[poll id="9"] (more…)

Grilled red sweet peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, brushed with balsamic vinaigrette, are stacked on focaccia spread with goat cheese and fat-free cream cheese. Totally veg, this low-cal sandwich is filling enough to serve for dinner.

From: Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

2 large red and/or yellow sweet peppers

2 medium zucchini, halved crosswise and sliced thinly lengthwise

1 medium eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

1 12-inch round purchased focaccia

2 ounces soft goat cheese (chevre)

2 ounces fat-free cream cheese

Directions

1. For the Balsamic-Vinaigrette, combine balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar, water, olive oil, and oregano, in a small bowl.

2. Cut sweet peppers in quarters. Remove stems, membranes, and seeds. Arrange all vegetables on grill rack directly over medium-hot coals; brush with Balsamic-Vinaigrette. Grill, uncovered, until slightly charred, turning occasionally (allow 8 to 10 minutes for peppers and eggplant, and 5 to 6 minutes for zucchini). Cut peppers into strips.

3. Cut focaccia in half crosswise. Split halves into two layers horizontally to form four pieces total. Combine goat cheese and cream cheese, and spread over bottom layers of focaccia; top with some of the sweet pepper, zucchini, and eggplant; place top halves of focaccia over vegetables. To serve, cut each focaccia half into four wedges. Makes 8 main-dish servings.

Menu Suggestion
Make it a meal with dilled potato salad and spumoni ice cream.

Tip
If you like, use 1/3 cup purchased, bottled Italian dressing instead of preparing the Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 201, Total Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 4 mg, Sodium 68 mg, Carbohydrate 32 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 8 g. Daily Values: Vitamin C 107%, Calcium 9%, Iron 5%.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Life gets busy! Between late meetings and fast-approaching deadlines, after-school clubs and team practices, it can be tough to get some face time with your family. Parents leave take-out menus on the dining room table and kids get accustomed to grab n’ go meals. With so many commitments, it’s no small wonder that family meal times have fallen by the wayside.

So what’s the big deal? Is it really worth all the effort of rearranging schedules, rescheduling meetings, and even canceling certain appointments just to get everyone around the dinner table? According to research conducted by CASA, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, it could make all the difference in the lives of your children. Did you know that the more often children and teens eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, and use drugs? And that’s not all! Children and teens who have frequent family dinners (5-7 dinners per week):

• Are at half the risk for substance abuse compared to teens who dine with their families infrequently.
• Are less likely to have friends or classmates who use illicit drugs or abuse prescription drugs.
• Have lower levels of tension and stress at home.
• Are more likely to say their parents are proud of them.
• Are likelier to say they can confide in their parents.
• Are likelier to get better grades in school.
• Are more likely to be emotionally content and have positive peer relationships.
• Have healthier eating habits.
• Are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide.
• Are less likely to try marijuana or have friends who use marijuana.

With statistics like this, it’s hard to deny the staggering impact family meals have upon our children. And believe it or not, 24% of teens desire more frequent family dinners! And this number increases to 52% amongst teens who have fewer than three dinners with their families in a typical week. So what’s stopping you?

Though rearranging full schedules can seem a daunting task, your family will reap the benefits both in the short and long term!
By Maureen Boswell, RD, CSO, CD, CDE, ASCM HFS

“Parents make up a child’s entire universe.” –Mister Rogers

Data taken from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
“The Importance of Family Dinners II”, September 2005