PICNIC IN THE PARK

Last Tuesday was the last summer “Picnic in the Park” hosted by Fredericksburg Parks and Rec.  This is an amazing event held every Tuesday in May, June and September  from 11:30AM – 1:30PM at Hurkamp Park in the downtown area.  Families are invited to bring a bag lunch and enjoy the free activities which includeS local musicians, moon bounces and interactive activities set up by various community organizations – including your local WIC program!  We look forward to seeing you at the park in September.

Zoom...Zoom...Zumba!

World Breastfeeding Week is coming up at the beginning of August, and we are so excited about our celebration this year!  The Rappahannock Area Health District is excited to announce that we will be having a FREE Zumba party to celebrate all the great benefits that breastfeeding provides for moms and babies!  There will be several different Zumba instructors to give you a fun work out all in the name of breastfeeding!  We hope to see you there!

Stars and Stripes Spectacular Celebration

Everyone in the Spotsylvania surrounding Area come out on Saturday June 30th to the 8th Annual Stars and Stripes Spectacular Celebration in the courthouse area of Spotsylvania County.  The event stars at 3pm and will go into the evening with a firework show at the end.  This event has free admission and there will kid activities, food vendors, and historic tours.  This will be a good afternoon for the whole family!  Stop by the Rappahannock WIC table and tell us you heard about through this blog and you will receive a  prize.   Don't forget to put on your sunscreen and we hope to see you this Saturday!

-Eileen Alwang, WIC Coordinator

Destination:Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating Tips While Traveling 

You some how managed to pack all the suitcases perfectly into the trunk, the kids are buckled in their seats with smiles on their faces and the car is full of gas, it's beach time! It's 9 am, the family already ate breakfast and you know you'll have to stop sometime before noon for snacks and a break. Where should you stop?

Sometimes the biggest challenge when it comes to travel isn't entertaining the kids in the car, but actually planning each meal. Of course it's easy to stop at the nearest fast-food outlet, but traveling doesn't have to mean you throw all your healthy practices away. Not to mention all the extra cash you're going to spend each time you stop.

Consider some of these simple and healthy tips before planning your next trip!

• The night before: designate 2 coolers; one for water and one for snacks that need to be chilled such as cheese,yogurt and fresh fruits. Using reusable water bottles can be less expensive and less messy when it comes trash in the car. Fill up the water bottle each time you stop. Fill a small bag full of napkins, plastic utensils and a few extra plastic bags for trash.
• The morning of: pack the coolers with the water and the chilled snacks. Use ice or ice packs to keep the items chilled during the car trip.
• Healthy road foods
• sliced and cleaned raw fruits and veggies such as carrots, grapes, strawberries, grape tomatoes and apples.
• string cheese
• crackers
• popcorn  (pop the night before)
• whole grain bagels and cream cheese (using plastic utensils)
• yogurt in tubes
• small sandwiches made with lean deli meats and hummus, cut into mini sandwiches
• Remember to stop, every few hours for a restroom break and a nice long stretch. This is a great time to fill up those water bottles and throw away any trash.
• Plan ahead how long your trip will take. Think about when you would normally eat snacks and meals and try to stick to that schedule as close as possible.
• Pack extra snacks and water, there may be traffic!

Following a few or all of these tips can help you stay on track when it comes to your diet and your budget!

Safe travels from the Rappahannock WIC Staff!

Megan Mauer, Nutritionist

Free Birth Announcement and Lullaby Album

Check out this great site from Texas WIC:

Breast Milk Counts

You can make a cute birth announcement and download a free lullaby album to help momma and baby relax. Click around the site for helpful breastfeeding tips as well!

- Allison Leonard, RD

Father's Day Fun!

Father's Day is coming up in just one week on Sunday, June 17th. 

Are you ready?

Here are some ways kids can get involved to help make this the best Father's Day ever!

• Make dad breakfast in bed (with help from mom, of course!)
• Do secret acts of kindness, such as doing one of his chores for him
• Be obedient
• Do your chores, without being asked!
• Get along with your brothers and sisters
• Make him dinner (see our recipes below for suggestions)

Dads love to eat!  Here are some recipes for a day full of home-cooked meals on Father's Day.

Breakfast Burritos

http://www.kaboose.com/

Ingredients

• black beans
• salsa
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Whisk together the eggs and shredded cheese.  Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray, and heat the pan over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and add the egg mixture, scrambling until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.  Add black beans and stir until beans are warm. 
2. Remove egg/bean mixture from heat and spread 1/4 of mixture over each tortilla.  Roll up burrito-style and top with salsa.  Enjoy!

English Muffin Pepperoni Pizzas

http://www.kaboose.com/

Ingredients

• 4 English muffins, split in half
• 1 cup marinara sauce or tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 slices of pepperoni

Directions

1. Set your oven on broil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Lightly toast English muffins.  Place muffins onto prepared baking sheet and top with about 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce. Evenly distribute mozzarella cheese between the muffins and top each with 2 pepperoni slices.
3. Place under the broiler and broil for about 25-30 seconds or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Barbeque Chicken Kabobs

http://www.kaboose.com/

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 onion, cut into wedges
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 cup barbeque sauce
• skewers

Directions

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. Thread the chicken, green bell pepper, onion, and red bell pepper pieces onto skewers alternately.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place kabobs on the prepared grill, and brush with barbeque sauce. Cook, turning and brushing with barbeque sauce frequently, for 15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear.

Apple Hand-Pies

www.kaboose.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, plus 1/4 cup melted butter for brushing tops of pies
• 2 large apples, peeled, cored and diced small
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 3/4 tablespoon flour
• 1 loaf whole wheat bread (about 17 slices), crusts removed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat cook butter, apples, brown sugar and cinnamon for about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, stir and cook for about 2 minutes more or until apples are tender. Place mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll each slice of bread until it is thin and flat (this ensures that the bread is pliable). Place about 1 teaspoon of apple mixture into the center of each slice of bread. Wet two of the edges of each slice of bread with a little bit of water. Fold the slice of bread diagonally to that it forms a triangle. Firmly press the edges of the bread together creating a tight seal. Place hand-pies onto prepared baking sheet. Brush each of the hand-pies with the remaining melted butter.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

We hope you have a great Father's Day celebrating the special dad in your life!

Sarah Robertson, Nutritionist

Come out and have some fun at the Cabot Community Tour! This event will take place at Old Mill Park from 10AM-3PM this Saturday June 9, don't miss out on a fun event! There will be a petting zoo, a hot air balloon, cooking demos and other family friendly activities. WIC will also be handing out information at this amazing event. DON'T MISS OUT!!!
For more info go to http://www.cabotcommunitytour.com/schedule.php?event=9

Drink 8 glasses of water everyday.... or not...

Ever wonder where the old recommendation "drink 8 glasses of water everyday" came from?

It has been around for a while. In 1945 the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended "1 millileter of water for each calorie of food". Based on an average person's daily food intake, that is about 64-80 ounces a day (or 8-10 cups). People somehow missed one important part of this recommendation though:

"Most of this quanitity is contained in prepared foods..."

So that means that the 8-10 glasses of water everyday is not really meant to mean 8-10 glasses of plain water every. single. day. Water is found in our food too (especially fruits, veggies, and soups). The reasearchers counted the water that is in our food as well when making these recommendations.

 It was so hard to try and determine a recommendation for water (because everyone's bodies and lives are so different and we are all different shapes and sizes) that everyone kind of gave up in between 1945 and 2004. No other major studies were done on how much water a person should drink. In February 2004, the Institute of Medicine finally released an official recommendation for adequate water intake for all different life stages (which if you are really interested can be found here). These values are based on drinking water, other liquids, and food.

So there is really not one answer that fits everybody! How much water you need depends on your individual body, where you live, what you eat, how active you are, and if you are sick or not. I know I drank WAY more than 8-10 glasses when I was hiking in the dessert and I drink WAY less water when I am sitting in my air conditioned office writing this post.

So how do you tell how much water you need to drink? Pay attention to your urine. If it is light yellow or clear, you are getting enough fluids. If it is darker or strong smelling, reach for more water!

- Allison Leonard, RD

Summer cookouts!

The summer months are great for grilling out and spending time with friends and family. Here are some great ways to keep your cookout healthy, safe and delicious!

· Serve lean meats

oWhen you are in the grocery store shopping for your different cookout foods think LEAN!

oTry meats like turkey burgers, turkey or chicken hotdogs, white meat chicken and aim for your lowest percent ground beef, usually 90/10, 93/7 or 95/5. The second number indicates the amount of fat in the beef, so always hunt for the lowest number you can find.

oRemember to cook your meats completely! Using a meat thermometer will help prove it’s cooked thoroughly.

oAvoid cross contamination too! If you use a knife to cut raw meat, wash it in hot soapy water to kill bacteria before using it to slice buns or fruits. 

· Try whole wheat buns when serving meat

oCheck out the variety of whole wheat buns next time you shop!

oRemember to look for words like "whole wheat" and "whole grain" listed first on the ingredient list to be sure your getting the nutrients.

oServe your buns on a separate, clean plate free from any raw meats.

· Serve fruits and veggies

oBoth fruits and veggies make excellent finger foods and kid friendly snacks to set out for people to nibble on before the grill gets fired up.

oStarting off with snacks such as a vegetable tray with cut up celery, broccoli and grape tomatoes helps to encourage friends and family to fill up on the healthy stuff first!

oWatermelon is a popular cookout addition and is a great way to keep guests full and hydrated! It’s made up of more than 90% water!

oSweet potatoes can also be a tasty addition to a cookout. Potato chips, potato salad and fries usually make an appearance, but are loaded with fat and sodium. Using sweet potatoes whole on the grill and adding a little cinnamon or sliced as fries is a great way to add fiber and a low calorie snack to the menu!

· Make water easily available

oHaving pitchers of ice cold water sitting out, maybe with sliced fruit for added flavor will be more appealing than coolers of sugary sodas after a game of backyard football or a swim in the pool!

Happy grilling!

-Christy Redmond, Nutritionist Senior