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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1997)
• »-S. Iin P uhti a n i ) O bserver • F ebruary Meals That Make The Grade Mealtime T ip s Help Fam ilies Earn Top Marks for National Nutri tion Month M arch is N atio n al N u tritio n Month and the National Pork Pro ducers Council (N P P C ) is offering families across America nutritious solutions to their most common meal time dilemmas. “ P re p a rin g h ealth ier m eals doesn’t mean giving up flavor or convenience," says Karen Kalsem, manager o f youth communications for the Pork Information Bureau ( PI B ) o f the N PPC . "There are many great-tasting recipes that are low in fat, require no more than six ingre dients and take less than 30 minutes to make.” Kalsem recommends starting the healthy shape-up with flavors fami lies already love. Fam ily favorites like pork chops take on a new taste w ith low -fat to p pings such as applesauce, barbecue sauce or salsa. For exam ple, com bine chunky applesauce with cinnamon red hots for Apple Cinnamon Chops. K id s w ill like the taste, and parents w ill appreciate a hearty meal with just 8 grams o f fat per serving. Food For Thought Parents have many challenges when it comes to feeding -- and pleasing — an entire fam ily, includ ing finding foods to appeal to their kid s’ tastes. Here are three top parent con cerns about nutrition anti some simple ideas to address them: How can I cut excess fat in my family's meals? Choose Low -fat C o o k in g Meth ods -- Eliminate extra fat in meals by using a cooking method that re quires little or no added fats like stirfrying, roasting or broiling foods. Lo o k for Lean Meats -- Learn what to look for in the meat case at your supermarket or grocery store. For example, select the leanest cuts o f pork available by looking for the word “ loin" on the label (i.e. pork tenderloin, center loin chops, sirloin roasts). A dd Flavor, Not F a t--G iv e your recipes some zest by flavoringdishes with herbs and spices. Invite your children to grow their own herb garden to contribute to family meals. How can I get my kids to eat more fruits and vegetables? Spread with Savvy — Instead o f using butter or margarine on dinner rolls, serve nonfat fruit spreads, such as apple butter or cranberry relish to complement a healthy and delicious meal D ip Y o u r Dessert -- Fresh fruits make a fun and delicious dessert when dipped in a mixture o f re duced-fat whipped topping and low- fat fruit yogurt. Play W ith Y o u r Food — give your kids permission to play with fresh fruits and vegetables to create kid-friendly sidedishes. Experiment with ants on a log (celery sticks spread with peanut butter and topped with raisins) or grape caterpillars (green grapes strung on a tooth pick). How can I get my kids to try a greater variety of foods? K id -F rie n d ly Shapes and Sizes -- Kinds love to eat foods that are cut into fun and manageable shapes and sizes. For a tasty change o f pace, serve kabobs made with pork cubes or thread skewers with fruit for a colorful dessert. G o F o r The G reat 8 -- I f your kids like pork chops, they w ill enjoy the Great 8 cuts o f pork, which offer the same great taste. A11 o f these cuts - from tenderloin to sirloin roast -- fall between a skinless chicken breast and thigh in terms o f fat content. Hands-On helpers - One o f the best ways to get kids interested in trying new foods is to get them in volved They are much more likely to eat something they helped prepare. Let them mix ingredients, sample spices and taste test along the way. n m w ji S «x. W i « 19, 1997 Award Winning Program Brings Message Of Safety Unintentional injuries are the leading cause o f death in the United States among children. According to statistics, each year approximately 7,200 children ages 14 and under are killed and 50,000 ch ild re n are in ju red se rio u sly enough to require medical treat ment. Many o f these deaths and thousands o f injuries are prevent able when children are taught basic emergency procedures and personal safety skills. In keeping with its commitment to chi Id health and safety, the North west Osteopathic Medical Founda tion w ill hold its eleventh annual K id Safe program for children ages five to 12, on Saturday, March 8. This free public program, which expects to reach more than 1,000 children and their families, w ill be held for 9:00am to 2:00pm at two sites; Lent Elementary School, 5 105 S E 97th, Portland, and John Wetten Elementary School, 645 Chicago Ave., Gladstone. K id Safe offers hands-on train ing for children in C P R , First Aid, Electrical Safety, Fire Safety, Bike & T ra ffic Safety, C a llin g 9 1 1„ Stranger Danger, Poison Preven tion, Personal Safety, Baby-sitting, Drug and Alcohol Awareness, and Disaster Preparedness. In addi tion, children may obtain their owriregulation fingerprints and ID photos, tour emergency vehicles, visit a “ Little Hospital” setting and take home a “Trail Guide to Safe ty.” Taught by qualified healthcare professionals and pub lie safety officials, K id Safe offeis children the opportunity to interact with these individuals from who they may one day need assistance. A program o f the National Child Safety Council, K id Safe is offered in the greater Portland metropoli tan area as a public service o f the Northwest Osteopathic M edical Foundation. Through the years, more than 5,500 metro ch il dren have participated in this pro gram. Patents must pre-register their children by calling 699-5366. Children under ten must be accom panied by an adult. The Kid Safe program helps children ages five to twelve learn personal safety skills. A J h u le l O f ( o u r a g e A n d Haiti h bv M arian W hich i E delman When Martha Watford’s husband was killed, she didn’t know how she’s support herself and her four children. But through her faith in God and her fighting spirit, she gath ered up the courage to make a good life for her fam ily, and in the process has helped thousands o f children get a head start in life. "Our marriage was a real partner ship, and he was the real bread winner until he was shot and killed in a senseless act of random vio lence," says Martha, director o f L a Peninsula Head Start in the South Bronx. N Y “We shared in every aspect of marriage, including the housework and nurturing of the ch il dren. When he was taken from us. I was lost. I was not prepared to be come the sole bread-winner of the family. I knew I had to take control of our lives or my children would suffer greatly, and I asked God for strength and guidance and began to think seriously about what to do.” That guidance came in the form ofadvice from members o f the board o f La Peninsula Head Start program. “ They encouraged me to apply for the job o f Head Start director when the position became available,” says Martha, who was a teaching assis tant with the New Y o rk public schools system at the time and had served as chairwoman o f the Parents Advisory Committee for two years. She was hesitant to accept the challenge at first, but she remem bered the opportunities it provided for her own children. So she took what she thought would be a one- year leave o f absence from her teach ing assistant job and opened her first Head Start program with 30 ch il dren in the basement o f a church. In the 30 years sincere then, Martha has been the director and her Head Start programs have served more than 15,000 children, many o f who visit from time to time to thank er for the difference Head Start made in their lives. "Many o f us can say that we hon estly don’t know where we’d be with out Head Start,” she says. “ The Head Start fam i ly surrounded me and gave me the inner-strength to know what 1 had to do to keep my fam ily to gether. Their support gave me what I needed to feel good about myself, to go back to school, and to realize what my calling was. It also helped my children academ ically. Head Start is important for children and families, because it gives people the opportunity tobecomeself-sufficient, and it concentrates on self-esteem." Today, martha runs five Head Start programs in the south Bronx, which serve more than 750 children and families “Unfortunately,” she says, “we are only serving 30 to 40 percent o f those eligible for Head Start, because o f limited funding. That is especially sad when you con sider the number o f single-parent headed households in areas ike the South Bronx. There are m ary poor children and families whose lives would be turned around if He: d Start were available.” Nationally, the numbers are no better Last year, only about a third of the eligible children were served by Head Start despite the felerally funded program's extraordinary 25- year record o f successfully prepar ing poor children for school The good news, though, is that Martha's important work fas not gone unnoticed. Last year tl e fed eral government awarded her a grant that will allow her to exteid her program to 51 additional children. Also, the robin Hood Foundition in New York C ity gave Martha a "he roes" award this year. And the White House invited Martha to W e llin g ton. D C to witness the signing o f the Head Start Expansion bill. A f terwards, she had the opportunity to tell the President about the work she was d oing-an d all the work that needs to be done—to secure a better future for the children o f the South Bronx and for all the children o f America. “ That was one o f the most re ward ng experiences o f ¡ny life," Martha says. “ I never creamed I would have the opportunity to share my worx and my ideas with the President. It’s been quite a journey. I hope the journey neve- ends, and as the Bible says, “ If I ran help some one along the way, then my living shall not be in vain." And it’s a genre Martha can be proud of. She faced the kind o f ob- s'acles that destroy fam dies and used hem to improve the lives o f hun dreds o f families. She has taught us that sometimes the solutions to our own problems can be found when we each cut to others Marian H 'right Edelman is presi dent of the Children's Defense Lund. HOT PRICES ON Ö 11 SAFEWAY FOOD & DRUG Look For Your Safeway Weekly Shopping Guide Fresh W hole Oregon F rye rs 1 or Cut-Up Economy Pack 1 First 3 • Additional at regular price 1 Washington Fryers sold in Washington S afew ay SELECT Soft D rinks • 6-pack, 12-oz. cans • First 8 • Plus deposit in Oregoi •SAVE up to 411 SAVE up to 6201b. In Your Oregonian FOODday in the Portland Metro Area ...And Save More Shopping At Safeway! Enjoy Extra Savings \Nitti The SAFEWAY EXTRA In-Store Savings Guide Available at your Safeway store. Golden Ripe Bananas O i | • SAVE up to 3 5 ( lb. N obody does it B etter * for C | "lbs. L
