Molly Morgan, our registered dietician, is the author of To Your Healthy Life.Style. Here you'll find past month's articles containing helpful advice and information on healthy eating, dairy foods, and Crowley products.

Kick Up Your Calcium!

Here are 20 simple ways to get enough calcium by making Crowley part of your life, whatever your style.

1.  Have at least one 8-ounce glass of Crowley Lowfat or Fat Free Milk with every meal.

2.  When you are serving vegetables at a meal, instead of butter, sprinkle the vegetables with shredded Heluva® Good cheese. (Any flavor tastes great).

3.  Make milk fun - next time you are searching for an idea to serve to kids, teens, or even grown ups, serve up a tray of colorful Crowley Lowfat Milk. All you have to do is put a few drops of food coloring into each glass to add the color, and best of all, you will be serving your guests one of their calcium servings for the day.

4.  When traveling, grab Heluva® Good Real Cheese Snack Part-Skim String Cheese for a snack in the car, instead of a candy bar. You will be packing in bone building calcium!

5.  Sneak in some calcium on your dinner table with this simple recipe:

Bone Building Broccoli

Serving Comment: 1/4 of recipe
Servings: 4
Calories/Serving: 160

INGREDIENTS
1 bag of frozen broccoli florettes (thawed)
1 teaspoon of butter
2 teaspoons of all-purpose flour
1 cup of Crowley Fat Free Milk
4 oz. Crowley Light Sour Cream
2 oz. Heluva Good White Cheddar Cheese

Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan, once it is melted stir in the flour. Then add the milk and bring to a boil, and then boil one minute more. Add the broccoli, sour cream, and shredded cheese and heat.

Nutrition information per serving:
160 calories, 8 grams of fat (4 grams saturated fat), 14 grams of carbohydrates (5 grams of fiber), 11 grams of protein, 250 mg calcium (25% DV), and 117 mg vitamin C (195% DV)

6.  Did you know? Some vegetables provide calcium. In fact, broccoli provides about 90 mg of calcium per cup. Instead of potato chips, try having some broccoli with Crowley Sour Cream and Onion Dip and Dressing.

7.  When you are reaching for a drink next time you are traveling, grab an icy cold Crowley GrabbaT Milk to quench your thirst for the trip! GrabbaT Milk is available in lowfat chocolate, whole milk, and lowfat strawberry. (By the way, the lowfat chocolate is Molly Morgan's favorite flavor!)

8.  If you would like to evaluate your intake and check to make sure you are getting enough calcium, check out this site from the National Academy of Sciences: http://www.eatsmart.org/games/c_calculator/

9.  Have you tried Crowley's award-winning cottage cheese? This year, Crowley Cottage Cheese won both gold and silver medals at the New York State Fair. Crowley won in every style of cottage cheese in the dairy competition! Cottage cheese is great for breakfast with some fruit.

10.  Lunch idea - buy a one-cup single serving container and fill it with Crowley Cottage Cheese and a teaspoon of your favorite jelly. The jelly adds a little flavor and is a tasty new way to have cottage cheese.

11.  Creamsicle Drink - blend diet orange soda with Crowley Lowfat or Fat Free Milk for a refreshing light and bubbly treat.

12.  Yogurt Sundae - if you are watching your waistline try a yogurt sundae. Simply choose any flavor of Crowley Lowfat, Nonfat or No Sugar Added Yogurt and top it with fruit, sprinkles, and Crowley Aerosol Light Whipped Cream for a health-filled treat.

13.  Help your heart with Crowley Skim Deluxe Milk. The best part about Crowley Skim Deluxe Milk is that it tastes like 2% reduce fat milk, but has NO FAT! This is perfect for those in your family that have to watch their fat intake but dislike the consistency or flavor of fat free milk.

14.  Next time you need to bring a snack to a gathering bring cheese with a platter of assorted Heluva® Good cheeses and fruit.

15.  Here is a quick and simple recipe that uses Crowley Cottage Cheese. This recipe is especially great if someone you are cooking for dislikes the texture of cottage cheese.

Cottage Delight

Serving Comment: 1/6 of recipe
Servings: approximately 6
Calories/Serving: 165

INGREDIENTS
1 container of light whipped topping
1 - 16 oz. Crowley Nonfat Pineapple Cottage Cheese
1 - 16 oz. Crowley Lowfat Cottage Cheese
1 package of orange gelatin (Sugar free is okay too!)

In a mixing bowl, combine the whipped topping, Crowley Cottage Cheese, and the gelatin. Stir until combined. Chill about 20 minutes (or more) before serving.

Nutrition information per serving:
165 calories, 5 grams of fat (3 grams saturated fat), 10 grams of carbohydrates (0 grams of fiber), 20 grams of protein, and 120 mg calcium (12% DV)

16.  Picky eaters? Try offering chopped up vegetables or baby carrots with some Crowley Sour Cream and Onion Dip and Dressing. Adding some dip can help the vegetables go down, in the most delightful way!

17.  Here is a breakfast on the go idea: Crowley Lowfat, Nonfat or No Sugar Added Yogurt. Yogurt requires no preparation and can easily be eaten while you are getting ready to start your day. And good news! Research shows that breakfast eaters weigh less than breakfast skippers.

18.  Looking for a simple side dish for dinner tonight? Give this a try! It goes great with almost any entrée.

Baked Tomatoes

Serving Comment: 1/4 of recipe
Servings: 4
Calories/Serving: 393

INGREDIENTS
4 plum tomatoes
2 cup of breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp. of garlic powder
4 Tbsp. of olive oil
8 small slices of Heluva Good Cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Slice the plum tomatoes in half, lengthwise. Place with juicy side up in a deep baking dish. In a mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, and olive oil. Once combined (it will be crumbly) place a tablespoon of the mixture on top of each tomato slice. Bake for about 15 minutes until the breadcrumb mixture starts to brown. Then add a thin slice of Heluva Good Cheese (e.g. cheddar or mozzarella) and return to oven until cheese is melted.

Nutrition information per serving: 393 calories, 18 grams of fat (2 grams saturated fat), 46 grams of carbohydrates (3 grams of fiber), 13 grams of protein, and 166 mg calcium (17% DV)

19.  Make your own rocky road treat!Take one cup of Crowley Lowfat, Nonfat or No Sugar Added Vanilla Yogurt and add peanuts and dried fruit (e.g. raisins) for your very own version of rocky road.

20.  Pudding is a great snack and is easy to make! Pick up a box of instant pudding mix in any flavor and make it with Crowley Lowfat or Fat Free Milk. One cup of pudding provides about 300 mg of calcium!

Crowley Calcium Calculator

Do you know how much calcium you need everyday? Here are the recommended daily requirements by age, and examples of Crowley products that will help you meet those requirements.

For 1-3 years old

You need 500 mg of calcium & that could look like…

For 4-8 years old

You need 800 mg of calcium & that could look like…

For 9 - 18 years old

You need 1,300 mg of calcium & that could look like…

For 19 - 50 years old

You need 1,000 mg of calcium & that could look like…

For 51+ years old

You need 1,200 mg of calcium & that could look like…

RESOURCES:

• Calcium calculator. Visit the National Academy of Sciences web site.
• CDC - Sources of calcium.
• Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. US Department of Health and Human Services. US Department of Agriculture. See full document.

The information provided on our Web site is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, or cure an illness. Before starting a diet or exercise program, Crowley recommends you talk with your health care provider for consultation on what is right for you and your health.

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