Getting the right amount of calcium
June is National Dairy Month. That’s pretty exciting for the dairy industry because it has an opportunity to tout its product.
But the average consumer should also see the benefits of promoting dairy products in his or her diet.
Studies have shown dairy products are an essential part of any diet. It is recommended every person consume at least three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt every day.
Dairy products contain essential nutrients that help people better manage their weight, reduce the risk of high blood pressure and help prevent osteoporosis and certain cancers. In fact, an eight-ounce serving of milk contains calcium, potassium, protein, vitamins A, C and D, and iron.
With summer just around the corner (although it’s felt like summer is already here this past week), I can think of many super ways to get milk into a diet.
How about ice cream? There are so many different ways to eat that.
And if you’re concerned about fat, you can eat frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream. The possibilities are endless.
Having a barbecue? Throw a slice of cheese on that burger.
Too hot to cook? How about a nice cool salad with grated cheese and a sour cream-based dressing?
You can even start the day with a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk. Add a serving of toast or muffin with butter and you’re good to go.
OK, so I’ve just mentioned four ways to add milk to one day’s worth of meals. I could keep going, but I want to share one of the ways I’ve added milk to my children’s diets.
I suppose it’s a coincidence, but I found myself with a big container of leftover rice. I could have thrown it away – after all, rice is cheap – but I hate to do that. I’d rather find a use for it.
When my kids were little, they would eat leftover rice for breakfast the next morning. They would sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon and pour milk on top. They really enjoyed it as a change from boxed cereals.
This time, I chose to find a recipe for rice pudding that would use all that rice … or most of it, anyway.
I dug through all those cookbooks on my shelf and found quite a variety of recipes. Every one of them was different.
One recipe called for two tablespoons of rice. Well, that wasn’t going to even begin to use up all that rice.
Other recipes required so much work I was ready to throw it out just from reading them.
My son’s girlfriend did a quick search on the Internet and up popped this easy and yummy recipe, so we will use this one any time we have leftover rice from now on.
Easy rice pudding
2 cups cooked rice
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup raisins
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Place rice in bowl, add all ingredients, stir to mix. Pour into greased baking dish or pan. Bake about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
It doesn’t get much easier than that. Plus, this recipe uses two cups of leftover rice!
Writing this column each week is really fun and I’d love it if readers would share their recipes, especially if there is a little story behind them.
I can be contacted at labordi@hotmail.com.
I didn't know June was diary month. Interesting. Thanks for changing.
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