February 2007 Feature:
Meet Our Health Hero!

Past Issues

Eat Well, Be Well ~ Making a Healthy Lifestyle Part of the Family

You might think that helping agency shoppers and managing our warehouse floor is hard work — try living a healthy lifestyle as a single mom of two very young children. That is the big job that Tiffany Wynn, Service Associate at the Lowcountry Food Bank, does every day.

A two-hour drive to pick up kids from school leaves very little time for much else. “When we get home at 6:30 p.m., there is only time to cook a meal and get the kids cleaned up and ready for bed.” Tiffany feels so tired at the end of the day that she feels that she misses quality bonding time with her son and daughter. Eating healthy on a tight budget is another issue for many single parents households including Tiffany’s.

Tiffany is also borderline diabetic. She wants to control her risk factors with a healthy lifestyle so that she won’t get diabetes like several of her relatives. While she doesn’t bring a lot of high fat snacks in the home, using bread as her main source of grain is a hard habit that she is ready to break.

The information she found at mypyramid.gov showed her that she did not have to throw out the foods she normally eats. Changing portions sizes and the spices she cooks with can make a big difference in calories. Making your own ‘convenience foods’ can save lots of money. Preparing meals and snacks as a family is a great way to spend quality time together and teach good health habits that will last a lifetime.

Family Tips to Find Quality Time in the Kitchen

1. Find fun jobs for your little kitchen helpers. With a little help, even small children can do their fair share of kitchen work.

  • Wipe and set tables.
  • Scrub and rinse produce.
  • Wash and tear lettuce.
  • Snap green beans.
  • Bring ingredients from one place to another.
  • Mix ingredients and pour liquids.
  • Knead and shape yeast dough.
  • Put things in the trash.
  • Mash bananas with a plastic fork.
  • Cut herbs and green onions with kid-safe scissors.
  • Measure ingredients.
  • Use an egg beater or whisk.

2. Teach your kids how to put quick and healthy snacks together when your hands are full.

  • Fresh fruit
  • Dried fruit
  • Cereal
  • String cheese
  • Cut up veggies
  • Yogurt cups
  • Instant oatmeal
  • Juice boxes
  • Whole grain crackers
  • *Infants can avoid choking hazards with finger foods like cereal and diced canned fruit (drained).

3. Cook extra meals on the weekends. Doing prep work on Saturday or Sunday can cut your weekday cooking time in half!

  • Precut and store veggies.
  • Cook and freeze meal-sized portions of meats, rice and tomato sauces.
  • Keep healthy canned beans and vegetables in your pantry.
  • Cook and freeze extra servings of pancakes or waffles.

Source: www.cdc.gov

Healthy Banana Split (serves 2 kids)

  • 1 banana, peeled*
  • 1 cup fruit yogurt, divided
  • 1/2 cup dry cereal
  • 1/4 cup unsalted nuts (optional)
  • 2 t dried fruit

Place banana in bowl and top with remaining ingredients.

*Mash or chop banana into bite-sized quarters for infants and small children.

What is a “Food of the Month”?

Our “Food of the Month” is a product available in our Lowcountry Food Bank's warehouses. It is one that meets our criteria of a healthy food.

What is a LCFB's “Healthy Food”?

Healthy foods are fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meat and poultry, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and foods that do not contain excessive amounts of fat or caloric sweeteners.

How are our recipes designed?
Our recipes are designed with the clients of our agencies in mind: those who are hungry and poor.

The recipes:

  • Use ingredients common in Lowcountry kitchens.
  • Are tasty and easy to prepare.
  • Meet our criteria for a healthy food.
  • Limit high priced herbs and spices which may included as optional ingredients.

We’d Like to Hear from You
We encourage your comments. They will help us understand concerns and interests of those who use “Eat Well; Be Well”. Please contact Germaine Hall, Nutrition Coordinator at the Lowcountry Food Bank, (843) 747-8146 ext.. 113 or ghall@lcfbank.org.

Sources: www.mypyramid.gov, www.cahe.nmsu.edu, www.foodsthatkeep.com.

Check out www.allrecipes.com! This site allows you to find other healthy recipes for our food of the month and even customizes a recipe when you change the number of servings.