Eating on the run? Healthy options are out there
I'm all for cooking at home with fresh vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. But I'm also a mom and a realist. I realize that work, sports and school activities prevent me from making healthy dinners for my family every night of the week. So some nights we (gasp) get fast food.
Guess what? You can eat healthy at fast-food joints and fast-casual restaurants (the dining category between McDonald's and Applebee's, where food is made to order sans a waitstaff). Eight of the 10 chains featured in Health.com's review have outposts in the suburbs.
Panera Bread topped the list, earning kudos for its whole-grain breads, and half-sized soups and salads that keep portions in check. My sons like the kids meals, particularly the all-natural peanut butter sandwich and the grilled cheese on whole-grain white bread that comes with yogurt sticks. Yes, you've got to summon all your willpower as you pass by the pastry case. And stay away from the Sierra Turkey.
Health.com also applauded Noodles & Co. for its whole-wheat pasta, Chipotle for its tortilla-less burrito bowls, Einstein Bros. for the fiber-filled Veg Out bagelwich and Corner Bakery for its healthful breakfast menu items, like the Farmer's Scramble (pictured).
Surprisingly, McDonald's made the list, albeit at No. 8, with high marks for apple slices and low-fat milk options for kids as well as the grilled chicken sandwiches and snack wraps (if you hold the sauce and mayo).
Meatless meals with a mission: Whether you mark the Lenten season with meatless meals, prayer and fasting or whether you're looking for a way to raise hunger awareness in your family, you'll want to check out Operation Rice Bowl.
Catholic Relief Services' annual Lenten initiative combines simple recipes from developing countries with an opportunity to learn about hunger and poverty. Each week, you and your family prepare a simple meal and put the money you save into a symbolic rice bowl, then donate the funds to CRS' mission to fight global hunger.
Operation Rice Bowl recipes are meatless, contain only a few ingredients and rely on foods that are most abundant in developing countries. The program also includes an educational component, sharing stories of people in developing countries who have benefited from the funds raised.
This year the site, orb.crs.org/features/recipes, highlights dishes from Egypt, the Philippines, Honduras, Ghana and Tanzania. Recipes from previous Lenten seasons also are available.
Garden show chefs: Chefs Mychael Bonner of Reel Club in Oak Brook, Daniel Ovanin of Glen Prairie in Glen Ellyn and Bob Vorachek of Don Roth's Blackhawk in Wheeling will share recipes and cooking tips during the Chicago Flower & Garden Show Saturday, March 7, to Sunday, March 15 at Navy Pier in Chicago.
The three join an impressive roster of area chefs and food experts who will present cooking demonstrations at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. each day at the show's Garden Gourmet stage. The demos are included with the price of admission.
Other chefs scheduled to appear include Gale Gand of Tru, Michael Fiorello of Mercat de la Planxa, and Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith, Chicago caterers and hosts of Food Network's "Party Line With the Hearty Boys." A full schedule is available at chicagoflower.com; click "Garden Gourmet."
The Chicago Flower & Garden Show runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and until 6 p.m. on Sundays. Adult tickets cost $14 weekends; $12 weekdays. Tickets for children 12 and younger cost $5 every day. Get tickets at chicagoflower.com (no service fee assessed) or at the door.
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food trends, recipes and restaurants on Restaurant Radio Chicago, 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.