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

Meal Planning and Shopping Matters Update

Thanks to those of you who have come out for our WIC Shopping Matters Tours! There is still plenty of time left to sign up for future tours and we are excited to be able to offer WIC participants who attend a tour a FREE $10 GIFT CARD to be used on fruits and vegetables at the store that day!

One major way to save money and time at the grocery store is to plan out your meals ahead of time and take a list. I found a great meal planning worksheet and grocery list that you can download for free here. If you are stuck on ideas of what to make, remember that you do not have to make four course dinners. Make it easy on yourself and it will get done!

If you want to get a little more advanced with meals and meal planning here is a great link that has alot of useful recipes and ideas for meals.

Also, we still have plenty of room for participants to attend tours on these dates:

Stafford Giant: Feb 23, March 1, and March 22 at 10:30 and 3 PM

South Point Wal- Mart- Feb 24, March 2, and March 23 at 10:30 and 3 PM

Call Allison Leonard at 540-322-5948 to sign up or for more details!

All about beans...

I have to admit that I love beans. In addition to being great tasting, beans are cheap, nutritious and filling. WIC provides dried beans as a choice on the WIC vouchers but alot of our clients shy away from preparing dried beans because they don't know how and are not as familiar with them as canned beans.

I have personally found an easy way to prepare dried beans that takes very little time. Here is my own way that I prepare beans:

The Night Before

1. Take your bag of beans and sort through the beans and remove any stones/ stems. You would be surprised what shows up in there...


2. Put the beans in a crock pot and cover with at least 2-3 inches of water.


3. Put lid on and soak overnight.

That morning

1. Your beans will look much bigger in the morning. Pour off the old water.


2. Pour new, fresh water on the beans (about 1-2 inches worth).


3. Season your beans with salt and other spices. I like to use salt, 2 bay leaves, and garlic powder or a fresh clove of garlic.


4. Turn crock pot on "low" and go about your day. In 6-8 hours you will have nice, soft beans.

Now you have a large amount of beans. You don't have to eat them all at once. Once they have cooled down a little, take a slotted spoon (to drain off most of the liquid) and a measuring cup and put 2 cups of beans in a sandwich bag or container. If you use a bag you can flatten it out and save space in the freezer (be sure to squeeze out any air). This two cup amount equals about 1 can of beans. So if you are using a recipe that calls for a can of beans, you can reach in the freezer and pull out one of your bags.

There are other ways to prepare beans, but I prefer this way because it fits my busy schedule. I use my beans as filling for burritos, in soups, and as part of Mexican casserole. Here is my recipe for Mexican casserole (a cheap and easy meal)
Ingredients:

• 10-12 corn tortillas (cut into wedges)


• 1 yellow onion


• 1 bell pepper


• 1 jar of salsa


• 1-2 cups of shredded cheese (I like monterey jack)


• 1, 12 oz can black olives (sliced or chopped)


• 2-4 cups mashed pinto beans


• Crushed tortilla chips.

Preheat oven to 350. Chop the onion and pepper. Saute' in a little vegetable oil until soft. Lightly grease a baking dish and layer the corn tortilla wedges on the bottom (they can overlap- doesn't have to be perfect). Spread mashed beans on top. Layer sauteed onion and pepper, salsa and chopped black olives. Top with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes. Take foil off and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is browned. Serve with sour cream and other toppings as desired. The great thing about this is that it doesn't have to be perfect. You can throw in leftover meats and vegetables and make it a little different everytime.

-Allison Leonard RD

Shopping on a Budget

It is becoming more and more difficult to stretch a dollar these days. With the prices of everything going up, we are all looking for good deals-- that includes trying to get the best deal when it comes to food too. Grocery stores, food companies, and restaurants are also aware that you are looking for affordable ways to feed your family. Sometimes that means that their advertisements can mislead you into thinking that you are getting a better bargain than you actually are.

So how do you know if you're getting a good deal?...Well, there are several factors to keep in mind:

-Price: When you're looking at the price of an item, you want to look at what exactly you are getting for the price you are paying. Are you getting a lot of calories, but not very many nutrients? Are you getting a large amount of food, but it doesn't really fill you up? These are questions you want to ask yourself when deciding which foods to purchase.

-Quality: Finding a good price does not always mean compromising taste or overall quality of foods, so don't be afraid to buy the store brands for some items.

-Nutritional Value: Don't believe the hype that healthy foods are always expensive. Some foods with the greatest nutrient density (having a high a lot of nutrients compared to the number of calories) such as dried beans and oatmeal are the least expensive foods you can buy.

Here are 10 tips and tricks to remember when you go to the grocery store:

1. Go with a shopping list and stick to it!... Having a list makes your shopping trips shorter and less frequent. Sticking to that list saves you money because you are less likely to make impulse purchases and extra trips to the grocery store which ofter result in even more impulse purchases.


2. Look above and below eye-level on the shelves for better bargains.


3. Check the unit price of items...The lower unit price is the better deal. The unit price tells you the cost per oz, liter, kilogram, etc. So this is how you know exactly how much you are paying for the amount of food you are purchasing.


4. Beware of the ends of the aisles... These items usually appear to be bargains, but may actually cost more and tend to be less nutritious.


5. Cut back on meat... Meat is usually the most expensive item you purchase. You can still have your meat, but add beans*, whole grains*, and more fruits* and veggies* instead to stretch out the meat you do buy. You can add veggies to almost any favorite meat recipe like these burgers or your favorite lasagna.


6. You can use coupons with your fruit and vegetable vouchers to get more food at a lower cost.


7. Buy dried beans*... These nutrient powerhouses are packed with protein and fiber. Depending on the type of beans and the store, they can average between 12 and 21 cents an ounce. Although it takes a little more planning to use them, you can cook a large amount at once and freeze them for later use.


8. Try hot cereals*... These are a great, nutritious breakfast item. Even if you're not a big cereal eater, you don't have to worry about these going stale after they've only been open for a few weeks. Also, when buying hot cereals, consider purchasing old fashioned oats instead of quick or instant versions to save you money.


9. Shop the Perimeter... Not walking down aisles when you don't need to means fewer chances of making impulse purchases which are often foods that are not as good for you and your family.


10. Don't let your WIC food instruments go to waste... pay attention to the dates at the tops of your food instruments and consider buying things that you don't usually cook. Just because you haven't made it before doesn't mean that you can't try it out.
    
    Being a smart shopper means finding a balance by comparing prices to find the best value for your budget and your health. You can be a smart shopper!

*-WIC helps with these items

References:

Community Action on Obesity. The Bargain Shopper's Guide to Healthy Eating. [motion picture]. 2011.
Cost of foods

Valerie Marcellus, Nutritionist