Cooking with Kids

SO LONG SUMMER!  It hardly seems possible that school starts next week and that scholastic/youth sports are in full swing.  Best wishes to all students and athletes (and their families) as they head into an extra busy time of the year!

As you venture forth, it’s more important than ever to eat healthy, nutritious foods, with at least five servings of fruits and veggies each day.  We’re here at Pathfinder Produce to help our friends and neighbors achieve that goal, and we look forward to serving you at our next deliciously fresh market on Thursday, September 1, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Pathfinder’s Village Commons!

Following, we have a blog from my co-worker Martha, who enjoys adventures in cooking with her grandkids.  Enjoy!

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I have mentioned our family’s tradition of Friday Night Dinners, which began many years ago when we gathered with my husband’s family at his mother’s house every Friday for a family meal. After moving to New York, we missed these times very much and started our own version with our grandkids.  They love to help prepare the meal, always eager for their assignments. They wash produce, mix batters, choose ingredients, and are excellent taste-testers. We even bought a set of child-safe knives so they can help chop the fruits and vegetables.

While trying to find new ways to involve the grandkids in meal planning and preparation, I discovered a blog and Facebook page called What's Cooking With Kids. The author has many fun suggestions for activities, such as a series called Kids Cook with Books, in which a book that features a certain food is paired with a healthy recipe containing that ingredient.  The first installment was Blueberries for Sal with blueberry salsa. That took me back to when my daughter was enamored with the book Bread and Jam for Frances: That story centers around Frances, who realizes that having bread and jam for every meal is not as wonderful as she had hoped, and she joins her family for a more-balanced meal of breaded veal cutlets and string beans.  From that story, our daughter often requested that meal.  She also liked helping with the cooking, and thankfully did not mind that we substituted more-economical pork cutlets.

Cooking with kids is a great way to encourage them to try new foods. Sometimes when my grandchildren help prepare a dish, or even just chop up a new vegetable, they are more invested in it and want to try it. They may not always like it (I know I don’t always like everything I cook either!), but sometimes they discover something they think is wonderful that they might otherwise have been unwilling to taste.

Each time my grandkids try a new food, I ask for their evaluations (if it not obvious from the looks on their faces). If they like it, I remind them that this is why it’s great to try new things. If they don’t like it, I tell them that it was good that they tried something new, and remind them that even if they don’t like it now, someday they might as tastes can change. I like to tell them about their dad, who loved salsa as a small boy then suddenly developed an aversion to anything spicy.  He eventually came to love it even more—the spicier the better!

One of the nice things about Pathfinder Produce is that there is a great variety of fruits and veggies to choose from, so it’s easy to find old favorites and also something new to try. If possible, bring your kids or grandkids to help you shop! You never know what they might like!

Until next time, try something new and teach your children well!

Martha (and Lori!)

Ready, Set, Go! The Perfect Packed Lunches for Back-to-School

The summer is flying by fast, and we are harvesting lots of Pathfinder Produce items for you to enjoy with your family.  We’ve got a great selection, a friendly staff, and are just down the road … what’s not to love about our convenient Pathfinder Produce market on Thursdays, at the Village Commons, from 1 to 5 p.m. Enjoy this picture-driven post from Maura Iorio, Pathfinder School’s Director of Education, who has a busy schedule as both an educator and a mom.  Sometimes knowing what to pack in a lunch box can make a huge difference in a child’s day. **** September is fast approaching, and that means cooler days, colorful leaves, pumpkin spice flavored everything, and for our kids—heading back to school. Pediatricians recommend that children get five servings of fruits and veggies every day, but that can be hard to do during the busy, on-the-go school year. Check out these creative ways to add fruits and veggies to your child’s lunch box! Cut veggies into fun shapes, perfect for dipping! (Click Here) Make lunch an adventure: Assemble your own yogurt parfait! (Click Here) Do you have a picky eater who loves fruits, but hates veggies? Hide some in these easy home-made “Go-Gurt” recipes! (Click Here) Do your children need more convincing? Add a fruit or veggie joke to their lunch box just for fun! Have fun trying out some of these lunch box ideas, and good luck to all of the children getting ready to start the 2016-2017 school year! Maura (and Lori)

Watching the Olympics & Trips Down Memory Lane

We hope that everyone will come down to this week’s Pathfinder Produce fruits and veggie market … we’ve got the freshest flavors around!  Believe it or not, school is gearing up in a few weeks and high school sports are starting practices now, so it’s always good to start planning for healthy and vitamin packed meals and snacks.  Here at Pathfinder, we’re looking forward to hosting some scholastic cross country events on the Pathfinder Community Trail … more details to follow! We hope to see you this Thursday, between 1 and 5 p.m. at the Village Commons at the next Pathfinder Produce. *** While I try to limit my television viewing, I readily admit that my generation was heavily influenced by the television era.  Occasionally, I succumb and watch broadcasts that are historic or culturally significant, like the Olympics. Where I live, we have no cable access, and we’ve gotten by watching what’s on over the internet.  However, it’s frustrating if you like sports, as the broadcasters always ask for your cable provider to log in to their websites.  Brick wall. So last night, as I wanted to see the Rio games, we figured out how to install a makeshift aerial for our TV.  With some patience, an old T-style FM antenna, and duct tape, we were able to get all variants of one of the Utica channels, 40 miles away.  (We disconnected everything at bedtime, just in case of thunderstorms).  MacGyver, eat your heart out! It reminded me very much of when I was a kid, BC (before cable), and every roof had an antenna to pull in snowy images on black-and-white consoles that were the focal point of living rooms.  We only got the Utica stations then too, but no one seemed to mind. So, last night, I watched the men’s and women’s hurdle races, some footage of Usain Bolt blazing through to his gold medal in the 100m, a bit of the pole vaulting, diving, and balance beam competitions.  Of course, it took me back to earlier Olympics -- Mark Spitz’s and Olga’s wins in 1972, Comaneci’s brilliance and Jenner’s Decathlon triumph in 1976, and America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Games. (Just for fun, here’s the write up on Nadia’s and Bart’s 1996 wedding). Today’s Olympians, just like those of earlier generations, are extremely dedicated:  They not only push their bodies, but they have to pay strict attention to their diets.  Good nutrition and hydration are essential to performing well.  Obviously, most of us don’t work as hard as these athletes, but we should also regulate our eating habits to keep in synch with how physically active we are.  Until next time, enjoy the games, and keep active.  Be well! Lori

Insomnia

It's summertime, and the livin' is easy!  In the “spirit of easy,” we hope that everyone will come to our next delicious Pathfinder Produce market to check out our great selection of fruits and veggies. Our Hoop House staff is harvesting our own Pathfinder grown veggies … it just doesn't get any fresher. We look forward to seeing you at the Village Commons on Thursday between 1 and 5 p.m.

It’s also time for the Summer Olympics!  As you cheer on your favorite athletes and watch your favorite competitions, enjoy some fresh and cool produce items in the colors of the Olympic rings … red, yellow, blue, green and black. I can think of several items for each color: red tomato slices or pepper rings, yellow pineapple or pear pieces, blueberries or plums, green apples or kiwi, and maybe some black olives, blackberries or concord grapes (true, they’re really a deep purple, but close enough). 

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Simply stated, cultivating health comes down to three or four themes: Eating well and drinking sufficient water; reducing and avoiding stressors and toxins; taking part in regular exercise and social activities; and getting sufficient sleep to recharge your brain and body. Unfortunately as we age, many of us suffer from insomnia, either through not being able to go to sleep easily, or waking up and not being able to get back to sleep.

I tend to wake up frequently, and I have noticed that younger friends are concerned about their lack of quality sleep.  Sleeplessness is pervasive and can affect all parts of a person’s life: This was made painfully clear the other weekend when I took a survey call at my house.  The survey-taker – who sounded young – could hardly make it through the questions he needed to ask due to his yawning.

Hopefully, some recent findings published in the science journal Nature may one day translate into help for those who suffer from regular sleeplessness.  According to an article on the study at iflscience.com, scientists have identified a group of neurons in the brain called the “dorsal fan-shaped body (dFb)” that serves as a “sleep switch.” Oxford University researchers Diogo Pimentel and Jeffrey M. Donlea have shown that when these neurons are activated by the presence of dopamine and potassium ions they serve as the gatekeepers to the Land of Nod. 

Pimentel and Donlea were studying fruit flies, but their prior work shows that more complex animals, including humans, have these clusters of dFB neurons that act in similar ways.  The Oxford researchers are continuing their investigations in how sleep happens -- but  as they’ve determined that these two compounds support sleep, it can’t hurt to add extra fruits and veggies that contain naturally occurring dopamine and potassium to your diet.

There are many other articles that offer sleep advice, and some suggest developing routines that cue your brain and body that it’s time to go to sleep.  Humans are truly creatures of habit so it’s helpful to “get ready to go to bed” with regular patterns and behaviors – just as we did when we were children. 

An article from Cosmopolitan underscores this importance of routines, and also advises that two hours before bed that you avoid completing employment-related tasks, don’t drink alcohol, don’t discuss or read about stressful topics, and turn off all electronic screens.  Apparently, TVs, tablets and cell phones all emit white- and blue bandwidths of light; these particular wavelengths of the light spectrum make your brain go into “alert mode,” so they are counterproductive at a time when you need to relax.  (This makes sense … daylight has  falls into the blue range in the color temperature scale at 6500-degrees Kelvin; LCD screens range between 6500 and 9500 °K, and looking northwards on a clear day has a minimum color temperature of 15,000 °K.   Sleeping with the TV on is counterproductive for this reason as well).

This article from the Daily Mirror recommends some holistic and yoga-inspired approaches, the “10minuteZen” channel on YouTube offers a simple breathing exercise, and advice from the Telegraph, supports using a little reverse psychology … try to stay awake, and your inner contrarian will put you to sleep!

Until next time, yawnnnn ….  zzzzzzzzzzzzzz,

Lori

Refreshing!

Hello!  Here we are at the start of August, both amazed and scratching our heads on how quickly the summer is flying by!  I guess that really means that everyone is very busy, getting things done, and enjoying summer fun in all its varied forms – and that’s a great thing!

We do want to encourage everyone to visit our convenient and friendly produce market, Pathfinder Produce, each Thursday afternoon at the Village Commons, from 1 to 5 p.m.  To quote the old song, “Ain’t it good to know you got a friend?” – we’re just down the road and can provide your family with all its summer produce needs!

This week, my co-worker Martha Spiegel shares her thoughts on succulent and delicious mangos.  Enjoy!

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One of the hot street food trends in New York City is mango. You don’t have to look too far to spot someone with a small container of the yellow-orange fruit, which is sold at small carts and stands. Legend has is that the trend was started by a woman named Luz Vera, who set up a mango stand near Union Square several years ago to make money to send her children to college. (She also sells homemade tamales, but that’s another column for another day!).

So what makes mangos so popular? Not only are they sweet and juicy, making them a treat on a hot day, but they are low in calories and loaded with nutrients. According to the website Food Facts, a cup of mangos has only 100 calories, but provides 100% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C. It is also an excellent source of vitamin A, betacarotene, and fiber. For a complete list of nutrients, see the chart here.

Mangos are tropical fruit, first cultivated in India over 5000 years ago, and come from the same family as cashews and pistachios. It’s one of those fruits classified as a drupe (see last week’s blog for more on that). According to Wikipedia, it is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines, and the national tree of Bangladesh. Mangos were also the inspiration behind the popular paisley pattern.

Mangos are very versatile. While they are sweet, and delicious in a fruit salad or smoothie, they also are popular in salsas and in many chicken and seafood recipes, especially in Indian and Asian cooking, providing a cooling balance to the spicy heat. Prevention.com offered a nice selection of recipes with a variety of flavor profiles. 

Choose a mango without bruises or breaks in the skin. It should give just slightly if you press gently with your thumb. You can store them at room temperature for a few days, if they are slightly under-ripe; refrigerate cut fruit, but bring it to room temperature before serving for maximum flavor. You can also cut them into cubes and freeze them for several months for future use. (Actually, just sucking on a piece of frozen mango can be quite refreshing when summer temperatures rise.)

Mangos are just one of the many delicious fruits that you can find at Pathfinder Produce, right here at Pathfinder Village on Thursday afternoons. If you have a mango recipe that you like, or try one of the ones in the article above, let us know!

Until next time, eat and be well!

Martha (and Lori)