- Author: Hannah Lee
Last week Ayer Elementary School kicked off their four week Food Friday campaign, which encourages students to eat the fruits and vegetables provided in the school lunch. Now through February 17th, classes enrolled in the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program will be counting how many students eat their fruits and vegetables, and tracking it using the cafeteria's new Nutrition Corner poster pictured below.
Check out UC CalFresh team members Brittanny, Emily, and Hannah with Ayer's new cafeteria Nutrition Corner! It shows how many students ate their fruits and vegetables, the benefits of eating those foods, and what will be in the school lunch on Food Fridays.
Brittanny and Hannah passing out kiwis - yum!
A total of 215 students ate their fruits and vegetables on the first Food Friday! They're off to a great start and hopefully those numbers will continue to go up! Be sure to check back for updates on Ayer's Food Friday!
- Author: Nora Lopez
- Editor: Emily Harris
Nutrition Corners are a creative way to provide indirect nutrition education. A great place to start is with resources you have on hand, like extra calendars, the Choose MyPlate website and UC CalFresh curriculum. The Nutrition Corner pictured above is a promotion of the Plant Parts lesson I've taught in my enrolled UC CalFresh teachers' classes. I hope this draws the attention of teachers not yet participating in the program and encourages them to sign up. I also placed a recipe, produce tips and a Nutrition Activity Reporting Form to extend my lesson with my enrolled teachers and remind them of upcoming paperwork.
New Year, New Goals is a great campaign to kick off the new year with healthy goals. I used MyPlate Super Tracker information, a healthy recipe, tips to make and maintain changes, and a suggestion box to create my New Year's Nutrition Corner. Take advantage of ChooseMyPlate.gov when curating content for your nutrition topics.
The Nutrition Corner above is all about MyPlate for kids. Have students help you place the food groups in their correct spot, then place pictures of their meal on the MyPlate. This Nutrition Corner is a visual way to help kids associate foods with their food groups and illustrate what a healthy plate looks like.
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What topic would you like to see on a Nutrition Corner near you?
- Author: Emily Harris
Happy New Year! To start the new year off right and encourage healthy resolutions, this month's Tasty Tips is all about fiber during National Fiber Focus Month.
What is fiber?
Fiber is a nutrient found in plants. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble.
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"Soluble fiber attracts water and turns to gel during digestion. This slows digestion. Soluble fiber is found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that soluble fiber lowers cholesterol, which can help prevent heart disease."
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"Insoluble fiber is found in foods such as wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains. It appears to speed the passage of foods through the stomach and intestines and adds bulk to the stool."
Source: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002470.htm
Source: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002470.htm
Watch Out!
Adding fiber to your diet too fast can lead to negative side effects, such as gas, abdominal cramps and bloating. Slowly adding fiber-rich foods to your diet will decrease these side effects as you begin increasing your fiber consumption.
Source: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002470.htm
Where's the fiber?
Find a complete list of food sources of fiber here.
Not sure how much fiber you need every day? Check out your general fiber recommendation in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.
- Author: Araceli Delgadillo
- Editor: Emily Harris
On November 14th, 2016 UC CalFresh was invited to the Parent Coffee Hour at Rowell Elementary in Fresno. The parent coffee hour is a designated time when parents can meet with the school principal to ask questions, address concerns or participate in a presentation. Nutrition Program Coordinators, Araceli Delgadillo and Emily Harris, presented the “MyPlate Workshop.” There were 15 parents in attendance along with Rowell's principal, Alice McClintock. The parents learned about MyPlate and received tips to help them follow MyPlate guidelines. The parents also sampled Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and it was a hit! A nutrition series will be offered to the Rowell Elementary parents in the spring of 2017.
Below is the recipe that the parents tasted during the MyPlate workshop:
Image Source: http://aubonpain.com/menu/broccoli-cheddar
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients:
10 ounce package of frozen, chopped broccoli
1- 8 ounce can of carrots or drained mixed vegetables
1- 10 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup
1 ¼ cup of low fat milk
¼ to ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
Directions:
- In a saucepan, prepare broccoli according to directions. Drain water.
- Add carrots, cream of mushroom soup, and one can of milk to the broccoli. Stir over low heat until vegetables are cooked and the mixture is steaming hot.
- Add cheese, stirring until melted.
- Serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers.
Recipe Source: https://whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/cream-broccoli-soup-ii
- Author: Emily Harris
Winter brings holidays filled with family and a new year filled with possibilities, but what we often forget is that winter can also bring colds and an overall feeling of being under the weather. Take control of your winter wellness this year by making sure you eat nutrient-dense and hearty meals. Check out the warm recipes below to keep yourself well this winter:
White Turkey Chili
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is starting to soften, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add bulgur, oregano, cumin, coriander, white pepper and salt and cook, stirring until aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Stir in white beans and chiles, then pour in broth; bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced and thickened and the bulgur is tender, about 50 minutes.
Image and Recipe Source: http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/myplate-cnpp/white-turkey-chili
Chinese Winter
Melon Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
1 large winter melon seeded and chopped
2 cups Chicken broth
4 dried black mushrooms rehydrated
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
1- 1/2 cups cooked chicken shredded
1 cup asparagus tips
Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Place melon in pot of boiling water; simmer 20-30 minutes until tender. Drain.
2. Add remaining ingredients; simmer additional 5 minutes.
Image and Recipe Source: http://eatfresh.org/recipe/main-dish-side-dish-soups/chinese-winter-melon-chicken-soup#.WE8qZfkrJPY
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients: 
1 cup rolled oats
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup, or other sweetener optional
Directions:
1. Heat water over medium heat in a skillet until bubbles form. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
2. Stir in oats. Cover and lower heat to low.
3. Cook oats until thick, about 5 minutes. Lift lid and stir every minute or two.
4. Stir in milk and other ingredients.
5. Cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Image and Recipe Source: http://eatfresh.org/recipe/snacks-breakfast-desserts/pumpkin-oatmeal#.WE8qR_krJPY
Meatball
Soup
Ingredients:
6 cups water
1/3 cup brown rice
3 low-sodium beef or chicken flavored bouillon cubes or 1 tablespoon low-sodium bouillon powder
4 sprigs fresh oregano finely chopped (or 1 Tablespoon dried oregano)
8 ounces lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1 tomato finely chopped
1/2 onion peeled and finely chopped
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli)
Directions:
1. In a large pot, combine water, rice, bouillon cubes, and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir to dissolve bouillon. Reduce heat to low and simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix ground meat, tomato, onion, egg, and salt. Form into 12 large meatballs.
3. Add meatball to broth mixture and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Add vegetables. Cook 10-15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked and rice and vegetables are tender. Serve hot.
Image and Recipe Source: http://eatfresh.org/recipe/soups/meatball-soup#.WE8p1_krJPY
