Explore the Heart of it All with Extension!

Join the Live Healthy Live Well team as they navigate the great 88 counties of Ohio for their Fall 2024 6-week Email Wellness Challenge. From local foods to getting out to move, join in to learn ways to stay healthy and explore community treasures across the state. Hop in the car or online and let’s Explore the Heart of It All together, register at https://go.osu.edu/lhlwknox by October 15.

Fall into Healthy Eating

And just like that, it’s almost fall! As autumn weather blows in, it brings lots of great produce into season. Check out some seasonal recipes that will help you fall into healthy eating. Enjoy!

Fall into healthy eating with these delicious recipes from celebrateyourplate.org! 

Cran-Apple Crisp

No-Crust Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pancakes 

Apple Corn Chili 

Apple Crunch Yogurt Bowls 

Creamy Pumpkin Dip

Back to School Lunches

And just like that, it’s back to school season! This means it’s also school supply season, school clothes season and school lunch season.

If your child likes to pack their lunch, this can be a daily chore that becomes monotonous. Are you looking for new ideas on how to pack a healthy lunch for your kiddo?

CelebrateYourPlate.org has over 200 recipes! All require 15 or less ingredients and are budget friendly. There’s even a category called “Kid Approved” with 86 recipes!

Send your kid with Mini Pizzas, leftover Potato Tot Casserole, or a Turkey Cranberry Wrap.

If you’re looking for cooking tips and tricks along the way, don’t miss the Celebrate Your Plate Kitchen 101 page. You can learn more about cooking with specific foods, how to store produce and kitchen knife basics.

Back to school season can be tough; let Celebrate Your Plate be your school lunch guide!

Back to School: School Meals

FREE BREAKFAST/LUNCH THIS SCHOOL YEAR

All students at Mount Vernon City Schools and East Knox Local Schools will have free breakfast and lunch for the 2024-25 school year.

Sources: MVCSD and EKLC

And don’t forget to spend your SUNBucks (Summer EBT) if you still have some. They can be spent at your local grocery store or at the Mount Vernon Farmer’s Market.

Back to School Prep: Triple P

It’s hard to believe it’s already time to head back to school! We wanted to share with you some local resources to help with the back to school transition.

Triple P:

The Parent Support Initiative will be doing an on demand Lunch and Learn video at the beginning of each month:

September- Good Bedtime Routines

October – Helping Your Child Cope with Anxiety

November- Holiday Parenting Strategies

December- Winter Break Parenting Tips

January- Taming the Chaos of Family Mealtime

February- Getting Ready to Have a Teen in the House

March- Spring Break Parenting Tips

April- Being a Good Sport

May- End of the School Year Tips

June- Summer Parenting Tips

Each one will have an incentive for completing the short survey and will mesh nicely with upcoming Triple P classes available throughout the year.

Fall Triple P classes are up on their website www.triplep-parenting.com/knox.

Healthy Hydration

July means lots of sun… and being thirsty! The more we play and work in the summer heat, the more important hydration becomes. There are so many options! Will you grab a sports drink, a lemonade or a bottle of water?

If we’re not careful, our choice of hydration can hide a lot of sugar. The average 20 ounce sports drink contains over 30 grams of sugar, a soda is closer to 40 grams and a sweet tea contains around 45 grams! That’s a lot of sugar!

So when we’re thirsty, let’s reach for water! “Water First for Thirst” helps us remember that when we’re hot, water is the best way to quench our thirst and take care of our bodies.

Not a big fan of plain water? Dress it up! Here’s a recipe for Flavored Water made with fresh fruit and herbs- YUM!
https://celebrateyourplate.org/recipes/flavored-water 

Getting Active in the Summer

Looking for fun ways to be active during the summer? Check out some ideas below!

  1. Garden with your friends or family. You can garden at home in containers, in raised beds, in the ground, or at one of our many community gardens!
  2. Walk or Bike to a local Farmers Market!
  3. On super hot days, consider trying fun indoor games like the ones below:
  4. Try these outside activities below:
  5. Go on a walk
  6. Bike to First Fridays where they have a Bike Valet now!
  7. Check out more ideas here! 

Knox County Farmers Markets Abound!

Did you know that Knox County has 4 farmers markets? That’s a lot of markets! You can find fresh produce, meat, baked goods, soap, honey, syrup, plants and more! See locations, dates and times below. Check out a market and support your local producers!

Mount Vernon– May-October, Saturdays, 9am-12pm, 1 Public Sq.
Centerburg– June-October, Thursdays, 4:30-7pm, Bell Park
Fredericktown– June-August, Thursdays, 4-6:30pm, 1 E. Sandusky St.
Martinsburg- June- October, 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 4-7pm, 122 W. Liberty St.

If you need new recipes for your market finds, check out CelebrateYourPlate.org 

You SNAP, they MATCH!

The Mount Vernon Farmers Market starts up tomorrow and is every Saturday, May-October, 9am-noon! They have lots of incentive programs at the Mount Vernon Farmers Market including accepting SNAP/EBT. If you use your SNAP/EBT/Ohio Directions card at the market, the Produce Perks program will match it up to $25! Learn more below!

Tons of greens are in season April-May! If salads are starting to feel boring, click below to find some other ways to use the leafy greens that are so common through spring. You can get extra fruits and vegetables for FREE when you shop with SNAP/EBT at participating farmers’ markets and grocery stores. Visit https://buff.ly/3rFuiz6 to learn more.