Living Well 11/28/24

By Marie | November 26, 2024 |

December FCS After 5- Holiday Gift Wrapping- Monday, December 9th at 6 p.m. at the Extension office. Join us as Kelsey Martin, MSU Extension Agent in Marshall County, will be with us to teach us how to create beautiful, wrapped Christmas gifts and bows. Participants will need to bring their own spool of wired ribbon, coordinating roll of wrapping paper and gifts to wrap. Holiday refreshments will be served. Registration is $5 and should be paid by Friday, December 6th to be considered registered for class. 4-H Monthly Cooking kit – It’s time to register for the December kits. The cost is $10 per kit. The last day to register for the kit is Friday, December 6th. The Distribution date will be Thursday, December 12th. Each kit comes with a recipe, all of the ingredients you will need to complete the recipe, a kitchen tool, educational information about the featured food and an activity evaluation. For more information contact the Extension office at 662.675.2730 or email [email protected] Healthy You Exercise Class – The month of December we will continue with our Chair Exercise Program. We will be using The Stronger Seniors workout program which is designed to help seniors develop strength and enhance the ability to function in daily life. The classes will meet every Wednesday, at 9 a.m. at the Extension office. Join us for up to 40 minutes of physical activity. If you would like, you can bring a one-to-three-pound weight for the strength part of the program. Sewing for Service will meet on Monday, December 2nd and 16th at 9 a.m.at the Extension office. This month they will begin working on Christmas bags for Blair Batson Children’s Hospital. MHV Christmas Party, Service and Lunch -All Yalobusha County Mississippi Homemaker Volunteer members (MHV) are invited to join us for a Christmas Celebration on Tuesday, December 5th at 11:30 a.m. We will meet at El Charito Mexican Restaurant in Water Valley for lunch (Dutch Treat). Then play dirty Santa so bring a $10 gift. We will also collect children’s books to donate to the Water Valley Head Start, please bring books with you to luncheon. Home School 4-H Club – our December meeting will be held on Monday, December 9th at 1:30 p.m. We will be having our Christmas party so bring a snack to share and a $5.00 gift to participate in the Christmas game with. We will continue with our Imagination in Action Theater Arts series on January 6th. The Looped with Love Crochet MHV Club will meet on Thursday, December 5th at 10 a.m. at the Extension office located inside the Multi-purpose Building in Coffeeville. The ServSafe Online Exam will be given on Tuesday, January 28th. I have two spots available, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to take the ServSafe Online exam. This exam is taken on a computer, and you will receive your scores immediately after you complete the exam. If you are interested, you will need to contact the Extension office by Tuesday, January 21st to schedule your online exam (this includes no class instruction, you will need a 7th Edition book to study on your own prior to taking the exam) please contact the Extension office at 662.675.2730 or email [email protected] to find out how to get registered. Mississippi State is an equal opportunity institution. Discrimination in university employment, programs or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a U.S. Veteran, or another status protected by applicable law is prohibited. Questions about equal opportunity programs or compliance should be directed to the Office of Compliance and Integrity, 56 Morgan Avenue, P.O. 6044, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (662)325-5839. 5 Healthy Holiday Tips Every family has traditional holiday foods that show up on the table year after year. Instead of using the holidays as an excuse for high-fat, high-calorie feasting, use these five easy tips to remake your holiday favorites with good health in mind. Holiday Tip #1: Control Portions Set the holiday table with your family’s heirloom China. This will help you automatically downsize portion sizes, because until the late 1960’s, dinner plates were 9 inches or so in diameter. Today’s plates have an average diameter of 12 inches. No one will notice a decrease in portion sizes when you use smaller plates and glasses. Cut Grandma’s luscious Christmas cake into 18 servings, portion your favorite holiday cookie recipe to make 4 dozen smaller cookies instead of 3 dozen larger ones, cut fudge into 1”x1” pieces, and use 4-ounce glasses for your favorite sparkling punch. Holiday Tip #2: Double Up on Vegetables Serve vitamin-packed, lower carbohydrate vegetables like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli in large bowls. Put higher calorie mashed potatoes and winter squashes in smaller bowls. Place a smaller serving spoon in the bowls with potatoes or winter squash and your family and guests will automatically – and unknowingly – serve themselves smaller portions (1). Instead of meatballs and cheese logs, feature vegetable appetizers like marinated mushrooms, tomato bruschetta, roasted asparagus, stuffed tomatoes, etc. Holiday Tip #3: Give Healthful Gifts Give homemade gifts that are packed with healthful ingredients. Bake breads that feature hearty whole grains, bring a basket of luscious fresh fruit instead of a box of candy as a hostess gift, or tie a bow around a bag of mixed nuts instead of cookies. Holiday Tip #4: Lighten Up Lighten up favorite recipes. Use fat-free evaporated skim milk instead of cream in custard pies and sauces, boost flavor in casseroles with spices and seasonings instead of butter or salt, and bake foods instead of frying them. No one will notice the changes! Holiday Tip #5: Make Fruit the Star Give colorful fruit a starring role. Serve fresh sliced berries for a holiday breakfast, include colorful chunks of fresh fruit such as pineapple, mango, kiwi, and red grapes on bamboo skewers for a holiday buffet; offer nibbles of dates and grapes instead of cheese and crackers, etc. Article Source: https://www.foodandhealth.com/blog/5-healthy-holiday-tips

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