side dish…

Julie Upton is a nutrition spokesperson, writer,

author, sister, daughter, registered dietitian,

athlete, muscle confusion advocate, and a pro

sports fanatic. Her site: www.appforhealth.com

Nuts, by Chef Alain

Braux.

Walnuts…

Have you ever noticed how, when shelled and separated in two halves, they look like a miniature

brain? Well, there is a centuries-old theory called the Doctrine of Signatures that suggest that some foods look like the organ they’re supposed to help. So, there you have it, walnuts are good for your brain… and your heart as well. How so? They are the nuts containing the largest amount of cholesterol-friendly omega-3 fatty acids. Amongst many other benefits, omega-3 fatty acids are known to lower triglycerides and reduce plaque formation.

Almonds and Almond Butter…

Almonds are my favorite snack. They’re loaded with fiber and healthy monounsaturated oils. An analysis on a Meta research showed that people with high cholesterol eating almonds regularly showed a 5.3 to 7.2 decrease in total cholesterol levels and to make it even more interesting, lowered their LDL (bad) cholesterol from 6.8 to 10 percent.

Peanuts, which are not really nuts, but a legume, are still a healthy addition to your cholesterol-lowering diet. They contain a good amount of fiber and they have a special polyphenol called p-coumaric acid which is a powerful antioxidant.

www.alainbraux.com

Joel Harper is a celebrity trainer with clients ranging

from Dr. Oz to Olympic Medalists; to 10-year-old kids

just learning to appreciate good health.

Never let a stumble in the road be the end of the journey!

Exercise is Hip4Kids

Help Support HIP4KIDS!

For over fourteen years Hip4Kids has been

delivering Healthy Cooking Demos, Health

Fairs and Educational Programming to children

across the country in an effort to combat

Childhood Obesity and Type II Diabetes.

With our separate after-school formats and free online curriculum, we have delivered educational services to a more than 200,000 children, parents and teachers.

Hip4Kids is recognized by The Internal Revenue Service as a 501 c (3) Educational Company and is recognized by The New York State Attorney General as A Charitable Organization

Your tax-deductible gift is applied directly to employing our student teachers and conducting our Healthy Living & Healthy Cooking Workshops and programs for underserved populations everywhere such as our current Middle School Programming for New York City Public Schools.

With your tax-deductible gift you too can be Hip4Kids! Help Us Make a Difference in Education Today.

Hit www.Hip4Kids.org …… “Ways to Help”

The Real World…

by Bob Bickell

There is a lot more than food to worry about.

In our quest to save the world in terms of what we eat, there is so much more to consider, and I have come to a place where there is too much to consider.

My sister is going through a nightmare, better known as cancer, and in her case, the cause is not surprising. She has been smoking since high-school, and while celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary, she is fighting a disaster that has been in the making for the past fifty years.

This is not the moment where I am going to give you all the negative news and all the bad things that smoking can cause. I do believe that smokers do understand the dangers, but they choose to smoke anyway.

It’s amazing that cigarette smoking is even legal based on what we now know, but I also realize the money involved is apparently too great to even consider a ban on lethal tobacco.

Life comes down to choices, and each and every one of us becomes responsible for our decisions (the good and the bad).

My sister made a terrible decision, and she knows this better than anyone. She is literally fighting for her life, and the outcome is not exactly promising.

For what it’s worth, I urge each and every person who reads this to choose not to smoke in the first place, and if cigarettes are part of your life, take this moment to consider the dire consequences. It’s never too late to quit.

There are times when the “Real World” makes its appearance, and for my family, this is one of them. Stay well…

Have Wonderful Holiday…

And Stay HEALTHY!

www.Hip4Kids.org