Unplug, Unwind, and Reconnect with Your Family

Did you know that kids spend as many as 7 to 8 hours each day using technology?  Kids and teens watch TV, use the computer for doing homework, surfing the internet, and for connecting with friends.  They play video games, and talk and text on cell phones too.  Kids are such good multi-taskers they often use more than one kind of technology at a time.  Most spend a total of 10 hours each day plugged in one way or another.

Screen-Free Week is a nationwide opportunity for families to turn off technology and reconnect face to face with each other and extended family and friends.  Mark your calendar for April 30-May 6, 2012.  Take a break from technology and spend some quality family time together.  Limit screen time to 2 hours or  less each day for everyone during screen-free week. Use this time and brainstorm with your family to come up with fun, physically active, and creative things to do together!

•  Turn off the television during family meals
• Take a family walk or bike ride after dinner
• Invite friends over for game night
• Plan a neighborhood fun run or walk
• Organize a spring clean-up effort in your community
• Visit a local park or museum
• Read a story together
• Prepare family meals together -- kids can help too!

Need some more ideas?  Check out these resources for more information about National Screen-Free Week April 30-May 6, 2012.   www.screenfree.org  and www.letsgo.org

Have Fun at the Farmers' Market!

Have you ever visited a local farmers' market?  If not, you're missing out!  Farmers' markets are exciting places to be.  They have lots of pretty colors, sweet smells and yummy tastes!  Farmers' sell flowers, fruits and vegetables that they have grown for a fair price. (Some farmers' markets even accept EBT or WIC checks). You and your family can visit the farmers' market to buy healthy and tasty foods and have some fun too!
How can you have fun at a farmers' market?  Here are several suggestions:

• Make it a family event.  Children love going to the farmers' market to help pick out healthy foods.  Let them choose a fruit or vegetables of every different color!
• Try something new!  Never heard of a rutabaga?  Ask the farmer how he prepares it.  Don't be afraid to try something you've never had before. You may find you and your family really like it.
• Enjoy the wonderful sights and smells.  Admire the beautiful flowers, look at the different colors of the foods (look for purple potatoes or yellow carrots), and smell the delicious fruit.
• Eat!  The best part about going to a farmers' market is eating the fruits and vegetables you've bought. These foods are picked as soon as they are ripe meaning they have the best flavor.

If you haven't yet been to a farmers' market, it's time you go!  Not only will you and your family enjoy the trip, but you'll enjoy eating healthy and delicious foods!  To find a farmers' market near you, check out this link:  Find a Farmers' Market. 

New Numbers on Your Menus

Americans are eating out more than ever.  Many restaurants do not display the nutrition information of their foods so we often eat more calories, fat, and salt than we think we do.  In order to make healthy choices, we need to know what is in the food that we are eating!  It is hard to make healthy choices about our food if nutrition facts are not shown clearly when we are choosing what to order.  For example, would you guess that there are often more calories in a small milkshake than a hamburger?

For these reasons, many nutritionists and lawmakers asked that fast food and chain restaurants be required to post their nutrition facts.  They are hoping that this change will make it easier for Americans to be healthy. As a result, chain restaurants will not be required to tell you how many calories and fat are in each of their items. Don't be surprised if you start seeing these new numbers on menus and drive-thru boards.

Having nutrition information on display can help you make food choices that are best for you and your family.  It can make it easier for people to lose or manage their weight.  It can also help people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, safely eat out by knowing how many grams of sugar or salt they are consuming.

Most people needs about 2000 calories a day. A meal that has 1000 calories has 1/2 the calories you need.  You will have to eat foods with fewer calories the rest of the day in order to take in only 2000 calorie.  Eating extra calories can lead to weight gain.  You can use the information on menu labels to compare food choices and select items with fewer calories.  This can make it easier for you and your family to stay healthy while still eating at your favorite restaurants.

10 Ways to Budget Your Food Dollars

These days, saving money is a top priority.  Here are a few ideas that will help you and your family save money on food.  These easy tips will really add up to big savings over time.  Which ones you can start today?

1. Take some time to plan your meals.  Make a grocery list and organize it week to week.  Going in with a plan means less trips going back to the store to get things you forgot. Fewer trips means saving money!
2. Plan some meals with less meat.  Eggs, dried beans and even peanut butter can be an affordable protein dish.
3. Check the grocery store flyer for sale items and try to plan meals around them.  Most flyers come out between Wednesday and Friday.
4. Items from convenience stores are usually more expensive.
5. Check out your local dollar store.  Many dollar stores have bread, milk, crackers, and canned foods as well as spices.
6. Try shopping on a full stomach.  When you shop hungry, you usually come home with more things you may not have needed.
7. Know it is okay to make some last minute changes to your list while shopping. This is especially true at the farmers' market.  Maybe you were planning to buy broccoli but green beans are cheaper.  Go for the cheaper item!
8. Compare the prices of bulk versus single servings.  For example, quick cooking oatmeal is less expensive and just as easy as the single serving oatmeal packets.
9. If your kids like the crust cut off their sandwiches, save the crust and freeze to use in recipes that call for bread crumbs.  You can also use the crust to make stuffing.
10. Buy store brands in place of national brands.  Also compare their unit prices. The taste and quality are often very similar.

For more shopping tips, visit  101+ Ways to Save Food Dollars  -- adapted from Alabama Cooperative Extension

Easy Breakfast Foods

Some experts think that we should eat the biggest meal of our day first!  This way we can use that energy throughout our day.  However, we know that most people don't eat a very big breakfast at all.  Sometimes the whole meal gets forgotten or skipped!

Breakfast literally means "breaking the fast".  It helps us to reload our energy stores after a long night of not eating.  Too often, we start our day with an "empty tank". A healthy breakfast can give us the energy we need to "fuel" our activities throughout the day.  Here are three reasons why you should eat breakfast soon after waking up:

1. Its a nutritious way to start your day.  Breakfast eaters tend to eat less fatty foods, more whole grain foods, and more vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, iron and magnesium.
2. It improves our focus.  People who eat a healthy breakfast think more clearly, work faster, and feel better than those who skip breakfast.
3. Manage your weight.  Those who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

Here are some healthy breakfast ideas that are easy and high in fiber:

• Cereal.  Try the whole grain kinds topped with mixed nuts, dried fruit, or a sliced banana.  Use either low fat milk or calcium fortified soy milk.
• Whole grain bread, English muffin or bagel.  Try with a little peanut butter, sliced banana, and raisins on top.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve with a glass of milk!
• Yogurt.  Layer with your favorite fruit and whole wheat cereal or granola.
• Oatmeal.  Top it with raisins, dried cranberries, sliced bananas, and milk.

When you need to grab and go:

• Fruit smoothie.  Add your favorite frozen fruit to the blender along with a cup of yogurt.  Pour into a thermos.
• Healthy granola bar.  Try one made of whole grains.  Add one piece of fruit such as an apple, orange, or a banana.
• Mini wheat cereal.  Add dried fruit, mixed nuts, and place in a plastic bag or reusable container.  Take along with a thermos cup of milk.
• Sandwich.  Make it with lean ham or turkey, or peanut butter and jelly on whole grain bread.  Lunch foods can be used for breakfast too!