by Angela Hinkle | Jul 11, 2018
The pickin’ is plentiful and life is good. Now is the time to take advantage of summer’s bounty. Summer produce is colorful and healthy. It tastes amazing. And right now, it’s everywhere!
Fruits and Veggies in Season
Buying summer produce now means you get fruits and vegetables that taste their best. See Panhandle Produce in Season for what’s in season in the Florida Panhandle. Because this is the easiest time to grow them, they also cost less than at other times of the year. You also may get to learn more about where your food comes from. This is a great time of year to buy local. Speaking of which…
Visit a U-Pick farm for fresh, local produce.
Photo source: Alex Hinkle
U-Pick Farms
When’s the last time you or your kids picked your own food? U-Pick farms are a great way for the whole family to enjoy the outdoors. (Hint: for max comfort and safety, go in the earliest/coolest part of the day.) Picking from a U-Pick helps you get delicious food at a good price. It also helps local businesses thrive. You can meet the local farmers in your area. You usually can get easy, tasty recipe ideas and you can even make new friends. (Working to pick your own food also can make you appreciate how hard it is to have the job of farmer.) To find the closest U-Pick farm in your area, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Office.
Save Some for the Colder Months
Whether from a U-Pick, farmer’s market, or grocery store, sometimes you just can’t eat all that great produce right now. What to do? Canning or freezing are excellent options. For information on freezing vegetables, see UF IFAS Freezing Vegetables. For fruits like berries, rinse berries well and let them dry on paper towels. Place in plastic zippered bags and freeze. Then just take out the amount you need for blueberry muffins in January – Yum! Or if you live in the South, it’s easy to make cold smoothies in the blender any time of year.
Fresh-picked blueberries are perfect in smoothies and salads.
Photo source: Alex Hinkle
Half MyPlate
The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recommends half of your plate be fruits and veggies. Eating in this way gives your body the nutrients it needs to get healthy and stay healthy. Vitamins, minerals, water, and fiber are packed into summer produce. Eat a variety. Try produce in every color, texture, shape, and size. To pack a tasty, healthy wallop for your next meal, make a hot multi-veggie hash alongside a cold refreshing fruit salad. For more ideas on how to add more fruits and veggies into your day, go to Liven Up Your Meals with Fruits and Veggies.
Summer’s Bounty – get it now, enjoy it now!
by Angela Hinkle | May 18, 2018
May is Older Americans Month – Photo credit: Wendy Meredith
“Grandparents Raising Grandchildren” are grandparents who are caregivers for their grandchildren. They have obtained temporary custody or have adopted because the grandchildren’s biological parents often are either incarcerated for crimes related to drugs and/or alcohol addictions or the parents are deceased due to their lifestyles and addictions. The UF/IFAS Escambia County Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has partnered with the Council on Aging in our area to work with these “great” grandparents. EFNEP is a series of nine lessons. We teach parents and grandparents raising grandchildren the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to raise healthy families.
What EFNEP Offers Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Welcome!
Eating Smart Being Active. Tell us your story – we listen to you. We share helpful resources available in the county.
Get Moving!
Let’s Be Active. Learn Physical Fitness with Exercises and Games for the family. Drink Water.
Plan, Shop, and Save!
Plan for nutritious meals and recipes. Shop on a budget and save money.
Fruits and Vegetables Half Your Plate!
Make simple, family-friendly recipes using fruits and vegetables. Use all varieties including what’s in season and grown locally. Learn about important family vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.
Make Half Your Grains Whole Grains!
How many grains do I need a day? Why is it important to eat grains?
Go Lean with Protein!
What are animal proteins? What are plant proteins? How much protein do you need each day? What is a lean protein?
Build Strong Bones!
What are sources of low-fat or no-fat dairy? How many servings does your family need each day?
Make a Change!
What are good ways to get rid of too many fats, salts, and sugars from your families’ daily meals and snacks?
Celebrate!
Each EFNEP participant receives a certificate of completion to frame and hang in their home.
Why are Grandparents Raising Grandchildren?
The opioid epidemic is affecting so many families and, really, these folks should be enjoying retirement and their “Older Years.” We are here to supply grandparents who are raising grandchildren with education and tools that equip them to raise healthy and happy children.
EFNEP is here to help
Grandparents Shopping Healthy – Photo credit: Wendy Meredith
EFNEP aids in the challenge with recipes, activities, cooking skills, and researched info. Then we educate about nutritious foods, food safety, physical activity, and how to shop for food on a limited budget. We also provide fresh produce grown, harvested, and donated by the Extension Master Gardeners for in-class recipe tastings. We have, on occasion, taken the grandparents to a local grocery store to “put into action” what they have learned in the EFNEP classes. Each one is given a challenge to purchase a healthy item from each of the five food groups with money that is provided for them.
We also are currently working with Fresh Access Bucks (FAB), which enables us to share with our Grandparents Raising Grandchildren the locations and times of local Farmers Markets and Produce Stands that are FAB partners and accept SNAP and WIC when purchasing Fresh Florida Grown Produce.
Raising children can be hard in our younger adult years. Raising children in our “Older Years” can be extremely challenging, overwhelming, or downright exhausting. Through our partnership, we have been able to help the grandparents by eliminating some of their everyday stresses. We do this by offering them fun, factual, and fresh ideas about nutritious foods and how to prepare yummy, kid-approved snacks and meals. Working with the grandparents has been and continues to be very rewarding. They are always eager to learn and they are committed to the program. And they are so grateful for our involvement. The big smiles on the faces of the Super Grandmas and Super Grandpas say it all!!!
by Angela Hinkle | Apr 27, 2018
Flower, Stems, Root, Leaf Bouquet
Photo credit: Jamie Spiker
Want to show mom how much you really care about her? Try giving her a Mother’s Day flowers, stems, roots, and leaves arrangement. Okay, so these cleverly disguised vegetables are not the usual bouquet. But giving mom a collection of some super healthy vegetables lets her know her health is important to you. And the healthier mom is, the longer you can keep her in your life.
What counts in a Mother’s Day Flowers Stems Roots Leaves arrangement?
- Flowers: Broccoli or Cauliflower
- Stems: Asparagus or Celery
- Roots: Carrots or Radishes
- Leaves: Lettuce or Cabbage Leaves
Why eat vegetables?
Eating vegetables – on Mother’s Day and every day – gives mom and all of us loads of beneficial nutrients. Veggies contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. As part of a regular diet, veggies help reduce heart disease, some cancers, and other chronic diseases. Why else is it important to eat vegetables? See veggie health benefits. And Bonus – most vegetables are low in fat and calories (so they won’t go to mom’s hips).
Happy Healthy Moms with cauliflower, asparagus, carrot, and purple cabbage “bouquets”
Photo credit: Jamie Spiker
How to incorporate more vegetables
So how do you display and celebrate your love for mom with vegetables? Think lots of color. Vegetables come in every color of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Because color is so important, try to eat some veggies of every color every week. And adding lots of color makes for a great veggie bouquet – smile-inducing, eye-catching, healthy, and delicious. To add more vegetables to your day, check out USDA’s Tips to vary your veggies. Try veggies grilled, steamed, stir-fried. Then try them kabobbed and in salads. They are fabulous as the main entrée attraction or work great as the side dish.
You say you just can’t bring yourself to give this kind of Mother’s Day Veggie Bouquet? But if you want to incorporate more veggies into mom’s diet and yours, see easy to eat more veggies. And if all else fails, try giving mom some edible flowers. Nasturtiums are bright, colorful, edible flowers with a peppery kick. For more on these flowers, see garden nasturtium.
Mother’s Day flowers, stems, roots, and leaves. These veggies are a colorful, tasty, healthy, and caring way to say, “I love you, Mom!”
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
by Angela Hinkle | Nov 20, 2017
Kneading Dough
Photo credit: Angela Hinkle
One of the most beloved smells across cultures and classes is baking bread. It brings about associations of home and comfort – even among folks who have never even experienced baking bread at home! The tactile experience of touching, folding, and pushing dough – or kneading – is considered by many to be one of the most pleasant touches in the world. Kneading dough is important in making bread and rolls light, airy, and chewy. (After all, who wants flat, tough bread?) But kneading dough and baking bread also has evolved into a type of therapy that social workers and psychologists use in workshops – similar to art therapy. If you use your own kitchen, you don’t even have to go to a workshop.
Making, baking, and breaking bread together is a great way to build bonds and a sense of home and warmth. Generally speaking, when we prepare food, our hands help us to create an increased sense of self-esteem and confidence. The kneading and baking of bread in particular helps to unlock or spark our creativity. The repetitive pressure your hands release when kneading a batch of bread dough also can release some of the frustrations we face in a day. Kneading and baking allow us to mindfully do something productive (though it may actually seem to be mindless). And when you’ve finished, you end up with a great edible reward for you and those with whom you share your bread blessings.
To calm your nerves, purposefully create and prepare a wholesome food, and increase your daily positivity, knead some dough and bake a loaf of bread today. To get started, try King Arthur Flour Hearth Bread (aka “The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake”); click on https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/hearth-bread-recipe .
Kneading is something many of us need. Maybe you’ll even help a friend in knead.
by Angela Hinkle | Nov 20, 2017
Dine In Day, December 3rd, is a day to set aside and share a nutritious meal with family, friends, and colleagues and have good conversation. Dining In at home together really does make a difference in the lives of our families – biological or otherwise. Sharing a meal is so fundamental to the human experience that sometimes we take this simple task for granted. Dining In at home together decreases our families’ chance of being overweight or obese. It improves our families’ relationships. We save money and eat healthier when Dining In.
Not enough time, busy schedules, and too much stress, however, might make this seemingly impossible for many families.
So here are some tips that might make Dining In a little easier for you and your family from AAFCS (American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences).
- Make family meals a priority and agree upon a schedule.
- Try to have regular family meals two to three times per week.
- If dinnertime doesn’t work, have family breakfasts or snacks.
- Keep meals simple. Slow cookers save time in the evening!
- Double recipes and freeze food for a second meal.
- Set aside 30 minutes on the weekend for meal planning.
- Make family meals fun and include children in food preparation. How about having breakfast for dinner?
- Discuss neutral or positive topics at the table. Stumped for what to talk about? Try this conversation starter: “What fun thing did you do today?”
- Eliminate distractions like TV and cell phones.
- Eat slowly and enjoy your time as a family!
Dine In with Family
To help you make the pledge to Dine In with your family December 3rd, go to http://www.aafcs.org/fcsday/commit-to-dining-in/fcs-day-sign-up and make your very easy commitment today. After that, see how many more Dine In days you can make with your family.
To learn more about the Benefits of Family Meals, read http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY136200.pdf
