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!

Live Healthy Appalachia/ Food Is Elementary

This year I was blessed with the opportunity to be a volunteer with the program Food is Elementary under the Live Healthy Appalachia/ Live Healthy America organizations.  Now that my school year is over I would love to share the wonderful experience I had teaching these children so many different things!  The Food Is Elementary program is a 28 week program taught in the Athens elementary schools.  The classroom I was assigned was a 2nd grade classroom at Alexander Elementary School.  I have never had the opportunity to meet such wonderful children.  My class had such a desire to learn and that really warmed my heart.  I have taught my class fruits and vegetables and differences between them, how to properly cut and prepare foods with different types of knives, cooking in the kitchen rules and precautions, vitamins, minerals, different types of fat in foods, healthy foods from international cuisines from Brazil all the way over to Japan, how to plant your own garden and grow organic vegetables as a way to save money since healthy foods can be expensive, and vegetarian and vegan food options.  It was amazing how much these children have learned since the cirriculum is slightly tough with a lot of information to learn when I arrived at their classroom every Thursday morning!  Every week we make a dish together as a class.  The children cut and prepare all the foods themselves (with our supervision of course).  It was so cute to see them be tiny chefs every week and really enjoy all the different types of foods they got to eat!  We made some weird dishes especially with our internatinal cuisine unit and it was so awesome to see them try many different foods and enjoy them.  Coming back every week, it was great to hear about how they cooked with their parents and how their parents made the recipes we made in class for dinner!  I have truly seen a difference in not only these children's lives, but also in their family's lives by learning and preparing all these healthy meals!  Something that a student had told me that I found very interesting was that she had a love for onions!  She told me that at home she ate onions like someone would eat an apple! I had asked her why and she said that she just loved onions so much even though they made her look like she was crying.  I laughed and told her that was pretty silly and always gave her extra onions whenever we prepared a dish that had onions in it :)

Here is a picture of me and my second grade class!

Great Snack Ideas with 200-300 Calories for the Active Individuals!

For those of you who already work out almost everyday and are very active, your snacks during the day should be slightly higher in calories to refuel your body!  Here are some of my favorite snacks and I hope you enjoy them :)

- Whole wheat pita cut into wedges with 2 tbsp. hummus for a dip
- Yogurt parfait: Layer 6oz. fat-free yogurt, 1/2 cup berries and a 1/4 cup granola
- Trail Mix: Mix 20 almonds, miniature box of raisins, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- Instant oatmeal made with fat-free milk, 1tbsp honey, 1/2 cup sliced peaches and a dash of cinnamon
- One 4oz. fat-free, ready-to-eat vanilla pudding with 1/2 cup fresh fruit and 5 vanilla wafers
- Veggie Pizzas: Split whole wheat english muffin.  Top with 2 tbsp low-fat cream cheese, 1/2 cup diced fresh veggies and a 1 oz. low-fat mozzarella cheese.
- Cinnamon Raisin mini-bagel spread with 1 tbsp peanut butter
- Hot Chocolate made with low-fat/fat-free milk and a small oatmeal cookie
-Whole grain toaster waffle with 1 and a half tbsp chocolate-flavored hazelnut spread
-Banana split: banana sliced length-wise topped with 1/2 cup frozen yogurt and 1 tbsp chopped nuts

It is important to watch serving sizes to stay between the range of 200-300 calories!


note: tbsp = tablespoon and oz. = ounces

How to Calculate Your BMI

Today I would like to share with everyone how to calculate your BMI.  Your BMI is your body mass index which is based on your height and weight.  By calculating your BMI you will be able to see where you stand as to whether or not you are a healthy weight.  The picture I have posted below shows the equation of how to calculate your BMI:

To do this calculation, you will take your body weight in pounds and divide that number by your height in inches squared (your height in inches multiplied by your height in inches).  Take that value and multiply it by 705.  This value is your BMI.  Take this number and find which range it falls under in the chart below. 

Now you know how to calculate your BMI and can see if you are in a healthy weight range!

New Recipe: Cheddar Apple Quesadilla

Today I found a really delicious and great snack. It is something I had never heard of before but turned out to be quite tastey! It is a great way to incorporate a fruit into your diet without just eating the fruit plain.  This recipe also uses whole wheat tortillas in which everyday half of your grains should be whole grains. Try it sometime :) Here is the recipe:

CHEDDAR APPLE QUESADILLA
(makes 4 servings)

1 granny smith apple, cored, thinly sliced
4 whole-wheat flour tortillas (9 inches in diameter)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Fan out the apple slices over the bottom half of each tortilla and top with the cheddar cheese.
Fold the tortillas in half.
Cook until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden brown, about 1.5 minutes per side.
Cut in half and eat warm.