Tips and Recipes

Healthy Times Newsletter, March 2015

Be active as a family; be active today!

While growing up, sports were a huge part of my family’s life. My brothers and I were very involved in school and community athletics. We loved being physically active and sports offered the opportunity to do so while also being something that our entire family could enjoy. Our mom was very supportive, encouraging and attended all of our games. She was our biggest cheerleader!
Being involved in school sports was not all fun and games. It was a lot of hard work and determination. It required many hours in practice sessions (4-5 times a week) building stamina, endurance, learning how to really be a team player and learning how to exhibit good sportsmanship.  As a youth, I didn’t realize that what I was learning through sports have turned into life long lessons.
Being physically active, whether through school athletics or other means is something that the entire family can do together. Regardless of age, ability and interest, there are numerous activities that you and your family can participate in. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you will be well on your way to leading a healthier lifestyle.

What are the benefits of regular physical activity? Regular physical activity promotes a longer, healthier life.  It helps to maintain a healthy weight and supports better-quality sleep. Moderate physical activity also helps strengthen and maintain bones and muscles and promotes joint health. High-intensity, high-impact activity can damage muscles, bones and joints over time, especially if a person doesn’t allow enough time for rest and recovery after intense physical activity.  This is true for adults, but is a point that is especially important to remember for growing children. Family members should be taught to listen to their bodies, and focus family-activities more on fun physical activities that can be continued throughout a person’s lifetime.

Here are a few ideas that may be a good fit for you and your family:

• bowling
• karate
• go for a hike
• wash the family car
• plant a garden
• take Zumba lessons
• go camping
• play hide and seek
• have a pillow fight
• adopt a park and keep it clean

Take action today! If you and your family are not physically active, now is the time to start!
Stephanie

Sweet Potato Recipes

No salt added!

When my dad was diagnosed with high blood pressure his doctor told him to avoid adding salt to his food and to choose foods that are low to no sodium. Of course my dad thought he would never enjoy food again. I knew I had to help. I showed him and my mom how to use spices and herbs instead of salt. We had a great time cooking and tasting all the different foods made with no salt. Needless to say, my dad enjoyed eating as much as he did before! We added dill to potatoes, ginger to carrots, and oregano to green beans. My parents didn’t realize how flavorful vegetables could taste with just a touch of herbs and spices. My mom started experimenting with meat dishes and found how new and delicious dishes tasted with the addition of mint, cilantro, curry powder, rosemary, etc. I have also stopped using salt for flavoring and have relied on spices and herbs to flavor my family’s foods. One of our favorite recipes is tuna salad sandwich without mayo. Check it out!

Tuna Salad

Ingredients: 
One 6.4-ounce pouch light tuna packed in water, drained
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 small red onion, peeled and diced (about 1/4 cup)
2 ribs celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh lemon juice (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
Baby spinach

Directions: 
Combine the tuna, cucumber, onion, celery, and dill weed. Drizzle the olive oil and the lemon juice to taste. Season with Mrs. Dash. Make the sandwich with 1/2 cup tuna salad and 1/4 cup baby spinach on low sodium whole wheat bread, if available.

How to Soak Dry Beans

Dried beans are an inexpensive low-fat source of protein and fiber that can be easily added into our diet.  They are easy to cook but must be soaked prior to using in a recipe.  This requires just a little planning and preparation before they are ready to use.

1. Before soaking beans, pick them over, removing any small rocks or dirt pieces.
2. Put the beans in a strainer or colander and rinse with cold water
3. There are two methods of soaking beans – the Hot Soak and the Traditional Soak.  The Hot Soak allows you to soak and cook your beans in the same day.  Your beans will cook to a tender stage in about 30-45 minutes.
4. To Hot Soak your beans, heat 10 cups of water for each pound of beans in a large pot until it boils.
5. Add the dry beans and boil for 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat, cover and let stand a minimum of 1 hour.  Soaking gets rid of many of the gas-producing substances in beans.
7. To use the traditional soak method, simply cover your dried beans with 3 times as much water as beans.  Cover and soak overnight.  Beans soaked by this method will take about 1 – 2 ½ hours for them to be tender.

Whichever method you use, drain and rinse your beans with fresh water after soaking and before using in your recipe. If you don’t have time to cook dried beans you can substitute 3 cans of drained beans for 1 pound of dry beans.

Bean recipes from Cooking with EFNEP cookbook:
15-Minute Soup
Makes 4 servings
Serving Size: about 11⁄2 cups
Ingredients
• 1 (16-ounce) can unsalted Great Northern Beans, drained
• 1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (16-ounce) can chopped or diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup macaroni

Directions
1. In a 2-quart pot, combine all ingredients except spinach and macaroni.
2. Heat until the liquid comes to a boil.
3. Stir in and break up spinach; bring to a boil again.
4. Stir in macaroni and simmer until pasta is tender, about 6–8 minutes.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
145 Calories, Total Fat .5g, Saturated Fat 0g, Protein 7g, Total Carbohydrate 28g, Dietary Fiber 7g, Sodium 135mg. Excellent source of vitamins A and C. Good source of iron and calcium.

SLOW COOKER DRIED BEANS
Makes 10 servings Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Ingredients
• 1 (1-pound) bag dried beans (pinto, black, garbanzo, etc)
• Water
• 1 onion, chopped (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Put dried beans in the colander and rinse. Remove any broken or discolored beans.
2. Put dried beans in a large mixing bowl. Add water to cover beans then add an additional 2 inches. Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight.
3. Drain beans and place in slow cooker with water to cover plus 2 inches.
4. Add onion if desired.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours or until
6. Add salt and pepper to taste
7. Drain if desired.

Food Preparation Tip: Experiment with adding different spices to beans.
Pinto beans can be mashed to make refried beans with no added fat. Refried beans can be used in tacos, taco salad, or as a main dish substitute.Nutrition Information Per Serving
110 Calories, Total Fat 0g, Saturated Fat 0g, Protein 7g, Total Carbohydrate 20g, Dietary Fiber 7g, Sodium 170mg. Good source of iron.
Analyzed with pinto beans.