Kids Corner

Hey kids—organize your own family slumber party. Discuss with your family when a good night would be, one that works for everyone. Mark it on the calendar, and create your personal party invitation. As the party planner, think of some fun and active games for the family to play that evening and morning. Create a healthy snack menu for the evening and a fun breakfast for the whole family to enjoy together. Listed below are some activity, snack and breakfast ideas:

using blankets and chairs/furniture build a tent or fort
animal charades, have each person act out different animals
hide and seek
share “camp fire” stories
family “sunrise” hike
pretzels, nut butter, air popped popcorn, baked pita chips and hummus, low-fat frozen yogurt fruit parfaits
French toast (egg whites, whole wheat bread) topped with fruit, hearty oatmeal with fun toppings (raisins, cranberries, frozen blueberries, cinnamon, nuts), whole wheat pancakes topped with fresh fruit (or frozen fruit thawed overnight)

Ask the Food Dude – Nutritionist

How can we modify our family recipes to be healthier this holiday season?

During the holidays many families may forget about all the positive changes they have made to improve their health. Continue to make time for family huddles to talk about your Healthy Family Home goals and make a plan for how you all will tackle the holidays together. Listed below are some simple substitutions to reduce the total amount of fat in a recipe. Keep in mind smaller portions during the holidays can be a helpful way for the family to enjoy traditional recipes. Try a few of the ideas below and see if anyone notices. Only share with them after they comment “how tasty” something is. Review your recipes, and when one calls for an ingredient from the list below, try some of these substitutes.

Sour Cream Substitutes
plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup cottage cheese blended with 1-1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
fat-free sour cream

Whipped Cream Substitutes
chilled, whipped evaporated skim milk
nondairy whipped topping made from polyunsaturated fat

Cream Substitutes
use evaporated skim milk
when the recipe calls for Whole milk use Skim, 1-percent or 2-percent milk

Ground beef substitutes
extra lean ground beef
lean chicken and ground turkey

Bacon substitutes
Canadian bacon
lean ham

Sausage substitutes
lean ground turkey
95% fat free sausage

Whole Egg Substitutes
2 egg whites
1/4 cup cholesterol-free liquid egg product
1 tablespoon of flour (when egg is being used as thickener)

Fun with Fruits and Vegetables

Greens (spinach, collard and mustard) are the vegetable of the month and a great source of Vitamin A. Kale and Swiss chard are additional greens to try out this month. Your family will benefit from a diet adequate in Vitamin A, which is important for our sight, growth, fighting off infection and keeping eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. Mustard greens have a peppery flavor and will spice up your favorite soup recipes. Greens can be festive and healthy salad base topped off with other fun, bright and tasty veggies. Traditional cooking of greens includes boiling or simmering very slowly with a piece of ham hock for an extended period of time until they are quite soft. This softens the texture and decreases some of their bitter flavor. Greens can also be steamed or microwaved and added to soups, salads, stews and other dishes. As the days get cooler, plan an evening where your family makes a soup together that includes greens and enjoy. Additional great choices for Vitamin A include carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, cantaloupe, broccoli, and nectarines.

Family Time

Spending time together during the holidays may sound like a simple enough task, but are there things we can do to ensure we include active play and healthy meals in the mix?

Involve everyone in the big traditional meal preparations
Have fun searching out new and healthy recipes.
Spend time together out of doors and enjoy the brisk fall weather.
Plan a family “turkey trot” and map out a small run/walk in your neighborhood Share your turkey trot ideas with other families, and your event may double or triple in size.

Join the YMCA in celebrating family strengthening during National Family Week, November 23-29, 2008! As you prepare for the holiday week, consider what you can do to celebrate and support families—yours and others—during this week and throughout the coming year. To learn more about YMCA activities for families, stop by your local YMCA.

Meal Ideas

Roast chicken breast in the oven with sweet potatoes cut into chunks, slices of garlic and onions

Stuff left over turkey or ham into whole wheat pita pockets and add your favorite left over veggies

Ask the Play Ground Guru

Football anyone? Instead of sitting and watching the game, make your own football arena. Playing the game is a lot more fun than just watching, so put down the remote control, grab the family and head to the back yard or park. Include other families and friends for a friendly game of touch football. Have fun with team spirit and select a team color for each team to dress in. Those not interested in playing can be “active” spectators by running the line, being human yard markers (chains), or catching field goals. In addition to having fun, you’ll be participating in play that works the heart, lungs, and leg and arm muscles. Remind everyone to stretch their muscles before the start of the game to prevent injuries.