Tips to prevent vitamin loss in food

Getting the vitamins you need from your food, rather than supplements, is the best approach. However, the vitamin content of food can be decreased depending on the way the food is handled, stored, and cooked, here are some tips for keeping foods as vitamin-packed as possible! It is best to eat produce fresh, steamed or lightly stir-fried. Shopping more frequently can also cut down on keeping your vegetables too long in your refrigerator, losing vitamins and mineral content. Also, think about how long your produce had to travel to get to the store, then to your plate....

BUY LOCAL! (or regional) This will greatly increase the vitamin content of your foods and offer you the maximum benefits for your body. The www.greenergrocer.com or farmers markets are great resources to provide you with the best produce for your health and your recipes!

Henry the Hand

Handwashing is part of the "Food is Elementary" curriculum. I found some of these cute classroom aids at: http://www.henrythehand.com

Lincoln Park Elementary, "Educational Garden of the Year"

I photographed this young girl leaving the awards ceremony at Lincoln Park Elementary. Their garden got an award for "Educational Garden of the Year." Our own Susan Weber of Local Matters and Farmer Paul Ethridge helped design and maintain the garden.

Japanese Crafts

Researching and creating traditional crafts is an easy and fun way to learn about different cultures. Carp streamers and kokeshi dolls are two crafts I completed to compliment the Japanese unit from the Food is Elementary curriculum. I promise, you will have a great time making them!

Carp Streamers

Hanging koinobori, or carp streamers, is a treasured Japanese tradition. They can be seen flying from poles and rooftops in Japan from April to May 5th, the day celebrated as Children’s Day.

Materials:

- A carp or koi template - these are easy to find on the web
- Construction paper or poster board for the carp’s body
- Colorful yarn or string
- Markers for drawing the eye
- Origami paper, wrapping paper, or magazine paper for the carp’s scales
- Glitter and/or sequins
- Glue or Mod podge
- Crepe paper

Making it:

1. Using your template, trace and cut out your koinobori. Remember to make two, one for the front and one for the back.

2. Draw the carp’s eye. Make them nice and big!

3. Cut out your scales- I used origami paper. Smear some glue or mod podge on the carp’s body, and then lay down your scales. Start about an inch or so behind the eye. After placing gluing down my scales, I mod podged the top of them just to be sure they would stay in place. Glitter or sequins are a nice touch.

4. Add crepe paper streamers for the carp’s tail

5. After your scales and streamers have dried, you can either glue the front and back of your carp together. I punched holes on the top and bottom of my koinobori and tied them together with yarn. I like the effect.

6. Punch one or two holes at the carp’s mouth and use yarn or string to create a way to hang your koiobori.

Kokeshi Dolls

Kokeshi dolls are beautiful, easy to make, and provide a lot of bang for your crafting buck. Kokeshi are very spare in design. They are made from two pieces of wood, one for the body, and one for the head; kokeshi have no arms or legs. In Japan, Kokeshi are made from the wood of cherry and dogwood trees. Their faces and bodies are hand painted. I took a few liberties in the creation of my kokeshi dolls; I used origami and decorative washi papers for the bodies of my dolls, and a black marker for their eyes and noses.

Materials:

- Paint brushes
- Painter’s tape
- Wood glue
- Mod podge
- Decorative papers – origami, washi, etc.
- Hand saw
- Dowel rod for your kokeshi’s body – I used a dowel rod with a 1” diameter and cut it into varying lengths
- Wooden balls for your kokeshi’s head- the heads of kokeshis should be proportionately too large for their bodies

Making it:

1. Using wood glue, glue the kokeshi’s head to its body.

2. Look at the head and determine where you would like the doll’s face to be.

3. Paint the hair. You can draw it on with a pencil and fill it in with paint, or use painter’s tape if you want something really precise. Let the hair dry completely.

4. The paint that I used looked really flat after it had dried, so I coated it with my gloss-luster mod podge.

5. Paint or draw your kokeshi’s face. Their faces are super simple, I recommend finding some images on the internet for guidance and inspiration.

6. After the head/face is completely dry, measure the length and diameter of your doll’s body. Cut a garment from any beautiful piece of paper you have at hand; I happened to have a lot of origami paper, so that’s what I used.

Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies are a great way to offer a healthy snack for the kids (and for you too!) I found a step by step guide to making smoothies, with a variety of recipes. Delicious and Nutritious!

http://kidscooking.about.com/od/howtocook/ss/howtosmoothies.htm

What are Whole Foods?

Is a whole foods diet right for your kids?

Many parents may initially think that it isn't, but that is probably because of common misconceptions about a whole foods diet that have lead them to quickly dismiss the idea.

You should now know what a whole foods diet is -- eating more unprocessed foods. But what isn't it? It isn't about being a vegetarian or eating organic (unless you want it to be), and it doesn't have to be a diet in the sense of that is all you eat.

Instead, when feeding your kids, think about offering more whole foods instead of processed foods.

Need some ideas?

* 100% fruit juice, instead of soda or a fruit drink (although keep in mind that fresh fruit is better than fruit juice)
* skinless chicken breast, instead of chicken nuggets
* baked potato, instead of French fries
* whole wheat bread, instead of white bread
* oatmeal, instead of a sugary breakfast cereal
* cooking with whole wheat flour, instead of white flour
* sandwich with whole wheat bread and slices of leftover chicken or lean meat, instead of processed cold cuts, which can have a lot of added salt
* eating whole wheat pasta
* offering fresh whole fruit as a healthy snack, instead of potato chips, fruit snacks, or candy

In general, just try to choose more fresh whole fruits and vegetables and other unprocessed foods when you prepare your child's meals. If you'd like to learn more, click on the title.

Delicious and Healthy Recipes from the "Food is Elementary" curriculum

This is one of the recipes from the Food is Elementary curriculum that Local Matters is facilitating in local schools. I made the "Three Sisters Casserole" for my family, along with the suggested menu and my son said, "Mom, why are we having a special dinner?" and "Can we have this again next week?" It was simple, delicious, affordable and a hit with everyone. See more recipes by clicking on the title!

2 cups kidney beans
2 cups corn
1 cup pre-cooked butternut squash
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 T. dill

Combine all of the above ingredients in a saucepan. Heat for at least five minutes until thoroughly warm.

Suggested Menu
Three sister's casserole, cornbread, baked yams, walnuts baked with maple syrup, blueberries and blackberries.