Smart Families Food Coop

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Cooking it up Healthy & Saving Time

Do you find yourself staring in your fridge, freezer or cupboards trying to figure out what to make for your next meal? Use these simple tips to save you time and help you out on those busy or unmotivated days.

Go for Slow:
A slow cooker is a great kitchen appliance that can help you have a hot dinner on the table without much fuss. Simply follow your slow cooker recipe and go about your busy day. The food cooks slowly and safely.

Big-Batch it!
Weekends can be a great time to prepare big batches of food that can be refrigerated or frozen for later use. Get together with the family, friends or neighbors and share the work. Foods such as soups, stews, chili, casseroles, muffins, loaves and pancakes are perfect foods to 'big-batch'. Consider a pressure cooker: A pressure cooker will help you make delicious stocks, soups, stews and bean dishes which taste like slow cooked, but in a fraction of the time. Technology has advanced so that they now come with many safety features.

Make your freezer your friend!
Many standard recipes can be doubled or tripled and frozen in meal sized airtight containers or resealable freezer bags that can be quickly defrosted on nights when time is tight.

Resource: Dietitians of Canada: Cook It Up Healthy! Time Saving Techniques

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Spring Into Action!

Hi Everyone, the weather is finally starting to warm up which means it's time to get outdoors, strike up the barbeque and enjoy some delicious and healthy spring meals and fun outdoor physical activities with your family.

The average high school student spends over 23 hours/week watching TV. Add to that your computer time. All this time spend in front of a screen is time you miss being physically active. Try for an hour of physical activity each day!

Children and youth need to move more! Encourage them to join in activities they enjoy. An active lifestyle with at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day brings health benefits now, and helps them grow up to become healthy, active adults.

Children aged 5-11 and youth aged 12-17 should get at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity. But more is even better.

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April is Dental Health Month
Brush up on your Dental Health!

Simple Tips for Parents - A Healthy Child and Healthy Smile

1. Right from birth wipe baby's gums everyday using a damp cloth - switch to a brush by age 1.
2. The First dental check-up is recommended by one year of age.
3. Children under 3 years of age only need plain water on the toothbrush.
4. A green pea size toothpaste will do for children over 3 years of age-teach them to spit out paste.
5. Ensure you are using a toothpaste that contains Fluoride to help fight cavities.
6. Help your child to brush until they are 6 or 7 years old.
7. When eating sweets, serve them with a meal to help wash away the sugars.

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March is Nutrition Month Across Canada!

Know what strengthens family ties, passes on valued traditions, teaches skills and improves the family diet? Cooking together!

"Celebrate food… from field to table" has picked up momentum this year by inviting families to cook and eat healthy and tasty meals together. Nutrition Month 2011 is also about showing Canadians how to make cooking together fun – and Canadian!

Once you start cooking together using quality, home-grown Canadian foods, you'll wonder what took you so long... It's a deliciously fun way to eat healthy – together.

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Message From The SFFC President

On behalf of the SFFC board I would like to thank everyone that has been participating in our Good Food Box program. Hopefully everyone has enjoyed the great selection and excellent quality of the foods that are offered. In addition to the Good food Box, SFFC also operates a "extra foods Store" where many other items are available on a daily basis. Please drop by the store to see the selection offered. Should anyone have any suggestions or comments in regards to either the Good Food Box program or items offered in the store, we would be very pleased to review all suggestions or feedback.

Thanks again and hopefully everyone will continue to enjoy the products offered.

Merle Lacert
SFFC president

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Message From The Coordinator

HI EVERYONE, I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL AS WE ARE NOW IN 2011.

WE ARE WANTING TO GO MORE GREEN AND BY DOING THAT WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IN BAGS OR BOXES YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY USED OR EVEN WHEN PICKING UP YOUR FOOD BOXES IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

ALSO, CAN YOU MARK DOWN ON YOUR CALENDAR WHEN THE DUE DATE IS WHEN TO PICK UP FOOD BOXES AS WE HAVE NO SPACE TO KEEP THE FOOD IN OUR OFFICE. THANK YOU!

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Easy Banana Bread Recipe!!!

• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of soft margarine
• 2 eggs, unbeaten
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup mashed bananas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the sugar, margarine and eggs for 3 minutes.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, walnuts (optional) and mashed bananas.
4. Grease a regular size loaf pan.
5. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until
   tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool, Slice and Serve.

Tips: Replacing the sugar for splenda turns into a great Diabetic dessert or a treat that those of us watching our calories.

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"An Apple a day keeps the Doctor away!"

Who hasn't heard this old saying, and it may be true to a certain degree! If apples are one or more of the 7-10 servings of vegetables and fruit adults need every day or one or more of the 4-6 servings of vegetables and fruit children need daily - they will certainly help keep the Doctor away, because eating fruit and veggies is one of the ways to be healthy.

Apples do supply a good source of fibre (good soluble fiber– the type that lowers cholesterol) if you eat the peel. They are good tooth cleaners and gum stimulators!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010 promises to be an exciting year here at Smart Families Food Co-operative.

Our Good Food Box program has expanded to include SFFC EXTRA FOODS.

We have a list of items available for sale in the RIVER BANK DEVELOPMENT OFFICE. Such items include:

• milk,
• bread,
• eggs,
• pasta/sauce,
• tuna,
• margarine,
• soup,
• rice,
• frozen mixed veggies,
• ground beef,
• Michelina's frozen meals,
• and ready-to-eat soups

We are open Monday—Friday 9am-5pm (closed over lunch except on Wednesdays )

Where do you go to save?
River Bank Development Office
1350 15th Ave. West
Prince Albert, SK

For more information
call 763-0242

Fruit of the Month — Kiwis

How to select:
For the sweetest, fullest flavor, choose plump, fragrant kiwi fruit that yield to gentle pressure, like ripe peaches. Unripe fruit has a hard core and a tart, astringent taste. If only firm kiwis are available, ripen them for a few days before eating them.

To ripen firm kiwis, leave them at room temperature, but away from heat or direct sunlight, for a few days to a week.

Did you know ...

Kiwi is BURSTING with Vitamin C. One kiwi has 120% of the recommended daily allowance for this disease-protective vitamin.