Winter Soup Ideas

What could be more pleasing this time of the year than a pot of warm homemade soup! Soup is a great addition to any menu. It can provide a variety of tastes as a healthy delicious main dish, and can make meal planning easy as well as budget friendly.

Use soup as a time saver for meals. Make a pot of your family’s favorite soup over the weekend.  Serve during the week for a quick evening meal, or take it for lunch. Add a salad and whole wheat bread to complete the meal. Freeze the leftovers for use later. Try a Chicken Corn Chowder or this very veggie Chicken Vegetable with Kale.

New at making soup? Soups can be easy and quick to prepare. Using recipes with just 2-3 ingredients, a pot of soup can be ready in less than 30 minutes.  This Cabbage Tomato Soup with 2 main ingredients or a 3 Can Chili can show you just how easy it is to make soup.

Beans and lentils are a great protein source for soups at a low cost. Add your favorite vegetables and have a meal ready in little time. Use dry lentils in Lentil, Mushroom and Swiss Chard Soup and canned kidney beans in the Quick Minestrone Soup.

For more soup recipes, visit https://www.eatsmart.umd.edu/recipes/main-dish

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Getting Involved in School Wellness

How are you doing with those New Year’s resolutions? It’s not uncommon to stick to them for a few weeks before old habits slip back in.



Making lasting changes in our personal health habits is hard! Healthy behaviors are easier to stick to when our environment supports them. For example, we’re less likely to snack on chips or candy when a vending machine isn’t right around the corner, right?



Schools are making an effort to create an environment that helps kids choose healthy foods and be more active. This is known as school wellness. All school districts have rules around what foods are available to students and how physical activity is integrated into the school day. This is known as a Wellness Policy. Wellness Policies may include rules about how much recess students should get, what types of foods can be served in the classroom, and how much time students have to eat lunch. But it’s up to each school to make sure they are following the policy.



If you’re interested in helping your child’s school create a healthier environment, find out if the school has a Wellness Team (sometimes called a Wellness Committee). These teams are in charge of making sure the school is following the Wellness Policy, and promoting health within the school. Parents can serve on these committees and be a powerful voice for change.



If your child’s school does not have a Wellness Team, you can still team up with other parents, teachers, or staff who are interested in student health. Work together to identify some ways your school can help kids make healthy choices. The Maryland School Wellness Scorecard is a helpful tool. Start with one simple change. Talk to the principal to get their support, and build on your successes.



That’s a New Year’s resolution worth sticking to!

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Warm Up with Winter Activities

The winter season can be a challenging time to keep up with your physical activity goals. Despite the cold temperatures and early sunsets, the American Heart Association still recommends that children aged 6-17 get at  least 60 minutes of physical activity per day and that adults participate in physical activity for 150 minutes each week! Here are some ideas for you and your family to stay warm and fit this winter season.

1. Bundle up and head outdoors for a winter adventure! Take a walk around the neighborhood or on a trail. You won’t have to deal with humidity, and the fresh air and change of scenery will help improve your mood. Be sure to bundle up with lots of layers, hats, and gloves!


2. Combine shopping with some physical activity. Head out to the shops a little early so that you can take a few of extra laps around the mall or shopping center.


3. Try indoor games with your family. Charades, dancing, and bowling are all great opportunities to be active indoors. You can also look up free exercise videos on the internet to do with your family.


4. Use commercials as opportunities to be active. Create challenges for your family-who can do the most sit-ups or jumping jacks? Jog in place for 3 minutes. Walk up and down the stairs a few times.


5. Switch your ‘spring cleaning’ for ‘winter cleaning’. Take the opportunity to clean out and organize your home so that when warm weather returns, you will be able to head back outside (and not be  in the house cleaning). Plus, it’s good exercise; an hour of housework can burn about 200 calories!

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Cooking with Garbanzo Beans

Have you heard of garbanzo beans before?  Garbanzo beans are legumes and also known as chickpeas.  Garbanzo beans are a great source of protein and fiber.  Garbanzo beans can be found in dried form or canned.  There are many different ways to use garbanzo beans in your weekly recipes. 
Add to a salad.  Garbanzo beans are a great addition to any salad.  Rinse cooked or canned garbanzo beans and toss with cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, low-fat cheese, and a favorite low-fat salad dressing. Or make this classic bean salad.


Make Hummus.  Garbanzo beans are the main ingredient in many hummus recipes.  Make Homemade Hummus with this easy recipe.  Put hummus on sandwiches instead of mayonnaise.  Hummus is also a great dip to use with veggies like cucumbers, carrots, and celery.


Create a crunchy snack.  Rinse canned garbanzo beans, pat dry, and then bake at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  After baking, sprinkle with your favorite spices. Some seasoning ideas include:

• Cinnamon and sugar


• Chili powder or taco seasoning


• Garlic and parmesan

Enjoy a dessert dip.  Garbanzo beans can be used to create a sweet dip to use with apple slices, other fruit or cinnamon chips.  Try the recipe below!

Introduce garbanzo beans to your children!  Rinse canned garbanzo beans and place in a bowl for them to taste.  Let them try garbanzo beans by themselves or use garbanzo beans to create a new snack from our ideas!

Now that you have learned many ways to enjoy garbanzo beans, save money by cooking them from scratch.

Apple Pie Dip

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo or navy beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup  applesauce
2 Tablespoons cashew butter (or any nut butter)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
 

Directions:

1.    Blend together all ingredients until very smooth.
2.    Chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

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Ring in 2019 with some SMART Goals!

This new year is a perfect time to get started on some new
goals or resolutions! Improving health, nutrition, and overall
well-being are popular resolutions, but they can be hard to do. Let’s
explore tips for goal setting and example goals that relate to health
and wellness!



SMART Goals

What does it really mean to create a “SMART” goal? SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable (or realistic), Relevant, and Time-bound.
At the start of the year, it can be tempting to think about “big
picture” goals you want to reach. However, small steps are what will
help you achieve your goals. SMART goals are targeted at these smaller
steps to improve your chance for success!


Stay Hydrated

Fluids
are important to keep your body functioning properly. An example of a
SMART goal would be to bring a bottle of water to work 5 days a week. To
save money on bottled water, try a fun-colored water bottle or thermos
that can be reused. When you are feeling hungry, try to take a few sips
of water first before reaching for a snack. Sometimes thirst can be
mistaken for hunger!



Make Time for Breakfast

Make a
quick breakfast before heading out the door to start your day off right
Whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana slices or hot oatmeal
with dried cranberries and honey will start your day off right. An
example of a SMART goal is to eat a balanced breakfast three times a
week. Check out these breakfast ideas that can be prepared ahead of
time!



Bran Muffins

Breakfast Parfait

Breakfast Roll-Up

Peach Muffins with Oatmeal Topping

Rise and Shine Cobbler

Single Serving Oatmeal



Be More Active

Physical
activity improves heart health, lowers stress, and can help you achieve
a healthy weight! It is recommended that adults should do 30 minutes of
moderate exercise 5 times a week. There are many ways to be active
throughout the day! Going on a walk with your pet, taking the stairs
instead of an elevator, vacuuming floors, and strength training all
count. An example of a SMART goal would be to go on a 30-minute walk
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and do 30 minutes of strength
training on Tuesday. Find some activities are exciting to you and get
started!



Add Veggies to your Meals

MyPlate recommend
that you fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables at
mealtime. Planning out vegetable side dishes for dinner time will expose
you to new recipes you may not have tried before! Leafy greens, crunchy
carrots, beans, and winter squashes all count as vegetables. A SMART
goal would be to add one vegetable to lunch and dinner each day. Need
some inspiration? Check out this vegetarian casserole.

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