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: 

1. In a saucepan, prepare broccoli according to directions. Drain water.
2. 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. 
3. Add cheese, stirring until melted. 
4. Serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe Source: https://whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/recipes/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/cream-broccoli-soup-ii

The Housing Authority of Madera County collaborated for the 3^rd year with UCCE for summer nutrition classes. This year UC CalFresh was able to hold multiple classes at two different sites to reach all audiences: seniors, adults and youth.

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"You can never get enough education," was something Nutrition Coordinator, Angelica Perez, learned from teaching seniors. Using the Eat Smart, Live Strong curriculum, the senior participants learned the benefits of getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily and consuming three and a half cups of fruits and vegetables every day. The group really appreciated the break out sessions where they shared recipes and ideas of how to incorporate more physical activity into their lives. The participants were very thankful to have UC CalFresh come and hold classes about nutrition, and many shared that the class helped them to create healthier habits throughout the weeks the lessons were held. 

Angelica Perez teaching the Eat Smart, Live Strong Curriculum to participants in Madera County. 

 Maira Enriquez leading the physical activity portion of the class. 

 Another nutrition education series was held at the Madera Plaza Apartments. In this series, UC CalFresh reached families with the Plan, Shop, Save and Cook for the parents and the My Amazing Body youth curriculum for the kids. In the Plan, Shop, Save and Cook Series, one participant shared how she saved money on her monthly grocery bill by implementing the tips from the class. 

Maira Enriquez teaching Plan, Shop, Save and Cook to the Madera Plaza participants. 

Angelica Perez and Tacu Vang demonstrate the recipe for the Plan, Shop, Save and Cook Curriculum.

The youth class was also very successful, and the children at the Madera Plaza Apartments really enjoyed the nutrition activities and tastings of different foods from the five food groups. 

Tacu Vang teaching the youth class about germs and how to properly wash their hands. 

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Summer always ends with good memories! The classes allowed for new participants to be reached with information regarding nutrition, physical activity and food safety. UC CalFresh looks forward to future collaborations with the Housing Authority of Madera County and the families of Madera County.  

Many people view summertime as a lazy, relaxing time of year, but not the 25 senior citizens at Fresno's Lafayette Community Center and Pinedale Community Center. These seniors spent their summer learning about maintaining a healthy lifestyle by including more fruits and vegetables in their daily diet.

Nutrition Educator, Consuelo Cid, teaching seniors at Lafayette Community Center how fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals our bodies need daily. 

The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education program collaborated with Fresno's Parks and Recreation Department to offer senior citizens in the Fresno community no-cost, nutrition education classes over a 5-week period. The Eat Smart, Live Strong curriculum gave seniors tips on how to include more fruits and vegetables in their diet and how to save money while still eating healthy foods. Seniors were also able to taste quick, inexpensive and healthy recipes prepared by the UC CalFresh staff every week during the series. 

Nutrition Educator, Consuelo Cid, demonstrating how to cool down after doing any physical activity with seniors at Lafayette Community Center. 

The seniors at both community centers also learned about physical activity because it is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. Everyone participated in learning four new exercises at each class session along with the proper way to warm up and cool down when exercising. Participants graduated after the 5-week session with a certificate of completion from the University of California and nutrition education reinforcement items to remind them to continue on their journey towards a healthy lifestyle. These items included reusable shopping bags, cookbooks, reusable water bottles and fruit and vegetable scrub brushes. The seniors expressed how informational and fun these classes were for them, and promised to continue eating fruits and vegetables every day and participating in at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.

Nutrition Program Coordinator, Kristi Schultz-Sharp, with the Eat Smart, Live Strong graduates at Pinedale Community Center.

Parents at Jefferson Elementary School were thrilled to begin the Plan, Shop, Save and Cook Series. They were excited to learn about ways the class could help them save money when it comes to healthy cooking at home and also learn ways to plan healthy meals. Many activities were included during the lessons, which allowed them to apply the skills they learned. One activity had the parents first create a meal plan and then plan their shopping lists. This activity allowed them to see the food groups they were eating plenty of, and which other food groups were being left out.

Jefferson parents planning their families' meals for the week and creating their shopping lists.

As the lessons continued throughout the weeks, many of the parents were eager to share their success in balancing all of the food groups on MyPlate to ensure balanced diets. Others shared their new found awareness of store flyer sale items, which included seasonal fruits and vegetables. Many parents also learned how low their whole grain consumption was, and began incorporating more whole grains into their meals. A couple of the parents even shared that they made our enchilada casserole at home and their families loved it, not knowing that they were eating whole grain brown rice!  

 Nutrition Educators, Araceli and Angelica, with some of the parents from the class who received their certificate of graduation from the Plan, Shop, Save and Cook Series.

Overall the class was very successful and we had 7 parents graduate the Plan, Shop, Save and Cook Series. Many parents appreciated learning nutrition information provided during the class by mentioning how useful it was for them to ensure that they make everyday, healthy eating a positive and simple, one step at a time, change. They know that these changes will make an extreme difference in their overall health and the health of their families. 

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Interested in bringing an adult nutrition education class to a school or community center near you? Contact our Adult Nutrition Program Supervisor, Javier Miramontes, at 241-7531 or jfmiramontes@ucanr.edu for more information.