The New Year is a great time to make a fresh start to live a happier, more balanced life.
Happy New Year! This month, our blog will be focusing on tips and ideas for making a fresh start. Do you have a New Year’s Resolution yet? If so, how do you plan to make sure you will achieve your goal? How can you assure yourself it is not simply a wish you will wish every January, simply to forget by February? There is a huge difference between a goal and a wish. Which category your New Year’s Resolution falls into, depends on you. Here are three tips to make this year’s goals stick:
Tell someone! To tell someone about your goal gives them the permission to ask about your goal. This is called an accountability partner. Usually, a workout partner will help with getting you to go to the gym or workout. Maybe fitness is not your goal, it could be you strive to have a closer relationship with God. You could give a friend permission to call you if you don’t show up to church on Sunday. Perhaps your goal is to further your education so you can apply for a promotion or a new job. Tell a friend, and ask them to check in with you from time to time regarding your progress.
Believe it! The best way to achieve a goal is to believe it is possible. If your goal is to get back to school, sit down and figure out when you will graduate. Mark it on a calendar, believe it will happen and achieve the goal, whatever it is.
Start it! You can only get there if you take the first step! Let’s say you want to get back to school, call the admissions office on Monday and see what is needed to start the process. As the 4-H Extension Agent, I have assisted many young people with college applications and the financial aid maze. It can take time to get everything together to g0 to college. Don’t expect to start classes right away, but don’t let delays stop you. You can start classes later in the year.
What do you do should you get off track? Start again! If you did not meet your goal, or haven’t reached your goal yet, keep working on it. I started a “Read the Bible in a Year” plan three years ago; I plan to continue the plan and finish in 2016! Be positive with yourself and if you do not complete your goal, continue to work toward it in 2017.
Prudence Caskey is the Santa Rosa County 4-H Extension Agent. She works with youth ages 5-18 to develop life skills. She can be reached at prudencecaskey@ufl.edu or by calling the Santa Rosa County Extension office at (850) 623-3868.
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
A Liberty County mother and son participate in the UF IFAS Extension Rediscover Bread Baking And Jam-Making Workshop.
Many years ago, a young girl attended a 4-H livestock club meeting along with her brothers and her father, who was serving as the volunteer club leader. During the meeting the local county 4-H Agent paid the club a visit to talk to the members about participating in the upcoming 4-H County Events Contest. The agent shared different project areas and types of demonstrations and speeches that could be done. Up until that point, the 4-H member had not been exposed to any projects outside the realm of livestock.
The agent had brought a colorful Fleishman’s Yeast Bread Cookbook that caught the eye of the young girl (at that time, Fleishman’s Yeast was a national sponsor for the 4-H Breads Project). The girl went home excited and told her mother that she wanted to do a demonstration on yeast breads. Her mother smiled and said, “I’ve never made yeast bread, but we will give it a try.” The 4-Her and her mom began practicing and discovered great success at baking yeast breads, so the girl began organizing her food preparationdemonstration.
The 4-H breads category was very popular that year with a record number of competitors, but that didn’t scare this member. She won the county and district contests her first year competing which pushed her on to state competition in which she placed third in the state. For this 4-H member who had struggled in school, much needed confidence began to grow. From that point on she began considering a career as an Extension Agent.
After high school, this young lady went on to college and obtained a degree in Home Economics. She has served 30 years as an Extension Agent encouraging youth to be all that they can be in whatever their interests and desires. Yeast breads have been a vehicle for this agent to teach people many life lessons and skills. You may know this agent as Monica (Lewis) Brinkley, UF/IFAS Extension Liberty County Extension Director.
In honor of November, National Bread Month, and the fond memories of learning to bake yeast breads with her late mother, Monica and her Family and Consumer Sciences colleagues across the Florida Panhandle have put together a workshop titled, Rediscover Bread Baking And Jam-Making to teach families how to make bread in a bag and preserve jam. The families work together and carry home whole wheat yeast bread and preserved jam to enjoy together. Although the bread and jam do not last long, the memories created and skills learned will last a lifetime. If you are interested in this workshop or other workshops similar to this, please contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org. You never know where this may take you or a member of your family!
Today is 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) – a day dedicated to engaging kids with science through a hands-on science experiment. This year’s experiment – Motion Commotion – will be conducted by thousands of kids across the nation as they will learn about physics, speed and safety.
4-H has been fostering curiosity about science in youth since the very beginning. Today we are still dedicated to providing the hands-on experience in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) to give kids the life skills they need to succeed today and the career readiness to succeed tomorrow. Programs like 4-H NYSD offer youth an opportunity to learn about science in a fun, dynamic way and spark their interest in all areas of STEM; from animal science to aerospace.
Motion Commotion is a two-part experiment that investigates the physical and human factors of motion using toy cars to simulate a speeding car collision and distracted driving. During the experiment, youth will:
Construct a simulated runway to analyze the speed, momentum and kinetic energy of a car in motion, and explore the science behind the car’s collisions
Lead an experiment that uses the same physics principles to demonstrate the consequences of distracted driving
Apply what they have learned about physics and safety to create community awareness about issues like distracted driving, seatbelt safety and helmet safety.
The 4-H NYSD Experiment Kit contains everything you need to successfully complete the Motion Commotion National Science Experiment. The Motion Commotion science experiment kit can be purchased from the 4-H Mall, or contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office to see if a kit is available to check out for your club or classroom.
You can help 4-H grow curiosity in your community or school by becoming a 4-H volunteer. 4-H offers a wide range of opportunities for volunteers to share their science-related interests and passions. Together, we can grow the next generation of science literate workers, voters, and community activities! Visit http://florida4h.org/volunteers for more info.
Other places to get information:
Learn more about NYSD (download experiment guides, promotional toolkits, register your event, and apply for NYSD awards)
Packing the kids’ lunches for school means you know which nutritious foods they are eating. Here are some budget-friendly, creative ideas to keep kids happy and healthy at lunchtime.
Make a “Smarter” Sandwich:
While some kids prefer the same thing every day, others may be okay with a slight switch to their sandwich.
Use different breads like 100% whole wheat tortilla wraps (choose wraps low in saturated and made with no hydrogenated oils) or 100% whole wheat pita pockets.
Besides lettuce, try shredded carrots or avocado slices with a turkey sandwich.
Buy blocks of low fat, low-sodium cheeses. You save money when you slice it yourself. Or use a cookie cutter to cut into fun shapes.
Instead of lunch meat, try a leftover grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato.
Love Those Leftovers:
Try using the leftovers from the family dinner for the next day’s lunch. Invest in a thermos to keep foods hot or cold until lunchtime.
Low-sodium tomato, vegetable or bean soups
Chili made with lean or extra lean ground turkey
Whole wheat spaghetti with low sodium tomato sauce
Low-sodium baked beans, bean casserole or beans & rice
Let Them Dunk:
Sometimes it is okay to let your kids play with their food, especially when they are getting extra nutrition.
Apple and pear slices to dip into low-fat plain yogurt mixed with peanut butter.
Carrot, celery and sweet pepper strips to dip into hummus, fresh salsa or homemade bean dip.
Whole grain crackers (choose crackers low in sodium and saturated fat and made without hydrogenated oils) to dunk into low-sodium vegetable or tomato soup.
Unsalted sunflower seeds, crushed whole wheat cereal and sliced banana to mix into low fat vanilla yogurt (no added sugars) to eat with a spoon like a sundae.
Get Them Involved:
While letting kids in the kitchen might mean a bigger mess, if they help pack their own lunch, they are more likely to eat it! On nights you have a bit more time, like a Sunday night, have them choose which piece of fruit or what type of whole grain bread they want and let them assemble their lunch. Make this a weekly routine – it’s another great way to spend family time together.
For more heart healthy lunch tips visit: www.heart.org
Research shows that 20-40% of children are bullied in some way. Whether bullying is verbal, physical, or done online it is a very real problem that can happen in any school, even among young school-age children. A safe and secure environment is key for the Essential Element of Belonging, one of the foundations of 4-H positive youth development. Being educated about what bullying is, knowing how to spot the signs of bullying, and learning what to do if your child is affected by this behavior can help parents address bullying if and when it happens.
How to recognize bullying- Bullying can take several forms. It can be observable or secretive behavior.
Observable Behavior:
Secretive Behavior:
Intimidation and threats.
Name calling, insults, and comments about disability, gender, and race.
Teasing about personal characteristics or sexual harassment.
Physical assault, tripping, hitting, pinching and other physical abuse.
Destruction of property, demanding money or other possessions.
Rejecting, excluding, and isolating victims from others.
Spreading rumors and other public humiliation.
Manipulating friends and relationships, passive aggression.
Passing damaging notes or posting threatening or damaging emails or web material.
Blackmailing, harassment, and dangerous dares.
Left unaddressed, bullying can cause depression and lasting psychological damage to the victim. It can result in poor attendance or psychosomatic illnesses. Violence can escalate into serious property damage, and injuries to students and adults. Bullying at school also affects others who are not involved directly but who simply witness or are aware of mistreatment of another student. These students may suffer from fear and concern about their schoolmate who is targeted. They may feel guilt but also may fear the bully so much that they do nothing to help. Worse, they may become offenders themselves because they fear the perpetrator will target them.
Bullies tend to seek out victims who:
Are unable to defend themselves.
Have little social support, or few friends.
Are not involved in extra-curricular activities.
Are low achievers in academics or sports.
Are not popular or focused on by adults in the school.
Have less developed social skills.
Have difficulty communicating.
Have low-self esteem or are unassertive.
Know the warning signs of bullying- It is not uncommon for a child who may be the victim of school bullying to be reluctant to tell his or her parents out of shame or fear. Children fear that the adults will not be able to help them or that they may make the situation worse. They may also believe the bully will retaliate against them or their friends. If you suspect that your child may be a target of school bullying, look for these signs:
Sadness, anxiety, difficulty sleeping or eating, temper or emotional outbursts, picking on younger siblings.
Unexplained bruises, cuts, or damaged clothing or school supplies.
Fear of school, not wanting to go to school, or sudden drop in school performance.
Dislike of recess and avoidance of unsupervised school areas such as the bathroom, despite the need to go.
Withdrawal from friends and family, fear of parent communication with teachers.
Complaints of physical problems without a medical reason.
Any abrupt behavior change or sudden lack of self-esteem.
What Parents Can Do to Prevent and Stop Bullying –Parents are the key to preventing and stopping bullying. Here are a few ways that parents can help respond to bullying.
Stay connected with your child. The more you know about your child’s friends and their interactions with classmates and peers, the more likely you are to spot any changes in their social circle. Talk with your child every day about specifics at school and extracurricular activities such as what the best or worst part of their day was. This is also an important way to establish good communication with your child so that they can come to you when they have a problem.
Explain to your child what bullying is. Children understand that hitting or pushing another child is wrong, but you can also explain that other forms of bullying, such as excluding or ignoring someone, can also be hurtful.
Tell children what to do in case they experience or witnesses bullying. Talk with your child about the basics of what to do if they encounter hurtful behavior directed toward them or someone else. Tell your child to alert a teacher right away if they see or are subject to bullying behavior, and that it is important to stop someone from getting hurt.
Teach a child the importance of empathy. Research has shown that emotional intelligence and empathy skills may be even more important for success in life than intellectual intelligence. A child who is able to understand what it may feel like to be bullied and can understand and regulate their own emotions is less likely to engage in that kind of behavior.
Set a good example. Do you ever make fun of other people or gossip about others in front of your child? Have you ever spoken rudely to a waiter at a restaurant or to a store clerk in a shop? Even if you think your children are not listening or observing your behavior, the fact is that kids learn a lot about how to conduct themselves from watching their parents.
Talk to your school about what programs are being used to deter bullying. If you suspect that your child may be the victim of school bullying, talk to your child’s teacher about your concerns. Ask the teacher to watch out for problems and notify the school principal and counselor about your concerns as well.
As parents and volunteers, it’s our job to provide youth with a safe environment where they can learn and grow. For more resources about bullying, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office, or download some of our other resources:
