Roasting Root Vegetables

Recipes for Roasting Root Vegetables:


Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Glaze
Oven Roasted Vegetables
Chicken, Sweet Potato and Carrot Packets
Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries



You may eat plenty of leafy greens like spinach and kale or other vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower but have you tried root vegetables with your family? What is a root vegetable? A root vegetable is the underground, edible portion of a plant such as a carrot, radish, parsnip, beet, turnip and potato.


There are plenty of ways people enjoy eating root vegetables. Some like a raw, peppery radish sliced into a cold, crunchy salad. Others may prefer a nice helping a grandma’s steamy mashed potatoes!


If you’d like to add a twist to the way you prepare your root vegetables, you might try roasting them. Roasting vegetables brings out flavors for a richer taste. A great place to start is with a savory snack like these sweet and delicious Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Sweet potato fries are kid-friendly and pack a powerful punch of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Sweet potatoes provide an excellent source of vitamin A which is often associated with its importance in eye health.


How about adding some root vegetables into a family dinner? If you want a quick, easy and flavorful meal, this Chicken, Sweet Potato and Carrot Packet recipe is the one for you. This recipe allows you to “throw it all together,” by combining chicken, vegetables and spices, wrapping it in foil and then popping it into the oven. This is a perfect “go to” recipe for a busy night when time is limited.


Get creative and try new ways of preparing your root vegetables. It’s best to cut the vegetables into bite size pieces that are uniform in size so they cook evenly. Toss them in a little oil and add salt, pepper or other spices of your choice. Spread onto a pan, and then place them in the oven. This Oven Roasted Vegetables recipe will not disappoint.



Happy roasting!

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Keep the Party Moving with Active Games!

Classroom celebrations come in all shapes and sizes—recognizing birthdays, holidays, and class achievements—but they should all focus on having FUN! Including active games during classroom celebrations is a great way to help keep students engaged and in motion, while also encouraging brain development, creativity, and reducing stress.



Physical activity stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin; all chemicals in the brain that make you feel good, so students can keep that celebratory feeling going strong long after the party’s over.



Offer to lead these active games as part of your child’s next classroom celebration:

• Active Reading: Read a story with lots of active verbs like climb, run, jump, shake, and wiggle. Have the students stand and act out the verbs while you read.


• Dance to the Music!: Host a dance party or play freeze dance with the class’s favorite tunes.


• Scavenger Hunt: Hide objects around the room for students to find—you can increase the activity level by leaving a note for a specific exercise or movement they need to do when they find the item.


• Simon Says: There’s lots of ways to rev up this game (and everyone’s heart rate)—jogging, shooting baskets, and squats can all easily be done in place.

Holidays/Observances

• Valentine’s Day: What better day to get everyone’s heart thumping with physical activity? Have students exchange cards with different exercises written on them. After completing the exercise, students find additional partners with which to exchange cards and complete exercises. Teach students how to measure their heart rates before and after exercising so they can see the difference it makes.


• 100th Day of School: Set up 10 stations around the classroom where students perform a physical activity (squats, jumps, touching their toes, arm circles, etc.) with one set of 10 repeated movements. At the end of the circuit they’ll have completed 100 physical activities! Or, as an alternative, choose a few exercises and see how many of each activity they can do in 100 seconds.


• Fall Harvest: Take the class on a nature walk around the school. Collect items like leaves, twigs, acorns, and pinecones to bring back to the classroom and use in a craft project.


• Thanksgiving: Host your own Turkey Trot! Set up cones on a field or in the gym to mark off the course. Give each student a paper cut out of a turkey feather for each lap they complete and then use them all to decorate a classroom turkey to mark their success. 


• Winter: Have an indoor snowball fight with soft plush snowballs or pompoms or toss beanbag “snowballs” into buckets from increasing distances.

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Slow Cooker Meals

Having a busy family schedule can make it seem difficult to find time to cook and eat homemade meals together. You can make healthy, time-saving meals by using a slow cooker. Slow cookers or “crock pots” are safe and convenient kitchen appliances that allow users to “cook without looking.”  By following a few safety measures as recommended in this USDA Slow Cookers and Food Safety fact sheet, you can enjoy the many benefits of homemade meals without all of the fuss.



New to using a slow cooker or need a refresher? Here are 6 great ways you can use your slow cooker:

• Soups & Stews – Soups are a great way to get some extra vegetables in and also a wonderful thing to walk in the door to on a chilly day. Try this slow cooker lentil soup, or crock pot root vegetable stew. You can also make this black bean and sweet potato chili or this veggie-rich chicken soup.


• Apple Sauce— Imagine waking up to the smell of cinnamon and warm apples! You can do just that with this slow cooker applesauce recipe. Serve with oatmeal for a healthy and filling start to the day.


• Stuffed Peppers – Looking to try something new? These turkey and brown rice stuffed peppers might be just the inspiration you are looking for.


• Homemade Tomato Sauce – In slow cooker combine:

                     2 15-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes

                     1 6-ounce can of tomato paste

                     1 small onion (chopped)

                     1 teaspoon of garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic


                    You can also add vegetables such as green peppers or mushrooms. For meat sauce, add

                    one pound of ground turkey or lean ground beef. Heat on high until sauce begins to boil,
                    then turn down to low and cook for 6 hours. Serve over cooked, whole wheat pasta.
                    You can also use it to make these tasty zucchini pizza bites.

• Shredded Chicken – Cook completely defrosted chicken for 3 - 4 hours on high or 6 -7 hours on low. Shred and serve on a salad. You may also use in sandwiches, wraps or tacos, or you may use in casseroles and soups. Tip: You can also cook other meats such as pork chops or roasts in the crock pot in approximately 5-6 hours on high or 8 – 10 hours on low. Tougher cuts of meat will take longer.


• Dry Beans without Soaking – Smaller beans, such as black, navy and pinto will cook without presoaking in 5-6 hours, as long as you boil the beans for 10 minutes first. This is because beans naturally contain toxins that could cause an upset stomach, but boiling will cook these off. After boiling, drain and place in slow cooker and cover with 2” of water.  Cook 5-6 hours on high setting or 6 – 8 on low.    Larger beans such as kidney or limas will take longer to cook through.  Bonus: 1 pound of dry beans = 6 cups cooked beans. You can save time and money by using your slow cooker. 

As long as you follow the basic safety tips listed above, nearly any one-pot meal can be made in a slow cooker.  What family-favorite meals will you make for your family? Try making as many as possible and enjoy lots of quality time spent together around the table!

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Spotlight on Oranges

If you need a little sunshine on a chilly winter day try adding fresh juicy oranges to your snacks or meals! Watch this video on how to buy, store and prepare oranges.


Recipes for Oranges:

Banana Berry Smoothie
Breakfast Fruit Cup
Cinnamon-Orange Glazed Sweet Potatoes
MyPlate Wraps
Sunshine Salad

Oranges are a citrus fruit that people have enjoyed eating for hundreds of years all over the world. We mainly eat sweet Navel and Valencia oranges as well as tiny mandarin oranges which come from tangerines. Navel oranges got their name because the bottom of the orange looks like a bellybutton or navel. In the United States they are grown in California and Florida so, depending on where you live, your oranges may not have far to travel to arrive fresh at your grocery store.

Oranges make wonderful snacks. They do not need to be refrigerated and the thick peel means you can put them directly into your bag or backpack to take them with you. Fresh orange slices add delicious tangy flavor to salads and side dishes. And you can add them to smoothies with other fruits.

Ideas for Serving Oranges

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  Slice oranges into wedges for a quick, healthy snack.
  
  


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  Keep a bowl on the kitchen table or counter stocked with fresh oranges. When fruit is readily available it is easier to choose them as a snack instead of opening the cupboards and picking something less healthy.
  
  


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  Make a fruit salad with fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and grapes then add canned mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks.
  
  


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  Perk up your salad at lunch or dinner by adding peeled orange segments or canned mandarin orange slices. Add some crunch with walnuts or pecans, sprinkle with crumbled cheese and drizzle on your favorite dressing.
  
  

Orange Juice is Delicious Too!

• 
  Make your own juice! Nothing tastes better than freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning. When you make your own, you can be sure there are no added preservatives or sweeteners.
  
  


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  Try a fruit spritzer. Add 100% orange juice to sparkling water for a refreshing alternative to soda. Kids love this!
  
  


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  Freeze 100% orange juice in a small paper cup with a popsicle stick or spoon in it. Take it out of the freezer, peel off the paper cup and you have a mini popsicle!
  
  

Tips for Buying Oranges

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  Look for firm oranges that feel heavy for their size.
  
  


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  The skin, or peel, should be shiny with a bright orange color. If there are a couple of marks or green spots that is okay.
  
  


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  If you want an orange with a lot of juice, pick one with a thinner skin.
  
  


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  Oranges can be kept at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
  
  


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  Do not select fruits with bruised, discolored or wrinkled skin.
  
  

Washing Fresh Oranges
Oranges should be washed before peeling or cutting.  Rub the surface, rinse with running water and dry with a paper towel.

Wondering if your kids might not like the taste of oranges? Not to worry! After chocolate and vanilla, orange is the world’s favorite flavor. So pick up some fresh oranges and add them to your menu this week.

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