Quick and Healthy Snacks

On Sundays, I take 10 or 15 minutes to chop up my favorite veggies. I then pack them into food-storage containers and cover with water, then refrigerate. They are great for a quick, healthy snack. I can also add them in casseroles, soups and stews.

Tricked by a Treat

I’m the type of person that likes to plan ahead. This includes Halloween candy. I don’t wait to run out the day of Halloween when you have to wrestle the Bride of Frankenstein for the last bag of orange suckers. However, there is a downside to buying early. I start raiding the candy bags and end up having to buy more.

True to tradition, when shopping this weekend I started filling up my cart with chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, and my favorite, Kit Kat bars. I promised myself that this year would be different. I would not open any candy until the first trick-or-treater came knocking at the door.

Out of curiosity, I picked up the bag of chocolate bars to read the nutrition information. Ninety calories, that’s not too bad, considering it’s probably for 3 of the Fun Size bars. What!! This can’t be! Ninety calories for ONE bar, ONE tiny little bar!

Back to the shelf goes the chocolate bars, back go the peanut butter cups, and after a moment’s hesitation, back goes the Kit Kat bars. With over three weeks until Halloween I can not have these temptations in the house. I head over to the orange suckers ( 1 sucker – 26 calories), no temptation there!

Once home I went online to find the calorie counts of some popular Halloween treats. Remember, these calorie counts are for the snack or fun size packages, NOT full size servings.

Nestlé’s Crunch – Fun Size 1 bar = 70 calories
Peanut M&M’s – Fun Pack 1 bag = 40 calories
M&M’s – Fun Pack 1 bag = 90 calories
Snicker’s – Fun Size 1 bar = 80 calories
Milky Way – Fun Size 1 bar = 75 calories
Kit Kat – Fun Size 1 bar = 50 calories
Hershey Chocolate Bar – Fun Size 1 bar = 90 calories
Reese’s Cup – 1 miniature = 36 calories, classic size=80 calories
Butterfinger – Fun Size 1 bar = 100 calories
Twix – Fun Size 1 bar = 80 calories
York Peppermint Pattie – 1 patty = 70 calories
Twizzlers – 1 treat size package = 45 calories
Almond Joy – 1 snack size bar = 90 calories
Milk Duds – 1 treat size box = 40 calories
Butterfinger – 1 snack size bar = 100 calories
Milky Way – 1 snack size bar = 90 calories
Sweet Tarts – 1 treat size pkg. = 50 calories
Tootsie Pop – 1 pop = 60 calories
Tootsie Roll – 1 small roll = 13 calories

So, sorry kids, come this Halloween we’ll be THAT house. The house you’ll not waste your time stopping at next year. The house that hands out the dreaded orange suckers!

R

Candy and cookies and cake. Oh my!

Carmel apples, pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, apple cider donuts, mashed potatoes and gravy, candy canes, ham, sweet potatoes. Yes, the eating season is upon us! In my quest to make it through a visit to the apple orchard, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas without gaining weight, and possibly even lose a few pounds, I turned to the Internet for inspiration and came upon Jillian Michaels’ website, www.JillianMichaels.com.

Jillian is the demanding trainer on the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser. If The Biggest Loser isn’t enough to get you off the couch and exercising and eating healthy, then maybe Jillian’s website will.
While the main focus of her site is to sell her “free” weight loss program, books, and DVDs there is still a wealth of information that is truly free. Jillian’s newsletter, delivered to your e-mail account Monday through Friday, is full of fitness advice, recipes, and meal tips. Her diverse Wellness Team writes about nutrition, beauty, health, and overall well-being.

For even more motivation, pick up one of Jillian’s books and DVDs at the library. Visit our on-line catalog at http://search.prairiecat.info/?c_library=JHLY to hold your copy today!

Armed with Jillian’s latest book, Master Your Metabolism, and DVD, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, I am ready to win the battle against those apple cider donuts! Who knows, maybe you’ll be seeing me on her website as the next Success Story!

R

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - 10:00 AM
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 10:00 AM
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 10:00 AM
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 10:00 AM

The Ogle County Health Department & Julia Hull District Library are pleased to offer a 10-week program featuring a step-by-step plan to help women develop healthy lifestyle skills and reduce the risk of heart disease. Topics will include understanding the risks of cardiovascular disease, goal setting, gaining confidence, reducing the impact of daily stress, overcoming barriers, determining meal portions, identifying support systems and measuring goals with objective assessments.

Registration required. Cost: $10. Call Carol Erickson, Director of Health Education, Ogle County Health Department at 815.732.7330 to register or inquire.

Back to School Backpack Safety

As practical as they are, backpacks can be a strain on joints and muscles. Follow these guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics to help your family use backpacks safely.

• Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back.
• Pack light. Organize the backpack to use all of its compartments. Pack heavier items closest to the center of the back. The backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of the your child’s body weight.
• Always use both shoulder straps. Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can strain muscles.
• Consider a rolling backpack. This type of backpack may be a good choice for students who must tote a heavy load. Remember that rolling backpacks still must be carried up stairs, and they may be difficult to roll in snow.

Fun in the Sun

Go out and have fun in the sun but be sure to take the right precautions.

• The sun is strongest between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Plan to spend at least part of that time indoors or in the shade.
• Apply a thick coating of water-resistant sunscreen 30 to 45 minutes before going outdoors. The sunscreen should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more.
• Be sure to reapply sunscreen at least every two hours, especially if you've been in the water.
• Remember to wear sunscreen on cloudy days, late in the day, and in the spring and early summer. Ultraviolet radiation (UV) rays can go through clouds, light clothing, windshields, and windows.
• If you have sensitive skin use a sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, both of which block UV radiation.
• Cover up with loose fitting, full-length clothing. You can still get sun damage while fully covered because most clothing has an SPF of only 5 to 9. Cotton clothing with a tight weave can provide more protection.
• Wear a hat with a brim.
• Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.

What are those stickers on my fresh produce?

Those stickers you find on your produce in the grocery store is the price look-up code or PLU. The PLU is a four- to five-digit price look-up code and is determined by the International Federation for Produce Standards. Once the cashier places your produce on the scale and enters the code into the register, the computer will calculate the price per pound.

But the information on the sticker doesn't stop there. If the produce is conventionally grown, its PLU will begin with 4 and contain three more digits. Organic produce will have a five-digit PLU that begins with 9. Genetically modified produce will also have a five-digit PLU but will begin with 8.

For example:

4409 = conventional large Bartlett pear
84409 = genetically modified large Bartlett pear
94409 = organic large Bartlett pear

The PLU sometimes lists the grower and variety of the produce.