When
the Child Care Food Program comes for a home visit, lots of fun and
learning happen! Read below about recent visits and for new recipes.
Waffle
Visits The
Association for the Education of Young Children- Southeast Alaska
Child Care Food Program Manager Suey Linzmeier has spent the last
few months introducing Southeast Alaskan child care children to waffles!
Part of her duties in managing the USDA Child and Adult Care Food
Program include nutrition education to the over 85 family child care
providers, and the 500 young children, the program serves in Juneau,
Cordova, Skagway, Haines, Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan,
and Prince of Wales Island. Many Southeastern children (and their
care providers), eat waffles that come from a box in the freezer,
or a mix from a bag that they add water to. Suey teaches them how
to make her version of healthier, less expensive waffles, and explains
to the kids what each ingredient does to help their bodies be strong.
She chose this activity, because of the lack of whole grains she sees
served to kids. In addition, with the low/no carb craze, she wants
to remind the family child care providers she works with, that some
carbohydrates are the 'good' kind that bodies need for long-lasting
energy, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. The kids have all loved the
waffle making (including using a hand-cranked egg beater for whipping
the whites), and the waffle eating (with fruit spread on top).
SUEY'S
WAFFLES
1 C. enriched white flour 1 ¾ C. lowfat milk 4 T. olive oil
1 C. whole wheat flour 3 tsp. Baking powder ½ tsp. Salt
3 eggs, separated
Preheat
a waffle iron, greasing with oil as necessary. In a bowl, beat the
egg whites until stiff, but not dry. In another bowl, add the milk
to the egg yolks and beat well. Add the salt, baking powder, and the
flours, stirring after each addition. Add and stir in the oil. Gently
fold in the egg whites. Add ½ C. of batter to a hot waffle
griddle and cook until done.
Lentil
Soup Homevisits
During the last
several months, the Association for the Education of Young Children-
Southeast Alaska Child Care Food Program has been traveling the Southeastern
communities of Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell,
and Ketchikan to introduce lentils to the family child care providers
and their child care children who participate in the USDA- funded
program. Program Manager Suey Linzmeier felt that very few providers
have taken advantage of the nutritional, economical, versatile, and
easy-to-prepare benefits of one of her favorite foods.With some nutrition
education grant funds, Suey purchased 175 pounds of bulk, organic
green lentils for her project. Each provider received a pound to encourage
further use of lentils after the initial introduction of some very
fun soup making. Suey visited each of the 82 child care homesshe works
with to make her famous lentil soup with the kids. In addition to
measuring lentils, herbs, garlic, onions, carrots, and water, the
kids learned about kitchen and food safety, and the healthful benefits
of the ingredients they used. While waiting for the soup to brew,
they read books about soup together. Using this method of demonstration,
food exploration, and learningthrough doing, the effort to introduce
lentils has been very successful: children all over Southeast have
been loving lentils ever since!
Suey's
Lentil Soup 2
C. dried lentils 8 C. water 8 beef bouillon cubes
1 medium onion, chopped ½ C. chopped carrots
½ t. celery seeds (or ½ C. chopped celery)
1 clove minced garlic ¼ t. pepper ½ t. oregano
Rinse lentils;
drain. Place in large soup kettle with remaining ingredients.
Cover & simmer 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Recipe
for Stone Soup Boil
some water in a pot,
Add some stones you've scrubbed a lot.
Toss in pepper,
salt, and herbs,
Let it boil undisturbed.
Add some carrots,
onions, too.
Let the soup heat through and through.
Toss in meat cubes,
let it stew,
Let boil, let it brew.
Taste the soup
and when it's done,
Share Stone Soup with everyone!
Chicken
Visits! AEYC-SEA Food Program Manager Suey Linzmeier spent the summer introducing
Southeast Alaskan child care children to chickens! Part of her duties
in managing the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program include nutrition
education to the over 85 family child care providers, and the 500 young
children, the program serves in Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Sitka, Petersburg,
Wrangell, Ketchikan, and Prince of Wales Island. Most Southeastern children
(and their care providers), have rarely met farm animals, and needed
reminding that many foods, such as eggs, don't originally come from
the grocery store! In addition to holding, petting, chasing, and feeding
Suey's chickens, children viewed a home videoof life atSuey's chicken
tree-house in Juneau, and cooked their own Cowboy Eggs (a method that
includes cutting a hole from the center of a piece of bread which has
been buttered, and frying an egg inside the hole).Suey, her two daughters,
and her Aracona, Bard Rock, and Rhode Island Red chickens toured Southeast
via the Alaska Marine Highway, spending much of their travels camping
with the chickens.
The chicken expedition was greeted by many surprised and interested
on-lookers, and was even questioned by police regarding the legality
of camping with chickens in a federal camp ground. All in all, it was
a great way to explore the Southeastern Panhandle and become better
acquainted with the communities the Association for the Education of
Young Children- Southeast Alaska serves.
Making
Bread with Kids!
Wrangell family child careprovider Jeanette Covalt's kids enjoy an afternoon
of Bread Art. Through a DEED grant, the AEYC-SEA Child Care Food Program
obtained 18 electric bread machines and recipe books to encourage and
introduce bread baking with children. Food Program Manager Suey Linzmeier
has spent the last few months visiting family child care programs throughout
Southeast Alaska, delivering colored bread dough that the children use
to create their own artistic snacks. Suey has also been presenting a
3-hour training to introduce adults to baking bread with children using
electric bread machines. Machines and books are available for borrowing
to child care homes and centers in Haines, Juneau, Prince of Wales Island,
Sitka, Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell.
When
the Child Care Food Program comes for a home visit, lots of fun and
learning happen! Read below about recent visits and for new recipes.
The
Association for the Education of Young Children- Southeast Alaska
Child Care Food Program Manager Suey Linzmeier has spent the last
few months introducing Southeast Alaskan child care children to waffles!
Part of her duties in managing the USDA Child and Adult Care Food
Program include nutrition education to the over 85 family child care
providers, and the 500 young children, the program serves in Juneau,
Cordova, Skagway, Haines, Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan,
and Prince of Wales Island. Many Southeastern children (and their
care providers), eat waffles that come from a box in the freezer,
or a mix from a bag that they add water to. Suey teaches them how
to make her version of healthier, less expensive waffles, and explains
to the kids what each ingredient does to help their bodies be strong.
She chose this activity, because of the lack of whole grains she sees
served to kids. In addition, with the low/no carb craze, she wants
to remind the family child care providers she works with, that some
carbohydrates are the 'good' kind that bodies need for long-lasting
energy, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. The kids have all loved the
waffle making (including using a hand-cranked egg beater for whipping
the whites), and the waffle eating (with fruit spread on top).
Lentil
Soup Homevisits
The chicken expedition was greeted by many surprised and interested
on-lookers, and was even questioned by police regarding the legality
of camping with chickens in a federal camp ground. All in all, it was
a great way to explore the Southeastern Panhandle and become better
acquainted with the communities the Association for the Education of
Young Children- Southeast Alaska serves.