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Great Minds Zinc Alike

Recipes to cook, eat and repeat

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WIC Meals of the Month (MOM) is an opportunity for the WIC community to share recipes of their own, or from their favorite resources. This WIC MOM features zinc, an essential vitamin important for normal growth and development, wound healing, making proteins, cell division and cell growth and found in many foods, including those in the WIC food packages. 


We've gathered recipe contributions from the WIC community to add to our collection, or link to, to help you help your participants prepare ama-zinc meals and snacks and make the most of their food packages! 

Start off a great A to Zinc day with a delicious Breakfast Egg Casserole or a Veggie Omelet in a Mug (perfect for a single serving and a meal on the go!).  

Zinc outside the box with zinc-filled snack ideas like White Bean Bruschetta, Spiced Nuts, or Roasted Pumpkin Seeds that provides a kid friendly activity with the bonus of a healthy snack at the end!  

In the mood for a cool and refreshing bite to eat? This fresh and tasty Strawberry, White Bean, and Edamame Salad or a zippy Spicy Shrimp Spinach Salad are sure to please the taste buds! 

Need a hearty, vegetarian dish? Try these zinc-tastic meatless dinner ideas! The Black Bean & Lentil Chili is the perfect warm meal for a cold day. The Meatless Lentil Shepherd’s Pie combines veggies and lentils and is topped with mashed potatoes for a warm and savory one dish meal. 

Have a participant who’s new to using dried beans? Use these tips for cooking dried beans!

Need more ideas? This Chicken Chowder for Two is great for those who aren’t big on using leftovers. Whip up a Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce or use leftover turkey in Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash.

 

Eye on Nutrition: Zinc

Eye on Nutrition Series

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Save the seeds from your baking pumpkin! Loaded with fiber, zinc, phosphorus, and magnesium, pumpkin seeds are a super snack that travels well! Let the kids be hands-on by hunting through the inside of the pumpkin to find as many as seeds as they can!

Breakfast Egg Casserole

This casserole is versatile, easy to prep ahead, and is delicious in the morning for breakfast or even in the evening for dinner. Loaded with zinc, fiber, protein, potassium, choline, and calcium this meal ticks the boxes and is sure to be a pleaser!

Black Bean & Lentil Chili

Enjoy a meatless meal with this simple, warming chili recipe. It’ll keep you warm and satisfied without missing the meat! Loaded with protein, fiber, folate, magnesium, and zinc from the beans and lentils, this is a recipe perfect for cool days.

Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce

Try this tomato-ey tuna pasta bake for an easy-peasy dinner that is sure to please. Made with staple pantry ingredients, this recipe has many kid-approved flavors. Not only a source of zinc, this recipe is also full of protein, fiber, potassium, and magnesium.

Meatless Lentil Shepherd's Pie

A balanced meal doesn’t have to mean a main course and two sides; instead, try this Meatless Lentil Shepherd’s Pie which combines food groups and is a one-dish wonder! This warm and hearty meal is loaded with zinc, fiber, folate, magnesium, protein, and vitamin A.