Mom Health

May 2021

Memorial Day Recipe Round Up

2023-11-10T19:55:43+00:00May 28th, 2021|Categories: Meal Planning, Mom Health, Recipes, Texas WIC|Tags: , |

Holiday Recipes Featuring WIC Fruits, Vegetables To Make This Weekend

There’s no better time to start breaking into your summer recipes than Memorial Day weekend. The season offers so many great fruits and vegetables that are perfect to serve up as the weather heats up.  We are spotlighting several holiday recipes using WIC foods perfect for this weekend and for the months to come using some of our favorite fruits and vegetables.  These cool and refreshing treats are fun for kids and are easy to make.

HOLIDAY RECIPES USING WIC FOODS

YOGURT FREEZER POPS 

12 oz of Fresh or Frozen Fruit (strawberries with stems removed and cut in half before blending or blueberries are our favorites)

2 cups of Plain Yogurt

¼ cup of Honey (omit if serving to children younger than 1 years old)

Puree fruit in a blender. Add yogurt. Add honey (if using) and blend together. Pour pops into molds of your choice (you can use disposable plastic cups, ice trays with wooden sticks or pop molds from the store). Freeze for 6 plus hours. When ready to eat, you can loosen the pop  from mold by running it under warm water for a few minute

s to remove it from the disposable cup, ice tray or mold.  Memorial Day (and summer) is the perfect time to cook outside with family and friends. So fire up the grill for this healthy and delicious recipe spotlighting WIC vegetables and even a fruit!

VEGGIE KABOBS

Zucchini slices Yellow Squash slices

Fresh Mushrooms

Onion, quartered

Pineapple chunks

Bell Pepper chunks 1/3 cup

Olive Oil 1½ teaspoons

Dried Basil ¾ teaspoon

Dried Oregano

½ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

Garlic Powder, to taste

8 wooden/ bamboo skewers or metal skewers. You can also use an aluminum foil tray on the grill.  

Soak wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes. Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Place vegetables of your choice, including these options:  zucchini, squash slices, mushrooms, onion, tomatoes, pineapple, and bell pepper onto the skewers. Mix olive oil and seasonings into a bowl. Brush onto vegetables. Cook vegetables on a preheated grill until done, turning and reapplying oil as needed for about 15 minutes.   Turn your beans into a salad with this next recipe. It’s a delicious way to eat your beans in the summertime.  The added vegetables also add a lot of flavor to this side.

PINTO BEANS

1 ½ cups Dried Pinto Beans, soaked overnight and drained 2 tablespoons

Salt 2 medium Tomatoes, chopped

1 medium Onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon Lime Juice

1 teaspoon Salt

¼ cup Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic, minced (or garlic powder to taste)

¼ cup fresh Cilantro, chopped

Pepper to taste

After letting dried pinto beans soak overnight, drain them. Place beans in a large pot and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in salt and cook for another 30 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain beans. Let beans cool. Combi

ne lemon juice, lime juice. Add olive oil gradually until mixed well. Add garlic and cilantro. Pour dressing over warm beans and toss. Add chopped tomatoes and onions and toss well.

Get WIC Foods For Your Memorial Day Recipes at Grocery Services North

Get all your WIC groceries at Grocery Services North locations in Dallas, Waco, Tyler, and Longview. Find a location near you online. Find more great recipes on our blog.

March 2021

March Is National Nutrition Month®

2022-03-18T15:27:05+00:00March 22nd, 2021|Categories: Child Health, Mom Health, WIC Nutrition|Tags: , , , , |

You may have heard: It’s National Nutrition Month®! The campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics helps create awareness throughout the month to help raise awareness to eat healthy and get active with “Personalize your Plate.”  Among the tips are:

  1. Eat a variety of healthy foods every day.
  2. Plan your meals each week
  3. Learn skills to create tasty meals
  4. Consult a Registered Dietician Nutritionist when needed.

The organization has created a great website full of recipes, tips and guides for healthy eating in March in beyond. Their experts also offer great tips for expecting moms and mothers feeding babies and children.  (more…)

January 2021

Healthy Pregnancy, Food & WIC

2022-03-21T15:30:44+00:00January 26th, 2021|Categories: Meal Planning, Mom Health, Pregnancy|Tags: , , , , , |

What You Eat During Pregnancy Matters

Are you craving ice cream or pickles? 

 Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy. Hormones are in overdrive. You are using extra energy to grow a tiny human. It’s understandable if you have a few cravings. 

While you might be tempted to feed all your cravings, you might have to keep some of them in check. If you are craving a huge green salad by all means go for it. If you want to take down an entire pint of ice cream  in one sitting – every day – you might want to consider moderation.

Some women might think that you get “permission” to gain a lot of weight once you are pregnant. But you might be surprised it’s normal to gain about 25 to 35 pounds, depending on your pre-pregnancy weight. Sticking to a healthy routine will also make your delivery and post delivery easier. 

For a healthy pregnancy, Texas WIC advises that women carrying multiple babies might gain more. If you are overweight you may need to gain less. Also, weight gain will happen slowly. During the first 3 months, women usually gain 1 to 5 pounds. In the last 6 months, it may be more like 1 pound per week. Texas WIC experts also  recommend that most women only need an additional 350 to 450 calories a day during the last 6 months. 

HEALTHY NUTRITION HABITS & WIC 

While pregnant or breastfeeding, Texas WIC nutritionists encourage mothers to eat foods with vitamin c (tomatoes, strawberries and oranges). They also recommend eating two foods with iron together like chicken and beans. Getting calcium from dairy and fiber from fruits and vegetables also helps you and your baby.

Keep in mind you are now eating to fuel yourself and help grow your baby.  You both need lots of nutrients to help keep you healthy.

You can get a wide array of nutrients by eating a variety of foods.  It may also help to write down the foods  you eat each day to help make sure you are getting a good mix. Make sure you are eating vegetables, fruit, dairy, protein and whole grains. 

If you would like more tips for a healthy pregnancy, Texas WIC also offers the following free classes online, including Healthy Eating, Healthy Pregnancy and Nutrition

The class offers guidance to mothers about eating healthy foods to help them and their baby, explains heartburn, nausea and constipation during pregnancy and also offers tips to help stay healthy. 

HEALTH PREGNANCY WIC CLASSES

To take the classes, visit the Texas WIC website. Texas WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program for Woman, Infants and Children. To find out if you qualify, visit a Dallas Area WIC Clinic.

December 2020

5 Ways To Nest While Pregnant

2022-03-16T19:55:53+00:00December 27th, 2020|Categories: Mom Health, Pregnancy, WIC Nutrition|Tags: , , , , , , |

Prepare For Baby While Pregnant

Are you pregnant?

All of a sudden you have an undeniable urge to clean out your closets and make homemade decorations for your new baby’s room.  Trust us – it’s normal. Nesting is nature’s way of telling us it’s almost time to take care of your little one.  Nesting can actually occur at any moment in pregnancy, and while the sudden burst of energy to organize and clean everything may seem out of character, go ahead and embrace it. Just don’t overdo it! Here are 5 fun and safe ways to nest while you get ready for your baby: 

ORGANIZE YOUR PANTRY

This is an activity that will actually help you once the baby arrives. Once your pantry is organized you will quickly be able to find what you need. Toss out expired foods and canned goods. Make sure opened containers are sealed with clips. Arrange like items together (cereal, canned goods, spices, oils and staples like flour). If you want to really go overboard, head on over to your local dollar store for cute storage containers and labels to help you organize. This is a good time to organize ingredients to help make life easier once your baby arrives. 

MAKE FREEZER MEALS

Make freezer meals in advance to save time in the kitchen.

Finding time to cook will be hard once the baby arrives. Take any leftover veggies you didn’t eat this week, cook them up and store them in your freezer. This will save you lots of time when you need a quick meal on little sleep. Most fruits, vegetables and beans freeze well. Go ahead and research a few recipes for healthy freezer meals to get you started.  Texas WIC also offers a few health guidelines to keep in mind when searching for recipes.

START A PINTEREST BOARD

After you research those recipes go ahead and add them to a newly created Pinterest board. You can make a board of all the things that inspire you – activities for you and your baby, recipes, parenting tips and just about anything else that pops in your mind. It’s also a great way to relax!

PACK YOUR HOSPITAL BAG

Every mother has ideas on what to pack for the hospital. Call up a few family and friends to see what they suggest. Plus, it’s a great way to connect to loved ones.  You might want to consider comfortable clothes and extra underwear and a nursing bra, a cell phone charger, travel-size toiletries like shampoo, conditioner and toothbrush. Also when you head to the hospital don’t forget your ID and insurance card.

SELF CARE WHILE PREGNANT

Once your baby arrives, you will be short on sleep and time. This is the perfect time to get in some extra relaxation.  In fact, go ahead and get in as much time as you can doing all the things you enjoy. You deserve it.   

November 2020

Dinner Using Healthy WIC Food

2022-08-27T14:15:00+00:00November 17th, 2020|Categories: Meal Planning, Mom Health, Recipes, WIC Food, WIC Grocery Shopping, WIC Nutrition|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Tuna Melts: Easy Dinner With WIC Ingredients

Tuna packs a nutritional punch, and is a very healthy WIC food choice!

It offers protein, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B-12 and omega 3.

If you are pregnant, you must eat tuna and other high mercury fish in moderation, but that doesn’t mean you have to completely avoid it.  Pregnant and nursing mothers may eat up to 12 ounces of canned light tuna or other low mercury fish a week.  Canned Albacore tuna has higher mercury so it is only advised to eat 6 ounces a week. It’s also important that tuna is fully cooked and not raw, health experts advise. If you are pregnant, the omega-3 fatty acids in tuna also help your baby grow, especially in the development of your baby’s brain. 

HEALTHY WIC FOOD INSPIRED RECIPE 

There are plenty of ways to eat your weekly serving of tuna, whether it be a classic salad sandwich or wrap. This dinner recipe, using healthy WIC food, makes for a great sandwich, or can be enjoyed plain. Here’s the recipe that uses WIC-inspired ingredients: 

SKILLET TUNA PATTY MELTS

3 cans of tuna

4 potatoes, peeled

1 tomato, sliced

1/3 head of lettuce

1 avocado

Vegetable oil

Dash of salt, pepper

Boil potatoes until cracked. Mash potatoes. Drain 3 cans of tuna. Add tuna into the boil of mashed potatoes. Mix together. Add three eggs, dash of salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Form patties in your hand. Add oil to the pan. Cook patties on medium heat. Serve with lettuce, tomato and avocado. Enjoy while hot!

SHOP FOR HEALTHY WIC FOOD

Get all your WIC-approved foods at Grocery Services North, a chain of grocery stores that cater to WIC clients. The stores are conveniently located near WIC clinics, and carry only WIC-approved foods. Visit today to find out how easy WIC grocery shopping can be.  Find a store near you in Dallas, Waco, Tyler and Longview.

TEXAS WIC PROGRAM

TexasWIC is a special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children. To find out if you qualify, visit an Area WIC Clinic.