February 12, 2008

Robin's February 2008 Update

Direct Teaching

1. Picky Eaters for Children's Foundation parents

2. Month of January...Blues, Blahs and Bouncing Back programs. Well received.

Pantagraph/ Community News "In the Kitchen" columns

1. January ... New Year Food and Exercise Promises
2. Car...Leftovers and Car Temperatures
3. Kitchen Psychology and Marketing. It Works.
4. Cast Iron Cooking
5. Fasting
6. Chocolate Thoughts to Savor Valentines Day
7. Citrus Fruits All Year
8. Work Now...Eat Later
9. Food Science and Yeast Dough

Web work

1. Updated the Nutrition In-service Telenet announcement as information came in...also a home page feature
2. Added FAQ...Frozen Canned Goods
3. New Year– What are Your Food and Exercise Promises to Yourself? (In the Kitchen Column update)
4. Updated the Welcome to the Kitchen teaser and column.
5. Fasting Does Not Promote Good Health
6. Updated Nutrition Page features.
7. Added Front Page Feature... Diet Resolve Fading? Science Supports Making Small Changes.
8. Your Guide to Diet and Diabetes link posted as a feature on home page.
9. Happiness...Researchers Seek Routes to Happier Life
10. Blues, Blahs and Bouncing Back Feature on home page.

Coordination in General Nutrition and Food Safety

Coordination

1. Chuck Blystone from the Pantagraph newspaper called about putting my column in the Pantagraph. The first column was on Dec. 19, my birthday! This is a big increase in exposure. I'm excited! For the past 13 years I have had a column in the Community News with a shrinking circulation.
2. Coordinated the set up of the Jan. Nutrition for Professionals inservice.
3. Jan 29 & Feb 7...Attended planning meetings for the first Hungar Awareness Day in McLean County in April 2008.
4. Interviewed by Mary Ann Ford from the Pantagraph for their year long endeavor on "Fit Kids"
   1. They will feature U of I Extension Healthy Snacks with Nutrient Analysis with each recipe.
   2. They are also featuring Healthy Meals for Kids. I sent her information on my Picky Eaters program
   3. I also sent her information on how to get to the MyPyramid Blast off Game from our web site.
   4. During the interview we spoke of "peer influence" and how to control "out of control" portion sizes. 5) The recipes will be posted on Pantagraph.com

Sampling of Questions on Nutrition and Food Safety

1. Q: I have a recipe that calls for a food processor but I was wondering if the functions of the food processor and a blender are interchangable. Would it work if I used the blender as a food processor? A: The blender is for liquids & the food processor is used for solid foods. They work best when used for the purpose intended.
2. Q: Once a year elderly regular visited with canning questions. Rhubarb, pears etc. He's looking forward to the 3 digit birthday in a number of years.
3. Q: I was trying to find out what the name of the wax used on rutabagas. I was just wondering if you could what kind and where you could buy it?
4. Q: I have a turkey I didn't use last year at Thanksgiving. It's been frozen all this time. Is it safe to use? A: Yes, but you don't want to keep it any longer for quality reasons.
5. Q: When I buy eggs on sale sometimes the expiration date is within just a few days. Are they safe to use after that date? A: Yes, the packer allows 4-5 weeks beyond the date for maximum freshness and you may keep them longer if you wish. Just keep them refrigerated.
6. Q: Do you have a good illustration picturing the proper and improper temperature taking for food service? I need it to train my workers in one region of my organization. A: I e-mailed the nutrition team while checking my files. I also left a message at the Health Department and contacted Food Talk newsletter. None of them had such an illustration.
7. Q: I've had my peanut oil for a year stored in the basement. We used it last Thanksgiving. Is it ok to use it this year? A: BASICS....Strain it with cheesecloth. Do not mix it with other oils. Combining different types of oils also lowers the smoke point. Store it in a cool dark place. Smell for rancidity. Use a thermometer to get it to 375F. If it smokes before it reaches 375... it has lost it's quality beyond what you should use.
8. Q: (Tuesday)... How long will it take to thaw a 17 lb. turkey? A: about 4 days. Are you planning on serving it for Thanksgiving? If so you can use the cool running water the day you serve to finish the thawing. (she is serving it on Sunday so she will have ample time to thaw it afterall.)
9. Q: Do you have the recipe for sanitizing solution with bleach? My basement flooded and I want to treat it before mold & mildew set in. I've gone through this before but lost the recipe proportions of bleach to water.
10. Q: I want to use bleach in limited amounts and have questions about laundry, refrigerators, and septic tanks.
11. Q: I found a smoked fully cooked ham that had been in my freezer for 6 years. Is it safe to eat?
12. Q: I left a roast to thaw and decided not to use it. Can I refreeze it? A: If it still has ice crystals. Some of the quality will be lost but it will be safe.
13. Q: I have sugar cookie dough in my refrigerator since before Christmas. Is it still ok to use? A: No, it has raw eggs in it and should only be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.
14. Q: I have canned Salmon I left in the car for two days. Is it ok to use? A: No, it has frozen and can seams are not stable as foods freeze and thaw. Don't use it.
15. Q: I have a Kitchen Aid Mixer and need to find which screw to turn to adjust the beaters. They are too high. A: Fortunately I just bought one about a year ago and also needed to adjust mine so I could tell her.
16. Q: How do I prepare spaghetti squash? A: I referred them to our Solutions web site and put a search in for our fact sheet. Also went over boiling, baking, preparing like spaghetti with tomato sauce.
17. Q: Kudos for Cast Iron Cooking article in Pantagraph. Further questions on preparing OLD cast iron cookware. Also a question on avoiding stringy beef in a cast iron dutch oven. I had Lodge Mfg. send her an e-mail as well as an acquaintance who does classes using cast iron cookware.
18. Q: Can you freeze cottage cheese? A: no, the liquid separates from the cheese... not recommended.
19. Q: What is the shelf life of home canned foods? A: About 12 months is longest recommendation. For commercially canned foods... 2-3 years.

Coordination in Caregiving Relationships Programs

1. Wrap up meeting for CDO, Caregivers Day OUT.
2. Request... "I work part time for the YWCA Homebased services, have a mother and brother-in-law with Huntington's Disease and have working with others who are caregivers. Would you send me a set of Caregiving Relationships so I may make copies to have on hand?"
3. Arranged Blues, Blahs, and Bouncing Back program for Parkinson's Support Group with Sondra Knobloch for March 18.

Coordination in Healthy Family Relationships programs

1. Assisting a mother with parenting classes for her daughter. A judge ordered she attend classes before Jan. 31. I also suggested Children's Foundation, Health Dept., and Partners in Parenting.
2. Assisted a financial office with obtaining a replacement copy of Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate. Their original had worn out!
3. Attended training for "Blue's, Blahs, and Bouncing Back"
4. Attended training for "Finding Your Get Up and Go!"
5. H.C.E. coordination with meetings, 90th Anniversary Celebration plans, and their big Brighten Your Holidays program.

Working with Volunteers...ISU Nutrition intern

Stephanie attended...

1. FCS meeting
2. Staff meeting
3. Nutrition Telenet in-service
4. 2 Hunger Awareness meetings

She helped with a Healthy Kids programs for Child Care Providers.

Professional Development

Nutrition Team Meeting face to face in Galena. Each team member took 3 examples to share of what other teams are doing. Bob Reber talked on Metabolic Syndrome. Cheryl Reidenauer talked on the Arthritis, Nutrition and Wellness program. We spoke on Jennifer's survey for all Nutrition audiences to start in the spring. Powerpoint on Consumer handling of fresh produce: Are we placing ourselves at risk? (from Rutgers University Dept. of Food Science.) Another Powerpoint on Food: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Outbreaks in Illinois. Brenda Derrick spoke on locally grown food.

Nutrition and Aging Conference at Decatur Conference Center.

Teen Diabetes Telenet in-service

Developing Local Food Systems...Supporting Locally Grown Foods

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