Tips and Recipes

Herb Dip

Makes about 1 ½  cups
Ingredients:

• 1 cup cottage cheese, low-fat
• 4 tablespoons yogurt, low-fat plain (1/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon onion (chopped, or chives)
• 1 teaspoon parsley (dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon dill (dried)

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend all the ingredients thoroughly.
3. Pour the mixture into a clean container.
4. Cover and chill.

Musical Chairs

Musical Chairs is an exciting game you can play inside, and running to get to a chair counts towards your children’s 60 minutes of physical activity!

You can play with as many people as you’d like, but you’ll need at least 4 people–1 person to control the music and 3 players. Set out chairs in a circle, equal to the number of players minus one (for example, if you have 1 person playing music and 5 players, you’ll need 4 chairs). The players should stand in a circle around the chairs. When the music, begins, the players move around the chairs. The person playing the music can stop the music whenever they like, and when they do, all the players need to run to get a seat. Whichever player does not get a seat is out and one chair must be removed. The game continues as described until there is one player left and they are the winner.

For more ways to play Musical Chairs, visit http://www.partygameideas.com/kids-games/musical_chairs_1.php.

When will you and your family play Musical Chairs this week?

Check your list twice!

As we approach the holiday season, you might be concerned about how to feed holiday guests and add festive foods to your budget without going overboard.  Before you make your grocery list, check twice to make sure you can pay the bill.
Fortunately, many grocers offer festive foods at lower prices during this time of year.   If you are purchasing shelf-stable ingredients, you can buy them ahead of time, so your budget will not take a big hit all at once.  You can also set aside money each week to cover items that you will purchase closer to the holidays.
Saving money each week is not as difficult as you might think, look how easy it is to find money in a week:

• Eating lunch out every working day costs $25 a week;
• Two treats at the vending machine each work day, $10;
• One trip through the fast food lane can cost a family more than $25.

Other ways to save for your celebration are to look for deals on holiday decorating items at thrift stores. Cloth napkins and tablecloths can be used more than once and might cost less than a throwaway. Look for recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and made with budget-minded ingredients.  USDA offers thousands of recipes on their What’s Cooking website https://whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/. Your EFNEP Cooking magazine and this website have lots of recipes, too!
Plan ahead to make your holidays fun, festive and budget-friendly.

-Jayne

Have a Family Parade

You don’t have to ride a float to have your own parade–it doesn’t even have to be a special occasion! Having your own parade can add fun and a physical boost to your walk. And if it’s raining outside, you can even have your parade inside–just make sure the floor is free of objects and other hazards that may cause injuries.

If your children don’t know what a parade is, take the time to explain it to them–parades are often done to celebrate an event and they involve floats as well as people marching. Have everyone get in a line and have a family parade. You can march, bounce, and skip along your parade routes through your house or out in the yard. You can also take your parade to a walking trail or park!

Walking and having a family parade are great alternatives to sports for children who don’t enjoy sports. There are plenty of activities you and your children can participate in to be active without playing team sports, including fitness classes, yoga, and running. For tips, visit http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hate-sports.html.

What day this week will you and your family have a parade?

Holiday Eggnog, Make it Healthy

‘Tis the season for favorite holiday foods and drinks. Eggnog is a classic holiday drink that is quite tasty but can be a bit high in fat and calories. Between the heavy cream, sugar, and eggs, eggnog can quickly become a real calorie buster. There is good news; you don’t have to give up the tasty drink this season, the key is to enjoy it in moderation.
There are several brands of eggnog that you can purchase from your local grocer, but you might try Howling Cow Eggnog. Made right on North Carolina State University’s campus, the eggnog “is rich, creamy, perfectly sweet and oh so calorie worthy,” according to Dr. Carolyn Dunn, Nutrition Specialist. A treat for eggnog lovers, ¼ cup of the concoction can be mixed with ¼ cup skim milk for a less caloric portion. Purchases of Howling Cow products support the education of NCSU students, for more information, go to their website at https://howlingcow.ncsu.edu.
You can also enjoy your family’s classic eggnog recipes, but lighten them up with the following small changes. Use almond, skim or 2% milk instead of cream or whole milk; bananas instead of refined sugar; or add some cinnamon or nutmeg to make your eggnog taste flavorful. Making these small changes will save you from fat and calories, but will still taste great!
Try this quick and easy, yet thick and yummy recipe from foodandhealth.com
Banana Nog (serves 4)
Ingredients:

• 4 bananas, peeled
• 1 and 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon rum extract
• Pinch ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except nutmeg to blender or food processor.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Pour into 4 fancy serving glasses and top each with a pinch of nutmeg.

Nutrition Information:
Makes 4 servings of one cup each. Each cup contains 198 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 7 milligrams of cholesterol, 114 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.
Each serving also contains 10% of the daily value (DV) of vitamin A, 20% DV vitamin C, 36% DV calcium, and 0% DV iron.
Total Time: 5 min | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 0 min

Provided by Stephanie McDonald-Murray,                                                                              Regional Nutrition Extension Associate, EFNEP & SNAP-Ed