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Nutrition & Health
Take the Hassle out of Preparing Holiday Meals – Cook Ahead

• Put together a vegetable casserole the day before your holiday meal. Store in the refrigerator and bake the day of your meal. • Fresh fruits and vegetables can be cut the day before serving. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. • Non-perishable goods, like cakes, cookies and breads, may be prepared a few days in advance. • Thaw frozen meat, poultry and fish in the refrigerator. Allow approximately 24 hours for each 5 pounds of weight. • If you prepare meat, poultry or fish the day before your holiday meal, divide cooked meat, poultry or fish into small portions, place in shallow containers and refrigerate loosely covered. After it has cooled, cover tightly. The day of your holiday meal, reheat thoroughly to 165ºF until hot and steaming. It is safest to reheat foods only once.

Extension Tips

Aging Woodchips

Fresh woodchips should be allowed to age a month before application to landscape material, though little damage will occur if used immediately. If chipped material is from dead trees, shrubs or evergreens, there is no need to allow the material to age. Fresh chips can temporarily deplete the soil of some available nitrogen, resulting in slow growth or yellowish foliage. Scattering a handful of fertilizer on new chips would reduce the tie-up of soil nitrogen.

Questions? Contact Paula Robinson, County Extension Director at probinso@uiuc.edu

Family Nutrition Program Tips

Be Prepared for Emergencies: Have a Plan!

  • Have a list of names (family, doctor, sschool, etc.) and phone numbers of individuals to contact if you need assistance during an emergency.
  • Share your plan for an emergency that causes you to miss work or your children to stay home from school with your family, relatives and friends.
  • Store at least a 3-day supply and consider storing a 2-week supply of food and water for you and your family. One gallon of water per person per day is recommended.

Questions? Contact Beth Groves, Coordinator, Family Nutrition Program and Recycling Education at egroves@uiuc.edu

Featured Websites
Meat Safety for the Consumer Turkey for the Holidays Nutrition & Health Recipes for Diabetes Wellness Ways MyPyramid.gov
Additional Websites
Local Programs
Family Nutrition Program

Family Nutrition Program
Milk products are the best foods to provide calcium for bone growth and maintenance. Include more milk products in your diet by:

  • Using milk when making homemade or canned soups such as tomato, clam chowder, and cream of mushroom soup.
  • Making hot cereals and instand hot chocolate/coca with milk instead of water.
  • Adding nonfat dry milk powder to meatloaf, milk drinks, cream soups and pudding recipes.
  • Other non-dairy foods that also provide calcium:
  • Calcium-enriched orange juice
  • Tofu (with calcium sulfate)
  • Sardines and canned salmon (with bones)
  • Greens like turnip and beet
  • Cooked dried beans
  • Okra
  • Nutrition & Health Resources

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    For more information about these programs, please contact:

    Paula Robinson
    County Extension Director
    Macoupin County Unit
    #60 Carlinville Plaza
    Carlinville, IL 62626
    Phone: 217-854-9604
    FAX: 217-854-7804
    probinso@illinois.edu

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