Stop Eating! Recycle Halloween Candy

As I sit here looking at the bowl of candy ready for trick or treating, trying to convince myself I will only eat “one”. I decide to take action by moving the candy so it is not wearing on my self control. By “Storing” (hiding) it in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight until ready to “use”. Most candy will easily keep four to six months. Check the best if used by dates on packaging to be sure. To take my mind off eating candy I have decided to share some creative ways to recycle Halloween candy. I sometimes even buy half price candy after Halloween for holiday baking. Many types of small individual candies such as M&M ® can replace chocolate chips or nuts in your favorite recipes that incorporate ingredient as mix-ins.

The traditional chocolate bar (dark or milk) is great for drizzle or icing on many different items such as ice cream, cakes, cookies, or fresh berries. Simply replace the chocolate chips with candy bars chopped into chuck size pieces. CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening (do not use spread or oil) 1. In small microwave-safe bowl microwave chocolate and butter at MEDIUM (50%) for 30 seconds; stir. 2. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Other candy bars with filling such as nugget, nuts, mint crème or caramel can all be used as filling or topping for different types of cookies. I have shared a new recipe my children love.

EASY CANDY BAR COOKIES Dough Base 1 cup Granulated Sugar ¾ cup Butter 1 tsp vanilla 1 egg 2 cups all purpose flour 1. Heat oven to 350⁰F. Spray sides and bottom of 9x13x1 inch pan with baking spay. 2. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter beat until light and fluffy. 3. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. 4. Add flour mix well. Spread half dough in bottom of pan and ½ inch up the sides. 5. Cut unwrapped candy in half lengthwise then arrange single layer candy on top of dough in bottom of pan. 6. Roll out remainder of dough and cover candy making sure candy is sealed inside dough. 7. Place pan on baking sheet in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. 8. Cool cut into bars. Gummy candy works well for decorating gingerbread houses or, making sand or dirt cup desserts. Stained glass cookies are a great creative way to use hard candy many recipes are readily available online. That leaves us with one of my favorites Tootsie® rolls. Pastry chefs refer to this product as molding chocolate with its main ingredients consisting of heavy corn syrup and melted chocolate. These ingredients enable this product to be molded and shaped with your hands to use as decorations on cakes, gingerbread houses or individual shaped candies think hearts. I saved you this time from eating all the Halloween candy, so you have time to either build up your will power or give the joy away to others as gifts. Enjoy.

How Much Do You Spend on Food Weekly?

Can you feed your family of four on $68.88 a week? With the national unemployment rate at 8.9% many families for the first time have applied for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as the federal food stamp program. Several factors determine the actual amount each family receives in food stamps dollars, however the national average for a family of four at the end of 2009 was $275.53 a month, or about $68.88 a week.

A family of four including two children between the ages of 6 and 11 spends an average of $156 per week on groceries. Each additional child would add to that bill. For instance, a one year-old would add an additional $22 per week. An 18 year-old son would mean an extra $45 per week. So what tips and ideas can be used to reduce what we spend on food? Several Blog post have been written about saving at the grocery store. Check them out: January 16, 2009 "Surviving a Recession Without Gaining Weight" by Kathy DiGuiseppe and March 27, 2009 post "Stop Rising Cost from Eating up Food Budget" by Mandel Smith.

Another area is to not waste food once we get it home. The average American family throws away 14% of their food according to a USDA funded study in 2004. In terms of money, that's almost $600 every year in meats, fruit, vegetables and grain products. So here are some helpful tips to reduce waste.

• Track daily meals for a week to see where waste is happening.
• Use highly perishables items first such as berries, dairy, and salad items.
• Create a "leftovers" or "to use up" list and to post it on the fridge.
• Freeze small quantities of vegetables, rice or noodles to add to casseroles or soups.
• Use see-through storage containers for refrigerated leftovers.
• Use leftovers in next-day breakfasts, lunches, snacks, or dinners.
• Label, date, and freeze leftover main dishes in meal-size servings.
• Check supplies before going to the store.
• Write the date on packaged foods before storing in freezer or cupboard. Arrange supplies so the oldest items are in front so you will see and use them first.
• Post a written inventory of what's in your freezer; designate a specific area for ready-to-reheat leftovers.
• Make less by reducing the size of the recipe you're preparing.

100 Calorie Snack Packs--Thinning On Your Wallet or Your Waist?

A few years ago 100 calorie snack packs hit grocery store shelves. The explosive demand for 100 calorie snack packs has generated nearly 200 million in sales last year alone. Selections range from crackers pretzels, chips, pudding to yogurt. But are the manufacturers thinning our wallet or our waist? You decide.

You're paying for the extra packaging! With a full bag of pretzels, the cost is about 17 cents an ounce as compared with a 100-calorie snack pack, that same pretzel cost nearly 40 cents an ounce. Single-use packaging also means more waste for the environment.

Are they really a healthy choice? I recently purchased an assortment of 100 calorie snacks. The first thing I noticed was that there wasn't much in each package. Upon reading nutrition facts labels many are free of trans-fats and low in sugar, but don't confuse them with a nutritious snack. Most are highly processed, and not nearly as good for you as fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus, 100 calorie snack packs don't always taste exactly like their regular counterparts. That said, some 100-calorie packs do contain less fat and sugar than regular cookies and crackers. Just remember while junk food may satisfy your craving, it does little to satiate your hunger. But for those times when only a cookie will do and you are faced with a full-size version of your favorite indulgence and weak willpower, then a 100 calorie snack maybe what you need.

What is a healthy 100 calorie snack? Look for choices that will satisfy your hunger and meet your nutritional needs. To keep your appetite in check, make sure your snacks include a bit of protein, fiber, carbohydrate, and fat.

Fatten your wallet and thin your waist! Prepare your own 100-calorie snacks built around foods you like to eat. Read nutritional fact labels on foods to determine the appropriate serving size for 100 calories.

The following are a few ideas to get you started:

• Half an apple with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
• An orange and a few dry-roasted nuts
• 10 almonds
• 3 ounces low-fat cottage cheese and 3 whole-wheat crackers
• 1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing with mixed raw veggies
• 6 Wheat Thins crackers with two teaspoons of peanut butter (or any nut butter)
• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice, eaten as sorbet
• 3 handfuls of unbuttered popcorn, seasoned with herbs
• 4-6 ounces of no-fat or low-fat yogurt
• Half a "finger" of string cheese with 4 whole-wheat crackers

The Changing Face of Hunger in Delaware County

We had a great day on Friday when over 120 people attended the Changing Face of Hunger in Delaware County awareness day on Friday, March 6, 2009 at Widener University in Chester, PA. The keynote speaker, Dr. Mariana Chilton, principal investigator for the Grow Project at Drexel University, challenged the audience to think about the living conditions that contribute to hunger.

A panel of CityTeam, Loaves and Fishes, the Bernardine Center and the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger shared success stories regarding recruiting and retaining volunteers and finding funding for food cupboards and food resources. Good tips for any organization that depends on volunteer assistance!

Lunch provided an opportunity for participants to peruse displays from WIC, the Food Trust, Penn State Nutrition Links, DCIU Head Start, CityTeam, CAADC (SNAP-food stamps),Chester Food Coop, DIFAN, NDS-Archdiocese of Phila., Philabundance, SHARE, Bernardine Center, COSA and Greater Phila. Coalition Against Hunger. This was a wonderful chance to network and find out what resources were provided by these organizations.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are often missing in diets when money is tight. Panelists from the Food Trust Farmer's Markets, Philabundance's Fresh for All, SHARE and Penn State Urban Master Gardeners shared where to find these foods in Delaware Co. at low cost, free and where WIC participants and seniors can use summer farmer'smarket vouchers.

The day wrapped up with FRAC's Ellen Teller, advocate for hunger issues in Wash DC, who stressed that we all need to let our legislators know what we are doing to address hunger in our county, what our clients need and how our representatives can vote to support adequate food for all.

Many thanks to the planning committee of Amy Nardi, Marilyn Sileo, Linda Freeman, Kelly Hile, Karen May, Sr. Josandra Ciucci, Sr. Rose MacDermott, Linda Wolk, Cynthia Barrar, Filomena Ahlefeld, Kathy Hornberger, Anne Ayella, Alan Edelstein, Barbara Myers, and Fran Alloway.

Are you Food Secure?

Do you have enough food in your house to feed your family? Do you skip meals to stretch food throughout the week? Or until the next paycheck arrives? Have you begun to purchase food at the dollar store instead of the grocery store? Are you worried about providing for your children? Food insecurity is a term used to describe a lack of accessable food to provide a healthy diet obtained in an acceptable manner. While the use of food banks may provide food for the hungry, for most this is not a socially acceptable source. As the unemployment rate rises, food resources are seeing larger numbers of applicants and less donations. Demand at food cupboards increased 30% in 2008 according to a survey from Feeding America, which distributes more than two billion tons of food each year. These numbers were confirmed in Delaware County, PA food cupboards where directors reported a 34% increase in clients in September 2008 from September 2007. WIC, which provides supplemental food for low income pregnant women and children from birth to age five has also seen an increase that exceeds their capacity to provide infant formula, dairy products, beans and peanut butter and cereal to new families. A Philadelphia phone survey of 10,000 households in the five surrounding counties for the Community Health Data Base found that nearly one in ten suburban households, one in five urban households, skipped or cut back a meal due to lack of money. Unfortunately, cut backs can include healthy choices such as milk, vegetables and fruit. Lower quality food choices do not provide the nutrients needed to support good health and can lead to greater incidences of chronic disease. Ironically, obesity rates are highest in communities where food insecurity is highest. Fortunately the US Stimulus Bill that was passed this week will increase the money available for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), funding for food cupboards (TEFAP), WIC site support and school lunch and breakfast programs. Food resources are also available for seniors and WIC clients through summer fruit and vegetable vouchers, hot lunches at senior centers and afterschool snacks and summer meals for children at low income sites. Penn State Cooperative Extension provides educational resources to assist low income households stretch their food dollars, prepare lower cost meals that meet nutritional needs, and make better food purchases that are nutrient dense, not calorically dense. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and SNAP-Ed programs are federally funded to assist food stamp eligible persons to use their food dollars wisely. For more information on these programs in PA, check http://nutrlinks.cas.psu.edu. In Delaware Co, a conference will be held on March 6, 2009 to address many of the issues related to hunger, allow opportunities for networking and discuss solutions. The Changing Face of Hunger in Delaware County will be held at Widener University, Chester, PA . For a brochure, go to http://delaware.extension.psu.edu. Penn State Cooperative Extension, Southeast Region, has also assembled resources on a website, http://extension.psu.edu/livingbetter. Included are educational materials and classes to help you live better for less. Check out these materials and learn to grow a garden, stretch food dollars, purchase healthy food for less, find sources of free food and budget your money. I hope that you don’t feel food insecure in the year ahead.