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Next time you are shopping in your local supermarket, think about putting some of these super foods in your cart.  Each one on the list provides important health benefits for you and your family. 

1. Apples
2. Avocado
3. Beans
4. Broccoli
5. Carrots
6. Cinnamon
7. Dark Chocolate
8. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
9. Garlic
10. Honey
11. Kiwi Fruit
12. Low Fat Yogurt
13. Oats
14. Onions
15. Oranges
16. Pineapple
17. Pomegranates
18. Pumpkin
19. Soy
20. Spinach
21. Tea
22. Tomatoes
23. Turkey
24. Walnuts
25. Wild Salmon

If some of these foods are unfamiliar, why not resolve to try a new food every week.  There are many online recipe sites you can go to: http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main.aspx and http://www.foodnetwork.com/ are two excellent sites to start at.  Your local library probably has a wonderful selection of cookbooks that you can borrow for free.  Of course, there are some people who just LOVE cookbooks (like me and my sister) and enjoy collecting them because we love seeing how many ways there are to make a particular dish.   If reading this makes you smile in recognition, a trip to new and used bookstores, as well as garage or tag sales can result in finding a cookbook treasure.

How about a dinner menu that’s beautiful to look at, delicious to taste, and contains several of the super foods…so you know it will be bursting with health benefits for you and your family.  Let your children help you prepare the meal and you will reap several other benefits: fussy eaters often eat what they have helped prepare and children gain confidence and develop competence when they master kitchen tasks and skills.

 GRILLED SALMON WITH ORANGE SLICES

You will need: 1 lb salmon fillet, 1 Tb olive oil, 1 Tb dried dill (you can substitute basil or thyme), 1 Tb honey, 1 orange

• Wash the salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towel.
• Mix the olive oil, honey and dill in small bowl and brush some on the salmon, reserving the rest for basting.
• Heat the grill and place the fillet, skin side up, on the grill.
• Grill on low for 5 minutes, turn and baste with the oil/honey/dill sauce.
• Grill an additional 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
• Slice the orange and use it to garnish each serving of salmon.

This should feed 4 people…add some steamed broccoli and multigrain rolls for a Super Food Extravaganza!

Tomorrow…some more reasons to serve your family Super Foods…and the best Carrot Cake recipe ever!