On Saturday, April 29th, UC CalFresh attended Coalinga's Week of the Young Child Event at the West Hills College Child Development Center to honor the center's students and their families. With various vendors in attendance, families had the opportunity to enjoy many activities, including a petting zoo, a silent auction, a book fair, a gardening opportunity, and so much more!

Nutrition Educator, Elizabeth, leads a group of students in physical activity. 

 

The highlight of the event was bringing the garden beds at the Child Development Center back to life. Students planted tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, cilantro, peppers, bush beans and strawberries. 

 

Two little guys take part in gardening with their dad. 

 

Children of all ages enjoyed filling two garden boxes with plants!

 

Garden Box #1

Nutrition Program Coordinator, Kristi, helps a student plant a tomato plant. 

Garden Box #2

 

Each child played a part in the gardening, and they immediately took full ownership of their work. When the planting was complete, several children revisited the garden to assist with watering. 

 

One of our little friends makes sure to water his plants before he heads home. 

Nutrition Program Coordinator, Nancy, helps students with watering. 

 

The Week of the Young Child Event in Coalinga turned out to be a huge success! Our team can't wait to see how the garden grows over the summer. 

UC CalFresh had a special visitor stop by to see what impact our nutrition program is having in Madera Unified School District. Ms. Nava's 2nd grade class at La Vina Elementary School learned all about “Varying Your Protein Food Choices" along with Congressman Jim Costa. This lesson focused on choosing a healthy balance of plant and lean animal protein foods every day. The students put their knowledge to the test during a group activity, where they helped each other sort out what foods come from plant sources and what foods come from animal sources.  

Costa even participated in mixing together the Mango and Black Bean Salad recipe with Nutrition Program Coordinator, Angelica Perez. He began calling himself, “Mr. Mixer” during the recipe activity, which the students loved! A couple of students even asked for seconds from Mr. Mixer!

Students also joined in on an indoor physical activity called "Animal Charades" with Nutrition Educator, Austin Cantrell. They had fun acting out different animals without making a sound. Overall, the students enjoyed the experience and learned what Costa's role is as a congressman, and how he represents our Central Valley communities in Washington, D.C.

Pictured above, Principal Navarro, Ms. Nava and Congressman Jim Costa at La Vina Elementary in Madera, CA.

On Saint Patrick's Day this year our UC CalFresh team was at the Fresno Fairgrounds talking to third graders throughout Fresno County about healthy eating at Farm and Nutrition Day. The Farm Bureau organizes this event every year to expose children to the agricultural industry and the benefits of healthy eating. UC CalFresh now has an established tradition to put on a nutrition play at Farm and Nutrition Day entitled, "Be Strong with 'Anytime' Foods," to show students the difference between '"anytime" foods, like strawberries and carrots, and "sometimes" foods, like candy and cookies. 

Before the play begins, our narrator (Nutrition Coordinator, Nancy) and the Healthy Crew talk to the students about MyPlate. 

At the beginning of the play, Sometimes Sally and Anytime Andy (Nutrition Educators, Hannah and Chris) meet on the first day of school. 

Anytime Andy shows the audience the strong muscles eating anytime foods have given him. 

Anytime Andy encourages Sometimes Sally to choose a carrot, but she hasn't been convinced to eat anytime foods yet. 

With the help of the audience, the Strong-O-Meter gives Anytime Andy the strength he needs to knock out the candy bar Sometimes Sally brought in her lunch. 

When Anytime Andy wins the race at the end of the play, Sometimes Sally finally learns that eating healthy will make her stronger and give her more energy. 

Before the show ended, our team showed the students how they like to exercise. Check it out on our Facebook page.

Behind the Scenes: 

The UC CalFresh team poses for a quick picture before the first show. 

 Nutrition Program Supervisor, Brittanny, preps the cast one final time. 

Staff greets the audience and sets up for another show. 

After five showings of the play, our team gathers together to celebrate all of our hard work. We can't wait for next year!

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Interested in past Farm and Nutrition Days? Check out the last few years below: 

2016

2015

2014

Spring is upon us and with it comes warmer temperatures. This is perfect weather for a refreshing peach banana smoothie, whether you're looking for a healthy, refreshing recipe for your next family gathering or simply a new breakfast idea. This peach banana recipe is sure to keep you cool as the temperature warms up. Enjoy!

Image source: http://www.thelittlesouschef.com/easy-banana-peach-smoothie/

Ingredients:

1 banana (medium, peeled and sliced)

2 cups of peaches (peaches can be fresh or frozen)

½ cup of canned pears (drained)

1 cup fat-free milk (or 1 cup of low-fat milk)

Directions

1. Combine banana, peaches, canned pears, and milk in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth

Recipe Source:

https://whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/food-distribution-fdd/peach-banana-smoothie