Back to School Breakfast Tips

 

If you're getting back into the school moood this week,  make sure to include breakfast every day as part of the formula for your child's  success.

 

Midwest Dairy Registered Dietician Stephanie Cundith developed these  5 quick tips to help families incorporate a nutrient-rich breakfast into the morning routine:

1. Stock a mom-approved breakfast bowl with grab-and-go nutritious foods, like cereal, yogurt, string cheese, and fruit.
2. Mix it up! Mix oatmeal with milk instead of water. Or, use yogurt to whip up a smoothie or build a parfait for a simple kid-friendly breakfast that can be enjoyed at home or on the go.
3. Break breakfast boredom by thinking outside the cereal box. Consider eating lunch, dinner or snack foods like a ham and cheese sandwich, pizza or Rainbow Fruit and Cheese Kabobs.
4. Role model good breakfast behavior. When kids see breakfast is a priority for adults, they will be more likely to eat it themselves.
5. Take advantage of the School Breakfast Program, which supplies 25 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowances of nutrients that a child needs.

 

                                  You can find helpful Back to School nutrition information at

                                                                         Dairy Makes Sense.

                                                   

Rural Community Treasure

Although the Vaughn School has been closed since 1960,  classmates who attended the rural community school in Northwest Arkansas gather on the first Saturday in  August every year  to share a meal and celebrate their treasured  lifelong friendships. Even though Ryan and I didn't attend school at Vaughn, we are connected to the school because of our parents and grandparents who grew up in the Vaughn  community.

Vaughn classmates would tell you that the Vaughn  Presbyterian Church and the Vaughn School were the hub of the community during their school days. The  church was built in 1889, followed by the school in 1913.  In 2010, church members and classmates erected a monument in the church yard to commemorate the importance of both school and church to the community.

It was great seeing Ava and JoAnne today--they've been friends for at least 80 years!

My life has been enriched by their friendship to me and my family.

Attending today's Vaughn reunion was a great reminder that--

 Friendship is one of life's treasures!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Watching the school bus pass by this week reminded me of the many transitions that we watch on our farm and in our family life. This is the first time that both boys will be working on the farm together since Cody started school in 1994. I'm thankful for all the milestone moments with my family and for the transitions that we see daily on the farm as we care for our dairy cows and work to produce a delicious healthy product.

Fueling Up with Health Habits

Eat Healthy. Get Active. Make a difference. Those are the messages dairy farmers want to impress on our youth through the Fuel Up to Play 60 school program. It is our hope that this dairy farmer funded program will help combat childhood obesity and help our children to make lifelong healthy choices. Fuel Up to Play 60 utilizes years of nutrition and physical activity experience to focus on the whole picture of healthy living. In the 2009-2010 school year, the program reached thirty six million youth in 60,000 schools. Look on the map provided at http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/ to see which schools in your area are participating in Fuel Up to Play 60.

The unique feature of this program is that the kids actually take ownership and responsibility for the decisions they make to create lifelong healthy habits. The program encourages the consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains and 60 minutes of physical activity daily. When a school signs up to participate, a team of students will be chosen to begin selecting goals for their school and plan programs and activities to meet those goals. Utilizing the NFL star power provides initiative for students to work towards their goals while the National Dairy Council provides the nutrition information based on sound scientific research.

You can find more detailed information about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program at http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

As a dairy farmer and mother, I am very proud that we are working for the health of our youth. Can you make the pledge: Eat Healthy-Get Active-Make a difference? Our youth are watching us!

Are You A Breakfast Champion Mom?

Did you eat your breakfast? That was a pretty standard question each morning before my boys left for school. Milk was and still is part of the usual breakfast menu at our house. Breakfast is essential for fueling the brain for learning. Research has shown that breakfast eaters will experience increased physical energy,creativity and memory, improved attendance, higher math and reading scores and overall better mood.

Midwest Dairy council registered dietitian Bridget Sheehan suggests three simple strategies for making breakfast a habit:

• If you're pressed for time in the morning,take advantage of school breakfast programs.
  




• Be a role model parent. Eat breakfast yourself and with your children when possible.
  




• Keep easy-to-serve breakfast foods or grab-and-go options on hand:

-Mom-approved "breakfast bowl" filled with yogurt tubes,string cheese

-Cup of yogurt with animal or graham cracker sticks for dunking

-Trail mix or dried fruit with a plastic re-sealable container of milk

You may want to try this easy breakfast recipe shared by Dairymom Jennifer Gross of South Dakota:

Oatmeal Yogurt Breakfast Blend

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/2 cup diced apple

2 tablespoons raisins

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

2 teaspoons brown sugar

dash of cinnamon

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together and serve. For best taste results, prepare the night before and store in refrigerator. Serves:1

More information about dairy nutrition,recipes and tips to help you be a successful Breakfast Champion Mom can be found at http://www.dairymakessense.com.

I'll be thinking about you as your new school year begins and I hope you have a great start to the new school year!