Northern Shenandoah Valley Food, Nutrition, and Health

11/07/2025

🦃🍽️ THANKSGIVING FOOD SAFETY — FROM THAWING TO LEFTOVERS!
Whether you're prepping the turkey, cooking the feast, or storing leftovers, the holidays are a big time for foodborne illness. But with a few simple steps, you can keep your family safe and enjoy every bite!
✅ THAW IT SAFELY
Use one of the 3 approved methods:
• Refrigerator — Safest method; allow 24 hours for every 4–5 lbs
• Cold-water — Change water every 30 minutes
• Microwave — Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and cook immediately
Never thaw a turkey on the counter — bacteria grows quickly in the Danger Zone (40°F–140°F).
✅ PREP & COOK IT SAFELY
• Wash hands for 20 seconds before and after handling raw turkey
• Use separate cutting boards for raw poultry and produce
• Never rinse raw turkey—this spreads bacteria
• Cook turkey to 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, thigh, and wing
• Keep hot foods ≥140°F and cold foods ≤40°F
✅ HANDLE LEFTOVERS THE RIGHT WAY
• Refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour if warm in the home)
• Cut turkey off the bone; store in shallow containers so it cools faster
• Eat leftovers within 3–4 days or freeze for 2–6 months
• Reheat all foods to 165°F
• When in doubt, throw it out!
🦃✨ BONUS: Scroll through for a clear, step-by-step guide on how to carve your turkey safely and beautifully!
These visuals were created to help our community enjoy a safe, delicious holiday season.
Presented by Virginia Cooperative Extension.

If you want, I can also create shorter versions, carousel captions, or versions tailored for Instagram or Canva!

10/01/2025

Virginia Cooperative Extension is excited to share a new publication:
👉 Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT): A Guide for Families

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment that supports families navigating behavior challenges such as ADHD, ODD, or other emotional and behavioral concerns.

This guide is designed to help parents and caregivers:
✅ Learn what PCIT is and how it works
✅ Gain an overview of the PRIDE skills used in therapy
✅ Discover practical tips families can begin using at home
✅ Access resources and support while waiting for therapy or testing services

Who might find this resource helpful?
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents and caregivers currently waiting for therapy or assessment
👩‍⚕️ Educators, counselors, and professionals who support families
🤝 Community partners who connect families with resources

This publication is not a replacement for PCIT, but it can provide families with tools and encouragement during the waiting period.

📖 Read the full guide here: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: A Guide for Families

This publication introduces Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a proven program to strengthen parent-child relationships and manage challenging behaviors in children ages 2–7. It explains the two main phases—Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) and Parent-Directed Interaction (PDI)—and offer...

09/30/2025

Set 3 Healthy Goals for October 🎯💚

Today’s challenge: As we wrap up September, take a moment as a family to set 3 healthy goals for October. Write them down and put them somewhere you’ll see them every day—like the fridge or a family bulletin board.

✨ Why it matters: Setting small, realistic goals keeps families motivated and builds long-term habits. Research shows that when goals are specific, measurable, and shared, they’re more likely to stick. Continuing the healthy steps you practiced this month—like family walks, colorful meals, and active play—will set you up for lasting success.

💡 Examples of Family Goals:

Take a 15-minute family walk after dinner 3 nights a week.

Add 1 extra fruit or veggie to each meal.

Plan one screen-free family activity each week.

📖 Did you know? Families that work toward health goals together are more likely to support each other, and kids who see parents stick to goals are more likely to keep up those habits as adults (CDC).

📚 Resource: CDC – Tips to Support Healthy Routines for Children and Teens https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/tips-parents-caregivers/index.html

👉 Share your family’s 3 healthy goals for October—we’d love to cheer you on! 🌟

Parents, guardians, and teachers can help children and teens develop healthy habits with these tips.

09/29/2025

Hidden Veggie Taste-Test Challenge 🥕🕵️‍♀️🍝

Today’s challenge: Make a recipe with a hidden veggie and see if your family can guess what’s inside! Kids love the mystery, and it’s a fun way to add more vegetables to your meals.

✨ Why it matters: Sneaking extra veggies into meals not only boosts nutrition (fiber, vitamins, minerals) but also helps kids develop a taste for foods they might normally turn down. Research shows repeated exposure—sometimes even “hidden” at first—can make kids more likely to accept and enjoy vegetables in the long run.

💡 Ideas for Hidden Veggies:

🥦 Blend spinach into smoothies.

🥕 Shred carrots or zucchini into muffins.

🍅 Add pureed veggies into pasta sauce.

🥔 Mash cauliflower into mashed potatoes.

📖 Did you know? Kids need exposure to a food 10–15 times before they might accept it. Hiding veggies can be a stepping stone toward getting them to enjoy them on their own. (Source: USDA MyPlate & Cooperative Extension)

🖍️ Bonus Fun: Don’t forget to check out our Sneaky Veggies Coloring Cook Book—a playful way to get kids excited about eating (and hiding!) their veggies.

09/28/2025

Try a New Healthy Recipe Together 👩‍🍳🥦🍴

Today’s challenge: Pick a new healthy recipe and cook it together as a family! Kids can help measure, mix, or taste-test—making the kitchen a place for learning and fun.

✨ Why it matters: Trying new recipes helps kids discover new foods and flavors. Cooking together teaches life skills, encourages teamwork, and makes kids more likely to actually eat the healthy meals they helped prepare.

💡 Ideas to Try:

🍲 A new veggie-packed soup.

🌮 Build-your-own tacos with beans, veggies, or lean protein.

🥗 A colorful salad with fruit, nuts, and cheese.

🍓 Homemade fruit parfaits with yogurt and granola.

📖 Did you know? Research shows that kids who are involved in meal prep are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables (CDC & USDA).

📚 Resources for Healthy Recipes: https://ext.vt.edu/food-health/family-nutrition-program/recipes.html

09/27/2025

Family Game Night 🎲💚

Today’s challenge: Plan a Family Game Night—but with a healthy twist! Choose active games that get everyone moving AND set out nutritious snacks to keep the energy up. More ideas: https://www.kindercare.com/content-hub/articles/2020/may/family-game-night-ideas

✨ Why it matters: Active play counts toward the CDC’s recommended 60 minutes of daily movement for kids. Pairing games with healthy snacks makes family fun time double as a wellness win. Research shows that families who play and eat together build stronger connections and healthier habits that last a lifetime.

💡 Ideas to Try:

Active Games: Charades, Twister, balloon volleyball, or a living-room dance-off.

Healthy Snacks: Popcorn with a sprinkle of parmesan, fruit kabobs, veggie sticks with hummus, or whole-grain crackers with cheese.

Bonus: Every time someone wins a round, everyone does 10 jumping jacks or a silly stretch!

📖 Did you know? Kids who engage in regular active play are more likely to have better focus, healthier weights, and stronger social-emotional skills. (Source: CDC & Cooperative Extension)

Family game nights are for more than just fun! Games help kids learn impulse control and how to follow directions. Get the fun started with some simple games.

09/26/2025

Add a Healthy Fat to Your Meal 🥑🐟🌰

Today’s challenge: Add one healthy fat to your meal today! Healthy fats fuel growing brains, keep tummies full longer, and help the body absorb important vitamins.

✨ Kid-Friendly Healthy Fat Ideas:

🥑 Avocado toast faces – spread avocado on whole grain bread and let kids make funny faces with veggie toppings.

🐟 Tuna or salmon salad wraps – simple, tasty, and packed with omega-3s for brain health.

🌰 Nut butter dip – apples, celery, or whole-grain crackers dipped in peanut or almond butter.

🥚 Egg muffins – mini baked eggs with cheese and spinach make an easy grab-and-go snack.

🫒 Olive oil drizzle – try a light drizzle on popcorn or roasted veggies.

📖 Did you know? Healthy fats, like those from fish, nuts, seeds, and avocado, support brain development, memory, and focus in kids (NIH). Replacing fried or processed fats with these options lowers the risk of heart disease later in life.

📚 Resources:

USDA MyPlate – All About Oils: https://myplate4chatbot.stg.platform.usda.gov/eat-healthy/more-key-topics #:~:text=About%20Oils,-Oils%20are%20fats&text=They%20come%20from%20many%20different,%E2%80%9D%20(HDL)%20cholesterol%20levels.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – Fats and Nutrition: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/

09/25/2025

Color-Themed Meal Challenge 🌈🥦🍓

Today’s challenge: Build a color-themed meal—pick one or two colors (like all green or red + orange) and see how many fruits and veggies you can include. Make it fun by letting kids choose the color!

✨ Why it matters: Each color of produce is packed with unique vitamins, minerals, and plant nutrients that help kids grow strong and stay healthy:

❤️ Red foods (tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon) – high in lycopene and vitamin C for heart health.

🧡 Orange/Yellow foods (carrots, sweet potatoes, corn) – rich in beta-carotene and vitamin A to support vision and immunity.

💚 Green foods (spinach, broccoli, peas) – loaded with iron, calcium, and vitamin K for healthy bones and blood.

💜 Blue/Purple foods (blueberries, eggplant, grapes) – packed with antioxidants to support memory and brain health.

🤍 White foods (cauliflower, mushrooms, bananas) – provide potassium and compounds that boost immunity.

📖 Did you know? The USDA and Cooperative Extension recommend aiming for a “rainbow of produce” across the week because no single color has all the nutrients our bodies need. The more colorful the plate, the more balanced the nutrition.

💡 Tip: Have kids help build their plate and then share what each color does for the body. It turns mealtime into both nutrition and science fun!

09/24/2025

Sweet Swap: Fruit for Dessert 🍓🍎🍇

Today’s challenge: Tonight, trade in your usual dessert for a serving of fresh fruit. Try berries with yogurt, apple slices with cinnamon, or frozen grapes for a cool treat. 🍨➡️🍓

✨ Why it matters: Fruit gives kids natural sweetness plus fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants—without the added sugars found in cookies, cakes, or candy. Research shows that children who regularly eat fruit are less likely to develop obesity and chronic diseases later in life (CDC).

📖 Did you know? The average child in the U.S. eats far more added sugar than recommended. Swapping even one dessert a day for fruit can cut calories, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and teach kids that healthy can be delicious!

💡 Tip: Make fruit fun—create fruit kabobs, rainbow fruit bowls, or let kids “decorate” their yogurt with fruit toppings.

09/23/2025

Family “Simon Says” Stretch 🧘‍♀️👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Today’s challenge: Play Simon Says: Stretch Edition! Take turns being Simon and call out moves like “Simon says reach for the sky,” “Simon says touch your toes,” or “Simon says twist side to side.”

✨ Why it matters: Kids learn healthy habits by watching the adults around them. Research shows that children with active parents are 5x more likely to be active themselves (Framingham Children’s Study). Families who cook, play, and move together build habits that can last a lifetime—helping kids grow into healthier adults who will one day model the same behaviors for their own children.

📖 Did you know? The CDC recommends at least 60 minutes of daily activity for kids. Making it a family game—whether stretching, dancing, or walking together—makes that goal easier to reach. Studies also show kids who develop healthy habits with their parents are more likely to keep them up 10 years later into adolescence and adulthood (NIH). That’s generational change in action!

💡 Tip: End your game with “Simon says take a big deep breath.” A perfect way to reset, laugh, and relax as a family.

📚 Learn more:

CDC – Preventing Childhood Obesity: 6 Things Families Can Do https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/family-action/index.html

NIH – Shape Your Family’s Habits https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/07/shape-your-family-s-habits

👉 What’s the funniest stretch your family can come up with? Share it below—we could all use a laugh while we stretch!

09/22/2025

Swap It Out 💧🥛

Today’s challenge: Trade one sugary drink for water or milk. Skip soda, sports drinks, or fruit punch and go for a healthier choice instead.

✨ Why it matters: Sugary drinks are the #1 source of added sugar in kids’ diets. Drinking them regularly can lead to weight gain, tooth decay, and a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Even one small swap a day makes a difference for long-term health.

💡 Kid-Friendly Tips:

Add lemon, orange slices, or berries to water for natural flavor.

Keep a fun reusable water bottle for each child.

Choose low-fat or fat-free milk for strong bones and teeth.

📖 Did you know? Children who drink water instead of sugary beverages consume fewer calories per day and have healthier body weights overall. (CDC)

📚 Resources:
CDC - Rethink Your Drink: https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/rethink-your-drink/index.html

CDC - Preventing Type 2 Diabetes in Kids https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention-type-2/type-2-diabetes-in-kids.html

09/21/2025

Plan Your Lunches Together 🥪🍎

Today’s challenge: Sit down as a family and plan tomorrow’s lunches together! Let kids help pick what goes in their lunchbox—it makes them more excited to eat it and helps build healthy habits.

✨ Why it matters: When kids pack their own lunch (or help pack), they learn about balanced meals and are more likely to eat what they’ve helped choose. Planning ahead also cuts down on last-minute unhealthy choices.

🥗 Healthy Lunch Ideas (MyPlate style):

Protein: lean turkey, beans, cheese, or hummus

Veggies: carrot sticks, cucumber slices, bell peppers

Fruits: apple slices, grapes, berries

Grains: whole-grain bread, wrap, crackers

Dairy: yogurt, string cheese, or milk

📚 Resources:

Rutgers NJAES “FS1242 Lunch Box Suggestions” – great ideas for how to build a healthy, kid-friendly lunchbox. https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1242/

MyPlate – Start Simple with MyPlate App – an app to help families track what they eat and plan meals around the MyPlate food groups. https://www.myplate.gov/resources/tools/startsimple-myplate-app

💡 Tip: Create a lunch “station” in your kitchen—small containers or ingredients for each MyPlate food group. Let kids assemble their lunchbox: they choose one item from each group. Makes packing fun and balanced!

👉 What are some of your child’s favorite lunchbox items? Share below—might give others new ideas!