Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

Perfectly Paired: Roasted Parsnips and Carrots as Your Ideal Autumn Comfort Side.
Roasting these root vegetables brings out their delightful blend of sweet, smoky, and nutty flavors, making them the ultimate accompaniment for a cozy, rainy fall day.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ pound parsnips, peeled if needed
  • ¾ pound carrots, peeled
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut the parsnips and carrots into uniform pieces such as 3 x ½-inch sticks or 1-inch thick slices.

3. Place cut parsnips and carrots into a large bowl.  Add the vegetable oil and stir to coat the carrots and parsnips.

4. Add the salt, garlic powder and black pepper and stir until the vegetables are well coated with seasonings.

5. Place vegetables in a single layer on large baking sheet being careful not to overcrowd the pan.  Lining the baking sheet with foil or baking parchment will help with clean-up.

6. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring the vegetables half way through the time.  The carrots and parsnips should be caramelized to a medium brown and blistered.  

7. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes:

Try adding other seasonings such as thyme or onion powder.

Recipe resource: https://foodhero.org/recipes/roasted-parsnips-and-carrots

Tillamook County Wellness Awarded Kiwanis Community Giving Fund

Tillamook County Wellness Awarded Kiwanis Community Giving Fund

To promote the well-being and growth of children, access to regular physical activity is essential. Over the past three years, Tillamook County Wellness’ Health Promotions Committee has been offering fun, physical activity programs designed to introduce families to local outdoor recreational opportunities. Where participants qualify for exciting prize drawings.

Historically, we’ve collaborated with schools, local libraries, the Oregon Food Bank, and various community partners to promote these activities. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’ve been able to incentivize participation through rewarding prizes.

Tillamook County Wellness would like to encourage more family participation, especially among families with children aged 0-17 years. Since younger children might not have the means or easy access to parks and other physical activity locations on their own, they depend on older family members for transportation and motivation. This realization has led us to develop a more deliberate strategy for engaging families in 2024.

We plan to identify and acquire participation prizes that are specifically appealing to families. The Kiwanis Community Giving Award Funds will play a crucial role in enabling us to achieve this goal.

Tillamook County Wellness extends its heartfelt gratitude to be the recipients of the Kiwanis Community Giving Fund. Their support is invaluable in helping us achieve our mission of promoting health and well-being in our community to young children in Tillamook County.

Picture of: Janeane Krongos of Tillamook Family Counseling Center and Ron Rush of Tillamook Kiwanis Club

Tillamook County Wellness is a community-driven initiative with a primary focus on reducing the risk of chronic diseases by promoting healthy behaviors from an early age. We believe that by making healthy choices more accessible and enjoyable, we can cultivate thriving and vibrant communities.

Healthy School Lunch Tips

Healthy School Lunch Tips

In this weeks blog we would like to quote some great references from: Better Health Channel about Healthy School Lunches; https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/healthy-eating-school-lunches

“School is a time when children start to make independent choices about their lifestyles. School aged children learn quickly and are influenced by friends and popular trends. This is an important time to talk about and encourage healthy food habits.

Involving children in planning and preparing their own lunchboxes gives them the opportunity to learn about healthy eating, and also gives them a chance to make autonomous decisions about what they will be eating during the day.

Involve your Children in Healthy Choices

Tips to help get your kids involved include:

  • Talk to your children about what they would like to have in their lunchbox. Discuss healthier food and drink choices and decide what will be in the lunchbox together.
  • Write a shopping list together. Take your children shopping with you and let them choose foods and drinks from the shopping list.
  • Encourage your children help prepare their lunchboxes. Older children may be able to prepare most of their lunch themselves, and younger children can help with making sandwiches or cutting up soft fruit. It is a good idea to prepare lunchboxes the evening before to allow children to participate.

What to Put in Healthier School Lunches

The six key parts to a healthy lunchbox include:

  • Fruit – best choices include fresh or tinned fruit. Dried fruit is sticky and high in sugar, so have it occasionally.
  • Vegetables – try fresh crunchy vegetable sticks with dip or a small container with mixed vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, and cucumber.
  • Milk, yogurt or cheese – you can use reduced-fat options for children over the age of 2 years. For children who cannot tolerate milk products, offer appropriate daily alternatives like calcium fortified soy or rice drink or soy yogurt.
  • Meat or meat alternative foods – try lean meat (like chicken strips), a hard-boiled egg or peanut butter. If your school has a nut-free policy, peanut butter and other nuts should not be included in your child’s lunchbox.
  • Grain or cereal foods – like a bread roll, flat bread, fruit bread or some crackers (wholegrain or whole meal options).
  • Drinks – tap water is best

Tips for Healthy Lunchboxes

  • Cut up large pieces of fruit and put them in a container – this makes it easier to eat, especially if your child has wobbly teeth or if they have less time to eat than they are used to. Send a damp face washer to help with extra juicy fruit.
  • Consider giving half a sandwich or roll for morning recess, as this is an easy way to get a healthy fill.
  • In the hot weather, send frozen milk, yogurt or water, or even frozen orange segments. This makes a great refreshing snack and helps to keep the lunch box cool.
  • Go for color and crunch in the lunch box by offering a variety of colorful vegetables and fruit.”

In conclusion, the choices we make for our children’s lunchboxes can have a significant impact on their overall health and well-being. By prioritizing fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, we set them up for success both in and out of the classroom. Remember to involve your children in the decision-making process, as this not only educates them about healthy eating but also empowers them to make smart food choices on their own.

As parents, guardians, or caregivers, our role in shaping their dietary habits is instrumental.. So, as you pack those lunchboxes, think about the nutritious and delicious options that can fuel your child’s day and set them on a path to a lifetime of healthy eating.

Here’s to happy and healthy lunchtimes for our little ones!

Resources:

Better Health Channel. (n.d.). Healthy Eating – School Lunches. Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/healthy-eating-school-lunches

National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Dietary Guidelines, Australian Government.

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

Looking for a kid-friendly, nutritious snack that’s perfect for when you’re on the move? Give these Peanut Butter Cereal Bars a try! Whole grain oats, peanut butter, and dried fruit make a crispy, chewy treat.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup honey (see Notes)
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 cups rice cereal
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit

Directions

  1. Wash hands with soap and water.
  2. In a saucepan, bring honey to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to low and stir in peanut butter.
  4. Add cereal, oats and raisins; mix well. Remove from heat.
  5. Lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking pan. Press mixture into pan. When cool, cut into 16 bars.
  6. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

  • Try this recipe with 4 cups of unsweetened cereal flakes instead of the rice cereal and oats.
  • Honey is not recommended for children under 1 year old.
  • To avoid peanuts or peanut butter, try sunflower seeds or sunflower seed butter.

Photo and recipe credit: https://foodhero.org/recipes/peanut-butter-cereal-bars

Photo of Nutrition facts of Peanut Butter Cereal Bars with Rice Cereal and Oats
The Pandemic Generation Starts School

The Pandemic Generation Starts School

Parents and teachers prepare for children born during the COVID-19
pandemic head to preschool this fall.

In early spring 2020, when the COVID pandemic began to take hold,
everyone’s daily routines changed. For many new parents, this meant an
unexpected and sudden loss of much-needed support systems. Holly
Rondeau is the mom of a toddler born in early February 2020, making her son
a pandemic baby. “We had maybe a week or two, and then boom! (The) world
closed down, my mom had to leave early because the airports were closing,
and then we couldn’t see anybody for like a year.” Children born in 2020
experienced isolation during an essential phase of early childhood
development. This fall, these pandemic babies head to preschool.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, there were 39,820 births in 2020.
This fall, an estimated 10,000 of those children will enter preschool. This
number of children is an increase of about 2,000 children from the prior year
due to the inception of the state-funded Preschool Promise program which
provides free or low-cost preschool for eligible 3- and 4-year-olds. Studies
show early childhood education programs, like preschool, are critical for
children in many areas, including academic achievement and future health.

With preschools preparing to take in these pandemic babies for the first time,
there is some apprehension for the parents. Children, especially young
children, learn through play, activities, and interacting with other children their
own age. The forced isolation brought on by the pandemic led to many
children spending their formative years without some of these vital
interactions. The isolation children and families experienced during the
pandemic varied based on factors like family size and location. How this
isolation affected young children’s social skills is likely just as varied. Add in
the dynamic of masking for a year or more, and small children were
challenged even further by not getting social cues learned from reading facial
expressions.

Research studies on how infants and young children fared during the
pandemic are assessing for changes in early development. Unfortunately,
they are finding them. A study published in Japan this month looked at the
effects of screen time on infants and young children. The impact of screen
time is significant because many parents turned to increased screen use
during the pandemic. The Japanese study found the more screen time an
infant had at age 1, the greater the risk of delays in communication and
problem-solving of toddlers at ages 2 and 4. A second study looked at
changes in early childhood development that pandemic babies experienced.
The study found a decline in these children’s communication and personal-
social skills. Parents like Rondeau hope preschool will help provide some of
these lost abilities.

Keri Archer is a kindergarten teacher at Nehalem Elementary. She taught
before, during, and after the pandemic, giving her an excellent perspective on
how little ones do when attending school for the first time. From her
perspective, Archer says the children starting school at the beginning of the
2021-2022 school year were the most impacted by the pandemic. She notes
kindergarteners that year had not attended preschool because of the
pandemic closures and the first graders spent most of their kindergarten year
attempting virtual learning. Archer found a lot of gaps in the children’s
education, and the children lacked an understanding of how to behave or act
in a school setting. “Preschool and kindergarten are the years we are as
human beings learning how to relate to each other,” says Archer. “Typically,
that’s the first group settings that a lot of kids are in…they have to learn how
to get along with each other, and take turns, and play.” But there is hope, as
Archer saw last year as a more typical school year, and she expects the same
this year. Rondeau is ready for this with her son. “I’m excited for him to start
preschool and kind of, like, see this next phase of his development.”

Studies of the effects of isolation on babies who grew into toddlers during the
pandemic will likely be under scrutiny for years. Because of the isolation,
many young children have not had the traditional opportunities to socialize
with other children their age. Archer wants to reassure parents with young
children attending school for the first time. “The encouragement of a parent
goes a long way to help them be successful in school. Because it is always
going to be scary.” The advice Archer would give parents going into the new
school year is the same as she would have given to parents before the
pandemic. “I think the more confident that parents can be about how fun it’s
going to be, and how great it’s going to be, and that encouragement, and just
feeling confident that educators are well versed in what they do and are going
to handle it well so they can feel that confidence too.”

AUTHOR: Leanna Coy, FNP-C, Family Nurse Practitioner and Health Content Writer

Resources:
Takahashi I, Obara T, Ishikuro M, et al. Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Communication
and Problem-Solving Developmental Delay at 2 and 4 Years. JAMA Pediatr. Published
online August 21, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3057

Almeida, L., Rego, J. F., Girardi Teixeira, A. C., & Moreira, M. R. (2022). Social isolation and its
impact on child and adolescent development: A systematic review. Revista Paulista de
Pediatria, 40. https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/2022/40/2020385

Other wellness questions? Email us at info@tillamookcountywellness.org. For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.

Succotash

Succotash

Prep time: 15 minutes 
Cook time: 30 – 45 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cups whole kernel corn (fresh, frozen or canned and drained)
  • 2 cups lima beans (fresh, frozen or canned and drained)
  • 2 cups cut okra (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

  1. Wash hands with soap and water. 
  2. In a large saucepan on medium heat, sauté onion in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low and slowly cook until the veggies are tender, the liquids reduce and the flavors are blended, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  4. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes

  • The amounts of each vegetable are provided as a guide and do not have to be exact. Create your own combination according to your taste and what’s available! 
  • Try adding other vegetables such as black eyed peas, chopped bell pepper, hot pepper or zucchini.
  • Try adding other seasonings such as garlic powder, thyme, basil or hot sauce.
  • If using fresh corn, slice 2 cups kernels from 2 to 4 ears, uncooked or cooked.
  • If using fresh tomatoes, use 4 large to 6 medium (3 cups chopped, peel first if desired).

Photo and Recipe Source: https://foodhero.org/recipes/succotash