Use teamwork

Food and Fitness for a Healthy Child

Colorful stir-fries Add variety to your
youngster’s diet by using different combinations of vegetables in stir-fries. Try bok choy with red
cabbage and carrots, or zucchini
with green beans and red bell pepper. He might discover new veggies he enjoys. Note: For children who don’t like their food “mixed up,” you could stir-fry each vegetable separately.

Let’s walk to the barbershop To increase your child’s daily steps, walk together wherever possible. Bring her along when you get a hair-cut, shop at the corner store, or go to the bank. Also, take the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator. Tip: When you do drive, park far from the entrance for a longer walk.

Many supermarket chains now have mobile
apps that can help you save money on groceries. Find out which stores in your area offer this, and consider downloading an app. You may find coupons and discounts in addition to advertised sales.

Just for fun

Q: What’s the worst thing about being an octopus?

A: Washing your hands before dinner!

© 2019 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

March 2019

Farrell Area School District

Cooking: Mash, pour, measure, and more
Invite your children into the kitchen to help you cook. They’ll learn about healthy eating, cooking techniques, and meal planning.

Experiment away Fish-shaped crackers
instead of croutons in salad? A mashed-potato-and-pea parfait? Why not! Provide healthy ingredients, then step back and let your
youngsters be creative. They’ll become comfortable in the kitchen,
and they’ll be more likely to eat food	turns being the celebrity chef and explain-they make themselves. Idea: Suggest that	ing techniques.
they write and illustrate their recipes on
index cards.	Have each person pick a food group Put on a show                                  (vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, dairy)
Pretend you’re a famous chef on a	and choose an ingredient from that group. cooking show and your children are the	Then, work together to make a meal that audience. Demonstrate how to use a salad	incorporates everything. Say you pick spinner or a whisk. (“I’m putting the lid	sweet potato, apple, whole-wheat tortillas, on this spinner. Now I’m rotating the han-	black beans, and cheese. Perhaps you’ll dle, and voila! It spins the water out of the	make sweet potato-bean-cheese enchila-lettuce.”) Then, let your youngsters take	das with a side of apple slices.

March: Lion or lamb?

As the saying goes, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Stay active regardless of the weather with these suggestions.

On a windy day…
Blow up a balloon, and go outdoors for a
game of “windball.” Set the balloon in the middle of the yard, and chase it around as the wind blows it. After someone catches it, he bats it away with his hand to start the game again. The first player to catch the balloon five times wins.

On a calm day…
Head to a playground for a game of follow the leader—just like little lambs. Your child might have your family tiptoe on a balance beam, swing across the monkey bars, climb a ladder, and go down a twisty slide.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Pasta mix-up.
Cooked macaroni, black
dressing.
sound,” such as nuts or
Nutrition Nuggets

Breakfasts that boost brainpower

A healthy breakfast fuels your child’s brain on test day—and every day. Here are four simple ways to provide the carbo-hydrate-fat-protein combo that promotes concentration, memory, and thinking.

1. Leafy greens.Toss a few leaves of spin-ach, kale, or chard into the blender when you make your youngster a fruit smoothie.
Serve alongside a whole-wheat bagel or English muffin topped with fat-free cream cheese.

Cut back on processed foods

March 2019 · Page 2

2. Berries.Let your child stir blueberries, raspber-ries, or strawberries into his oatmeal or Greek yogurt for a smart start.

3. Eggs.Top a whole-grain waffle with scrambled eggs,
and have your youngster fold it like a taco. Or keep
hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator. For a complete breakfast, serve eggs alongside cereal and a banana.

4. Avocados.The good fat in avocados promotes healthy brain development. Your child can mash half of an avocado, spread it on whole-wheat toast, and sprinkle on red pepper flakes if he likes “heat.”

I’m a runner!

I know that many pack-aged snacks and frozen dinners have too much sugar, salt, and fat, but they’re so convenient! I mentioned this to the cafe-teria manager at my son Isaiah’s school, and she had good advice.
She suggested we look for foods that are close to what you’d find in nature. Now Isaiah and I
use her “test” at the store. I’ll
ask, “Do apple chips grow on trees?” and he’ll say, “No, but apples do!”
Also, we try to buy foods with fewer ingredients, since the cafeteria manager said those tend to be less processed. For example, we’ve started making “real” ver-sions of frozen entrees. This week, we passed up microwave fettucine alfredo and bought frozen plain broccoli, whole-grain pasta, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. Din-ner took a little longer, but it tasted better, and it was more nutritious.

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

© 2019 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Running is a great whole-body workout for your
youngster. Lace up your sneakers, and try these running games.

Run, walk, run
Help your child gradually work up to run-ning longer distances. Take turns choosing a spot
(a tree, a building). Run to it, walk for 30 seconds, and pick the
next destination. At first, aim for something nearby, like the stop sign at the end of the block. Soon maybe you’ll run all the way to her school.

Find the “treasure”
Build speed with this game. Let your child collect 20 small objects (Rubik’s Cube, paperweight, tennis ball) in a basket. Head to a nearby field, and scatter the items around, leaving plenty of space to run between them. Now have everyone run to gather the objects, one at a time, and return each to the basket.

Shake-a-salad
Fill, shake, and eat.	Southwest slam.Cooked lean ground That’s the winning formula behind	beef, chopped lettuce, shredded low-fat fun-for-you and good-for-you salad	cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, and a shake-ups.	sprinkling of low-sodium taco seasoning.
To assemble: Give your child an
any of these combinations, put the lid
empty container. Have her fill it with	olives, chopped red pepper, grated Par-on, and shake, shake, shake.                                         mesan cheese, and Italian

Deli delight.
Chunks of left-
that makes a “shake
over deli meat (lean ham, tur-	Tip: Add something key, or roast beef), shredded
chopped lettuce, grape
shaking.
skim mozzarella cheese,	baked pita chips, to put tomatoes, and low-fat                                                       even more fun in the ranch dressing.