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JUNE 2018
FAMILY LIVING
MAKE FOOD MEMORIES WITH YOUR
KIDS THIS SUMMER
M
y strongest childhood
memories involve
my family and food.
Summer nights, holidays, and
vacations all created reasons
to try new foods, prep dishes
together, and enjoy each other’s
company around the table. It’s
no wonder that I ended up in
a job that combines nutrition,
family and community!
Even in families where both
parents work full time, like
mine growing up, there’s some-
thing about summer that creates
more margin for family fun.
Even twenty years
later, I distinct-
ly remember my
mom taking extra
time when school
was out to make a
normal sandwich
lunch special by
cutting it in a different shape
and arranging my baby carrots
and grapes around it. I also
remember picking recipes with
red, white and blue ingredients
for Memorial Day, Labor Day
and the4th of July.
There’s nothing like berries
bursting with flavor, juicy
watermelon and sweet corn in
abundance. In addition to supe-
rior taste, eating what’s in sea-
son is usually much cheaper!
Whether it’s a normal day or a
special occasion, there are lots
of opportunities for affordable
family fun and entertainment
with food.
Making meals and snacks
together also encourages chil-
dren to be more willing to try
new foods. Other tactics for
adventurous eaters include
using dipping sauces, making
foods in different shapes, giving
dishes a fun name, and putting
it on a stick (never underesti-
mate the power of a kabob!).
Read on for healthy and tasty
treats to beat boredom and the
heat with UGA Extension:
Firecracker Fruit Kabobs: Let
kids place a mixture of straw-
berries, blueberries, watermel-
on (cut into stars or chunks)
and banana on a bamboo or
metal skewer. Serve with vanil-
la yogurt for a dipping sauce.
Homemade
Popsicles:
Reusable popsicle molds are
in many stores for $5 or
less. Fill with your favorite
100% juice for a serving of
fruit that will keep you cool!
Consider adding blueberries or
other fruits to the mold first for
more color and bursts of flavor!
Yogurt Bark: Line a cookie
sheet with parchment paper and
spread vanilla yogurt over the
sheet. Let kids place fresh fruits
like strawberries, raspberries,
cherries, and blueberries over
the surface. Place in freezer
until solid. Cut and serve. If
you have leftovers, store in the
freezer until ready to eat.
Watermelon Granita: Make
healthy snow cones with just
watermelon, lime juice and
sugar! For each ½ seedless
watermelon (about 8 cups),
you’ll need the juice of 2 limes
(about 4 Tbsp) and ⅓ cup sugar.
Place half your ingredients in a
food processor or blender and
blend until smooth. Pour juice in 9x13 cake pan and freezer
for 2-3 hours. Begin scraping
the frozen layer to make shaved
ice. Put back in the freezer for a
few hours and scrape; repeat the
process until you have a whole
pan of shaved ice. Cover with
plastic wrap until serving.
Want more ideas? You can
find me at the Nancy Guinn
Library right here in Olde Town
Conyers.I’ll be in the outside
amphitheater
(11:00-11:45
a.m.) right after the Thrilling
Thursday programs. Join me
for cooking demos, food tast-
ings, and giveaways. Bring the
whole family and learn how to
incorporate fresh produce into
your daily diets. Visit www.
conyersrockdalelibrary.org and
click on the calendar to find
dates for this free activity.
be nearby at all times.
Swim Lessons. Knowing
how to swim greatly reduc-
es the chance of drowning.
Classes are often available
through the Red Cross or
YMCA.
Have a Water Safety Plan.
Know what to do during a
water emergency. Georgia’s First Lady Sandra
Deal and her Children’s
Cabinet in 2015, the SPLASH
campaign was re-launched
in 2017 and currently has a
number of public and pri-
vate partners, including
the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources, Georgia
Emergency Management
Agency, Georgia Department
of Public Health, Georgia
Bureau of Investigation, U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers,
National Association of State
Boating Law Administrators,
Georgia Power, Shepherd
Center and others.
MaryBeth Hornbeck,
Rockdale County FACS Agent,
UGA Extension
PLAYTIME WITH
POPSICLES
T
he kids are out for
the summer! Mamas,
you’re at home with
the kiddos all summer long
and they are looking at you
for their entertainment. No
need to stress, there are
plenty of summertime rec-
ipes that you and your kids
will love. For instance, make
popsicles! Here’s a few tips:
fruit juice. You can even use
some chocolate almond milk
and make a fudge-sicle!
Add some fruit! Use fresh
fruit and cut it in chunks.
You can also use frozen fruit.
If you want a smooth and
creamy popsicle, you can put
the fruit and the liquid base
in a food processor/blender
and blend until creamy. Pour
it into the popsicle mold. You
can also add some choco-
late chunks for that yummy
fudge-sicle. Try adding some
greek yogurt for some a dif-
ferent texture.
Pop those popsicles into the
freezer. I would suggest 4 to
6 hours of time in the freezer.
When you’re finished,
invite all the other moms in
the neighborhood and you
guys can socialize while
your kids enjoy them. I also
suggest eating them outside,
as children plus popsicles
sometimes ends up in a mess.
If you don’t already have
one, you can head to Target
and buy an inexpensive pop-
sicle mold. The average price
is about $12 and they are
durable.
For the liquid, there are a
lot of different options, such
as, coconut milk, almond
milk, kefir, orange juice, Happy popsicle making
apple juice or any sort of and sweet summertime!
SUPPORT FOR THE
FOSTER PARENT
Shivern Jeter
Director
Foster Care Friends, Inc.
T
his month, like many
others, some kids won’t
be able to wake up and
wish their dad a Happ