Healthy Summer Breakfasts

Is breakfast a part of your morning routine? We all need to take time to enjoy a healthy breakfast.

Eating breakfast is important as it helps our body to fuel up after a long night’s sleep.

Kids, as well as adults, who eat breakfast think more clearly and score higher on tests, and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.  Eating breakfast is just a nutritious way to start the day giving our body the energy, vitamins and minerals it needs.

A summer breakfast can be healthy, and especially delicious, using the seasonal fruits and vegetables that are now available at our local Farmer’s Markets and grocery stores. Build a healthy morning meal around a whole grain food, add a protein (milk, yogurt, egg, peanut butter, meat or beans) and include those fresh summer fruits and vegetables. Make it a family activity by using recipes everyone can help prepare. Enjoy a breakfast together at least once a week.

Check out these quick and cool breakfast ideas for the warm summer days ahead:

• Enjoy a whole grain cereal with milk and fresh fruit.
• Spoon low fat yogurt, fruit and granola into a glass for a delicious Breakfast Parfait .
• Spread a toasted slice of whole wheat bread with low fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and top with your favorite berries .
• Make a cool and creamy breakfast smoothie by following this Banana Berry Smoothie recipe.
• Toast a whole grain waffle, spread it with peanut butter, add sliced fresh peaches and drizzle with a little honey.
• Try a fruit pizza for breakfast using an English muffin and this Fruit Pizza to Go recipe .
• Enjoy eggs with fresh or frozen vegetables in this easy Vegetable Omelet .

Make a healthy breakfast part of your summer routine. Visit the Eat Smart, Be Fit website https://www.eatsmart.umd.edu for more breakfast recipes.

Summer Food Safety

Trusted Resources for Summer Food Safety

Summer is here! Maybe your family has been on vacation, experienced a power outage, or is getting ready for a camping trip or picnic, and you have a food safety question.  It is not uncommon to have unexpected problems where you just want to find a trusted resource to help you answer the question. Here are some options that can answer your summer food safety questions now and all year long.

App lover: FoodKeeper

FoodKeeper is a free app for Android or iPhone. The focus of the App is to help answer how long can I keep that food in my refrigerator or pantry.

Not in a rush for an answer: Ask an Expert

Ask an Expert strives to answer your submitted question within 48 hours. Topics range from food safety to growing flowers. Questions are answered by experts in your home county.

Chat online: Ask Karen

Ask Karen can answer your food safety questions. Live chat is available Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 06 PM Eastern Time.

Ask Karen is also available to download from the iTunes and Google Play app stores.

You can also use the site any time of the day to search for common food safety questions.

Want to talk to a person: University of Maryland Extension

The University of Maryland Extension has an educator in your local county who you can call and ask to help answer your food safety questions.  Most Extension offices are open Monday-Friday from 8a-4:30p. Find your local food safety educator. http://extension.umd.edu/

Healthy Summer Snacks

Summertime is all about fun in the sun! If you are on-the-go or just need some fuel in between meals, summer snacks can be simple and delicious. Check out these healthy snack ideas!

Cool Down

Get refreshed with a smoothie! Grab your blender and add in fresh or frozen fruits. Try summer fruits like berries, peaches, or cherries (remember to remove the pit if fresh). Add in low-fat yogurt if you like thick smoothies, or low-fat milk if you like your smoothies thinner. Make it a “green” smoothie by adding spinach. Blend it all together and enjoy! Freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray with toothpicks to make smoothie popsicles. Search “smoothie” on Eat Smart to find a ton of recipe ideas.

Take a Dip

Add some fun to your snacks by making dips to go along with pieces of fruit, veggies, or baked tortilla chips. Try Fruit Kabobs with Yogurt Dip or chopped veggies with Creamy Dip. Get all of your food groups at once with the MyPlate Salsa or get fruity with a Mango or Peach salsa.

Mix it Up

Trail mix is a energizing snack that has endless possibilities. Use air-popped popcorn and whole grain cereal like Cheerios. Then, pick your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to add to the mix. Separate into sandwich bags to grab on your way out to enjoy the summer fun! 

Check out Eat Smart for other healthy summer snack ideas.

Food Safety During the Summer

As the temperature rises we know it is definitely summer time! It is no surprise that we see an increase in foodborne illnesses from June - September.  One of the best tools to help prevent illness is a food thermometer and refrigerator/freezer thermometer.  Both food and refrigerator thermometers are relatively low cost ($10 or less), and can be found at your local grocery/hardware store.

A food thermometer monitors the temperature of food to ensure it is “done” and cooked to the proper temperature.  This makes it safe to eat.

Pros

• Prevent food from being undercooked and thus prevent foodborne illness
• Avoid food from being overcooked, which negatively changes the flavor and texture of food
• Allows cooks to hold food at a safe temperature
• Easy to use

Cons

• Needs to be calibrated, some more often than others
• Not always oven proof
• Time to read the correct temperature can vary

A refrigerator thermometer is a smart investment to prevent food waste.  When the refrigerator is 41°F or less, food in the refrigerator is less likely to spoil.  When the refrigerator is 41°F or less, most bacteria that cause foodborne illness do not survive well at these cold temperatures, keeping our milk, eggs, and produce safe to eat.  When temperatures do not stay below 41°F, some simple changes are needed:

• There is too much food to properly cool down to 41°F or less
• The refrigerator and/or freezer needs to be fixed

A freezer thermometer can also prevent food waste.  When the freezer is at 0°F or less, food in the freezer is less likely to defrost and spoil, similar to the refrigerator temperatures.   

Pros

• When a power outage occurs, check the refrigerator and freezer thermometer to see if the temperature is above 41°F . Throw out any food that has been above 41°F for more than 2 hours as it could be unsafe to eat.
• Thermometers make chilling and cooking foods easy

Cons

• Thermometer may be hard to see in the refrigerator/freezer
• Thermometer temperatures may not get checked daily

To find out more information about summer food safety, check our past blogs on these topics.

Past Blogs on Summer Food Safety

Memorial Day Grilling Food Safely

Summer Picnic Food Safety

Keeping Your Summer Foods Safe

Summer Activities for Kids

Summer is here. The weather is warm. Kids have more time to play! Of course, there are tons of activities for kids to choose from. Some include sports, reading, and cooking. But sometimes those activities can cost a lot of money. Here are some low-cost activities for your kids during the summer.

Gardening

Make it a family activity by getting everyone involved! Buy seeds to grow your own fruits and veggies. The kids will have a lot of fun watching their plants grow.

Visit a Local Pool

Summer is a perfect time to enjoy the outdoors, but it can get hot! Visit your  community pool to cool down in the hot summer sun. Many pools have a kids area where they can play with fountains or waterslides!

Everyone Loves to Use Sidewalk Chalk

Kids love to draw pictures on the sidewalk with chalk. Use chalk to draw a hopscotch board or draw a picture of your favorite fruit or veggie. You can also create your own game with chalk.

Make a Summer Bucket List

Get the whole family involved in a summer bucket list. See how many items you can cross off! Add ideas like visiting a zoo or going on a family hike. Other examples include playing frisbee, visiting a park, making a new recipe together, having a picnic, or visiting the farmers’ market!

Tag -- You’re It!

No equipment is needed to play tag!  It is perfect for a large group of kids. Play different types of tag like freeze tag, cartoon tag, and dragon tail tag.

Use these suggestions to get active with your kids this summer! If you have any others ideas, please share them with us!

Water for Healthy Bodies

Warm temperatures are here to stay for a while, so it's important to remember to give our bodies plenty of water to help stay cool and hydrated during these busy summer days.

Why do we need to drink water?
Every single cell in our body has water in it.  It is an essential building block for everything our body does.  Our brains and hearts are made up of 70% water, and our muscles are 80% water.  All of our body fluids, such as blood, saliva, and spinal fluids, contain water.  Even our bones have water in them -- about 30% of our skeleton is water!

Our bodies need water for sweating to keep us cool, acting as a transport to deliver nutrients, helping to flush out body wasted through urination, and lubricating our joints so we can move around easily.

How do I get water?
All of us can meet our bodies' water needs through drinking fluids.  Luckily, our body lets us know when it needs more water by giving us a feeling of thirst.  We can also get water from the foods that we eat.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are about 85% water, plus they have important nutrients that our body needs.

Water is a delicious drink on its own, and it is what our body needs most often.  Create your own refreshing drink by adding sliced fruit such as lemon, lime, oranges, strawberries, and even watermelon, or fresh herbs like spearmint to a glass of water.  Slices of fruit and herbs add very few calories, keeping this a very healthy drink.

If you like soda but know you should limit sugary drinks,  create your own using the recipe Fizzy and Fruity Water.  It's a fun one to make with the kids because they get to see lots of bubbles, while having a healthy drink.  Enjoy!