HEALTHY BEVERAGE OPTIONS - Week 3, Get Moving Manchester

Students and teachers in grades 3-5 are starting week 3 of Get Moving Manchester this week. Students will be tracking 0 sugar based beverages. Beverages should be mostly water and milk. Milk includes low fat, nonfat, nonfat flavored or nonfat lactose free milk. Seltzer with a splash of 100% juice or fruit infused waters also make good choices. See below for fun and healthy beverage options.


Strawberry Limealicious
Add 3 strawberries that are thinly sliced, 4 thin slices of lime and 3 mint leaves to plain or sparkling water. Gently shake or stir and then add in ice to taste.

Orange Glow
Add 4 cut in half slices of oranges, 3 thinly sliced (or diced) peeled fresh ginger and 2 twigs of thyme to plain or sparkling water. Gently shake or stir and then add in ice to taste.

Berry
Add 6 thin slices of cucumber, 1/4 cup of blackberries and 1/4 lemon juiced to plain or sparkling water. Gently shake or stir and then add in ice to taste.

Get Moving Manchester is an optional 4-week nutrition and physical activity journal program for Manchester students in grades 3-5, potentially impacting over 3000 students.The elementary school with the highest and second highest percentage of student participation will receive Get Moving Manchester trophies presented by the mayor and superintendent of schools. Incentives and raffles include Palace Theatre tickets, Fisher Cats tickets, gift cards to Dick's Sporting Goods and more. At the end of the 4 weeks, students will be entered into a raffle to win a bike donated by Bike Barn. Get Moving, Manchester schools and fill out those logs to be eligible for some great raffles and incentives! Most importantly, be a winner of health!

Special thanks to Get Moving Manchester program sponsors: Catholic Medical Center, Manchester Dartmouth Hitchcock, Fisher Cats, Palace Theatre, Anagnost Companies, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Bike Barn and Indian Head Athletics.




.

Pasta Shakers - New Menu Item

A new menu item is now being featured on the elementary school menu.....Pasta Shakers! Check out the menu and look for this item that layers healthy garbanzo beans, shredded carrots, sliced cukes and whole grain pasta seasoned with Italian dressing. Pasta shakers make healthy FUN for kids!

The Return of Blackstrap Molasses

When sugar cane is processed into table sugar, a thick byproduct remains after the third boiling as the sugar crystallizes.  The concentrated syrup containing the nutrient remnants of the sugar cane juice is blackstrap molasses.

While it is still a sweetener, blackstrap molasses contains slightly fewer carbohydrates than sugar, honey, or maple syrup and is touted for its higher vitamin and mineral.  The following table shows the nutrient content comparison of one teaspoon of each sweetener.

Nutrient Comparison of 1 Teaspoon of Various Sweeteners
	Blackstrap Molasses	Sugar	Honey	Maple Syrup
Energy (calories)	14	16	21.33	17.33
Carbohydrates (g)	3.7	4.2	5.77	4.47
Sugar (g)	3.7	4.19	5.75	4.03
Calcium (mg)	66.7	0	0.33	6.67
Iron (mg)	4.06	0	0.03	0.007
Potassium (mg)	200	0	3.67	14
Sodium (mg)	3.33	0	0.33	0.67
Other Nutrients	manganese, copper, vitamin B6, selenium		phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin	manganese, zinc, riboflavin, niacin
kcal = calorie, g = gram, mg = milligram

Added Sugar Fast Facts

·       Added sugar is any sugar added to a food or beverage.

·       Average Americans consume 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day.

·       One teaspoon is equal to four grams of sugar.

·       Amounts recommended by American Heart Association:

o   No more than 6 teaspoons per day for most women

o   No more than 9 teaspoons per day for most men

·       Common names of added sugars on food labels:

o   Agave nectar, brown sugar, cane crystals, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, crystalline fructose, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, maltose, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup

Historical Facts

·       Blackstrap molasses was cheaper, and therefore more popular than sugar before the turn of the 19th Century. 

·       In 1919, a molasses tsunami coined the Great Molasses Flood tore through part of Boston, Massachusetts at 35 miles per hour causing devastation in the area.

·       Blackstrap molasses has been regaining popularity since the mid-1900s as people continue to make healthier food choices.

Tips for Use

·       Blackstrap molasses has a distinct flavor (think gingerbread cookies) due to the mineral content compared to other sweeteners.

·       Recipe substitutions:

o   1 cup of blackstrap molasses for every ¾ cup of brown sugar (i.e. in baked beans)

o   cup for cup in place of other liquid sweeteners (i.e. honey, maple syrup)

Information Collected from the following sources:

Johnson RK, Appel LJ, Brands M, et al. Dietary sugars intake and cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2009;120:1011-20.

Can you tell me more about blackstrap molasses? The World’s Healthiest Foods. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=350. Accessed November 4, 2017.

USDA Food Composition Databases. United States Department of Agriculture. https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list. Accessed November 4, 2017.

Whole Grain Apple Cranberry Stuffing

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, hot
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and finely chopped
6 cups day-old whole grain baguette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 large eggs, scrambled
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 dried sage leaf, chopped



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11-inch oval baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the broth and cranberries in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Saute the celery and onions in the butter in a large skillet until tender, 5 minutes. Add the apples and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.
Place the baguette cubes into a largebowl. Pour the broth and cranberries over. Pour in the eggs, and then add the salt, poultry seasoning, pepper, cinnamon and sage and mix together.
Mix in the onion and celery mixture. Spoon the stuffing into the prepared dish and bake until the center is set, 35 to 40 minutes.

POWER HOUSE PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE - 130 calories

POWER HOUSE PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE –130 calories

·       1/2  cup Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree   =40 calories

·       1/2 of a container of nonfat Greek Yogurt or Icelandic Skyr = 60-70 calories

·       1/3 cup of Silk Pure Unsweetened Almond Milk (or nonfat milk – 45 calories)  =10 calories

·       1 splash of Maple Syrup  =10 calories (optional, but yummy)

·       ¼ tsp of coconut or vanilla extract = ZERO calories

·       One dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice  =ZERO calories

·       1/4 cup of ice  =ZERO calories

·       A light dusting of Graham Cracker Crumbs for topping  =trace calories (also optional)

·       Add a veggie of choice= Minimal calories (10 per ½ cup)

TOTAL =130-140 CALORIES of Pumpkin Pie Yumminess!