Live Healthy America- Food is Elementary- Week 6!

This week class was so much fun! It was the first time the students got to cook 2 recipes together as a class!  The two recipes we made were called Summer Squash Ribbon Salad and 3 Sisters Casserole.  They were both SO DELICIOUS!  The lesson we learned was about the ease of growing squash.  Students were shown pictures of what a 3 sisters garden looks like and it is the traditional way that Native Americans grow these crops.  The concept of the 3 sisters is that the corn grows tall and helps support the beans that climb up its stalk.  The squash grow low to the group and help prevent weeds from growing, animals from eating the beans, and helps keep the soil moist.  The beans put nitrogen back into the soil that the corn takes up.  Gardens need a good balance of nitrogen to grow strong. 

We then did a gardening activity of our own!  We made seed gloves.  This experiment showed the students how much water seeds need to grow big and strong.  The students had a plastic glove, 3 cotton balls, 3 lima bean seeds and a piece of twine.  The students took the gloves and put one sopping wet cotton ball in the thumb of the gloves, a moist cotton ball in the pointer finger of the glove and a dry cotton ball in the pinkie finger of the glove.  The students put the 3 bean seeds on top of those cotton balls and tied the glove up with twine.  They then put this experiment in a dark place and will check it everyday to see if something has sprouted.  When it has, they can then place the glove in the sun and watch to see which beans grow.

After doing our experiment we prepped both recipes.  Students were able to cut up ingredients, open the cans with a can opener, juice lemons and stir up the bowl of ingredients.  They had such a fun time doing this because it was fun for them to be little chefs!  After all of the food was done being cooked, we passed out the food and ate as a class.  I heard a lot of "yummmmm" sounds from the students as they were eating :)

The students were able to take home a copy of both recipes for their families.  At the bottom of the recipes it shows how much this recipe would cost at their local Kroger, that way families can learn that it is possible to eat healthy at a low cost!

I have attached one of the recipes below since it is my personal favorite!

I will be competing in another Miss Ohio Preliminary pageant this weekend!  There will be 3 crowns titled, Miss Maumee Valley, Miss All-American City and Miss Fallen Timbers.  I am hoping to win one of these titles so please keep me in your thoughts :)  Winning a title would allow me to compete for Miss Ohio for a third time!! There are also outstanding teen titles for this pageant too and one of the girls I mentor is competing!  Goodluck to all the teen contestants! I know they will be fabulous as always!

Snacks!

I'd like to share two of my favorite snack recipes!  A lot of people have trouble finding a healthy snack so try these!


Baked Apples
Apples are still one of the healthiest snacks around, and there are plenty of ways to put a twist on this old standby.  They taste like dessert but provide the same vitamins and fiber as their fresh counterparts.  You can even sprinkle cinnamon on top without adding calories!
               Saturated fat: 0g
               Sodium: 2mg
               Cholesterol: 0mg

Blueberry Smoothie
1/3 cup nonfat yogurt
2/3 cup frozen blueberries
ice

A fruit smoothie offers a scrumptious way to get in some extra calcium and antioxidants during your day.  Snacks that take more time to finish, are often more satisfying.
               Saturated fat: 0g
               Sodium: 59mg
               Cholesterol: 2mg

Live Healthy America- Food Is Elementary- Week 5!

Yesterday I taught my students a lesson on knife safety!  Students were taught that in order to cook, they must first learn how to use a knife correctly.  I taught the different parts of a knife and the difference between blades on knives.  Students were made aware that they cannot use a knife without adult supervision!!  I also taught them that when cutting, they need to make a "tiger claw" by curling their fingertips under when securing an item that is to be cut.  After learning all of the rules and practicing passing knives, it was time to cut up different fruits and vegatables!  I had my students seperate into 4 groups.  The groups went to the different stations in the classroom to cut bananas, cucumbers, orange bell pepper and strawberries.  After every student had the opportunity to cut every food, they were able to taste all the different foods!  While they were tasting, we talked about how each food was cut with a different type of knife, so now students know which types of knives are appropriate for which type of food.  I also passed around tasting sheets in which the students had to write a positive adjective to describe each food they tasted.  We have a "no yuck" rule in the classroom which means that the students are not allowed to make negative comments about the new foods they are sampling.  If a student does not like what they tasted, they have the option of describing it's appearance, for example saying that the food is beautiful!  The students really enjoyed this activity since it was hands-on!  It was also extremely helpful to have volunteers in the classroom, helping the children cut the foods, since it may be hard for me to watch 16 children cutting at once!  Overall it was a great lesson and I am looking forward to next week!

On another note,  I competed in the Miss Clayland Scholarship Pageant this past saturday.  This pageant is a preliminary to Miss Ohio 2013.  I was so grateful to have placed 1st runner-up at the pageant while also receiving the interview award and community service award!  Congrats to Mackenzie Bart, the new Miss Clayland! I will be competing again on October 27th, hoping to win one of three crowns!  The Wagners, directors of this pageant, are such amazing people and it would be an honor to be able to work with them for Miss Ohio!  I am crossing my fingers :)

Live Healthy America- Food is Elementary- Week 4

Today was week 4 of the Live Healthy America program at Trimble Elementary School!  The students really seem to be enjoying this program and that is awesome!  Today was the first day that the students were actually able to sample foods, some of which were new to them.  When I told them they were going to be able to eat, they were literally jumping out of their seats.  But, before they could eat, they had to learn the lesson and also learn why we would be sampling certain foods.  The main lesson today was on vitamins.  I taught them why we need vitamins and what foods are good sources of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.  We went over a worksheet explaining all of this and in the last column of the chart, the students had to write or draw a food that would be a good source of the vitamin.  Below is a picture of the worksheet we worked on!

 

 

After we learned about vitamins and fill out the worksheet, the students were able to actually try the foods!  The activity was to inspect the food to see the color and texture, then to decide what vitamins the food posesses.  There was an evaluation worksheet to go along with the foods that way they could record an adjective for each food.  They were able to sample cherry tomatoes, summer squash, blackberries, oranges, spinach and dates.  Surprisingly, the dates were a hit!  All of the students loved the foods and many of them were new to the students.  I was so happy to see that they were enjoying this time, and that they will share this information with their family in hopes of making a grocery trip together to buy these foods! 

 

 

On my way out the door one of the students gave me a "present" and it was a picture.  She said it was supposed to look like the summer squash because that was her favorite thing that she tried today!  It made me smile and I have scanned it and posted it below to share with you all :)

Breast Cancer Awareness Month/ Praying for one of our past Miss Ohio's, Tiffany Baumann

This post does not correlate with Live Healthy America but as you may know, October is breast cancer awareness month.  I was devastated when I saw the news that one of my biggest role models and former Miss Ohio, Tiffany Baumann, was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Although I don't see her often, she is constantly inspiring me in every aspect of my life.  I want to thank her for any pageant advice she's ever given me.  She even judged the Miss Cuyahoga County pageant the year I was crowned!  Overall, she is an amazing woman and her positive attitude is contagious!  My sorority Chi Omega at Ohio University teamed up with the Athens Fire Department to raise funds for the Ohio Breast Cancer Survivors Network by selling pink T-shirts throughout the month of October because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Chi Omega knows Tiffany Baumann will get through this!  Our entire sorority is thinking of her and praying for her even though they haven't met :)


Here is a picture of some of my sisters and I as we celebrate breast cancer awareness month and give shout outs to all breast cancer survivors, as well as the wonderful women who are about to become survivors!  It is amazing to be able to raise money for a great cause! WE LOVE YOU TIFFANY!

What is smart snacking?

A smart snack includes at least two food groups which pack more nutrients and makes it more filling.  Examples include peanut butter and apple slices or fruit and nut bars!

A smart snack is tooth-friendly so it does not leave sticky sugar residues on your teeth. 

A smart snack comes in small portions like a handful of nuts/ seeds or 1-2 tablespoons of dip or dressing to go with raw vegetables. 

New Food Is Elementary Class!

Hello everyone!  Now that school is back into session and I am studying extremely hard here at Ohio University, I am back into teaching my Food Is Elementary program with Live Healthy Appalachia in Athens county!  This year, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to teach a special education class with grades 7th and 8th at Trimble Elementary school.  I have only been teaching for 3 weeks but the kids seem to love it so far! I am so happy with my class and I know that they have already learned so much.  The first week we taught a hand washing lesson.  It sounds boring, I know, but you'd be surprised at how many spots you miss when you wash your hands!  We have a special lotion the kids put on, then they go and wash their hands.  They then put their hands under a black light and they can see all the spots they missed!  I feel that this is a great way to learn a proper hand washing technique.  The second lesson was about my plate.  If you go to www.choosemyplate.gov you can learn all about it!  The kids are now aware that they need 30 minutes of physical activity a day and to make half of their plates fruits and veggies every time they eat!  The third lesson was the lesson I taught yesterday.  It was all about fats.  They were able to grasp the concept completely and learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy fats. (Yes there are healthy fats out there that we need in our diet!)  We did an experiment where we had someone stick their hand in a crisco container and we observed as a class that this kind of fat stuck right to their hand!  This was an example of how bad fats stick to your arteries!  So far this has been such an amazing class to work with that is really willing to learn and reinforce their knowledge!  I am looking forward in the weeks to come! 

On a site note,  I will be competing in the Miss Clayland Scholarship Program on October 13th!  The winner receives $4,000 scholarship money and I would be so fortunate to win this title and go back to Miss Ohio for a third time! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I compete in 2 weeks!