How do we cultivate healthy habits?

The UC CalFresh Adult Nutrition Education Program provides its program participants with no-cost, research-based information on food and nutrition, physical activity, food safety, and resource management. We strive to empower our participants with practical skills and knowledge that enables them to engage in physical activity and make informed food choices.  

Knowledge

Participants at Rescue the Children completed a Plan, Shop, Save & Cook 5-week nutrition education series. They learned about the importance and value of planning for family meals, shopping for nutrient dense foods, how to safely prepare family meals, and how to stretch food dollars when money is tight. 

Empowerment

Our participants left excited and empowered to make healthy changes for themselves, and their families! Goal setting is an important component and emphasis in our classes. Goal setting makes healthier behavior changes possible and attainable for our participants. Below are some goals you may wish to tackle and/or incorporate into your everyday routine:

• Use a grocery list when grocery shopping.
• Involve your children when planning and preparing meals. 
• Read the nutrition facts label on snacks and cereals and choose foods with the least amount of sugar.
• Buy items in bulk to save money.

Social Support

Our Rescue the Children participants were an enthusiastic group of women who were willing to learn from their peers by sharing successes and/or barriers they have experienced when feeding their children. 

Practical Application

We injected hands-on learning into our physical activity breaks. We encouraged participants to be the educator and teach their peers a physical activity that they can employ at home. We recommend that adults get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. To meet this recommendation, our participants used the Champions for Change, "Playing for Healthy Choices" cards to inspire their peers to move more. They carefully read through their physical activity cards and demoed their specific physical activity. They also offered modifications to the exercise cards to encourage everyone to participate at a level that best suited them. What a fun way to incorporate physical activity!

Cooking Demonstration

We concluded our last nutrition lesson with our graduation ceremony and a cooking demonstration. The Spaghetti with Turkey Meat Sauce was a hit amongst our participants. They were surprised with how simple swaps, like choosing whole grain pasta and leaner meats, could make for a tasty and nutritious meal. Our recipe and how to prepare it, in 4 simple steps, is found below. Let us know if you try it out with your families. Tweet us a picture, post it on Facebook, or tag us on Instagram.

Spaghetti with Turkey Meat Sauce

Ingredients

Non stick cooking spray

¾ pound of lean ground turkey

2 (14 1/2 –ounce) can of diced tomatoes, juice reserved

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 cup of onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon of crushed, dried oregano

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 pound of spaghetti noodles

June is Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month! What better way to celebrate than to try recipes that incorporate produce that is in season this summer, including beets, honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, okra, peaches and summer squash. 

Pink Party

Salad

Ingredients

4 potatoes (washed and cut in half)

3 cups beets, cooked (peeled and diced)

1 cup peas, green, fresh or frozen

3 eggs, hard boiled

1 apple

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes in 2 cups of water in a deep kettle. Cover and cook over moderate heat for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

2. When thoroughly cool, dice potatoes and place in a big bowl.

3. Add diced beets and mix with the potatoes.

4. Set aside 1/4 cup of peas for garnishing and add the rest to the bowl.

5. Save 1 egg to use as a garnish. Chop the rest and add to the bowl.

6. Peel the skin off the apple and remove the core. Cut the apple into small pieces, place in a small bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add apple to the salad.

7. Add the vinegar, olive oil and sugar.

8. Mix thoroughly. Chill and serve.

Source: http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/pink-party-salad

 

Melon Salsa

Ingredients

2 cups honeydew, cantaloupe or watermelon (seeded and chopped fresh, use one kind or a combination)

1 cup cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)

1/4 cup onion, red or white (chopped)

2 tablespoons cilantro or mint (optional) (fresh, chopped)

1 jalapeño (seeded and finely chopped, or hot sauce to taste)

1/4 cup lime juice or lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar, white or brown

Directions

1. In a medium size bowl, stir together all ingredients.

2. Taste and season with more lemon or lime juice, sugar if needed.

3. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with grilled or broiled fish or chicken.

Notes

Caution: When handling hot peppers, the oils can cause burning and skin irritation. You can wear clean kitchen gloves or wash hands thoroughly after preparing. KEEP HANDS AWAY FROM EYES.

Source: http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/melon-salsa

 

Lite Fried Okra

 

Ingredients

2 cups okra (fresh, sliced)

3/4 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

  cooking spray (nonstick, as needed)

 

Directions

1. Wash hands with warm water and soap.

2. In a bowl, mix sliced okra, oil, salt and pepper.

3. Coat a large fry pan with cooking spray.

4. Heat over medium heat, and add okra mixture, turning often with a wooden spoon or spatula.

5. Cook until okra is browned, about 10 minutes.

6. Serve with hot sauce or favorite relish.

Source: http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/lite-fried-okra

 

Rise and Shine Cobbler 

Ingredients

1 cup peaches (canned, drained and sliced)

1 cup pear halves (canned, drained and sliced)

6 prunes (pitted, each cut in half)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 orange

1 cup granola, low-fat

Directions

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, mix peaches, pears, prunes, and vanilla extract.

2. Rub an orange against a grater to remove 1 teaspoon of the orange peel. Then, cut the orange in half and squeeze 1/4 cup orange juice. Add orange peel and juice to fruit mixture. Stir.

3. Top with granola.

4. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes.

5. Spoon into 4 bowls and serve warm.

Source: http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/rise-and-shine-cobbler

 

Stuffed Summer Squash

Ingredients

2 summer squash

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup squash pulp (from summer squash listed above)

1 cup white beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh basil

4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Wash and cut squash in half, lengthwise. Remove the large seeds.
2. Steam the squash, skin side down, in a small amount of water in a fry pan or skillet until slightly tender (but not mushy).
3. Scoop out a good amount of pulp (1 cup), place in a bowl and mix with stuffing (brown rice through Parmesan cheese).
4. Place the squash shells in a baking dish. Stuff the squash with the stuffing mixture.
5. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

Source: http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/stuffed-summer-squash

Did you try one of these recipes? Let us know in the comments below! 

UC CalFresh Fresno/Madera MCP enjoyed being a part of the Fresno Unified Food Expo that took place on Saturday, May 14^th.

The cafeteria at Roosevelt High School was filled with food vendors from throughout the valley, providing a variety of tasty foods for everyone!

The Dairy Council's Mobile Dairy even came to join the fun!

Alongside other community partners, UC CalFresh team members Brittanny Zweigle and Evelyn Morales were able to share information on MyPlate and provide easy tips and recipes showcasing how to add a variety of healthy foods into one's diet. The pair also provided an apricot taste test; after all, it was a Food Expo! Evelyn taught participants the benefits of dried fruit and the appropriate serving size to consume. 

UC CalFresh hopes to see even more vendors, community partners and participants next year!

Developed out of Cornell University, the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM) seeks, “to equip school lunchrooms with evidence-based tools that improve child eating behaviors and thus improve the health of children.” This year Fresno Unified School District embarked on its second year of a five-year plan to bring the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement to every school in the district.

Welcome to the Tomahawk Cafe, the cafeteria at Tioga Middle School. 

What's for lunch? Look no further than the Tomahawk Cafe menu board. 

Presentation goes a long way to make healthy foods appealing to students. 

Nutrition education can take place in the cafeteria. 

The Fresno Unified Nutrition Center partnered with UC CalFresh and the Dairy Council to implement SLM in all 16 middle schools this school year. Smarter Lunchrooms Manager, Danette Whitfield, took charge of assessing schools to amplify their strengths and identify opportunities for improvement based on the SLM scorecard system. District Supervisor, Morgan Terry, and District Registered Dietician, Amanda Harvey, took lead on meeting with administration and food service staff at each site to get them on board for the changes that would take place.

UC CalFresh's contributions to this movement included staff training and indirect nutrition education through improved lunchroom signage. All schools received revamped Welcome Posters, Lunch Menus and Menu Item Cards, all created to reflect nutritional information while incorporating school spirit, colors and mascots.

The real success came with the partnership and open-communication between the food service staff at each school site and the nutrition center management staff. As a result of the positive environmental changes adopted over the course of the school year, all 16 of the middle schools reached Gold status, which is the highest level on the SLM scorecard.

Fresno Unified has taken its first major steps to implement one of the largest Smarter Lunchrooms Movement's in the state by making these changes district-wide. There are always challenges to overcome when having the 4^th largest school district in California, but the success seen in the 2015-2016 school year is just the beginning of the amazing changes we will see in Fresno Unified over the next few years.