IN THIS ISSUE:
10 Fun Things-to-do this Spring
FOR KIDS ONLY: Nightmare on Veggie Street
RECIPE: Shrimp-Feta Pasta Salad
NEWS IN BRIEF:
School Garden Wizard
Fruit and Vegetables Galore
Report on Kids' Menus
Recommended Site: Oregon Dairy Council

Just for fun:
Try making an edible Olympic rings garnish. Use round vegetable slices such as pepper rings, tomato slices and squash slices to create your garnish.

10 Fun Things-to-do this Spring

1. Host a “Silly Olympics” for your friends and neighbors. Steeplechase over low platforms and shallow dishes of water, tape two paper plates front-to front to make a “discus,” perform a synchronized “swimming” routine without the water or, best of all, think up your own crazy and creative version of the Olympic Games.

2. Try a new recipe. The shrimp-pasta salad below has a real Greek flair, perfect to serve at your “Silly Olympics” party.

3. Get your dog (and you) into better shape. Find new places to walk, run and explore. Even your dog gets tired of pacing around the same old neighborhood loop!

4. Turn off the television and play card or board games. You may actually get to know your family and friends a bit better!

5. Plan and start planting a vegetable garden. Depending on the zone you live in, you may be able to start many crops right now, especially cool weather crops such as spinach, lettuce, cabbage, peas and radishes. Start warm weather plants such as tomatoes, peppers and squash indoors. To check your growing zone, visit http://garden.org/regional.

6. Learn more about nutrition by visiting http://nutritionforkids.com on a regular basis.

7. The next time you fire up the outside grill, add some variety to your barbecue by roasting vegetables such as tomatoes, broccoli, squash, mushrooms or peppers on a skewer. Simply cut up vegetables into chunks, thread onto wooden skewers, lightly spray with an olive oil pan spray, sprinkle on desired seasoning and roast 2-5 minutes on the grill.

8. Since it's too early to camp outdoors in many parts of the country, have an overnight campout in your living room. Set up the tent, substitute flashlights for lights, tell spooky stories, sing campfire songs and eat camp food for breakfast the next morning. Bonus: NO mosquitoes to contend with!

9. “Powerful girls have powerful bones” is a fun place for girls to learn about the importance of calcium and other healthy-bone habits. Check out this site at http://www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones.

10. Get more rest. In order to enjoy fun activities, it's important to recharge your system. Take time to relax every day and get adequate sleep every night.

FOR KIDS ONLY: Nightmare on Veggie Street

Enjoy reading this silly fill-in-the-blank puzzle to your friends and family!

DIRECTIONS:

1.Fill in the following blanks:

A. Favorite song: _____________________________
B. A Color: ___________________________________
C. Type of animal: _____________________________
D. A room in your house: _____________________________
E. Favorite vegetable: _____________________________

2.Use your answers to fill in the letter blanks in the story below.

3. Use the following words in the matching number blanks.

1.Corn
2.Potato
3.Squash
4.Eggplant
5.Mushrooms

Thinking I was all alone, I started to sing A:_________________________ at the top of my lungs. Little did I know that a crazy yellow vegetable was listening (and laughing at me)! I guess it makes sense when you think about it because a 1:_________________________ plant is known for its ears. Next, I noticed that a 2:_________________________ was watching me (they can grow eyes, you know). This tater lady told me she didn't like the B:_________________________ sneakers I was wearing. She actually wanted to 3:_________________________ them and throw them out the window! Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, I looked outside and saw a C:_________________________ laying an 4:_________________________! Frightened, I headed for the D:_________________________ but the only "rooms" in my house I could find were 5:_________________________ . Luckily, I woke up and realized I was having another one of those crazy veggie dreams! I hurried downstairs to the kitchen and snacked on E:_________________________. In case you didn't know, that's the only cure for a nightmare on veggie street!

Note from Connie:
"I have three hungry teens so I always double this recipe."

RECIPE: Shrimp-Feta Pasta Salad

This is a really delicious pasta salad that the entire family will enjoy. Add whole grain bread, fruit or soup and a glass of low-fat milk for a complete meal.

8 oz. uncooked penne or bowtie pasta
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
2 T. olive oil
(optional) ½ tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. cooked medium shrimp*
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut into halves
½ cup ripe olives, cut into halves
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta as directed; drain and set aside. Combine rice vinegar, basil, olive oil, salt and garlic and mix well. Add mixture to pasta, along with shrimp, tomatoes, olives and cheese. Gently toss and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serves 4.

*If you use frozen shrimp, be sure to thaw and drain before adding to mixture.

NEWS IN BRIEF

School Garden Wizard
The School Garden Wizard is a resource for educators and volunteers planning a school garden from the ground up. The United States Botanic Garden and the Chicago Botanic Garden together have developed the“Wizard” Web site, which dissects the planning and building of school gardens into five categories: Make the Case, Plan for Success, Create the Garden, Learn in the Garden, and Keep it Growing. The entire resource is downloadable in sections, for a total of 58 pages. An additional Quick Reference section addresses topics like National Science Standards, Cross-Discipline Learning and A Teacher’s Perspective. Access this tool at http://www.schoolgardenwizard.org.

Fruits & Vegetables Galore: Helping Kids Eat More
Fruits & Vegetables Galore is a tool for school foodservice professionals packed with tips on planning, purchasing, protecting, preparing, presenting and promoting fruits and vegetables. Visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/fv_galore.html to download the guide or to order a copy for your school.

Report on Kids' Menus
Even restaurants that cater to health-conscious adults may not give much attention to the nutritional makeup of the kids' menu. The Center for Science in the Public Interest put together a report on children's menus in popular restaurants. Access the report at http://www.cspinet.org/nah/03_04/kidscuisine.pdf

Recommended Site: Oregon Dairy Council
The Oregon Dairy Council has long been known for independent thinking and innovation and their website is no exception. Access tasty nutritious recipes, current nutrition information and great low-cost nutrition education resources at this site.
http://www.oregondairycouncil.org

 

The information contained in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for medical and/or nutrition advice. See your physician and/or registered dietitian for individual health and/or dietary concerns.

©2004, by Connie Evers, All Rights Reserved. There is a modest reprint fee for reproducing the material in this newsletter in either print or electronic publications. Please send an email to reprint@nutritionforkids.com for details and rates.

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