Resolution Calendar

Do you have a long list of New Year's Resolutions this year?  If so, take a hint from this infograph and divide them up.  Choosing to make only one change at a time can help you be more successful in making the change a habit. 

If you don't have your list yet.  Here are some ideas to help you become healthier during 2018.

Registration Deadline is Jan 5 for Food Managers Class

Get a Handle on Debt Boot Camp.

During this season of spending and giving, we often forget about the upcoming bills of the new year.  Making your New Year's Resolution to get out of debt or even reduce the debt you are in can reduce stress in the future.  To help you achieve this goal, the consumer financial protection bureau will be holding their first e-mail course, the Get a Handle on Debt Boot Camp. 

It is free and will include many great tips and worksheets to help you plan your spending and reduce your debt.  Sign up is easy.  Just click on the link and read about the program, then type your e-mail in the box.  You will be send information for 21 days in January.

 Get a Handle on Debt Boot Camp.  

 

Problem Solve Your Blood Sugar Issues

Tips for Coping With Diabetes

Crazy For Coconut

Reduce Your Risk For Complications With Diabetes

November and December ServSafe Classes

Prices for the Food Handler Classes will go up after the first of the year, so sign up now! 

If you are in need of the Manager class, call 461-0562 and give us your contact information.  I will be setting up a class for January or February.

Being Active is Important

The Importance of Monitoring

Don't Forget the Medicine

Tips for Healthy Eating For the Diabetic

New Parent Party - November 14

It's National Diabetes Education Week

2017 National Diabetes Education Week starts today.  Each day this week, there will be a post with one of the seven self-care from the American Association of Diabetes Educators.  Each day's post will be a flyer with tips and a worksheet to help you follow the tips.  Enjoy!

Important: Take Time Now to Protect Your Identity

Even if you have not tried to buy anything with credit lately, you still have a credit history and your information is stored with all three of the credit bureaus.  Recently Equifax was hacked and personal information for many people may have been compromised.  In addition, some local banks have also been hacked.  What can you do to protect yourself?  The first step is to go to the Equifax website and follow the directions to see if your information could have been compromised.  If yes, sign up for their free monitoring service.  This service is free for 1 year.  https://www.equifax.com/personal/

Identity monitors scan personally identifiable information in credit applications, public records, websites, and other places for any unusual activity that could be signs of identity theft. Some services may help you watch for problems. They often include a credit monitoring service that watches your credit reports and alerts you to changes to the accounts listed on your credit report. If you’re offered or considering an identity monitoring or credit monitoring service, make sure you check for trial periods, fees, cancellation requirements, and other restrictions so you don’t face unexpected fees, charges, or other limitations.

The second thing to do is to pull your credit reports and check them for any issues, also reconcile your credit and bank statements for unusual activity.  Go to www.annualcreditreport.com

Finally, if you are not planning on needing to request credit anytime soon, put a freeze on your credit.  Equifax is offering this service for free.

Halloween Safety Tips

Tuesday is Halloween and kids will be excited and not paying attention.  Here are some safety tips to keep in mind.



Walk Safely

1. Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
2. Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross. 
3. Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
4. Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
5. Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to
   the left as possible.  Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
6. Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Trick or Treat With an Adult

1. Children
   under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult
   supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision,
   they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat
   in groups.

Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe

1. Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
2. Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
3. Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers. 
4. When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls. 

Drive Extra Safely on Halloween

1. Slow
   down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are
   excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
2. Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
3. Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
4. Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
5. Drive
   slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on
   earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
6. Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

Reposted from Safe Kids Worldwide



Halloween Safety Tips

 

Potatoes Healthy or Not

Potatoes are on sale this week and the weather is a little cooler, so I purchase a couple of bags.  My daughter had been asking for potato soup.  But the weather tricked us and it is a little to warm to enjoy soup, so the potatoes will have to wait.  Potatoes will stretch your food budget, can potato dishes be healthy choices?

It can be confusing to make sense of how potatoes fit in healthy eating habits. Some sources talk about potatoes as loaded with nutrients, yet others say potatoes don’t even count toward goals of eating more vegetables because they are full of starch.

Nutrients, Calories and Phytochemicals – A medium potato is rich in vitamin C and offers even more blood-pressure-friendly potassium than two medium bananas. Potatoes provide other protective nutrients, including the phytochemical quercetin and dietary fiber (particularly with the skin on).
Along with corn, peas and lima beans, potatoes are categorized as a starchy vegetable. Each serving has more carbohydrate and calories than non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, lettuce or tomatoes, making some people think potatoes are high-calorie.

A medium potato – defined by the USDA Nutrient Database as about 2 ¼” to 3 ¼” in diameter — has about 160 calories. Potatoes are also relatively low in calorie density (how many calories a food contains per ounce)  which research suggests is important for weight management. Although not as low in calorie density as non-starchy vegetables, plain potatoes are somewhat lower in calories than a similar portion of rice or pasta.

Glycemic index – Another concern cited about potatoes is it that it ranks relatively high on the glycemic index, a measure of how much carb-containing foods raise your blood sugar. Research demonstrates real health concerns from blood sugar surges after eating.  Studies also show that flavorings and other foods that accompany a food changes how it the food affects blood sugar.

Here are some ideas for maintaining the "healthy" potato as you prepare your dishes.

High-nutrient preparation – How you prepare potatoes affects nutrient content. Boiling – especially with skin removed – allows nutrients to leach into the cooking water. Baked or microwaved potatoes have from 40 to 100 percent more potassium, and about twice the amount of vitamin C, as boiled potatoes.

Watch your portion – Small and medium potatoes are a rich source of potassium and moderate in calories and carbohydrate. Yet baked potatoes commonly served at restaurants are two to three times that size. That size potato, or the large order of fries that has become the norm, provides as much carbohydrate as three to four (or more) slices of bread.

Variety among vegetables is vital to get the full spectrum of nutrients and phytochemicals that promote good health.  Consider preparing dishes with a variety of vegetables mixed with the potatoes.

Watch the toppings - The potato is actually low in calories, it is the toppings we add to the potato.  Look for lower fat topping.  Make your mashed potatoes with chicken broth for rich flavor without the added calories of butter and milk.  Bake potato slices with a little olive oil instead of frying.  Limit the amount of butter, cheese, sour cream and bacon that you add to your potato.  Look for herb mixtures that add great flavor and no calories.

Adapted from article in AICR HealthTalk is by Karen Collins, MS, RDN

Learn about new light bulb technology

Quay County 4-H Enrollment Open Now

New Parent Party for October

Easy Whole Grain Snacks

Fiber is important for your health.  High fiber foods help us to stay fuller longer and helps our bowels work better.  Whole grain foods have more fiber than refined grains, but they also have many extra trace nutrients that help us stay healthier.  New research is proving that the phytochemicals in whole grains are linked to a lower cancer risk.

Try these quick and easy trail mixes to get started eating more whole grains. Featuring delicious healthy grains like rolled oats, cereal, bran and yes, even popcorn!

Popcorn Trail Mix
2 cups air-popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups unsweetened whole-grain oat dry cereal
1/4 cup golden raisins
3 Tbsp. dried blueberries
3 Tbsp. dried cranberries
3 Tbsp. dry-roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. chopped dried pineapple
2 Tbsp. roasted pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp. dry-roasted sunflower seeds
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Makes 10 servings.

Per serving: 91 calories, 3 g total fat (less than 1 g saturated fat), 15 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 37 mg sodium.

N-R-G Trail Mix Snack
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup unsalted almonds
1/2 cup dried apple pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup oat circles
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
Put all the ingredients into a big bowl. Stir well with wooden spoon. Divide into six equal amounts in small resealable plastic bags.
Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 210 calories, 12 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 24 g carbohydrate, 7 g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, 50 mg sodium.

Source: AICR eNews Sept 7

 

Fun Run Walk October 7t

Another Robo Call, How Can I Stop This With Changing My Number

In addition to the text's, messengers, and e-mails we have received tonight while watching the football game, we have received 3 Robo Calls that we have won a cruise because we stayed at their resort and a wrong number.  The robo calls came from 2 different local numbers and then an unlisted number and they came in on our land line and a cellphone.  What are we to do?  Blocking their number does not work.   They just keep changing their number.

 Last year when we started getting 5 to 6 phone calls a day, I did some research and took the time to file complaints and our calls stopped drastically.  It was different because these calls were a live person and the same phone number, however they were selling different items.  Within a few days of reporting them, the calls stopped after 3 months of harassing calls.

You can report "Do Not Call" abuses if your number has been in the registry for 31 days.  Do Not Call even has a way that you can verify if your number is registered.  I checked tonight and one of my family's cellphone was not registered.  So I quickly registered it.  It only takes a couple of minutes.

If you received a call from a live person, jot down the company, time, date, and the number if you can.  This is the information you will need to put in.

This year we are receiving the same two robocalls from a variety of numbers.  According to the do not call registry, we can report these also and they will research into it.  What do we have to loose?  So tonight I opened my computer as soon as my husband hung up and typed in the information.   I hope we can look forward to a quieter evening in the future.

Even if your number is not registered, you can report the robot calls.  How do you know that they are a robot?  The same perky person answers your hello every time with the same spill.  Get the number from your caller id if you can and the company and go to the link below and report it. 

It is worth the time it takes to fill out the form online to slow down these unwanted calls.

Do not call complaint

It's Apple Season!

Fall is the perfect time of year to try some new recipes using apples.  Because apples are usually harvested in the fall they are at their best this time of year.   They're perfect for snacks and desserts. Plus these recipes are budget-friendly and creative.  After trying them, experiment and come up with some of your own recipes.  Added bonus they are easy to make and require few ingredients.

Apple cookies - Thinly slice your apples with a knife or mandolin and then bake them for an hour at 250 degrees. Once they've been removed from the oven and cooled, they'll taste like crispy apple chips. Serve these with a little whipped cream.
 
Old fashioned apple compote - Core and slice your apples. Place them in a microwave-safe container with a bit of honey and apple pie spice. Add a drop or two of water, then cover and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes. Mash the apple mixture with a potato masher and serve either hot or cold.
 
Crustless apple pie - Coat a pie pan with olive oil spray and Panko bread crumbs. Core your apples, then thinly slice them and mix the slices with apple pie spice, corn starch, and a little water. You can add a tiny bit of sugar as well if you'd like. Add the mixture to the pie pan and press down flat. Sprinkle more bread crumbs mixed with apple pie spice on the top of your apples, then bake at 350 (covered with foil) for one hour. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes of baking time. Serve hot. 
 
Sliced apples and plain yogurt with honey - This is one of my favorite snacks! Place a scoop of plain, nonfat Greek or Icelandic yogurt on a plate. Drizzle with honey. Garnish with sliced apples that are dipped in lemon juice.

Apple butterfly - Core and slice an apple and coat it with lemon juice and apple pie spice. Allow it to sit for a few minutes, then dab a bit of whipped cream on a plate in a line. Arrange the apple slices like butterfly wings on both sides of it and sprinkle with toasted nuts. You can also use plain yogurt in place of the whipped cream.
 
Apple Torte - Make the batter for half of a boxed yellow cake mix, reserving the other half for later. Spray a baking pan with oil spray and then dust with flour. Place the cake batter in the bottom of the pan (it should only be about ½ inch thick). Top the batter with a few sliced apples mixed with apple pie spice or cardamom, then put the whole pan in the oven a bake at 350 until the cake is done, about 30 minutes.

Apples poached in tea. Peel two apples; cut them in half and remove their cores. Poach them in tea until they are fork tender, then allow them to cool in the tea. Experiment with green tea, green tea with macha powder, raspberry tea, or black tea. You can also add orange zest and spices. Serve warm, with the tea on the side.

Tips For Successful Breastfeeding Program

Food Handler Class Next Week

Shopping List for Quick Meals

School has started and we are gearing our lives towards more of a routine.   Parents are in need of easy meals that can be prepared quickly.  Quick meals start with having basic ingredients on hand.  Below is a list of basic ingredient to have on hand to prepare quick nutritious meals.  Save money by purchasing extra when they are on sale.  Every family has favorite recipes so adapt the list with the ingredients for your favorites.

Link to Pdf Version

Save $100 In 30 Days

Join the eXtension Military Families Learning Network’s Personal Finance team in making small daily deposits that add up to $100 in just 30 days!

Sign up by September 1st to participate in the month-long challenge and you’ll receive the daily savings chart and weekly newsletters with savings messages, savings resources, and reminders for upcoming Challenge events scheduled for September.

We’ll be hosting weekly check-ins on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/MFLNPersonalFinance/) that will offer encouragement, an opportunity to share your success stories, and tips for making the savings goals a breeze!

So sign up, and encourage friends and family to join you!

Register and find more information about the Challenge here:
militaryfamilies.extension.org/2016/06/21/30-days-of-saving/

Join us and get started saving!