Blog
What’s Cooking in Jody’s Kitchen? Part 2
On Monday I shared that my family’s list of favorite meals has been helpful for meal planning while we are spending our days at home. Today I’ll share some of our favorites that I’m planning to make. Normally, we are on the go and I plan meals for specific days based on how much time I will have to cook. Now that we are just home, I have a list of recipes that I can make and I choose in the afternoon what we will have for supper. If I am cooking then I get to pick! Mom’s prerogative! For breakfast and lunch, we are keeping it simple. If you would like some snack ideas, check out my blog on snacking.
Cool Treat for Summer’s Heat
During the summer, I can often find my kids looking through our freezer to see what kind of frozen treat they can find. Usually they can find some sort of popsicles and, once in a while, some ice cream. They also like making their own popsicles. One of Paige’s favorite kind of popsicles to make are the Berry Banana Popsicles from Spend Smart. Eat Smart.
Super Snacks for Super Kids
The return to school can be hectic for both children and parents. This year, school may look different for your family, but no doubt, your children will still be hungry come snack time! The good news is that snacks are a good way to make sure your child is meeting their nutritional needs. Sometimes it can be difficult to meet these needs simply through food at mealtimes.
Ways to Enjoy Garbanzo Beans
Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, are a nutritious legume grown all over the world and popular in many cuisines. Garbanzos are a great source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. They are very inexpensive and can be found canned or dry. They can be used in many dishes and can be swapped for other beans or lentils in your favorite recipes.
Strength in Stress
The past seven months have been stressful, so over the next few weeks we are going to have a series of blogs on stress. Contributors to the blogs who have expertise in the area of stress will teach us more about what it is, how to manage it, and how to use stress for good! The blogs will include how stress affects the body, eating habits, physical activity, sleep patterns, and family relationships. Today’s blog was written by Share Kelley, an Iowa Concern Hotline staff member, and will cover how stress affects the body.
Eating and Stress
I’m so stressed! I need chocolate!
Reducing Stress through the Benefits of Nature
As daylight hours dwindle and the air becomes crisper, thoughts and activities tend to focus less on the outdoors and more on the long winter months inside. And yet, the benefits of the outdoors and experiences with nature in reducing stress apply all year round.
Improving sleep during a pandemic
Many people experienced insomnia or had some difficulty sleeping before the pandemic. Now, with all the additional fear, uncertainty, isolation, and economic challenges, many with no prior sleeping concerns are struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Stress and Family
Last week in our series, we looked at how stress affects our sleep. Today we look at how stress impacts family functioning.
Stress Management Resource Round-up
Our blog team was inspired to focus on stress over the last few weeks because we see how uniquely stressful our current circumstances are for ourselves as well as our colleagues, friends and family. Many of us are balancing more than we are used to and living in a way that feels very different and perhaps even insecure. For the past few weeks we have had experts share how stress affects us and tips for managing that stress. Today’s blog is a round-up of resources that have been shared and can help us deal with this stressful time. We hope that one or more of these resource will be helpful to you.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Flu season starts in the fall, and this year, the COVID-19 pandemic is presenting new challenges for cleaning and disinfecting the inside of a home. Cleaning refers to reducing the number of germs, dirt and impurities on the surface. It doesn’t kill the germs, but lowers the number of germs and the risk of infection. Disinfecting refers to killing germs on surfaces by using an EPA-registered disinfectant. Best practice to prevent COVID-19 and other viruses is to clean the surface first and then follow up with a disinfectant.
Preventing Food Waste at Jody’s House
Over the past few weeks you have heard lots of great ideas from Christine, Justine, and Katy on how they prevent food waste in their homes. As we wrap up our series today, I will share a few things we do at my house to prevent food waste.
