- Author: Mary Grace Hallare
- Contributor: Nath Say
- Editor: Emily Harris
UC CalFresh Fresno County has a long standing partnership with the Fresno State Dietetic Internship Program. This blog post is part of our Intern Reflections Series.
The Carnaval Children's Festival, held at the Mosqueda Community Center on September 19th, offered family fun and entertainment with bounce houses, wildlife exhibits, and swimming pool games. Families visited colorful booths that offered a wealth of information about their community and a handful of freebies.
Children enjoyed getting physically active in the bounce houses!
So many great vendor booths to visit!
The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program joined in the event and set up their own booth to promote the importance of milk and calcium-rich food consumption.
UC CalFresh's "Milk is for Me" workshop display
Different models of milk—whole to fat-free—were displayed to reveal their fat content along with other interesting hands-on visuals. Many parents were amazed to discover the amount of fat they were consuming on a daily basis. They were also surprised as they felt the actual weight of both one pound and five pounds of fat. Most importantly, they learned the pivotal role of calcium in bone health.
We would like to extend a special thank you to Parks and Recreation, the City of Fresno, Fresno Unified School District, and PG&E for sponsoring yet another awesome community event for the city of Fresno!
- Author: Kristi Noel Schultz-Sharp
Thank You Calwa for welcoming the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program on September 1st to the very first Parent Coffee Hour of the school year! Twenty parents attended and participated in the "Milk is for Me" adult workshop, which discusses the importance of calcium, choosing low-fat milk, and rethinking your drink (those sugar sweetened beverages).
Our program offers interactive bilingual parent education in the form of workshops and class series. Contact your Nutrition Educator for more information on how to invite us to your next Parent Coffee Hour.
A parent matches the amount of sugar to the drink
- Author: Consuelo Cid
The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program maintains a well-established partnership with Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life (BBNBTL). BBNBTL hosts summer community outreach events throughout the City of Fresno to build trust and deliver resources to the community.
The entire family enjoys the lively music and upbeat atmosphere while they learn about the community resources available to them.
Community Education Specialists Consuelo Cid and Maira Enriquez attended the Vang Pao Elementary & Sequoia Middle School Community Block Party. They delivered nutrition and physical activity education to the entire family. Parents and children alike learned about MyPlate and the importance of eating healthfully and staying active. The entire family was reminded to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in their diet, choose lean meats and poultry, select more whole grains, and consume low-fat (1% milk) or fat-free dairy products. The entire family had fun learning about healthy eating and physical activity habits in an environment that was safe and nurturing.
Community Education Specialist, Consuelo Cid (pictured above) showcases the MyPlate interactive display. The Myplate food icon always provides an excellent icebreaker to spark conversation about healthy eating!
Community Education Specialist, Maira Enriquez (pictured above) engages and teaches participants about the importance of eating healthfully and staying active.
We would like to thank Bringing Broken Neighborhoods Back to Life for hosting such a wonderful family event and for their commitment to enhancing communities throughout Fresno County. We look forward to attending more community block parties next summer!
- Author: Nath Say
School is finally back in session! The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program hopes our teachers and students had a restful and healthy summer vacation. We are excited to get the school year running by attending Back to School Night at some of our sites. Nutrition educators set up booths that provided great information for parents who may be interested in attending nutrition workshops in the near future.
Nutrition Coordinator, Nath Say at Rowell Elementary's Back to School Night
Leavenworth Elementary's Back to School Night display
We would like to say thank you to our sites that welcomed us at their events. The UC CalFresh team looks forward to another great school year of offering nutrition education!
If you are interested in attending a nutrition workshop, please contact us at (559) 241-7550.
- Author: Javier Miramontes
- Editor: Emily Harris
When I eat healthy I limit the amount of fat, sodium and sugar in my diet. In order to avoid having my food taste bland, I use vegetables and fruits to add flavor. There are so many fruits and vegetables we can use to make our food taste delicious and healthy.
One of my favorite things to make is salsa. I've been eating salsa since I was a kid and I'm lucky that my mom makes the best salsa. Check out my salsa recipe and suggestions below:
What will I need to make salsa?
Ingredients: Tomatoes, peppers, water and salt.
Kitchen supplies: A blender or a molcajete (mortar and pestle).
Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin C.
How can I make my salsa spicy?
Thai peppers are very spicy and packed with flavor, so if you want some spicy salsa add a small handful.
Top row : Serrano Chili Pepper, Jalapenos. Bottom row: Thai Peppers, Dried Abrol Peppers.
How can I make a mild salsa?
Jalapeños tend to be the least spicy. Experiment by adding a few when you make your salsa. Once you build a tolerance, add more peppers.
What if my salsa is too spicy?
Add another tomato or water to reduce spiciness.
How can I make green/red salsa?
If you want to make your salsa red, use tomatoes and dried Chile de Abrol.
If you want to make your salsa green, use tomatillos (they look like small green tomatoes) and green peppers.
You can use tomatoes to make green salsa: just reduce the number of tomatoes and increase the number of green peppers.
Do you have a recipe I can try?
Yes! Here is a quick and easy recipe that I made in less than 8 minutes:
Ingredients:3 tomatoes, 6 grilled jalapeños, water and garlic salt.
I typically grill the tomatoes and jalapeños and add warm water when I make salsa.
Note: If you blend the tomatoes and jalapeños raw it will taste different. If you decide not to grill them, just heat up the finished salsa in a pan.
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