March is one of my favorite months: National Nutrition Month. Dietitians are getting out the message of good nutrition through this year’s theme, “Discover Nutrition Anytime, Anywhere.”

You’ll find a nutrition logo on grocery bags at local Rosauers, Excell and Thrift Harvest stores. A supplement to this newspaper in mid-March, written by local experts, will highlight different aspects of nutrition.

The 1995 campaign is designed to help consumers realize that no matter where they eat or buy food, a healthful eating style can be easy, quick and good-tasting.

“In the grocery store, you can discover nutrition in any product you pick up,” explains Michelle Hagan, a registered dietitian and National Nutrition Month co-chairperson for the Greater Spokane Dietetic Association.

By reading a product label, you can decide if the fat, sodium, or fiber content, for example, meets your needs as a healthy food.

Even stopping at an espresso stand for a mocha latte is an invitation to discover nutrition.

“You are still getting a little bit of calcium , even though it doesn’t amount to much,” says Hagan, a dietitian at the Spokane Urban WIC (Women, Infant, Children) program.

Go for the non-fat mocha or the decaf, says Hagan, and you’ve chosen something healthier for your body.

Discover a new taste with Chicken Quesadillas, a tasty Mexican-style entree that’s fun to fold and easy to eat. Serve with a ready-to-eat fruit platter and raw vegetables with dip.

Let’s eat right, America!

Chicken Quesadillas

From “Campbell’s Low-Fat Cooking” (Campbell Soup Company)

1 can (11-3/4 ounces) reduced fat cream of chicken soup

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

2 cans (5 ounces each) canned white or chunk chicken, drained

8 flour tortillas (8-inch size)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix soup, chili powder, cheese and chicken. Place tortillas on 2 baking sheets. Top half of each tortilla with about 1/4 cup soup mixture. Spread to within 1/2-inch of edge. Moisten edges of tortilla with water. Fold over and press edges together.

Bake for 10 minutes or until hot.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Nutrition information per each quesadilla: 249 calories, 14 grams protein, 41 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fat (14 percent fat calories), 25 milligrams cholesterol, 260 milligrams sodium.

xxxx?

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - Five and Fifteen