by Michelle | Nov 9, 2018 | Why I'm In
The Tillamook County Wellness “Why I’m In” interview series highlights our community partners and what has inspired and motivated them to work toward the common goal of improving community health.
“WHY I’M IN …” Dusti (Jessica) Linnell, Oregon State University Extension, Family & Community Health
What drew you/your organization into the Year of Wellness, now Tillamook County Wellness?
Linnell: I first got involved in the Year of Wellness when I joined the OSU Extension service in 2016. Nancy Kershaw encouraged me to start attending meetings since what was happening with the Year of Wellness was so aligned with my role in supporting family and community health.
I was struck by how many people were involved and how excited they were to be working together The passion of the leaders, and everyone involved, spoke to me. It felt like this was something that could really work and could have a deep impact in supporting the health of everyone in the county.
What, if any, changes have you seen come about as a result of this work?
Linnell: There are so many different things I could talk about. One thing is how many people know about Tillamook County Wellness and how invested people are. From a professional perspective, the level of collaboration I have seen come out of this is really powerful. There is something special about this work and how it has brought people together to make connections in new ways. I hear conversations where someone says, “Hey, I am working on this project. You could really help me. How can we work together on this?” That’s been really huge. I’ve worked in other places where it just isn’t like that.
What have you learned from being involved in this work?
Linnell: I’ve learned that bringing about the kind of change we are talking about is hard work. It takes a lot of effort and diligence to get it right. It’s hard to find all the things that are going to work for everybody.
I’ve also learned there are so many assets we have that we can draw upon. People are willing to give their time and effort, and even sometimes money, to support what we are doing. There are a lot of amazing people in the county who want to do the right thing.
What are your hopes for this work as it relates to you/your organization?
Linnell: My hope for this work as it relates to me personally, is building on the strengths of our community and continuing to create spaces for people to be healthy. I live here and I want to have access to all the healthiest foods and have great places to go and be physically active too.
Professionally, I am excited to get to work with people who seek the same outcomes as I do, people who are dedicated to building and supporting healthy communities. I also hope that, as we achieve these outcomes, we can continue to build on what we have already accomplished. My hope is that this lasts a long time. There will never be a shortage of initiatives we want to work on as a community. I am uplifted by this work and the potential it has for change.
What are your hopes for this work as it relates to changing population health in Tillamook County.
Linnell: Our community is dealing with a lot of really tough issues, with diabetes being one of them. As a chronic disease, diabetes takes a long time to develop. There are things we can do to reduce the risk for this. I just hope we can generate some creative solutions that are really going to work for us. We have a great opportunity to take what we understand about how different things within our community affect our health and come together to develop the solutions that will help improve this in our communities.
My role in the OSU Extension Service is to support the community. I get to be of service here and bring whatever resources I can. I love living here and I want to personally contribute to help make this a success.
by Michelle | Nov 9, 2018 | Recipes
Recipe Source: Recipe and photo from www.FoodHero.org
Number of servings: 2
Time for preparation (including preparation and cooking): 10 min
Ingredients:
3⁄4 pound asparagus, washed and trimmed (2 1/2 cups sliced)
1 teaspoon oil
3 Tablespoons slivered almonds
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon ginger powder
Directions
- Slice the asparagus diagonally into pieces about ¾ inch long.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir and sauté until asparagus is a brighter green, 3-5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until the asparagus is just fork-tender. Avoid overcooking. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
4. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
by Michelle | Nov 1, 2018 | Being Well
One food drive is better than two. Tillamook High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) teamed up with FFA to hold a community-wide canned food drive last week. The effort was a huge success, bringing in a grand total of over 4500 food items in just 5 days, a significant increase over last year’s haul of about 1000 items.
Student-led support of our local Food Bank has been happening for years. Both the ASB and FFA have been conducting their own annual food drives for as long as anyone can remember. The secret to this year’s success can be summed up in two words: Teamwork and Fun.
This year, organizers decided to try some new tactics. In addition to combining the two separate food drives into one, they added daily incentives and competitions to increase participation. The senior and freshmen classes competed as one team against the combined junior and sophomore classes. They offered “food-for-food” incentives like getting 2 cookies at lunch for a 2-can donation or a longer lunch period for 50% class participation. “Cheeseblock” classes competed to win a pizza party, resulting in the largest haul of 1800 items in one day.
Food donations were not limited to in-school activities. The community was invited to drop items off all week as well as donate food in lieu of paying admission to school sports events throughout the week. Paper bags were distributed throughout neighborhoods and students returned to collect many items.
Rachelle Metcalfe, ASB advisor, said she was very pleased with the overall outcome. “I am so proud of our student body. They really stepped up to make this such a success. And they made it fun for everybody.” Metcalfe noted that the event provided a good learning experience in that students had to consider the fact that not all families would be able to contribute food items. Student organizers strategized ways that would allow all students to benefit, while, at the same time, incentivizing participation.
Everyone benefits from activities like this that build community inside the school and out. This is what Wellness is all about.
by Michelle | Nov 1, 2018 | Recipes
Recipe Source: Recipe and photo from www.FoodHero.org
Number of servings: 6
Time for preparation (including preparation and cooking): 25 min
Ingredients:
1⁄2 pound lean ground beef (15% fat)
2 cups water
2 packages oriental flavor instant ramen-style noodles, broken into small pieces
16 ounces frozen Asian-style vegetables, or any other frozen vegetables
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat (350 degrees in an electric skillet), brown ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain fat.
- Add 2 cups of water and ONE seasoning packet to cooked beef and mix well.
- Add frozen vegetables, green onion, ginger, and garlic and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add ramen noodles, reduce heat to low, and simmer 3-5 minutes until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
by Michelle | Oct 25, 2018 | Eat Well, Recipes
Serves 5
INGREDIENTS
2.5 oz. cream cheese
6.5 oz. cheese, cheddar, yellow, reduced fat, shredded
1/3 cup yogurt, low-fat, plain
2 Tablespoons milk, 1% low-fat
20 crackers, whole grain, low-salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Place cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Add yogurt and milk. Puree again until smooth.
Transfer dip to a serving bowl.
Serve with whole grain crackers.
Refrigerate leftovers.
NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Calories: 216, Total Fat: 12.40 g, Saturated Fat: 6.75 g, Cholesterol: 30.64 mg, Sodium: 360.65 mg, Calcium: 378.88 mg, Protein: 13.57 g, Carbohydrates: 13.43 g, Dietary Fiber: 1.68 g
Dietitian’s Tip: A fun way to get calcium, protein and whole grains.
