Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition

Amy Stinnett's LiveOK- A candid look at living in Oklahoma.

Did your mom ever make salmon patties for dinner? Mine did. Maybe you’ve made them for your family. OR maybe you’ve never enjoyed one of these delectable things.

Salmon patties are so simple and perfect for a healthy, low-cost family dinner. I found a great recipe on the www.choosemyplate.gov website along with a couple of other fun recipes to add fruits and vegetables to your menu.

The dessert is Lemon Velvet Supreme. I suggest making this first, so it can chill as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups vanilla yogurt, fat-free

3 tablespoons instant, lemon pudding mix

8 squares graham crackers, crushed

1 can (4 ounces) mandarin orange slices, drained (or your favorite fruit- um, pineapple!)

Preparation:

1. Combine vanilla yogurt and pudding mix; gently stir together.

2. Layer bottom of serving dish with crushed graham crackers.

3. Pour pudding mixture over cracker crumbs.

4. Top with mandarin orange slices or your favorite fruit.

 

Next, make your salad and salad dressing. The “Outtasight Salad” sounded yummy. Here it is:

 

Serving Size: 1 cup

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups salad greens of your choice

1 cup chopped vegetables (ex: tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green beans)

1 cup juice-packed pineapple chunks, drained, or fresh orange segments

¼ cup Dressing (see below)

2 tablespoons raisins or dried cranberries

2 tablespoons chopped nuts, any kind (or try slivered almonds)

Preparation:

1. Put mixed salad greens on a large platter or in a salad bowl.

2. In a large bowl, mix chopped vegetables and pineapple or orange segments.

3. Add dressing and stir.

4. Spoon mixture over salad greens.

5. Top with raisins and nuts.

Dressing:

¼ cup yogurt, nonfat, plain or fruit-flavored

1 tablespoon orange juice

1½ teaspoons white vinegar

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

While your salad is chilling, get ready to make your Salmon Patties.

 

Serving Size: 1/9 of recipe

Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients:

1 can (15½ ounces) salmon, drained

1 cup whole-grain, crushed cereal or crackers

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup 1% milk

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I prefer extra virgin olive oil)

Preparation:

1. Use a fork or clean fingers to flake salmon until very fine.

2. Crumble cereal or crackers into crumbs.

3. Add cereal or cracker crumbs, eggs, milk, and pepper to salmon.

4. Mix thoroughly.

5. Shape into 9 patties.

6. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

7. Carefully brown both the sides until patty is thoroughly cooked.

These are very simple recipes. They’re also cheap and delicious.

This would be a great way to get your kids in the kitchen and teach them the importance of a balanced meal. For the lemon velvet supreme, let everyone choose their favorite fruit. It’d be a great conversation starter. Ask the kids why that’s their favorite. Same goes for the salad. Let them help you choose the vegetables. Then tell them all the good this yummy food will do for their bodies.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Click on the image above for more recipes that load your plate with nutrients.