"Mom, What's for Dinner?"

Crunchy chicken fingers, eggrolls, pizza, and pasta may not sound like healthy meals, but luckily they can be. Keep the Beat™ Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Family Meals, a new cookbook from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), contains 40 kid-tested healthy and delicious recipes created for the NHLBI by a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef/instructor and father of two, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health's We Can!^® program.

The family-friendly cookbook features:

• Deliciously healthy entrées, side dishes, and snacks that appeal to both children (including picky eaters) and adults.
• Recipes that are quick, easy, budget friendly, and multicultural.
• Symbols that help identify the types of recipes, such as "leftover friendly."
• Tips to show children how to prepare recipes with the help of parents and caregivers.

Visit the NHLBI Online Catalog to order your free copy today.

Note: Limit one copy per customer while supplies last.

Download Healthy Eating Resources

The Keep the Beat™: Deliciously Healthy Eating Web site features recipes from the new Family Meals cookbook and the popular Keep the Beat™ Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Dinners cookbook. New resources include menu planning ideas, cooking tips, hints on how to get kids involved in the kitchen, and food safety information.

Check back soon as the site will soon feature new cooking videos with the chef and his children that show how easy the recipes are to prepare, a "Recipe Share" button, and a feedback widget. Join the NHLBI Facebook page for the latest updates and news, and to share your ideas about the recipes.

Buttons and Bows Pasta

This light and lemon-y meal is a refreshing change to the same old pasta.

Recipe source: Keep the Beat™ Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Family Meals

Ingredients

2 C dry whole-wheat bowtie pasta (farfalle) (8 oz)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
1 bag (16 oz) frozen peas and carrots
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, rinsed, dried, and chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 medium lemon, rinsed, for 1 tsp zest (use a grater to take a thin layer of skin off the lemon)
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil over high heat.
2. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Cook until soft, but not browned.
4. Add peas and carrots. Cook gently until the vegetables are heated through.
5. In a bowl, combine chicken broth and cornstarch. Mix well. Add to pan with vegetables, and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 1 minute.
6. Add parsley, pasta, lemon zest, and pepper. Toss gently, and cook until the pasta is hot.
7. Serve 2 cups of pasta and vegetables per portion.

Yield: 4 servings
Serving size: 2 C pasta and vegetables

™Keep the Beat is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
®We Can! Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition, We Can!, and the We Can! logos are registered trademarks of HHS.
We Can! is a national education program designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities tools, tips, and strategies to help children stay at a healthy weight.