Mr. Hank's Corner 11/21/17

I hope everyone enjoys there time off and takes the time to get some rest and spend some quality with family and friends. I challenged students during the week off from school to eat 5 fruits and 5 different veggies.

Upper El students in group A made a “Parts of Plant Salad” which included celery (stem), sunflower seeds (seeds), apples (fruit), romaine (leaf), carrots and radishes (roots), broccoli and cauliflower (flower), zucchini (botanically a fruit) all served with a classic Alice Water’s basic salad dressing.

• 1⁄4 cup vinegar

• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and crushed or 1⁄2 teaspoon of minced jar garlic

• 3⁄4 cup of olive oil or grapeseed oil

In a small bowl combine the vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the oil SLOWLY while whisking constantly. Optional: Fresh herbs, dijon mustard, shallots or honey. Students really enjoyed this lesson and I challenged the students to help make a side salad this week for one of the nights while enjoying dinner. Middle school made swiss, brie and cheddar grilled cheese with a side of tomato soup. Now there is no excuses that they couldn’t make a healthy lunch for themselves if home instead of opting for the bag of Takis.

During the holidays we tend to make a lot of food, either overeat or have way too much food waste. A few things to remember:

• Food waste is the single largest component going into municipal landfills.

• Wholesome food is sent to landfills instead of feeding people in need.

• Producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food uses inputs such as land, water, labor, and energy that could be available for other purposes.

Save your scraps from your veggies and place them in a gallon size ziplock bag and freeze for up to 6 months so you could make a stock. You could also use that remainder of the turkey and veggies and make a turkey soup. Be mindful and plan your dinners to the best you can during this holiday time.

For more info go to. www.choosemyplate.gov/lets-talk-trash

Some fun Thanksgiving trivia for you: What President declared Thanksgiving a national holiday?

Answer is on the bottom of the page

Finally, take a few extra minutes to get to where you need to go. Take a few extra breaths, and realize that it might be busy on the road so no need to get stressed during this week. Take a walk with family, friends, the kids or even the dog and allow this week to be a time to rejoice, recharge, and make it a healthy week for you and all around you.

Enjoy and see you next week!

Answer:

1863 Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving

a national holiday during the Civil War.

#BellaGardenProject #Health