5 Minutes in the Green Can Boost Mood

Who doesn’t enjoy spending time in the great outdoors?  Our day-to-day lives are so busy that we do not seem to have enough time for all that we want to do, including being outdoors.

Spending just five minutes a day in the fresh air can improve your mental health and boost your mood.  Whether it’s the sunshine, the fresh air, or just being around the sights and sounds of nature, there’s just something about spending time outdoors that can naturally enhance your mood.

Activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, hiking, and farming can significantly increase self esteem.  Recent studies have shown that you can reduce your risk of mental illness and improve your sense of well being by spending just five minutes in “green exercise”.  Areas containing water proved to have the most beneficial effects on mood and behavior.

So after dinner, instead of going for the television remote, take a walk outside!  The fresh air will clear the mind and help you to relax.  To read more on this study, check out this article.

Stir-Fried Vegetables

Servings:  4
Preparation Time:  10 min
Cooking Time:  5 min

Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 tsp sesame oil
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
2 cup(s) sugar snap peas, or pea pods, trimmed
2 cup(s) carrot(s), sliced thinly on a diagonal
2 medium scallion(s), chopped
1 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional)

Instructions
Coat a wok or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat; add oil and heat. Add garlic and stir-fry 1 minute. Add sugar snap peas, carrots and scallions; stir-fry 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add soy sauce and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Yields about 1/2 cup per serving

Smart Back-to-School Health Solutions

As summer vacation winds down, children’s physical activity often does the same. With sports ending in mid-summer and family vacations out of the way, getting kids to stay active into the school year isn’t always easy. Here are some tips to help kids get the exercise they need without making it seem like extra homework.

1. Keep an activity-filled schedule. While kids might think of the back-to-school season as the end of summer, help them take advantage of September’s great weather by encouraging outdoor, after-school activities, even if they’re as simple as walking the dog or going for a bike ride. If you live close to your children’s school, let them walk (or walk with them) to school instead of taking the bus or getting a ride.
2. Keep computer time to a minimum. More kids are spending their free time on the computer, which can cause neck, back, and eye strain. Try and keep the time they spend on the computer to a minimum, and make sure they take frequent breaks.
3. Establish a sleep schedule. Waking up early for the first few days of school can disrupt sleep cycles, so gradually ease them back into the school year sleep cycle by having them go to bed and wake up earlier for the few days before school starts. Although it might not be the most fun way to spend the last few summer nights, they’ll appreciate not feeling so groggy on their first day back.
4. Pack a health-conscious lunch. Packing a lunch is a great way to ensure that your child is eating right, even when they aren’t in your kitchen. Make sure to include enough fruits, vegetables, dairy and whole grains; for some healthy lunch solutions, check out this article.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to make sure that your child stays healthy and active, especially once school starts. For more information on how to prepare your child, physically and mentally, for the upcoming school year, check out this link.

Farmer’s Market Squash Saute

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min
Makes: 4 servings, 3/4 cup each

Ingredients
2 zucchini, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp.  olive oil
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp.  chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Directions
COOK vegetables in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 3 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook 3 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

REMOVE from heat; stir in mozzarella and basil.

SPRINKLE with Parmesan

Back-to-school Health Checklist

Getting the kids ready to go back to school this year might not be as easy as boosting their confidence and buying a new backpack. School districts throughout the country are implementing new medical requirements, including a variety of immunizations and checkups, which are necessary in order for children to attend school this fall. While many schools offer free vaccinations and physical tests (including hearing and vision), here are a few ways to make sure your child is able to go back to school healthy and well-prepared!

1. Prepare your child’s immunization record. This simply means that you should keep track of what vaccinations your child has and has not received. Keeping an immunization record allows your child’s records to be readily available to you and the school’s medical officials in case of any emergency, as well as making sure your child has all the proper vaccinations for his or her age. Because the list of required vaccinations and immunizations is always changing, check with the American Academy of Pediatrics or consult the district’s nurse if you have any questions as to what shots are appropriate and necessary.
2. Schedule a vision checkup. While many parents would like to think their child would tell them of any problems they might have with their vision, many young children either aren’t aware of, or don’t report, vision trouble. Children who are able to see well perform better in school, so it is important to take the necessary steps in your child’s eye-care. Many schools perform vision tests, taking your child to an optometrist is probably your best bet for detecting any irregularities and correcting them before they become a larger problem.
3. Keep an up-to-date contact list. If your child has an emergency, it’s extremely important that the school has an accurate, up-to-date emergency contact list. Contacts and their phone numbers should be prioritized, and it doesn’t hurt to give a few contacts in case you aren’t available. Many schools require the contact information for your child’s doctor and dentist in case immediate transportation is necessary. It really doesn’t hurt to leave as much information as possible, and it’s better to be over-prepared than it is to leave the school looking for more information if anything should go wrong.
4. Make your child’s allergies and medications known. If your child has to take medication for any reason, even if it’s not during school hours, it’s important that the school nurse is made aware. Likewise, if your child has an allergies, especially food allergies, make sure the school is notified. If your child an allergy attack, or a bad reaction to a particular food, the nurse will take the necessary steps to help your child based on their medications or allergies.

There are several other examinations that the local school district might require, like weight reports or scoliosis screens, but often times those are not mandatory. The steps listed above are simply suggestions as to how to keep your child healthy throughout the school year, as well as how to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the ever-changing regulations put in place by school districts. For more information on getting ready for getting your family ready to go back to school this fall, check out this article.

Andouille Sausage and Corn Bread Stuffing

Makes 10-12 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 pound andouille sausages,* cut into 1/3-inch pieces
1 12-ounce package breakfast-style bulk sausage
3 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped red bell peppers
1 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
12 ounces dry corn bread stuffing mix
1 ½ cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth

Directions
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all sausages and cook until brown and cooked through, breaking up bulk sausage with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery and red bell peppers. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Stir in green onions, thyme, hot pepper sauce and sage. Transfer sausage mixture to large bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Stir stuffing mix into sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13×9 baking dish. Add enough broth to stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups.) Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.

*Smoked pork-and-beef sausages that are sold at specialty foods stores. Smoked bratwurst, kielbasa or smoked Hungarian sausages can be substituted.

Want Kids to Eat Veggies? Steam Them!

Getting kids to eat their vegetables can be a very difficult task.  Some parents go to great lengths to make eating vegetables fun and amusing for kids.  Some parents even believe that drowning them in flavors will seem more appealing and better to eat.  Broccoli dowsed in cheese or onion-battered green beans are not the trick to sparking your child’s appetite.  You can try every trick in the book to get your kids to eat their veggies- grilling, frying, mashing- and they may still turn up their noses. 

Good news, moms- cooking vegetables just got easier!  A recent study has revealed that the key to vegetables is keeping them crunchy.  A steamed or boiled veggie keeps its color, flavor, and crispness, which kids are able to recognize.  A brown coloring or grainy texture may turn kid’s taste buds away.  Keeping the vegetables as crunchy as possible and the surface plain will allow kids to easily recognize the appearance and taste of the vegetables, making it easier for them to eat. To find out more about this study, check out this article.

What’s your experience with children and veggies … how do you get your kids to make better/healthier choices?

Blackberry Pandowdy

Servings:  6
Preparation Time:  20 min
Cooking Time:  30 min
 
Ingredients

• 4 cup(s) blackberries
• 1/4 cup(s) sugar
• 1 Tbsp uncooked tapioca, quick-cooking or minute variety
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup(s) rolled oats, do not use quick-cooking
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp shortening, solid vegetable variety
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp water, cold
• 1 tsp all-purpose flour, divided

Instructions

• Divide the oven in half with the rack; preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Mix the blackberries, 1/4 cup sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl; set aside while you make the crust.
• Place 1/2 cup flour, oats, salt, and the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in a food processor or a mini food processor; pulse until the oats are finely ground.
• Add the shortening and butter; pulse until the texture of coarse meal.
• Add the water and pulse just until the mixture gathers into a ball.
• Dot your work surface with water, then lay a piece of wax paper on it (the water will hold the wax paper in place).
• Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon flour over the wax paper.
• Gather the dough together, place it on the wax paper, and pat it into a flattened circle.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon flour over the dough and top with a second piece of wax paper.
• Roll the dough to an 8-inch square.
• Peel off the top layer of wax paper.
  Pour the blackberry mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan.
• Lift up the dough with the bottom piece of wax paper, set it upside down over the filling, and peel off what was the bottom layer of wax paper.
• Tuck in the edges of the crust, pushing them down into the filling (as opposed to lifting them over the edges of the pan).
• Bake for 30 minutes, then crack the crust with a knife into 6 or 7 uneven sections.
• Press these down slightly into the filling.
• Continue baking until the berry mixture is bubbling through the cracks, about 5 minutes.

5 “Bad” Foods You SHOULD Be Eating

Have you ever felt guilty about eating a snack that is high in fat when you could have chosen to eat something that was fat-free?  Have you worried that your cholesterol will skyrocket after eating something “bad” for dinner?  It seems as though ever since I can remember, the rule to eating healthy has been to stay away from foods that are high in fat, cholesterol, and sugar. Good news- many of the myths we hear about foods that are unhealthy for us do in fact have their benefits!  A new study has shown that there are 5 foods with bad reputations that, if eaten in moderation, can be beneficial to our health.

1.  Peanut Butter
Myth: Super-fattening.

Truth: Provides protein and folate, a B vitamin important for the healthy development of new cells. A tablespoon (90 calories) or two can go a long way!

2.  Eggs
Myth: High in dietary cholesterol.  Egg Yolks are bad for heart health.

Truth: Saturated and trans fats have proven to be worse for blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol. Eggs may also be satisfying, causing you to feel less hungry throughout the day.  Egg yolks contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are compounds that can reduce the risk of blindness in people over 50.

3. Beef
Myth: Contains high amounts of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.

Truth: Lean cuts are low in fat and a good source of protein and iron.

4. Chocolate
Myth: Lots of fat, lots of sugar.

Truth: Dark chocolate contains an antioxidant, flavanols, which is good for heart health. Dark chocolate also reduces stress if eaten in small amounts (1.5 oz) daily.

5. Potatoes
Myth: High on the glycemic index, a measure of how quickly blood sugar is raised.

Truth: Good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C.  Adding a small amount of fat, such as olive oil, to the potato helps slow the absorption of carbohydrates, which lowers the glycemic index.

Moderation is the key to a healthy diet. Don’t be afraid to indulge in “bad” food once in a while. Your body will thank you in the long run. Check out this article to find out more about the bad foods you should be eating.

Asian-Style Sea Bass

Ingredients
1 pound(s) sea bass fillet(s), cut into 4 pieces 
1 cup(s) scallion(s), thinly sliced (about 3 scallions) 
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, divided 
1 tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced 
2 tbsp sesame oil 
2 cup(s) cooked white rice 

Directions
Cut out a 12 x 18-inch rectangle of foil. Put the sea bass fillets on the foil; top with the scallions, 1 Tbsp of the soy sauce, the ginger, and oil. Fold the foil into a packet, making a tight seal.

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the packet to the water; reduce the heat, cover tightly, and cook about 10 minutes. Open the packet and check the fish; it should be just opaque in the center. If the fish is not fully cooked, reseal the packet and return it to skillet until cooked through. Serve, drizzled with the remaining 1 Tbsp soy sauce, any juices, and the rice. Yields 1 fillet and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.