Cabot® Creamery Cooperative creates ‘The Healthy Kitchen Helper’

Free 'On The Go' Guide to Healthier Eating For The Entire Family

Cabot, VT (March 7, 2012)– Let’s face it, with today’s busy schedules, it’s more challenging than ever to sit down at the table with your entire family for a great home-cooked meal. To help make mealtime easier, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, the farm family owned dairy cooperative best known as “The Makers of the World’s Best Cheddar,” has developed a Healthy Kitchen Helper guide. The printable one-page guide and web page aim to help you plan and serve healthy and delicious home-cooked meals.
 
“We believe there’s no better way to connect with family and friends than sharing a great meal together,” says Candace Karu, Cabot’s Lifestyle Commentator and Favorite Foodie. “Eating a home-cooked meal is often healthier than drive-by dining, and it’s also a great way for families to spend time together and share the experiences of the day.”

Realizing that time is most often the major obstacle that keeps families from sitting together at the dinner table, Cabot’s health team and recipe experts formulated the Healthy Kitchen Helper guide to help families plan their meals in advance, saving time and eliminating the dreaded “what’s for dinner?” angst that seems to hang over every supper table.

“Cooking delicious, nutritious meals at home can be easier than you think and can save money, too,” Karu says. “It takes a little organization, but the results are well worth the effort.”

To make mealtime planning easy, Cabot Registered Dietitian Regan Miller Jones suggests you:

• Keep healthy food staples on hand so you’ll always be able to fix a healthy meal at a moments notice.

• Use a family calendar to plan ahead for the meals you’ll cook at home during the week.

• Use a detailed list of ingredients for the meals you are planning and shop once for the week. Including your children in this process teaches them skills from nutrition to math.

• Cook in batches on the weekend and create “savings account meals” – foods like soups, chili, and casseroles – which can be frozen and used later in the week when there’s not time to cook.

• Plan to shop for healthy snacks, too. Fresh fruit, reduced fat cheese, whole grain pretzels and crackers, and nut butters are all good choices.

By working together to make good food and healthy meals a family affair, you can start your children on the path to a lifetime of healthy eating.

“Research shows that families who eat together, simply eat better,” says Jones. “As a registered dietitian, I often hear parents say the biggest challenge is actually having the ‘right’ ingredients on hand when the dinner-prep crunch time begins. By using Cabot’s Kitchen Helper guide, you can stock your pantry, ‘fridge and freezer with ingredients that easily fit together to form a healthy meal. Knowing that a full pantry awaits makes it easy to pass up the drive-thru and head straight for a quick-fix meal at home.”

“All it takes is a little planning,” Jones adds. “When there’s a choice, go for the low sodium option. If you need it, you can always add salt later. Strive to use 100 percent whole-grain or multi-grain breads, crackers or cereals and pasta whenever possible. I always recommend visiting Cabot’s Recipes & Pairings webpage for great health tips and recipes. Bon appetit!”


ABOUT CABOT CREAMERY COOPERATIVE
Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919, and we make a full line of cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and butter. Best known as makers of “The World’s Best Cheddar,” Cabot is owned by 1200 dairy farm families located throughout New England and upstate New York. For additional information on Cabot Creamery, visit http://www.cabotcheese.coop.

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