Resolve to Play in 2017!

Did you know active play is an important part of your child's healthy development? Here are some tips from MyPlate about how to get and stay active in 2017. For more tips, click here. Happy New Year from Richmond City WIC!

Open Enrollment for Health Insurance Marketplace

Photo from HealthCouncil.org

Open enrollment is an annual period when you can apply for health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act's Marketplace.

If you are currently uninsured, now is the time to find out if you're eligible for health insurance through the marketplace. Enroll Virginia provides free support to families to connect them to the right health insurance options.

Remember, there is also a special enrollment period for sixty days after you lose healthcare coverage through an employer or through Medicaid, FAMIS or FAMIS Moms. Call Enroll Virginia at 1-888-392-5132 for assistance.

Healthcare coverage is an important part of staying healthy. If you have any questions about enrolling in health insurance, don't hesitate to ask your WIC Nutritionist. You're happy to connect you with the right resources!

WIC Book Club: "Gregory the Terrible Eater"

The entertaining tale of Gregory the goat will be certain to have your children giggling. Gregory the Terrible Eater is a children's classic that teaches children and parents alike the importance of balanced meals. The publisher's summary reveals the clever plot line:

"Gregory isn't like most goats. Instead of indulging in delicacies like old shoes, boxes, and bottle caps, he prefers to eat fruits, vegetables, eggs, and fish. Mother Goat and Father Goat are disgusted, and after several attempts to get Gregory to eat like a proper goat, they finally take him to see Dr. Ram. But when Gregory finally develops a taste for flat tires and broken violins, he's not just eating like a goat---he's eating like a pig! Will Gregory be able to find a healthy balance before he eats everything in the house?" -- Scholastic

Photo from Scholastic

How do you talk to your children about eating balanced meals and eating in moderation? Let us know in the comments.

Cooking Matters at the Store for WIC Parents

Richmond City WIC is excited to offer an opportunity to learn and practice key skills like reading and comparing food labels, comparing unit prices, identifying whole grain product and purchasing fruits and vegetables on a budget in the store!

Each month, WIC participants can choose to attend a 90-minute grocery store tour in Spanish or English for their required nutrition counseling. They'll receive a participant booklet, $10 worth of fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables and a reusable grocery bag. The WIC office will reload your benefits the following day with you coming into the office.

Sign-up for an upcoming tour:

• Thursday, May 12th 3:45 – 5 PM
  Food Lion #1156 on Hull Street
• Wednesday, June 29th from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
  Kroger on Lombardy
• Wednesday, July 27th at 10:30 AM – 12 PM
  Location: Food Lion on Hull Street
• Wednesday, August 24th at 10:30 AM – 12 PM
  Location: Kroger on Lombardy
• Wednesday, September 28th at 10:30 AM – 12 PM
  Location: Food Lion on Hull Street
• Wednesday, October 26th at 10:30 AM – 12 PM
  Location: Kroger on Lombardy
• Wednesday, November 16th at 10:30 AM – 12 PM
  Location: Food Lion on Hull Street

To register for a tour, call 804.482.5500.

In the meantime, enjoy these tips on maximizing your cash value voucher to purchase fruits and vegetables!

Kids in the Kitchen!

Picky eating is a common behavior for many preschoolers. One way to encourage your little ones to try new foods is to give them small jobs in the kitchen. They'll feel proud of their accomplishments and will be less likely to reject food they helped make. They can also practice key skills like counting and identifying foods!

ChooseMyPlate.gov suggests having kids between 2 and 5 years old help with these tasks:

• At 2 years:
• Wipe tables
• Hand items to adult to put away (e.g. groceries)
• Place things in trash
• Tear lettuce or greens
• Rinse vegetables or fruits
• Snap green beans
• At 3 years:
  All that a 2-year-old can do plus:
• Add ingredients
• Talk about cooking
• Scoop or mash potatoes
• Squeeze citrus fruits
• Stir pancake batter
• Name and count foods
• Help assemble a pizza
• At 4 years:
  All that a 3-year-old can do plus:
• Peel eggs and some fruits, like oranges and bananas
• Set the table
• Crack eggs
• Help measure dry ingredients
• Help make sandwiches and tossed salads
• At 5 years:
  All that a 4-year-old can do plus:
• Measure liquids
• Cut soft fruits with a plastic knife
• Use an egg beater

Here's an easy recipe for pizza to get your little one cooking. Enjoy!

Photo by Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters

The Works Pizza

Recipe by: Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters

Serves: 8, 1 slice per serving

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion*
• 1 medium green bell pepper*
• 1 medium red bell pepper*
• 8 ounces button mushrooms*
• 2 medium tomatoes*
• 1 (6-ounce) block mozzarella cheese
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil
• 1 frozen or refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough, defrosted
• Non-stick cooking spray
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, no salt added

*WIC approved items

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Rinse and peel onion. Rinse peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes.* Dice onion, peppers, and tomatoes into ½-inch pieces. Slice mushrooms ¼-inch thick.
3. Grate cheese.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onions, mushrooms, and peppers. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Transfer vegetables to a colander. Stir in tomatoes. Let sit 3–5 minutes to drain excess liquid.
6. While veggies are draining, shape dough into a 12-inch pizza round. Use your fingers to stretch and spread the dough.*
7. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place pizza dough in center of sheet.
8. Mix dried basil and dried oregano into tomato sauce. If using dried parsley, add now. Spread a layer of sauce across dough.*
9. Sprinkle cheese evenly across dough.*
10. Bake pizza until cheese is melted and crust is browned on the sides and bottom, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
11. Add vegetable mixture.* Return to oven and bake until pizza is cooked through, 5–10 minutes more. Remove from oven.
12. Let rest for 2 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces.

*Kids can help with this step!

WIC Book Club: "I am Super Kid"

Every parent knows eating fruits and vegetables can give you superpowers: energy, strength and intelligence! However, we know it isn't always easy to convince your children of this fact.

To encourage your children to try new fruits and vegetables, we recommend reading I am Super Kid! with them. This playful book follows Milo, the neighborhood's spunky new hero, as he completes daring feats. Fruits and veggies are his secret.

Photo from Scholastic

If you need tips or tricks to encourage your child to eat their fruits and veggies, consult your WIC nutritionist. Your WIC nutritionist can also provide suggestions on how to maximize your fruit and vegetable cash voucher so you make the most out of every cent!

Have you read I am Super Kid!? Let us know what you think of the book in the comments.

September is Emergency Preparedness Month

School bells are ringing for students across the nation. As your child heads back to class, are they ready for emergency situations that can arise? Prepare yourself and children now to be disaster-ready throughout the school year. In addition to keeping your emergency contact information up-to-date at your child’s school, follow these steps:

• Find out where children will be taken if they have to evacuate the school; 
• Ask if they store enough food, water and other supplies in case they have to “shelter-in-place;”
• Designate a friend or relative to pick up your children in an emergency and make sure the school knows who that person is; and 
• Ask how they will communicate with families during a crisis. 

Remember, back-to-school preparedness means more than buying notebooks and pencils! Visit the new Ready Kids site for valuable tools to help kids, parents and teachers prepare for emergencies.

Summer Heat Safety

Photo: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Extremely high temperatures and hot weather can affect your health and even cause death. Persons who are most vulnerable include the elderly, infants and children, people with chronic medical conditions and outdoor workers. Heat-related illness occurs when the body is not able to properly cool itself. In certain conditions with hot weather and high humidity, body temperatures rise high enough to impair body functions and damage the brain or other vital organs.

Be aware of risks and take steps to prevent heat-related illness and injury.
Never leave young children in a hot car – temperatures inside cars rise much quicker than you’d think. Even with the window cracked, temperatures can get as high as 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stay cool. Spend time in air-conditioning; limit outdoor activities during the hottest time of day. if working outside, do so early morning or afternoon and stay in shaded areas.

Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of cool fluids to replace perspiration. Avoid caffeinated, sugary and alcoholic beverages.
Protect yourself from the hot sun. Wear sun-screen and avoid getting sun-burned. Dress in cool light-colored loose clothing; shade your face and head with a hat

Learn signs of heat illness. Learn about heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and call for medical help immediately if symptoms of severe heat-illness is observed or experienced.

Visit www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/ for more information.

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Managing Your Picky Eater

Has your child refused to eat anything other than chicken nuggets for the past week? Has your toddler gone days avoiding anything green on the dinner plate? Many parents of young children have suffered through a picky eating phase. You are not alone if you are worried about your child’s nutrition.

Most children go through picky eating stages. They want to express their independence about everything, and this includes eating. In addition, children start growing more slowly after their first year and need less food, which may cause them to be less interested in eating. Children may also be a little more careful about trying new foods.  They want to inspect the food several times before eating it.  Here are some tips to get through this stage of your child’s life.

Respect your child’s appetite.

If your child is not hungry, don’t force or bribe him or her to eat anything. In addition, don’t make your child clean his or her plate. This might cause your child to view mealtime negatively, as a time of frustration and angst.  Instead, serve small portions of food and allow your child to ask for more if he or she is still hungry.

Keep a routine.

Serve meals and snacks around the same time each day. This gives your child a sense of stability and comfort. Offer water between meals and snacks rather than milk or juice, which can fill up your child and decrease his or her appetite when it’s time for a meal.

Make meals and snacks children-friendly.

You can make eating more child-friendly without becoming a short-order cook. First, make eating comfortable for your child by using cups, plates, utensils, and food servings that fit the size of their hands and mouths. Next, turn down any noise that may distract them, including music, television, and loud talking. This will help your child focus on the food in front of them. Last, make the food appealing by using fun shapes and bright colors.  Almost anything can be made into a fun shape with a cookie cutter. Children, as well as adults, eat with their eyes first.

Involve your child in shopping and cooking.

Ask your child to help you pick out vegetables, fruit, and other healthy items when at the grocery store. When preparing food, ask your child to help with the preparation, such as washing vegetables or stirring a pot of soup. This is a fun way to get your child to try new foods.