November 12, 2007

Pat's November 2007 Update

Update for November

The theme for November was "What Should your Plate Look like?".

We drew a place setting including the dinner plate, a small plate for fruit and a glass. Then, step by step we broke down how this meal should look. I had the kids share their favorites in each food group and wrote them on the "dinner plate". Then I showed them how they had planned a menu and encouraged them to go home and share their ideas with the main grocery shopper in the family.

I also did a consumerism lesson for a BHA evening group. I did the Peach taste/price lesson where participants taste peach samples to try to determine which brand is which. We talk about cost vs. taste.

We also had staff and FCS meetings, and a training in Champaign.

Posted by Robin Bagwell at 3:23 PM | Permalink |

November 6, 2007

Robin's October 2007 Update

Direct Teaching

• Presented Train the Trainer on Food and Fitness to be later presented to 350 program participants.

Marketing

• Food Safety Display for ISU students and staff on the quad.... Luckily prepared everything to be water proof. We got rained out just as it was to begin!

News releases sent to media

1. Unsafe Canning Methods
2. Canning, Acidifying Tomatoes, Recommendations for Green Beans
3. Extension nutrition ed. Programs planned for fall
4. Food Preservation Industry Contacts
5. Pears
6. Pumpkin Blossoms
7. Healthy Halloween Treats
8. Cranberries...Year Round
9. Pumpkin Delights
10. Promo. for Dec. 4 program on Brighten Your Holidays
11. Cranberries Year Round
12. Web links promo. for Turkey for the Holidays
13. Teens Can Handle Their Emotions
14. Promo for Nov. 9 Caregivers Day OUT!
15. Serving Safe Holiday Food

Interviewed by newspaper

• Interviewed by Sun Times about the "We Should Eat Cranberries Year Round" article I put on our web site.
• Bob Holliday from the Pantagraph interviewed me about the FDA working on a possible mandated food packaging label for the "front" of packages. I shared with him about the 5 star system that one supermarket tried and succeeded. Article appeared on the Front page of the Pantagraph on 09/11/07!

added to the Web site

1. Homemade Noodles
2. Diabetes: Dealing with the Holidays
3. Kids as Helpers in the Kitchen

Coordination in General Nutrition

1. Prep for Food and Fitness Community Education Workshop
2. Many additions to FAQ on county web site in Nutrition & Food Safety.
3. 3. I was contacted by Hope Danielson, new Health and Wellness Advisor for Niemann Foods (County Market, Cubs, etc.) in central Illinois. She met with Carrie Edgar at the U of I extension office in Quincy and was told me to introduce herself to me. She indicated she would be interested in any group meetings we might have in regards to health and wellness.
4. Met with Dr. Jim Painter from EIU about nutrition program in general.
5. Made contact with internship director at EIU, Dr. Mary Lou Hubbard, about sending EIU nutrition interns to our office.
6. Prepared online job recommendation for former intern to Michigan State University Extension.
7. Coordinating with ISU for spring semester intern.
8. Helping Vermillion county secretary access the Healthy Desserts program materials for H.C.E.
9. Sampling of Questions......
10. Q: Gluten-free flour leaves my baked product flat. How can I make it puff up more and stay that way. A: I referred them to a Gluten-Free Expert.
11. Q: I have a vacuum sealer for my green beans. Do I still have to blanch them before I prepare them for the freezer?
12. Q: "I want to substitute applesauce for oil in a cake recipe. How do I do that?"

Coordination in Food Safety

1. Added 30+ FAQ in Food Safety and Nutrition to county web site in a new area of the site. Easier to find for me than the Blog.
2. Worked on creating and updating Food Safety Handouts for ISU Wellness Fair.
3. Sampling of typical canning questions on tomatoes..."How much lemon juice do I put in?" ---"Can I pour the hot liquid into the jars and just let them seal?"--- "I've been using my own recipes for canning & I saw somewhere that isn't recommended."
4. Q: "I just put the hot liquid in the jars and let them seal. It just seemed too easy. So I called you. The sad thing is...everyone I know cans like this!"
5. Q: "I have lots of green peppers. How do I freeze them, such as stuffed green peppers?"
6. Q: "I can spaghetti sauce with meat, then I heard you shouldn't use your own recipes. Is that right?"
7. Q: "As far as you know, do all Chinese Restaurants use MSG in their food? Is that approved by the FDA? Have you heard of people who have bad reactions to it?"
8. Q: 'Who do I contact to get a food handlers certification?"

Coordination in Healthy Family Relationships Programs

1. Consumer question on how to make your laundry smell fresher when you already have allergies to dyes and perfumes. Referred to Kathy Sweedler.
2. After fair / pre-planning next year for Young at Heart Day.
3. Belinda Kennedy called from FCRC ...inquiring about the Home Management Instruction/ Parenting Instruction Seminar. I forwarded to Pat.
4. Cammy Seguin presented "Stories From Your Past--Legacies For The Future" to 18 member of the McLean County Genealogical Society at the courthouse museum in downtown Bloomington.
5. Searching and discussing speaker possibilities for Caregivers Day OUT.
6. Consumer Question: "All these toy items made in China have been recalled. How about the dishes that we buy that are made in China?"

Coordination in Caregiving Relationships Programs

• Caregivers Day Out...Caregivers Day Out meeting and coordination.

Working with Volunteers

1. Coordinating dates, location & directions to Young at Heart Committee meeting at the new Luther Oaks senior living.

Professional Development

1. Elizabeth Andress, specialist Univ. of Georgia Extension, gave in depth update on preservation for the Nutrition Team. Excellent!
2. Teen Brain...NEAFCS pre-conference intensive all day... Excellent!
3. Boomer Educators and Net Gen clients... Technology past, present and future...also Excellent.
4. Creating Effective Boards and Committees ... pretty good... speaker had driven through a tornado to get there late and was a little flustered. Came home with a great manual to read.
5. Toured the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. They served lunch and gave us several sit-down presentations. Very well done.
6. Our state hosted the Friendship Event with Wisconsin and Minnesota at the Science Museum.
7. I attended several General Sessions, State's Night Out, and helped at our Illinois National President's, Carol Schlitt, reception before the Awards banquet.
8. McLean County FCS dept. meeting w/ Don, Pat, and Judy.
9. State Nutrition Team meeting
10. IEAFCS PDO on workplace violence and a visit from the Attorney General's office.
11. IEAFCS spring meeting
12. Staff meeting...1 hour affirmative action

National Committees

• I was on a National Committee for Tri-State Hosting of National Conference in Minnesota in Sept... I'm gathering volunteers from Illinois for various positions prior and during the Friendship Event.

Posted by Robin Bagwell at 4:02 PM | Permalink |