Florida Agriculture | 4-H in the Panhandle

Tips for Healthier Holiday Cooking

by Melanie Taylor | Dec 11, 2015

The holidays are often filled with time-honored traditions that include some of our favorite meals and foods. As you celebrate, think of little changes you can make this holiday season to create healthier meals and active days. An added bonus, these small changes may help you to avoid those extra holiday pounds we all fear each year. Happy Cooking!

In the Kitchen:
• For gravies or sauces — if you are making pan gravy, first skim the fat off pan drippings. For cream or white sauces, use fat-free (skim) milk and soft tub or liquid margarine.
• For dressings or stuffing — add low-sodium broth or pan drippings with the fat skimmed off instead of lard or butter. Use herbs and spices and a whole grain bread for added flavor.
• For biscuits — use vegetable oil instead of lard or butter and fat-free (skim) milk or 1 percent buttermilk instead of regular milk.
• For greens — use skin-free smoked turkey, liquid smoke, fat-free bacon bits, or low-fat bacon instead of fatty meats.
• For sweet potato pie — mash sweet potato with orange juice concentrate, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and only one egg. Leave out the butter.
• For cakes, cookies, quick breads, and pancakes — use egg whites or egg substitute instead of whole eggs. Two egg whites can be substituted in many recipes for one whole egg.
• Use unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe bananas instead of butter.
• Try cutting the amount of sugar listed in recipes in half.
• Use spices to add flavor such as cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg instead of salt.
• Try baked apples with cinnamon and a sprinkle of sugar instead of apple pie.
• Invite your guests to make their own parfait with colorful sliced fruit and low-fat yogurt.

For meats and poultry (chicken and turkey):
• Trim away all of the visible fat from meats and poultry before cooking.
• Take off poultry skin before eating.
• Broil, grill, roast, poach, or boil meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying.
• Drain off any fat that appears during cooking.
• Chill meat and poultry broth until fat becomes solid. Skim off fat before using the broth.
• Skip or limit the breading on meat, poultry, or fish. Breading adds fat and calories. It will also cause the food to soak up more fat during frying.
• Choose and prepare foods without high fat sauces or gravies.

When Shopping:
• Start with a lean choice.
• The leanest beef cuts include round steaks and roasts (round eye, top round, bottom round, round tip), top loin, top sirloin, and chuck shoulder and arm roasts.
• The leanest pork choices include pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and ham.
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets are the leanest poultry choice.

Use the food label to help you choose
• Choose extra lean ground beef. The label should say at least “90% lean.” You may be able to find ground beef that is 93% or 95% lean.
• Processed meats such as hams, sausages, frankfurters, and luncheon or deli meats have added sodium. Check the ingredient and Nutrition Facts label to help limit sodium intake.
• Fresh chicken, turkey, and pork that have been enhanced with a salt-containing solution also have added sodium. Check the product label for statements such as “self-basting” or “contains up to __% of __.”
• Lower fat versions of many processed meats are available. Look on the Nutrition Facts label to choose products with less fat and saturated fat.

De-Saturate
• Use a nonstick pan with vegetable cooking oil spray or a small amount of liquid vegetable oil instead of lard, butter, shortening, or other fats that are solid at room temperature.

Enjoy the Food, Fun, Friends and Family!
Cheers to Good Health
• Quench your thirst with low-calorie options. Drink water with lemon or lime slices. Offer seltzer water with a splash of 100% fruit juice.

Be the Life of the Party
• Laugh, mingle, dance, and play games. Focus on fun and enjoy the company of others.

Give to Others
• Spend time providing foods or preparing meals for those who may need a little help. Give food to a local food bank or volunteer to serve meals at a shelter during the holiday season. Giving back is a great mood booster.

Make Exercise a Part of the Fun
• Make being active part of your holiday tradition. Have fun walking and talking with family and friends after a holiday meal. Give gifts that encourage others to practice healthy habits such as workout DVDs, running shoes, and reusable water bottles.

Enjoy the Leftovers
• Create delicious new meals with your leftovers. Add turkey to soups or salads. Use extra veggies in omelets, sandwiches, or stews. The possibilities are endless!

Be sure your family and friends enjoy the food and fun, but focus on the time together. Remember this season is all about the memories, not just the food. You will feel better and enjoy your holiday time with less worry if you focus on staying healthy this season.

Source: USDA United States Department of Agriculture – www.MyPlate.gov

It All Began with Ag…

by Heather Kent | Oct 1, 2015

4-H began with agriculture in 1902 and over the past 100 years has grown to help youth learn about everything from agriculture to aerospace.

4-H began with the seed of an idea. In 1902, America needed folks to embrace new advances in agriculture. But leaders with open minds, strong hearts and willing hands weren’t in abundance. Luckily, kids were. By empowering the next generation to lead, 4-H took root, and grew. 4-H grew kids who are confident and strong; who are curious enough to question and capable enough to find the answer. We grew kids who stick to a job until the job gets done; who know how to work with others and most importantly, how to lead.

Over the century, 4-H has kept right on growing. We grew out of the farms and into the towns, suburbs, and cities. Today, 4-H exists anywhere curiosity roams and confidence thrives; anywhere technology can be advanced and achievement is valued. 4-H is anywhere positive change is possible and giving back moves entire communities forward.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense that we began with farming. After all, true leaders aren’t born- they’re grown. Next week (October 4^th-10^th) marks National 4-H Week. This year, to celebrate, our blog will highlight how 4-H is growing Confidence, Curiosity, Compassion, Character, and Responsibility by sharing the stories of real Florida panhandle 4-H members, volunteers, and alumni. We hope that you will enjoy this series and that you will be inspired to make a difference in your community by sharing your skills, talents, and passions with other 4-H youth and volunteers. We hope you are inspired to cultivate 4-H so that it can keep right on growing for the next 100 years! For more information about 4-H, visit http://florida4h.org or contact your local UF IFAS County Extension Office.

3rd Annual 4-H Day at LEGOLAND

by Heather Kent | Jul 21, 2015

4-H Day at LEGOLAND is Saturday, September 26th. Be sure to wear your 4-H shirt and share photos #4heverywhere

The 3nd Annual 4-H Day at LEGOLAND on Saturday, September 26th. This event is an opportunity for 4-H members and their families to explore the LEGOLAND theme park at a deep discount, while raising funds for 4-H clubs, camps, and other educational programs. LEGOLAND is a great way to have fun with the entire family and learn about science, engineering, and technology. The Florida Department of Ag’s greenhouse is a must-see attraction. You can learn all about Florida agriculture and how we are feeding the nation and world. Just don’t eat the produce- it’s all made from LEGOs! You can also sign up for a robotics class while you are there to learn how engineers design, build, program, and test

robots.

The Florida Department of Agriculture Greenhouse is a must-see attraction at LEGOLAND.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Tickets are $30.00/person ($5.00 per ticket benefits the Florida 4-H Foundation)

Any family that has participated in 4-H is eligible for the discount (this includes 4-H clubs, camps, day camps, school, afterschool, and military 4-H programs)
Youth under the age of 3 are admitted for free
Tickets are only good for Saturday, September 26^th, 2015
Tickets must be ordered online at least 24 hours before the event
Use this secure link to order 4-H discount tickets- https://goo.gl/JddkeW
You do not have to bring your 4-H Membership Card, just bring the tickets you print at home generated by the link above
If you have a 4-H t-shirt, please wear it! We would like to see a “sea of green” at LEGOLAND that day. You can order a 4-H t-shirt at: http://florida4h.org/4-h-days/
You are responsible for your transportation to and from the park, and for making any reservations for overnight accommodations. Many of the hotels in the area offer free shuttle services to and from the park, so ask your hotel concierge. The onsite LEGOLAND Hotel recently opened and is offering some great deals.
If you are driving to the park, parking costs $14.00, but you can save $2.00 if you order your parking pass online http://florida.legoland.com/.
For information about park attractions, show schedules, food, height restrictions, or accommodations for persons with disabilities visit http://florida.legoland.com/.
Please share photos of your LEGOLAND experience on social media using #4Heverywhere