Tips and Recipes

Kids Eat Right Month

August is a big month to recognize nutrition for youth health. A healthy diet is important for children and adolescents because it promotes needed growth and development and it prevents health problems later in life. To recognize Kids Eat Right Month, here are some tips for helping your children eat right every day:
 Quick Breakfasts
Most school-aged children are awake for school early in the morning, making it difficult to eat a good breakfast, or even eat breakfast at all. Set your children up for success from the start of their days by giving them nutritious breakfast options. Try to include a fruit or vegetable, whole grain (such as whole wheat toast, cereal, or an English muffin), and source of protein (such as eggs, milk, or yogurt) or unsaturated fat (such as nuts, avocado, and plant-based oils). Here are a few breakfast ideas to get you started:

• Whole wheat toast with a plant-based oil (such as olive oil) and a piece of fruit
• Overnight oats or oatmeal with fruit and nuts
• Hard-boiled egg with a piece of fruit and a whole grain muffin
• Whole grain English muffin with chopped fruit and peanut butter
• Whole grain pancakes (made ahead of time) with chopped fruit and peanut butter
• Whole grain cereal with nonfat or low-fat milk and a piece of fruit
• Nonfat or low-fat yogurt with fruit and nuts
• Omelet with vegetables and a piece of fruit
• Egg burrito with a whole wheat tortilla, black beans, scrambled eggs, and vegetables
• Egg sandwich with a whole grain English muffin, egg, and slice of low-fat cheese

You may think eggs take too long to cook in the morning, but there are ways to make it easier to eat eggs for breakfast. One way is to bake eggs in a muffin tin in advance and refrigerate them until you’re ready to reheat them. Also, you can cook scrambled eggs in the microwave instead of on the stovetop. If you like hard-boiled eggs, you can make a whole batch in advance and refrigerate them. Hard-boiled eggs make a great choice any time of the day!
At-School or Packed Lunches
Whether your child brings a lunch from home or eats school-provided lunch, there are many ways your child can get the nutrition they need to keep them nourished and focused. When packing a lunch, pack it the night before and refrigerate it so the lunchbox is cold when your child leaves for school, saving valuable time in the morning! Also, choose an insulated, soft-sided lunchbox and use frozen ice packs to keep cold foods cold. Use an insulated container like a thermos for hot foods like soup. If possible, have your children refrigerate cold foods once they get to school.
When packing a lunch for your child, try and include foods that don’t need to be microwaved since the school may not provide a microwave to students. Sandwiches are an easy and versatile lunch choice. Use whole wheat sandwich bread, whole wheat pita bread, or a whole wheat tortilla. Try spreads like hummus, mustard, and mashed avocado instead of mayonnaise. Look for low-sodium deli meats and low-fat cheeses. Go for as many vegetables as your child likes, such as tomatoes, greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula, Swiss chard), bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, and onions. For peanut butter and jelly, go “light” on the jelly or use fresh fruit to reduce sugar intake. For “salad” sandwiches like tuna or chicken salad, use low-fat mayonnaise and swap some of the mayonnaise for plain low-fat yogurt. In addition to a sandwich, put other foods in their lunch to get all 5 food groups and keep them full through the afternoon. This might include a piece of fruit, raw vegetables (such as carrots, celery, and broccoli), low-fat or non-fat yogurt, peanut butter, hummus, and whole grain crackers.
When buying lunch at school, children should avoid choosing packaged foods like chips and cookies. Encourage kids to choose grilled or baked protein options over fried, and load up on vegetables and fruits. Also, encourage them to choose drinks like water or milk instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.
After-School Snacks
With hungry children and teens coming home from school, be prepared with nutritious snacks that won’t spoil their dinner. Try a homemade trail mix with whole grain cereal or pretzels, nuts or seeds, and dried fruit. You can also pop your own popcorn (or buy low-fat, low-salt popcorn) and add seasonings and spices instead of salt, such as grated Parmesan cheese, chili powder, and cinnamon. For a cold treat, make a smoothie with low-fat yogurt and frozen fruit. Keep ready-to-eat vegetables like chopped celery and cucumber in the refrigerator that are convenient for children to grab and eat after school. Likewise, keep whole pieces of fruit on hand such as apples, bananas, oranges, and pears. Whole grain crackers with low-sodium deli meat and low-fat cheese are a more nutritious alternative to pre-packaged snack combinations.
Having children participate in preparing food is a great way to encourage them to try the food you make. Fruit salsa can be made in advance and children can help prepare it–and it tastes great with homemade cinnamon crisps!
Family Dinners
Dinnertime is a great time to get kids involved with cooking. As with any meal or snack, have your children play a role in shopping, deciding what to eat, and preparing the food to encourage them to eat the nutritious foods you buy. Preschoolers can help with gathering kitchen tools and ingredients, measuring ingredients, and mixing things together. Show them the recipe along the way to get them acquainted with following a recipe before they learn how to read. Young school-aged children can start learning how to use a plastic knife. Have them help cut softer fruits and vegetables like bananas and mushrooms instead of harder ones like apples and carrots. This is also a good age to have children start setting the dinner table for you. Pre-teens and teens, with enough practice, may be able to cook whole meals on their own, or can at least assist with most steps involved in making dinner.
Eating dinner as a family can help children do better in school, promote high self-esteem, lower risk of obesity, and much more! It’s also a great opportunity to teach children table manners and how to have a conversation without cell phones and other electronics involved. Eating nutritious, satisfying foods is important for your children’s health, but the time spent eating with your family is also a key part of their health, so try and eat together as a family every night.
Remember to set a good example for your children. Model healthy eating, physical activity, and getting enough sleep to encourage them to do the same. You’re their biggest role models–take advantage of this and help them eat right!

Peach Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups fresh peaches, peeled and chopped (about 2 large peaches)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red pepper or jalapeno (if you like a little heat)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve over chicken or fish.
 
Adapted from Cooking Light

Healthy Eating on a Busy Schedule

Life can get pretty hectic with family, work, school, and other responsibilities. This makes it challenging to prioritize our health. To make it easier to have a healthy diet in the midst of a busy schedule, try these ideas and tips:

• Meal Planning: Schedule time each week to plan what meals you’ll eat that week and your grocery list. Consider the rainbow of fruits and vegetables every week as you plan. This will help ensure you’re getting a variety of nutrients, as each color offers different nutrients your body needs. Also, use weekly grocery store ads and plan meals around what’s on sale. Have a list of your family’s go-to meals that you enjoy. Start with some of those meals each week and plan your other meals around those meals. You can try theme meals such as Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Fish Friday, and others that can help you think of a variety of nutritious meals to cook that week. Use a meal planning template like this one to make meal planning easier.
• Organization & Keeping Stock: Shuffling through your refrigerator and pantry takes time. Keep your food storage organized so you know exactly what food you have on hand, saving valuable time. You can pick up pantry staples when they are on sale to build up your stock and be prepared to cook a meal on short notice. Here are some foods to keep on hand:
  • Pantry: oats, brown rice, canned beans, whole wheat pasta, lentils, canned tomato sauce, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned tuna or salmon, canned chicken, low-sodium soup, nuts and seeds, dried fruit, white vinegar, olive oil, vegetable oil, ground black pepper, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, chili powder, ground ginger, basil, oregano, onion powder, non-stick cooking spray, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour
  • Refrigerator: fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese, salad greens, yogurt, low-fat mayonnaise, low-sodium soy sauce
  • Freezer: chicken, lean ground beef, whole wheat bread, frozen fruit, frozen vegetables
• Prep in Advance: When possible, prepare meals and snacks in advance. For example, snacks like trail mix and hard-boiled eggs can be made in advance and enjoyed throughout the week. When you cook foods like dried beans and brown rice that take longer to cook, cook double and refrigerate or freeze the leftovers. Cut up vegetables like carrots, celery, and cucumber that can be eaten raw and store in containers in the fridge for an easy snack.
• Use Leftovers: Keep leftovers in the front of the fridge where you’ll remember to use them. Rather than throwing out those leftovers that you don’t know what to do with, combine them with another food to make a meal. Doing this saves money because you’re not throwing away the food you bought. For example, use leftover mixed vegetables in an omelet.
• Slow Cooker: Take advantage of a slow cooker, which can do all the cooking of a meal for you. Set up your meal in the morning before work and dinner will be ready for you when you get home at the end of the day. You can also use a slow cooker to cook individual parts of a meal, such as shredded chicken or dry beans. If you use your slow cooker to make red kidney beans, make sure you boil them on the stovetop before finishing cooking in a slow cooker.

When your life gets busy, don’t let healthy eating be another source of stress. Keep it simple with useful tips like these to make healthy eating for your family as easy as possible.
-Cara

Fresh-Made Salsa

• ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, or juice from half a lime
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved or 1 ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon cumin

Directions

1. Rinse and cut onion, pepper, cilantro, and lime.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add some reserved tomato liquid to thin salsa if desired.
4. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to 24 hours to allow flavors to blend.

 
Source: Cooking with EFNEP
 

Preparing Your Preschooler for Kindergarten

Your child’s toddler and preschool years are the time to prepare them for kindergarten. While kindergarten may seem far off, there are many factors that go into kindergarten readiness, including gross and fine motor skills, that your child should be developing as they grow. Motor skills are related to your child’s physical abilities and muscular development, making them great skills to practice during play.

Examples of gross motor skills are running and jumping, while fine motor skills involve smaller finger movements like holding a pencil. Activities to help develop these skills include the following:

• Popping Bubbles: chasing after bubbles and trying to pop them helps with fine motor development.
• Monkey Bars: climbing on monkey bars helps children develop muscle strength.
• Kicking and Throwing a Ball: kicking a ball helps with balance and throwing a ball helps with coordination.
• Simon Says: leading your children in Simon Says, you can have them do movements that help with motor development, such as side bends, touch toes, and jumping jacks.
• Obstacle Course: set up an obstacle course with any materials available to you, such as a hula hoop for children to jump in and out of.
• Hopscotch: going back and forth between hopping on one foot and two feet can help with balance and coordination.

Motor development is just one aspect of kindergarten readiness. To learn more about preparing for kindergarten, visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/2011/08/helping-children-prepare-for-k.html and http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/kindergarten-readiness/art-20048432?pg=1

Tell us what activities you try with your children!