Create a recipe ﬁle

Food and Fitness for a Healthy Child	March 2021

Farrell Area School District

Celebrate nutrition It’s National Nutrition
Month! This year’s theme, “Personalize Your Plate,” recognizes there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to eating right. Let each family mem-ber draw favorite healthy foods on a paper plate, making sure to include something from each food group. Compare your plates—they’ll likely all be different, but all nutritious.

Animal walks The morning after it rains or snows,
go for a brisk stroll with your
youngster to look for animal tracks. Encourage her to walk in the tracks, mimicking how she thinks the ani-mal who made them might move. For instance, maybe she’ll hop like a bird or leap like a deer.

Not all high-sodium foods taste salty. Ask your child to name salty
foods, and he’ll probably think of pret-zels and chips. But salt lurks in sur-prising places, like processed cheeses and dinner rolls. The bottom line? Read labels, even if you don’t expect a food to be high in sodium. Tip: A low-sodium food has less than 140 mg sodium per serving.

Just for fun

Q: What’s round and red and moves up and down?

A: A tomato in an elevator.

© 2021 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Comfortable in the kitchen It’s never too early to teach

your child about choosing and cooking healthy foods. Invite her into the kitchen and enjoy making meals together. Here’s how.

Plan the menu Baked potatoes
topped with meatballs and peas? Why not! Let your youngster plan the
menu sometimes. Try to go
with what she wants as closely as possi-ble, even if it’s not your first choice, and
mention ways to make the meals health-	use kitchen tools (garlic press, salad ier. (“I’m going to buy chicken meatballs	spinner, potato masher), and put her in instead of beef.”) Then explain why so	charge when it’s time to use them!
she learns about nutrition. (“Chicken
has less fat, so it’s better for our hearts.”)	Your youngster can take photos of fin-Learn skills                                       ished dishes you make together. Have
Teach your child basic cooking skills to	her draw or write a recipe for each one, help her get comfortable in the kitchen.	making sure to mention any changes she For example, show her how to read	made. For example, what size meatballs abbreviations like tbsp. (tablespoon) and	did she put on her baked potatoes? Did tsp. (teaspoon), and ask her to measure	she use canned or frozen peas? Tip: Have ingredients. Also, demonstrate how to	her keep the photos and recipes in a
binder to make again.

Let’s pretend!

Combine make-believe with physical activity. Here are fun roles for your youngster to step into.

Sled dog.Take turns pulling each other around on an old bedsheet—like sled dogs pull the musher. One person sits on the sheet. The “sled dog” faces
away from the sheet, grasps one corner in each hand, and pulls it behind him across the living room or basement.

Race car driver.Let your child use a kitchen pot lid as a pretend steering wheel and “drive” through the house. He could pick up speed as he zooms down a straight hallway or slow down as he maneuvers around furniture.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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Nutrition Nuggets	March 2021 • Page 2

Put the puree into some sec-
Fun with ice cubes	● Prepare smoothie ingredients. If you and your youngster thought ice cube                                                                                    Puree ripe fruit in a blender.

tions of a tray, and spoon
trays were just for freezing water, think
hand with these ideas:
again! Keep healthy, fresh ingredients on	Greek yogurt into other sec-tions. Your youngster can
● Encourage your child to drink more	combine the frozen cubes in water by making fruity ice cubes. He	a blender for smoothies. could place a blackberry or raspberry	Idea: For “green smoothies,” into each section of a tray and cover                                                                                                     puree and freeze cooked col-with water. Freeze. Then, he can use                                                                                                   lard greens to blend in with the cubes to add flavor—and fun—                                                                                                   the fruit cubes.
to water or seltzer.                                                                                                                              ● Pour low-sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable broth into a
Tasty leftovers
tray. When the cubes freeze, your child gets to pop them out and store in a freezer bag. Use when only a small amount of broth is needed,
After many months of	such as for stir-frying vegetables. limiting grocery store trips
th leftovers.
Circus-themed fitness
because of the pandemic, my son Mar-cus and I have gotten pretty creative
about anything in burritos and paninis.
Bring the fun of a three-ring c
nation, and flexibility.
wiFirst, we discovered you can put just	cus to your living room or yard. These activities ir-We’ve had breakfast burritos with scram-	will improve your youngster’s balance, coordi-
Ring 1:Tightrope walking.
Have your child cut
bled eggs plus the jarred salsa and black beans from taco night. And we’ve made
chicken and roasted vegetables.
paninis by combining leftover baked	a long piece of yarn and lay it on the ground. “Per-formers” can walk heel-to-toe along the tightrope. Idea: Suggest that your youngster hold a yardstick in out-stretched arms—does that make it easier to balance?

Ring 2: Baton twirling.Encourage your youngster to march to music while twirl-ing a baton (or an empty cardboard tube). She could toss it in the air and try to catch it. Can she spin while it’s in the air and catch it again?

Ring 3: Acrobatics.Let your child practice her tumbling skills. On a towel or a yoga mat, she might try forward rolls, backward rolls, cartwheels, and handstands.

We’ve also found that leftover rice, pasta, or potatoes will make soups and stews heartier. I had a can of broccoli and cheese soup in the pantry, and I let Mar-cus stir in the previous day’s roasted potatoes. We heated it up and enjoyed a satisfying lunch.
Now we actually look forward to left-overs—and Marcus is learning about saving money and wasting less food.

O U R	P U R P O S E
	
To provide busy parents with practical ways to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity for their children.
Resources for Educators,
a division of CCH Incorporated
128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630 800-394-5052 • rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com www.rfeonline.com
Nutrition Nuggets™ is reviewed by a registered dietitian. Consult a physician before beginning any major change in diet or exercise.
ISSN 1935-4630

© 2021 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

One-pot meals Cooking an entire

meal in just one pot means less cleanup. Try these nutritious options.

Pasta Florentine
1
Boil 16 oz. linguine according to package directions. Drain, reserving – cup water. In the same pot,
1
4
heat – cup olive oil over medium heat. Mix in 1 tbsp. minced garlic until soft, and lower heat. Add pasta, 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes (drained), reserved water, and 2 cups fresh spinach. Stir until spinach wilts.

Enchilada bowls
1
In a large pot over medium heat, brown 1 lb. lean ground turkey and reduce heat to low. Add 2 cups cooked brown rice, 1 – cups frozen corn,
1 14-oz. can pinto beans (drained, rinsed), and 1 tbsp. chili
powder. Simmer until heated through,
about 15 minutes. Spoon into bowls, and top with en-chilada sauce and
low-fat shredded cheddar.