Don't Think I Forgot About You!

Hello Healthy Kids! (jump up to say hello!)

How is everyone?? (jump up if you're doing awesome!)

I am doing very well. FAN-tastic, actually. I've been teaching kids in college how to eat healthy. Are YOU still eating healthy and staying fit? I sure hope so! Reading the Nutrition Facts Label, cooking, eating the rainbow, and dancing will always be some of my most favorite things.

I've also been busy with my new baby girl, who will be turning three months old in just a few days! Her name is Michelena (pronounced mi-shuh-lay-nuh) and she's just as awesome as you all were. She's just starting to learn how to stand and she sends you all a great big smile!

I've also been busy because I'll be moving to California in the new year. Yeah, that's right, California! That's on the complete other side of the country! I'm nervous but excited. Wish me luck that there won't be any earthquakes!

Keep me posted on how you are all doing. I miss you all lots! And have a Happy & Healthy New Year!

lots of love,
Ms. Marguerita

Happy First Day of Summer!!

Hello Healthy Eating-Fit Kids!


Happy First Day of Summer!!


School is almost over and soon everyone will be on vacation. Woohoo!


What exciting things does everyone have planned?

I'm excited that the New York City public pools will open when school is over so I can go swimming!

I also can't wait to go to the park with family and friends for picnics with all sorts of healthy treats like grape & cheese sandwiches on toothpicks, all sorts of salads, whole grain bread with hummus and apple, and mushroom pizza!

And of course I'll be happy to have more time dancing!

I miss dancing with you all. But I wanted to thank Mr. L for taking over fitness classes. I'm sure it was a ton of fun. Tell me what you guys did and learned. I want to learn too!

And if you can get your hands on a camera, send me pictures and videos! I can post them on this blog to share with all the other classes if you want.

Also! If you enjoyed this year's Nutrition and Fitness Classes TELL YOUR TEACHERS! TELL YOUR PARENTS! TELL THE PRINCIPAL! TELL THEM YOU WANT THIS PROGRAM NEXT YEAR! It's super important to continue learning how to be healthy, always!


And remember, if you ever have any questions, post a comment or send an email! I'll definitely share with you what I know!



Teachers and Parents!

Your kids did an awesome job this year. In case any of you want to award [and encourage] them with a Strong Body Recognition, you're more than welcome make copies of the image to right.



..And finally, TALES Students:
You all did super *AWESOME* this year! Keep it up!



Eat Nutritious! [Read Labels! Don't Be Tricked By Marketing!] Stay Active! Keep Healthy!


And Keep In Touch!

High fives & Hugs all 'round!

Fly Around and Away!

Hello Fit Kids!

Finally! The good weather is here for us to play outside! Woohoo!

Today, I saw these kids building strong arms..



When everyone is holding on tight, an adult spins the blue wheel around..



And away kids fly!



And jump for a landing..




Super cool and super FUN!

What are you doing to build strong arms?

• Lifting heavy things?
  
• Doing push-ups?
  
• Climbing the jungle gym at school?
  
• Swimming away from scary sharks? Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

Tell me how you're building STRONG biceps, triceps, and forearms!

(Type your answer below! Click COMMENTS.)

PS. I miss you guys more!

Jump Jump Jump..

Check this out Fit Kids:

           Ms. Marguerita in a Jump Rope Contest!

How many jumps can YOU do?

(Type your answer below! Click COMMENTS.)

Healthy Homes: Earth & Body

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYBODY!!


Ms. Marguerita misses you lots!

Just like our bodies, we all need to be taking care of Earth, our home, as well.

That's what Earth Day and everyday is all about. For Earth, it's about the 3R's-- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle-- ask your teachers to learn more. For our bodies it's about eating healthy and being active.

Now tell me, who's still eating healthy and keeping active?

Show me your muscles!! Grrrrrrrr!


PS. I'm working on getting a fitness-dance video with all of you as the stars of the show. Cross your fingers it'll happen before the school year is over!! ;>...

m-m-my telephone

yoga Crow

Just keep trying, is what I learned from this pose. When I was taking classes and this pose came around, I would always pretend like I was trying to do it. What I didn't realize was that I was actually trying. Then one day, for a split second, it happened-- two feet were up. That was one of my rare yet precious yoga moments. This pose really is about tapping into your core.

Yoga HeadstAnds: Part Deux (aged).

Better than the first? or worse?.

Let me know what you think.

...having a great time playing around with sound. [grin].

Start of series?. first iMovie ever: Yoga Headstands.

Not all milks equal: check for CALCIUM for StRoNg BoNeS!.. and.. Beware Saturated Fat!

In our last nutrition class, we learned about dairy.
Dairy refers to milk and anything made from milk, like cheese, yogurt, and butter.

Where does milk come from?
We learned that milk comes from animals called mammals. Mammals produce [make] milk for their babies. Examples of mammals include cows [moo], sheep, goat, dogs, pigs, whales...


and... don't forget, [human] mommies make milk for their babies too!

We [humans] are the only animals to eat/drink the milk of other animals. Kind of strange, huh?. Animals, like cows [whose milk we eat/drink the most of], don't make milk for us but for their baby cows, aka. calves.

Some people don't like animal milk. For some it may be the taste, for others it may upset their stomach.

So instead of drinking animal's milk, a lot of people drink 'alternative milk', like soy milk. It's not really milk because it doesn't come from an animal but it's very similar to milk.

The one drawback of non-animal milk made from soy, rice, and nuts is that these milks don't naturally have calcium in them. We learned that calcium is found in animal's milk and is super important in building strong bones.


When I was young, I didn't drink 'regular' [cow's] milk because it upset my stomach-- a lot of Asians, African and Native Americans, in particular, have this 'problem', aka. lactose intolerance. So instead, I drank soy milk...


I know a lot of students at TALES drink 'wah ta nai', a particular brand of soymilk by Vitasoy and the one you see me drinking above. I don't drink it anymore, but when I did, I remember this particular soy milk did NOT have calcium added to it-- not all 'alternative' milks do. It's important to remember that when you choose a soy milk, it should be FORTIFIED with CALCIUM and not have too much added sugar. A little bit of sugar is ok [~6-7 g] and actually sort of necessary for it to taste somewhat good but too much, well, is too much..

So, does your milk have enough calcium?.
Check on the Nutrition Facts Label. It should look something like this: Calcium 30%.

Can you find 'Calcium' on these labels for nonfat [Label A] and 2% [Label B] milk?

We also started to learn about Saturated Fat-- the 'bad' fat that's not good for our hearts. Animal milk and products can be high in saturated fat-- not good-- like cheese and butter. That's why it's important not to eat too much of these foods.

Look at the labels again. Can you find how much 'Saturated Fat' is in nonfat versus 2% milk?. Which milk should YOU be drinking?.

Let me know in the Comments section at the bottom of this post!

i gotta feelin woo hooo

Real Fruit, Fake Fruit... kNOw the difference!

Real fruit, fake fruit?.. What does that mean? ..[keep reading, and you'll find out!]


..mmm FRUIT!.. I love fresh fruit! It's healthy, right?..

It sure is. For the same reasons as we learned about vegetables. Take a look..



We get fiber from whole fruit. The least processed it is, the better. That is..

• Eating an orange is better than drinking orange juice.


• Eating an unpeeled apple is better than eating applesauce.


• Eating fresh strawberries is better than eating strawberry jam.

Like vegetables, fruit is loaded with [has a lot of] vitamins, minerals, and antioxidents. In particular, fruit is loaded with Vitamin C, which is a great thing especially during this time of year-- winter, when a lot of people get/are sick. Vitamin C helps us not get sick and, when we are, helps us get better faster. I love to eat oranges during the winter because not only are they high in Vitamin C but they're also in season, which means I can easily find them at the market, they're cheaper than off-season prices, and they're fresh, which means super delish.

Antioxidents work like Vitamin C. They're found in 'real' food, so if you think taking a supplement, or vitamin pill, will take care of everything, then you're sorely mistaken. There's still a lot in food that we don't know about so stick to the real stuff-- who wants to eat 'fake' food anyway?

So what is this 'real' food, 'fake' food business? ..umm, that's exactly what it is! A business. Food companies try to make their food product seem healthier by labeling or marketing their products as containing fruit. More often than not, however, these so-called 'fruit' products have hardly any fruit in them, if any at all. Instead, there can be a lot of unhealthy ingredients like...



Look at the third item on this list: 'Red No. 40, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1,2'.
We learned, again like vegetables, it's healthy to eat a RAINBOW of fruit. That means a lot of different colored fruit. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, and white. Yup, there's fruit that have each of these colors. So when food companies make their products they keep in mind that consumers [people who eat their products] want to see color to believe that there's fruit. We eat with all of our senses, including our eyes. We are very likely to eat something if it tastes good. Same: we are very likely to buy something if it looks good. And, of course, companies want us to buy.
But instead of seeing the color of 'real' fruit, we often see 'fake' colors added, or artificial food coloring like Numbers 40, 6, and 1,2. Who wants to eat chemicals??

Here's some examples of some of the cheap fakers we looked at:



Fruit's sweet too. I sometimes call it Nature's Candy-- the only candy I eat really.. In addition to ingredients lists, we also checked to see how many grams (g) of sugar were in these products on the Nutrition Facts label on the back of the packages.


Sometimes it's how foods are processed and packaged that can severely change how healthy something is too. Again, it's all about the ingredients. Take a look at these two cans of peaches. The difference can be found right on the front of the label.



But check out the back to see what this translates into..



Scary, huh? Two people can be eating canned peaches but depending on which can they came from one might be eating TWICE the amount of sugar and calories than the other.

Lesson to learned: READ LABELS!! There's no other way to get around it if you are going to eat processed, packaged foods-- which we all do. FRESH produce [fruits/vegetables] usually don't have labels. Nature-made is best, so choose them often, then you might not have to read so much. [grin].

A lot to be thankful for.. Let's celebrate!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I'm off to go workout before spending the rest of the day cooking and spending time with friends and family.

This year, as usual, I am thankful to have a healthy body and mind. This year, in particular, I am thankful that I get to take advantage of both at TALES. I love working with all my classes-- dancing, learning, cooking, laughing, I must say, are my top favorites.

On the menu at today's Thanksgiving Day party I'll be going to, there will be a cultural blend of foods. There'll be a traditional American turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce; spinach salad; cooked cabbage; Spanish rice and beans; Puerto Rican pasteles, which is plaintain dough stuffed with some type of meat, like a tamale or, in Chinese cuisine, like zhong; clementines, which are festive in Chinese culture; and traditional American desserts including pumpkin and apple pie.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? What kind of activities and food do you do and eat? Will you help out with the cooking? I'd love to hear about it. Please do share in the comments section at the bottom of this post. And share, too, what you're thankful for this year.

I wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday. I'll see you all next week. Until then, here are the rest of the Cereal-Box-Design Contest winners-- what great potential marketers we have..

time to hit the kitchen..

finaleeeeee.... THE RECIPEeeeeeS!!!!

PUMPKIN YOGURT with a GRAHAM CRACKER TOPPING

Pumpkin yogurt is a great treat that can be enjoyed as a healthy snack or dessert. It's a great source of calcium [from the yogurt] and vitamin A [from the pumpkin]. Moreover, it tastes great too! The yogurt makes it creamy, the pumpkin slightly sweet, and the graham crackers adds a nice contrasting crunch.

The recipe uses canned pumpkin, which is easy to use and available all year round. You can use fresh pumpkin as well-- it's currently in season-- just make sure to cook and puree it. If you decide to use the canned version, this is a great opportunity to READ THE LABEL to make sure you're buying/using '100% Pure Pumpkin' as opposed to 'Pumpkin Pie Mix', which has a ton of added sugar. There should be just one ingredient on the label's list: Pumpkin, duh.

Ingredients:

• 1 x 15 oz. can of 100% pure Pumpkin
• 2 cups plain Yogurt [fat free or low fat]
• 0-3 tbsp Sugar**
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon***


• 3 sheets Graham crackers

Directions:
Place the first FOUR ingredients together in a bowl. Mix/stir until well combined. Crush the graham crackers into pebble-size pieces using a ziplock bag. To serve, top with crushed graham crackers.

Notes:
**Sugar: There are three types of sugar that can be used in this recipe-- white sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup. White sugar just adds sweetness; brown sugar adds a slight flavor of molasses [that's what makes it brown]; and maple syrup, of course, adds a maple flavor. Choose the sweetener of your choice.
***Cinnamon: Other spice/flavoring options include.. Pumpkin Pie Spice-- this is not like the Pumpkin Pie Mix issue added sugar; this spice blend, in addition to cinnamon, has ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and/or clove. Using this spice blend will just add a more complexity to the flavor. Also, adding 1 tsp of vanilla extract is also an option.


MARINATED BALSAMIC BEETS

Beets are a red root vegetable and are slightly sweet. Because they're so dark in color, it's a good indication that they're rich in antioxidents.
Again, like the pumpkin, this recipe uses canned beets but you can certainly use fresh ones as well, just be sure to cook them. If using the canned version, be sure the label says 'NO SALT ADDED' and there isn't 'Salt' in the ingredients list. Most canned foods have way too much salt in them-- salt isn't a bad thing, but it is in excess. If you want salt in your dish, simply sprinkle in some yourself.

Ingredients:

• 1 x 15 oz can beets, sliced, no salt added**
• 1 tbsp balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive Oil

Directions:
Drain the beets and place them in a bowl. Mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pour the vinegar/oil dressing over the beets and toss.

Notes:
**You can save the drained beet liquid to use as a natural color enhancer. Say, for example, you make strawberry yogurt. You can add the beet liquid to the yogurt to make the yogurt even more red-- just for visual appeal is all [not to mention added antioxidents].


CORN SALAD SALSA
Same schpeel-- use No Salt Added canned or fresh, cooked corn.

Ingredients:

• 1 x 15 oz canned Corn [kernels, not cream style]
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1 Lime
• 1 tbsp olive Oil
• a few dashes Oregano to taste

Directions:
Drain the corn, if using canned, and place in a bowl. Dice the pepper and cucumber, and add to corn. Squeeze the lime juice, drizzle the oil, and sprinkle in the oregano all over the mix. Toss well until combined.


STUFFED MUSHROOM PIZZAS

Ingredients:

• Portabella mushrooms
• olive Oil
• Tomato sauce**
• Cheese, Italian blend***, shredded

Directions:

1. Remove the stems from the mushroom caps.**** Clean caps with a damp paper towel.
2. Rub the caps with oil and place in a pan [tops facing down].
3. Spoon the tomato sauce into the caps, then sprinkle cheese on top.*****
4. Bake in a 400degF oven for 12-20 min. until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Notes:
**I prefer the No Salt Added kind when using the store-bought version.
***You can just use mozzarella but a blend of 'Italian' cheeses-- including parmesan, asiago, provolone, and fontina and more [and better] flavor.
****The underside of the mushroom caps are what's called gills. Some people like them, others do not-- it's not about good or bad but simply preference. If you do not want them, remove them by scraping them out with a spoon, then wipe clean.
*****An alternative option is to place the cheese in the caps first, then top with sauce, for an untraditional version.


m's BRUSCHETTA SALAD

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer. Traditionally, it consists of toasted or grilled bread that is rubbed with garlic and topped with a mixture of fresh tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.
I created this recipe just this summer and it turned out to be my go-to for the rest of the summer. It's sooper refreshing and the flavor combo reminds me of the Italian appetizer, hence the name. Hopefully, this will inspire you to forgo bottled dressing evermore.

..umm, there aren't any ingredient amounts listed!.. Yes, that's true, don't be alarmed. Nature is not exact-- heads of lettuce, tomatoes, and lemons all come in different sizes so it makes it difficult to portion, or say 'how much' to use. Use as much lettuce as you [and whoever else you're feeding] want to eat; same goes for the tomatoes; as for lemons, try using the ratio of 1/2 a lemon to about 1/2 tbsp of oil-- toss the salad, then taste it; see which you need more of, perhaps it's neither. That's what's great about cooking: you can make a dish 'to [your personal] taste'. Remember, too, to start out adding little amounts because you can always add more, taking out, on the other hand, isn't as easy..

Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce
• Tomato[es]**
• 1 Lemon
• olive Oil
• Cheese, Italian blend, shredded

Directions:
Cut/rip the lettuce into manageable bite-sized pieces and dice the tomato; place both in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice, drizzle the olive oil, and sprinkle the cheese all over. Toss until well combined.

Notes:
**I prefer vine-ripened tomatoes because of their flavor but you can use your favorite.

classroom-turned-kitchen: lil chefs in the making..

We all learned about vegetables-- how healthy and colorful they are-- but had yet to taste them as we did after we learned about grains. To kick it up a notch, as one famous chef puts it, we not only tasted a rainbow but prepared/cooked one for ourselves as well.

Cooking! Yeah! [whole arm and fist in air, cheer with excitement..].

That is, not only did we eat healthy but we practiced healthy [behavior].

When polled, it seems that many students already help cook at home. From pancakes to broccoli to maggi [which I just learned about this week from students-- a type of noodle used in Indian cuisine-- thanks for sharing! I love learning about new foods]..

To review, we learned why cooking is important: It's because we can't rely on eating out at restaurants or 'prepared foods' establishments, both of which serve food that is prepared for a lot of people [to eat], often for profit [that is, to make money], and typically not that healthy. Why isn't it healthy?

Reasons include..

• too much fat


• too much salt


• too much sugar


• oversized portions, which make you eat too much


• and NOT enough nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and whole grains

Moreover, as some students pointed out, it co$t$ too much.

Does that mean we should never go out to eat?? Absolutely not. While eating out may not be optimally healthy, on occasion, it still has value..

• Time and practicality. Unfortunately, we don't always have time to go home and cook.


• Socializing. Sharing a meal, or eating together, is a satisfying means to spend time with others. That is often done outside the home.


• Exploration. Sometimes we can get into a cooking a rut, always cooking and eating the same things, which could get boring. Trying other people's food is a great way to get inspired in your own kitchen.


• EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!. For me, this is number one. When it comes to eating [healthy], extremes are NOT the answer and never going out to eat, in our society, at least, is definitely an extreme.

Before stepping into the classroom-turned-kitchen, we learned how to read a recipe-- an important skill for any novice cook.

Recipes come in three parts:

• Name: tells us what dish we are making.


• Ingredients list: tells us what in the dish and is cleverly listed in the order in which the ingredients will be used.


• Directions: tells us what to do with the ingredients and how to actually make the dish.

Before making anything, it's important to..

• Read a recipe in its entirety and get a vision of what you're going to do before you touch/do a thing.


• Then, you can go back to the ingredients list and gather all ingredients.


• Only until then, are you finally ready to start cooking. It may take a little while at first, but it'll be well worth the effort/wait!

Finally, onto the food!..

Each class made a total of five different vegetable recipes..

In our vegetable lesson, many students were excited about pumpkins. Some had even gone pumpkin-picking. Beyond something to paint or carve, however, I don't think many actually eat pumpkin, or winter squash. But you can! They're sweet, delicious, full of vitamins and minerals, and perfectly in season. So we made..

Pumpkin Yogurt with a Crunchy Graham Cracker Topping..



Marinated Balsamic Beets..



m's Bruschetta Salad..
'm'-- that's me, ms. marguerita. I created this salad this past summer-- it was my 'go-to'. Bruschetta is a type of appetizer, which you might see on an Italian menu. When I first made/ate this salad, that's what the flavors reminded me of, hence its name..
That's what's cool about cooking-- you get to take fresh ingredients that you like and make it into something absolutely delish! [..not to mention healthy]. Even more, you get the rights to name your own dish!



It's sooper refreshing and perfect for hot summer days. Once you try this, you'll never go back to the bottle [dressing] again..



Corn Salad Salsa..




Teamwork was integral to all of the recipes, including this one..



..and last but not least..

Stuffed Mushroom Pizzas..



For which we used a mini-oven to bake them in until they got bubbly and hot and filled the room with salivating aroma. Mmm mmm..



The plated rAiNbOw of yUmMm á la the lil' chefs of TALES..



Recipes to come...

Sunday @The Pit

I spent part of my Sunday in New York's Chinatown.. not the one near school in Flushing, but the other one in lower Manhattan. I got blackberries for $1 [yum] then spectated one of my most favorite sports.

Being healthy requires staying active, which might not always seem easy. The key is to find things you enjoy doing and vary it up. There are so many activities out there, sometimes it's just a matter of discovery. Try this one on for size...


Have you ever heard of a sport called 'polo'? According to Wikipedia...

'Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a long-handled mallet. The traditional sport of polo is played at speed on a large grass field up to 300 yards in length, and each polo team consists of four riders and their mounts.'

Horses. psha. So passe. Bikes: they don't smell, don't need to be fed, and don't leave piles behind..


..and you can still do cool tricks with them...

There's just as many moves...

And just as much competition...

So here's how it works...
There's three [not four] players to a team. Teams are blindly chosen at random-- three mallets thrown to each side of the court.

Players pick up their mallet if so chosen...



..then proceed to their side of the court with their other two teammates. The ball is placed in the center of the court. Someone shouts 1-2-3-go and the game begins.

Players race to get possession of the ball...



The object is 'simple': get the ball into the goal, defined by two cones.



umm... did i say 'simple'..? ..



..ha ha. yeah right. balance, strength, coordination, agility.. ..not letting your foot touch the ground, avoiding collision...



..are you up for it?

Join the club... They're a friendly bunch and write:

Now, our home court is The Pit at Chrystie & Broome Streets. We play there on Thursdays & Sundays. We play on a tennis court in Brooklyn on Flushing between North Portland & North Oxford on Tuesdays.. ..

Newcomers are always welcome. Come out with a bike and we’ll loan you a mallet. It might look & sound like a dangerous sport, and it is, but we’ll take it easy on you the first few times.

For more info: check out the NYC Bike Polo website.. ..and maybe I'll see you @The Pit..

labels! and packages! and marketing! oh my!

Some classes missed this week's nutrition class because of Veteran's Day. Big bummer! Hopefully the principal will reschedule the classes so everyone can have the opportunity to learn about the Nutrition Facts label, food product packaging design, and marketing-- all of which affect our ability to make healthy food choices.



We learned about food labels, packaging, and marketing in the context of cereal.

Check out these two bags of cereal. They both have the same exact cereal in them; the 'only' difference is that one bag has chocolate in them. In all classes, most students would have rather bought the cereal that came with chocolate instead of the bag with no chocolate!

I guess it shouldn't really be a surprise because who doesn't like chocolate?? What we learn from this example, however, is that marketing can affect what we eat! Food companies [those who make and sell food products] want us to buy their food because if we do, they make money; so they use marketing tactics, like adding a prize [like candy or a toy] to their product so we will buy it. Giving away treats isn't the only way they get us to buy their food either. Smart, clever, artistic people work hard to design the package foods come in.. Take a look at these cereals...



Look at the Honey Nut Cherrios box. Awww.. what a cute little bee cartoon character! I've seen him before!. ..Now look at the Life cereal box. Those girls: they look happy, nice, and like kids I can imagine being friends with. These are feelings this picture on the box can make you feel; it might even have the power to make you want to buy and eat this cereal. Can you believe it??

This wouldn't be a problem if all food was healthy but, unfortunately, not all food is healthy. So it's up to us to be aware of not falling into marketing traps, like the packaging of food, and start reading food labels so we can decide for ourselves whether something is healthy or not.

Here are some key words we can look for when we buy cereal..



We also found out what our cereals were made of from the Ingredients list. Cereal's main ingredients are some type(s) of grain [like wheat, oat, and corn] and some type(s) of sweetener [like sugar and honey].



Then, in each class, we had a contest. Students had the opportunity to design their very own cereal box front. Let me tell you, we have some real artists and there was some great competition! Students voted for their favorites.

Below are the works of the Cereal-Box-Design Contest winners from each class. Congratulations!



And, remember, from now on...

• Beware of marketing and packages and how they affect your food choices [and your health]!


• Take advantage of the Nutrition Facts label! It's got a lot of information that can help you determine whether a food product is healthy or not.

Happy reading and eating!