PLEASE NOTE. Mailbox Members

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1 November, December 2016 Cooperative Extension Service Rowan County 600 West Main Street Morehead, KY (606) Fax: (606) Dear Homemaker: PLEASE NOTE Homemaker dues: Fall is here, and it is time to collect Homemaker membership dues in your club for the Homemaker year. Dues are $7.50 (this incudes the $1.00 to the ovarian cancer fund). The dues, along with the enrollent forms, need to be in the Extension Office by December 1. Mailbox Members Please fill out the en rollment form that was mailed with the September/October newsletter and return with your dues of $7.50 (this includes the $1.00 donation to the ovarian cancer fund) to the Extension Office at 600 West Main Street Morehead, KY by December 1, GETTING READY FOR FALL Fall is in the air! November is a great month to start a family get-together with lasting memories. You may be in the mood with temperatures dropping outside to prepare some comfort food for your family. We have attached some yummy recipes for you to try. You also have time to start a sewing or craft project for the holidays. Others ideas may be having a family movie with a bowl of popcorn, work a puzzle or our home favorite having family night and play a good game of UNO. Start making wonderful family memories with a family date night starting in November. Have a wonderful and safe holiday.! 1

2 HOW MUCH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SHOULD YOU DO? Have you ever thought about how much physical activity you shoud do? It is recommended that an able adult should do 150 minutes of physical activity every week. If that seems like a lot of activity to you, think of it this way 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week. You may think that 30 minutes of physical activity is a lot of activity to do. The good news is that you can get the same benefits with three 10-minute periods. If you have a break during the day, start by walking for 5 minutes in one direction and then the 5 minutes back. Just 3 times and you have reached your goal! Basic Budget Bites Buy fruits and veggies in all their forms fresh, frozen and canned. They are all healthy forms of produce. Canned and frozen fruits and veggies can save you time in the kitchen. They often come pre-chopped and pre-cooked (think diced tomatoes and cut green beans). Don t try this with fresh produce pre-rinsed and pre-cut will almost always cost you more. Source: Share Our Strength s Cookings Matters Healthy Choices Newsletter PARENT S POW-WOW If you have not been regularly active, make sure to talk to your doctor. He or she can let you know if there are any safeguards you should take. Your doctor will also help you to reach your goal. Source: Healthy ChoicesNewsletter 2 FOR FUN UNSCRAMBLE THESE WORDS ALISCHYP TYCTIIAV IKANWGL ITFSNEBE ALOG SICEXERE There is no power like mom power. You are an influence in your children s lives. Help them form healthy eating habits for life. Offer them fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk and yogurt at meals and snacks. They are better for your health. They have the same nutrients as other milk with no saturated fat. Fat-free and low-fat milk also has fewer calories. And controlling calories helps manage body weight. Source: USDA Core Nutrition Messages Health Choices Newsletter.

3 FIND YOUR HEALTHY EATING STYLE AND KEEP IT FOR LIFE W hat you eat and drink over time matters. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future. Start with small steps to make healthier choices you can enjoy. Create your own healthy eating style with foods and beverages from each food group. Make sure that your choices are limited in sodium, saturated fat and added sugars. Make half your plate fruits and veggies: Focus on whole fruits. plateplate Make half your plate veggies: fruits and veggies: Vary your veggies. Make half your grains whole grains. Move to lowfat or fat-free milk or yogurt. Source: USDA MyPlate Healthy Choices newsletter Vary your protein routine. Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat and added sugars. Food Facts- FRUITS Focus on whole fruits. Whole fruits include fresh, frozen, dried and canned. Choose whole fruits more often than 100 percent fruit juice. Tips to help you eat fruits at meals: 1 2 At breakfast, top your cereal with bananas or peaches. Add blueberries to pancakes. Drink 100 percent orange or grapefruit juice. Mix fresh fruit with plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt. At lunch, pack a tangerine, banana or grapes to eat. Choose fruits from a salad bar. Single packs of fruits like peaches or applesauce make it easy. 3 P-COMING EVENTS At dinner, add crushed pineapple to coleslaw. Add orange sections or grapes in a tossed salad. Try meat dishes that incorporate fruit, such as chicken with apricots or mangoes. Add fruit like pineapple or peaches to kabobs as part of a barbecue meal. 4 For dessert, have baked apples, pears or a fruit salad. Source: USDA MyPlate Healthy Choices Newsletter 3

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5 FOOD SAFETY It s time to start thinking about cooking for the holidays. While it can be easy to get caught up in all of the holiday fun, it is important to remember food safety when preparing and enjoying your favorite holiday dishes. Here are some food safety tips to ensure your holiday dinners are safe and delicious: Keep your food and kitchen clean: Cross-contamination can occur when bacteria from uncooked foods come in contact with ready-to-eat foods. Be sure to keep raw meat away from fresh fruits, vegetables and other food products. Remember to always wash your hands, utensils and surfaces after handling raw meat. Cook food to proper internal temperatures: It s always a good idea to keep a food thermometer handy when preparing holiday foods. Always check your cooked dishes to make sure they ve been cooked to their proper internal temperature. For example, a turkey s internal temperature is 165 degrees F. 5

6 Enjoy holiday leftovers: One great thing about holiday food is there are normally enough leftovers to make another meal or two. Always refrigerate leftovers one to two hours after the ve been cooked to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. It is even more important to remember these tips when there are multiple cooks in the kitchen. Be sure to clean and sanitize your workstation after someone else has used it and double check to make sure ready-to-eat food is being safely stored away from raw meat. Source: Janet Mullins, Extension Specialsit for Food and Nutrition, University of Kentucky; College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Getting the Most From Your Holiday Gift Cards 1 Gift cards are one of the most popular holiday gifts. Many of us will add a new gift card to our wallet over the holiday season. 2 Sometimes, the rules associated with gift cards can be a mystery, leading to many gift cards being unused. When does the card expire? Is there a processing fee? Is there an inactivity fee? Can I use the card online? 3 The good news is your gift card will no longer expire in three, six or 12 months. Your gift card will be good for at least five years from the date of purchase. Do not feel as if you need to rush out to buy something, just to spend the card quickly. Even if your card expires, you may still be able to spend any remaining funds on the card, by requesting a replacement card from the issuer. The new card should be issued free of charge. Read the gift card and/or its packaging closely, any fees such as an inactivity fee or processing charge must be disclosed on either the card or the packaging. The 2010 Credit Card Act placed limits on the fees that the issuer can charge. Typically, you can still be charged a dormany fee if you have not used your card within one year. Finally, make certain that you know what type of card you have. The Credit Card Act rules only apply to gift cards; this includes both store cards, as well as gift cards with a credit card logo, such as Visa or MasterCard. There are other types of prepaid cards that are not included in the legislation, such as reloadable prepaid cards or store rebate or promotional cards.source: Jennifer L. Hunter, Extension Specialist for Family Financial Management, University of Kentucky; College of Agriculture, Food & Environment 4 6

7 SAFE COOKING To ensure that your holiday turkey is thoroughly cooked yet remains moist and tasty. Follow these roasting instructions from the United States Department of Agriculture: Put the turkey in a roasting pan in an oven with the temperature set no lower than 325 degrees Fahrenheit. It s not necessary to pre-heat the oven. For uniform doneness and safety, separately cook stuffing in a casserole dish. Use a food thermometer to check that the internal temperature in the center has reached 165 degrees F. If you decide to stuff a turkey, remember that a stuffed bird will take longer to cook than an unstuffed one. Use a food thermometer to check internal temperatures of the turkey and stuffing. A whole turkey must reach 180 degrees F. in the innermost part of the thigh. When cooking only a turkey breast, the internal temperature should reach 170 degrees F. Remember, the center of the stuffing must reach 165 degrees F. If the stuffing hasn t reached 165 degrees, continue cooking the turkey until the stuffing is at this temperature. Even if the turkey has a pop-up temperature indicator, the USDA recommends using a food thermometer to test several places including the innermost part of the thigh and stuffing center. A number of factors can affect the length of time it takes to completely roast a whole turkey. A frozen or partially frozen turkey takes longer to cook than one that s completely thawed. It will take at least 50 percent longer for a frozen turkey to cook than the recommened time for a fully thawed turkey. A turkey will cook faster in a dark roasting pan. Putting a lid on the roasting pan speeds up cooking. The pan s depth and size can affect heat circulation to all areas of the turkey. Using an oven cooking bag will shorten the cooking time. You might want to loosely place a foil tent over the turkey for the first one to one and one-half hours; then remove it to allow the turkey to brown. A foil tent also can be put over the turkey after it reaches the desired golden brown color.source: Sandra Bastin, University of Kentucky Specialist, and United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety & Inspection Service 7

8 It s a great idea to save your Thanksgiving leftovers, as it stretches your holiday food dollars and provides quick meals for your family. You can prepare many delicious leftovers from your Thanksgiving meal. Following is a recipe suggestion: Ingredients: LEFTOVER THANKSGIVING CASSEROLE Servings: 6 1 package of stuffing mix (6 ounces) 2½ cups cubed, cooked turkey or chicken 2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed or 1 can (14.5 ounces) vegetables of your choice 1 jar (12 ounces) turkey gravy or 1 can cream of chicken soup Directions: 1Preheat oven to 350 F 2Prepeare stuffing mix according to package directions. Transfer to a greased 2-quart casserole dish. 3Top with turkey, green beans and gravy. 4 Cover and bake for minutes or until heated through, or microwave minutes on high. Nutrition information per serving: 260 calories; 21g protein; 20g carborhydrates; 10g total fat; 45mg cholesterol; 730mg sodium Source: Debbie Clouthier, Extension Associate for Food and Nutrition, University of Kentucky Note: The Extension Office will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Thursday & Friday, November 24 & 25 th. Happy Thanksgiving! Sincerely, Peggy Jones County Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences 8