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Growing Together:
Food, Family and Friends
This month, in recognition of American Heart Month and Valentine’s Day, we feature a chocolatey recipe, tips on heart health, parenting tips for loving connections and budget-friendly ways to eat healthfully.
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Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist
Susan Quamme Wehlander, M.Ed., Family Science Specialist
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EAT
Take care of your heart
About how many times does your heart beat per day? On average, our heart beats about 100,000 times per day. Show some love to your heart by nourishing it with healthful food and plenty of physical activity.
Most children and adults do not consume enough fruits and vegetables or whole grains, which are heart-healthy foods. On average, children and adults need 4 to 5 cups, in total, of fruits and vegetables, and they do get enough physical activity. Adults should aim for 30 minutes on most days of the week, while children need 60 minutes daily.
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Set a heart-healthy goal. See www.ag.ndsu.edu/food and search for “nourish” to learn more about taking care of your heart and the rest of your body.
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Visit www.choosemyplate.gov to learn more about food needs for different ages and stages.
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This recipe is healthier than most chocolate candy with its fiber-containing oatmeal, protein- peanut butter and antioxidant-rich cocoa powder. Children can help measure the ingredients and scoop the cookies. Teens, with a little supervision, could make the recipe by themselves. For nut allergies, substitute soy-based or sunflower seed butter. To trim the calorie content per serving, make the cookies small!
No-bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups white sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
3 cups quick oats
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bring sugar, butter or margarine, milk, cocoa and salt to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Add oats, peanut butter and vanilla and mix. Immediately begin scooping unto waxed paper. Allow to cool then store in an air-tight container.
Makes 24 servings. Each cookie has 173 calories, 7 grams (g) fat, 3 g protein, 2 g fiber and 71 milligrams sodium.
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Connect
Love is in the air!
Is your home filled with love and harmony? Sure, sometimes it is — but let’s be honest: there might also be yelling, fighting and power struggles. That’s just a reality for many families. If you’d like to decrease those stressful moments and build stronger connections with your child, focusing on positive parenting practices can make all the difference. Here are some simple ideas to try this week:
Ideas for Creating Loving Connections
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Be kind and firm. Acknowledge your child’s feelings while setting clear boundaries. Try this technique that doesn’t disregard the child’s feelings yet remains firm, by substituting “and” for “but.” For example:
- “You need to spend time with your friends, and our family works together to clean up the dinner dishes.”
- “I understand you want to drive the car to school today, and it’s needed for the dentist appointments.”
- Show love by giving your time
- Put your phone down and really listen to how their day went.
- Use bedtime as an opportunity to connect and talk.
- Greet them with a big smile when they walk in the door — let them know you’re happy to see them!
- Hug your child and say “I love you” often.
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Cool down before problem-solving. Allow both you and your child to calm down before tackling an issue together. Some great ways to cool off include:
- Deep breathing
- Doing repetitive activities like chewing gum, swinging, drinking from a straw or shooting hoops
- Listening to music or go for a walk
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Small, simple steps can help foster love and harmony at home. Inspired by Positive Discipline principles by Jane Nelsen, these tools focus on building respectful and loving relationships within families.
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We have all noticed increases in food prices at grocery stores during the past several years. Heart-healthy food is not necessarily expensive. For example, dry beans, oatmeal and rice are budget-friendly, versatile ingredients. Frozen, canned, fresh and dried fruits and vegetables all count toward the total recommendation. Choose budget-friendly protein sources, including frozen, canned and fresh. Visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/food and click on “Food Preparation” to learn how to pinch pennies in the kitchen. | |
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