Farro with Confetti Vegetables - Video

Source: Harvard Public Health

Needing some inspiration for your kids' school lunches? Well this colorful combination of vegetables with whole-grain farro should fit the bill! It's adaptable for all seasons and substituting olive oil for canola oil is the only edit I suggest. 

The instructions and nutritional information follow, or click on the link to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=m5bIPn8H1nY

Serves 8, as a side

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup farro, uncooked
• Seasonal vegetables, diced (4 vegetables make about 8-10 cups)
  • (Summer: zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, eggplant)
  • (Winter: root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets; and winter squashes: butternut, acorn)
• ¼ cup canola, olive, or other healthy oil
• ¾ tablespoon pepper
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Fresh herbs as available, chopped

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Dice all vegetables into even pieces and set aside.
3. Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then stir in the farro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender (Approximately 40 minutes. Check package for cooking instructions).
4. Meanwhile, toss the diced vegetables in canola oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a baking pan, and roast until browned in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Check every 10 minutes, and toss the vegetables so that they brown evenly.
5. Once the vegetables are fully roasted, fold them into the farro. Add the lemon juice and taste to adjust for seasoning. Add additional salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, to taste.

Nutrition information per serving (1/8 of recipe):

Using summer vegetables and canola oil:

181 calories, 8 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 4 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 52 mg sodium, 365 mg potassium, 8 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 g cholesterol

Using winter vegetables and canola oil:

225 calories, 6 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 7 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 128 mg sodium, 298 mg potassium, 7 g fat (0 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 mg cholesterol

** Naturally occurring sugar

Kids Need Water Not Fruit Juice

Fruit juice may taste great to your child, but it's loaded with sugars that can contribute to adverse health conditions like obesity, tooth decay, and overall poor nutrition. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recent recommendations state that fruit juice should not be given to infants under 12 months of age because it offers no nutritional benefit to them. Water and breast milk should be the preferred drink. 

After 12 months of age, the AAP sates that infants can be given limited amounts of juice each day but advices that for all age groups:

• Fruit juice offers no nutritional benefits over whole fruits. Whole fruits and vegetables have nutrients and fiber while fruit juice is loaded with quick processing sugars (this includes fruit juices that have no sugar added).
• Children should not be given fruit juice at bedtime or as a treatment or management for diarrhea.
• For children ages one through 6 years of age it's still recommended to limit fruit juice to no more than 4 ounces per day. Read the label and make sure it is 100% fruit juice, a lot of juices are loaded with sugar and have very little 'real' juice if any. It should also be pasteurized for safety and don't give juice in a sippy cup or bottle, this is very important for preventing cavities.

These are guidelines — and with any guideline, there may be exceptions (if your child is on an iron supplement, for example, your doctor may want you to give it with orange juice). If you have questions about this recommendation, or anything else about what your child should eat or drink, talk to your pediatrician.

Here is the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on fruit juice: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/139/6/e20170967