The Plaza Chronicles 2!Today I planned to take pictures for you at The Plaza where I spend time these days to enjoy the weather during my mid-day break. I wanted you to see what makes it unique and wonderful to visit and just sit around. Earlier I showed you the beautiful mangoes I had from the plaza. Now that all of the seasonal fruits are in full bloom and available at several carts, you have to see the place. Well, guess what? I forgot the camera. I don’t seem to do well with taking the camera along.
So anyway I was trying to figure out what to do today to complete this plan. Do I buy a cheapo camera or maybe just delay the shots until Monday. I was leaning towards next week to get the pictures and talk about fruits and vegs in the Plaza until I went through an email from a listserve. I encountered this awesome display of fruits and vegetables in a report I just read. This suits me fine and is exactlly what I was interested in and needed to be reminded of. The author, Judy, invites sharing so I will do just that.
I think adults, especially ones with grown children or children out of the home, need to be reminded and refocused on the priorities and importance of eating sensibly. The report also provided tips and instructions about having the right stuff around the house in handy places. I personally need to do this because I reach for anything and everything in sight to out in my face as I get home in the evenings. Indeed the remedy for that is not to have all the junk around, period.
As you know I have been talking about the need to loose weight. It is really essential for me at this point but I am still only paying lip service to it. Well, I’ve been cutting down on the sweets and eating more fruits but I am still over indulging on everything else. I really need a swift kick to get going full speed ahead.
So as I read this particular email from Food and Health Communications, I found the solution to my picture dilemma of the morning. This email covers some points I wanted to make and needed to hear. The report is intended for parents with young children, and the entire family, and focus on healthy eating and fitness. Thanks Food and Health Communications for this guidance and direction. It is very timely!
Below is a section of the report written by Judy. The newsletter was circulated on the listserve because Judy just completed Part 3 of a 3 part report and study about nutrition and physical activity in children. Please check out the report to learn more. They also have this great widget that you can obtain. You can see a copy of the widget here on the side bar.
Here is a copy of a portion of the report, copy and paste.
Above is a beautiful photo of summer tree fruit I just shot with a new camera for an online food photo class that I am taking. I wanted to post it for you here to show how just a little bit of effort – to make healthy food accessible and attractive – will have everyone in your house eating better. All we did here was to rinse the fruit and arrange it in a bowl. While I would store it in the refrigerator, quite a bit disappeared while the bowl was on the counter!
Stock up on seasonal produce items that have great eye appeal and good prices. This means fresh fruits and vegetables!
Seasonal fruit –
Now is the time to stock up on more fruit and less packaged snacks! Or to visit a farmer’s market to spruce up the daily routine and keep everyone interested and excited about new ingredients and healthy eating. It is best if you prepare the fruits so they are ready to grab and eat in the refrigerator.
Use this checklist – and change up the items you buy each week to keep it fun/fresh/new:
____ cherries
____ berries
____ peaches
____ plums
____ melons
____ mangos
____ grapes
____ nectarines
Seasonal vegetables
– Tomatoes, corn, zucchini and potatoes can be used all week in a variety of meals and dishes. Plan meals with vegetables as the star. Keep baby carrots on hand for snacking.
Put the healthiest food items in the easiest “see and reach” spots in your pantry and refrigerator.
We recently configured the refrigerator to have yogurt, baby carrots and fresh fruit on the most visible middle shelf. Juice and water are the easiest to reach drinks. And there are plenty of leftover meals and ingredients for healthful snacks on hand.
Buy less “junk food” and store it out of site or in hard-to reach places. Eventually you will find yourself eating less of it and buying less of it over time.
Fruit Snacks – Chiquita has a selection of Fruit Bites, which are bite-sized pieces of fruit in a snack type bag. They look like bags of packaged chips and cookies, but they contain fruits like grapes and apple slices and are just 40 calories per bite. The wow factor with kids makes the price worth it and we are wondering if it will eventually help convert them to more fruit for lunch, snacks, and on the go treats?
Yogurt - Yogurt is another great choice to help get enough servings of milk foods and the portable containers and wonderful flavors help them get eaten!
Whole grain cereals- Use these to top fruit treats or to put on top of baked fruit cobblers and yogurt. What a great and healthy way to add crunch and whole grains to your diet!
Yeah, we can and will all benefit from these ideas. Check out their website to see all the wonderful pictures of fruits and vegetables at http://foodandhealth.com/blog/
This is a great site and newsletter with loads of information on fitness and nutrition with very useful resources for parents and teahers. Check it out! I am so happy that the report came to me today. I have bookmarked it and will returnn to it often.
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