What's up doc?

You may know that phrase from the famous Bugs Bunny cartoon, but more importantly is the carrot Bugs is nibbling on when he says it. The carrot is the December Harvest of Month produce and Bugs would agree that they are pretty delicious. Also, the Wood County Health Department has moved into Riverview Hospital and is located on the 4th floor. Today is the first day we are open for business after a few busy days of moving in.
Exciting!

So as the snow starts to fall and the temperatures outside begin to drop we hope you are able to enjoy one of these two delightful carrot filled recipes!

Harvest Muffins
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
¾ cup applesauce
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400F. In large bowl, whisk oil and sugar. Beat in egg. Add applesauce. Stir in carrots and zucchini. In another bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just mixed. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean.


Carrot Puree with Hazelnuts
4 servings, about 1/2 cup each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound carrots (5-6 medium), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, toasted (see Tip)
2 tablespoons chopped green olives
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven fitted with a steamer basket. Steam carrots and potatoes until very soft, 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine hazelnuts, olives, orange zest, garlic and 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl.
Transfer the carrots and potatoes to a food processor; add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Process until smooth. Serve each portion with a spoonful of the hazelnut tapenade.

Tip: To toast chopped nuts or seeds, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Thanksgiving Jokes

Here are a few jokes to share with your family around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Q: What do you call the age of a pilgrim?
A: Pilgrimage.

Q: What kind of cars would pilgrims drive today?
A: Plymouth.

Q:What kind of tan did pilgrims get at the beach?
A: Puritan.

Q: What kind of face does a pilgrim make when he's in pain?
A: Pil-grimace.

Q: What's the smallest unit of measurement in the pilgrim cookbook?
A: Pilgram.

Q: What kind of music did the Pilgrims like?
A: Plymouth Rock.

Jimmy: Mmmmm! That turkey smells good and it's not even done yet. How long will it be?
Mom: About the same length as it was before I put it into the oven, I suppose.

Q: What sound does a turkey's phone make?
A: Wing! Wing!

You say Tomato, I say Tomahto!

The past couple weeks have been rainy, cold, warm and sunny, which means it must be November in Wisconsin and time for a new Harvest of the Month item too! You may have guessed it from the title that Tomatoes are in the spotlight this month. Tomatoes, the fruit that is often mistaken for a vegetable, (except for culinary purposes) is used across many cultures and therefore in many tasty dishes. With Thanksgiving coming up in just a few short weeks, we have provided you with a few new ideas of what to share with your family this Thanksgiving season.

Bake Parmesan Tomatoes eatingwell.com
Serves 4

4 tomatoes, halved horizontally
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450° F.
Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Top with Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.


The Great After Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas yummly.com
Serves 6

3 tablespoons vegetable Oil
1 ¾ cups finely chopped onion
28 ozs enchilada sauce
5 plum tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 ½ teaspoons chilies (finely chopped)
1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
3 cups cooked turkey (coarsely shredded
2 cups Monterey jack cheese (grated)
¾ cup sour cream
12 corn tortilla (5 to 6 inch)
Tomato sauce (spicy)

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 ½ cups onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes, and chipotles. Cover; simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in ½ cup cilantro. Season sauce with pepper. Mix turkey, 1 ½ cups cheese, sour cream, ¼ cup onions and ½ cup cilantro in bowl. Season with dash of salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Spread ½ cup sauce in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon ¼ cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2 ½ cups sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with ½ cup cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Rewarm remaining sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to sauceboat. Serve enchiladas, passing sauce seperately.

Enjoy!

There's a pepper for everyone!

Wow, September always goes quickly with kids preparing and heading off for the beginning of school and colder fall weather hitting us hard with it's unpredictability. To celebrate a wonderful month of learning and plenty of dancing in the rain, we have some tasty and healthy recipes using our Harvest of the Month, Peppers! Peppers are a wonderfully diverse food and can make a dish hot and spicy or sweet and savory. They can be incorporated in to so many everyday dishes, it's hard to widdle down do our favorites. We dug up some interesting recipes for this week, including a different way to add peppers to your sandwich, as well as a slightly more involved soup that will have you heating up your mornings OR nights.

Have a good weekend, and don't forget to pick up some fresh peppers at your local farmers market!

Hot Chile Bread (squidoo.com)
We knew you could put about anything in bread, but hot chile peppers?! I'm pumped to try out this recipe! Let us know how you're loaf turns out if you make it!

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 beaten egg
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus extra
4-1/2 cups flour, plus extra
1/2 each of a red, yellow and green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 scotch bonnet chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced

In a large bowl, mix the water, yeast and sugar together. Cover and leave for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it froths and bubbles appear on the surface.
Beat the eggs, salt and oil into the yeast mixture until combined, then add the flour and peppers, stirring.
Sprinkle flour on work surface, then knead the dough 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If sticky, add more flour. Lightly oil the bowl and return the dough, turning so it is covered with oil.
Cover and let rise 2 to 3 hours, until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Form 2 loaves and place on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise 1 hour until doubled. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Brush loaves with remaining egg and back 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.


Sweet Red Pepper and Crab Bisque (recipesia.com)

You can make the bisque up to two days ahead; cover and refrigerate it after pureeing. Serves 4.

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons Old Bay or other seafood spice blend
3 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice
1/2 cup diced peeled russet potato
1/2 cup half-and-half or skim evaporated milk
1 pound crab meat (or artificial substitute)

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and seasoning. Cover; cook 10 minutes, stirring twice.

Add stock and potato; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer until potato is very tender, about 30 minutes.

Working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return soup to saucepan. Add half-and-half; bring to a simmer. Mix in crab. Season to taste. Cover; let stand 1 minute.

Ladle into bowls.

Enjoy!

Luchroom Reading

Now that we're all back to school, it really gets you thinking about what kids are getting for lunch. What nutrition do they have to get them through the day? It's something our community is working hard to improve and now we have some more great resources to help us get momentum!

Here is a great article just posted in the Atlantic discussing books on the exact topic of school lunches, how we can effect the school lunch system and what aspects need our focus most:

Back to School: Books Packed With Ideas for Fixing Bad Lunches

By Marion Nestle

Sep 11 2011, 10:02 AM ET

Have you wanted to do something about school meals but didn't know how? Now that you have this list, there are no more excuses.

If you want to work on improving the meals at your kids' schools, much help is available. Just in, for example:

From the Center for Ecoliteracy: Rethinking School Lunch: Cooking with California Food in K-12 Schools: a Cookbook and Professional Development Guide. You don't have to be in California to take advantage of this resource. It's full of recipes and good ideas, as are other resources from the Center.

From Amy Kalafa: Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health, Tarcher/Penguin 2011. Kalafa is the writer and producer of the film about school food -- Two Angry Moms. This is her how-to guide for getting involved in and doing something useful about your kids' school food programs.

From Sarah A. Robert and Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower: School Food Politics: The Complex Ecology of Hunger and Feeding in Schools Around the World, Peter Lang, 2011. This is a collection of essays (one of them mine) from writers and thinkers about school feeding programs, domestic and international. It ends with a long list of groups working on school food issues.

And on my bookshelf from the last couple of years:

Janet Poppendieck's Free for All: Fixing School Food in America, University of California Press, 2010. My blurb says "Extraordinarily well thought out, beautifully written, sympathetic, and compelling. Anyone who reads this book will find the present school lunch situation beyond unacceptable. Free for All is a call for action on behalf of America's school kids, one that we all need to join." Poppendieck is a strong advocate for universal school meals. Me too.

Institute of Medicine: School Meals: Building Blocks for Health Children, National Academies Press, 2010. This influential committee report says what needs to be done to establish food-based (rather than nutrient-based) standards for school meals.

Kevin Morgan and Roberta Sonnino: The School Food Revolution: Public Food and the Challenge of Sustainable Development, Earthscan (U.K.), 2008. The U.K. has its own problems with school meals and so do other countries. This book presents international case studies focused on sustainability and social justice.

Susan Levine: School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America's Favorite Welfare Program, Princeton, 2008. If you want to understand the history of how school lunches came to be in America, here's the source.

Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes: Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, Collins, 2006. Cooper was one of the first chefs to get into schools and get fixing. This is a how-to from one who did it.

Robert W. Surles: Chef Bobo's Good Food Cookbook, Meridith 2004. I have a soft spot for this one because I've been keeping an eye on Chef Bobo's program at the Calhoun School in Manhattan for years now. He revolutionized school meals at one school and this book explains what he had to do to do that. He's still there and still cooking!

You would like to do something about school meals but don't know how? No excuses!

Image: Creative Commons.

It's good for you cooked OR raw

We hope every one had a great first week back at school! Try one of these tasty pepper recipes to help celebrate this weekend, it should be a warm one.

Did you know that while fiber an potassium decrease, the Vitamin C in a Bell Pepper can actually increase when it is cooked? Vitamin A increases in a cooked GREEN bell pepper, but decreases in RED bell peppers! Food is Fascinating!
learn more about cooked vs. raw @ http://www.livestrong.com/article/520566-does-cooking-bell-peppers-affect-the-nutrition/

Homemade Pizza

1 (12 inch) thin pizza crust (homemade or prepared, such as Boboli)

3 cups chopped bell peppers (red, green, yellow)

1 cup sliced red or yellow onion, pulled into rings

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs

Salt, to taste (optional)

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

3/4 cup crumbled herbed feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients except cheese; spoon over crust. Top with cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until vegetables are crispy-tender.

Spicy Salsa

4 cups chopped tomatoes

2 cups green bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup jalapeno pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/4 cups cider vinegar

Place tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, hot peppers, salt, garlic, and vinegar in a saucepan or pot Bring mixture to a simmer. Cover, and let simmer 50 to 60 minutes. The longer the salsa simmers, the spicier it will become.

^All Recipes.com

The Mighty Pepper

This Month’s harvest we’re celebrating is the pepper! I suppose this isn’t really a single harvest, but a group of tasty foods. From sweet Bell Peppers to the spicy Jalapeño, we’re excited for a lot of cooking fun. What is your favorite kind of pepper? Do your kids eat and like peppers? We’ll have recipes that give peppers the spotlight and some to let their flavor stay more subdued.

This is a great dinner go-to I came across on the "Simply Recipes" blog:

Mom's Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

Red and yellow bell peppers have a very different flavor than green bell peppers. The red ones especially are much sweeter. Any bell pepper can be used for this recipe; use the type you like the best.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked white rice (starting from about 3/4 to 1 cup raw white rice)

• 4 to 6 bell peppers (red, yellow, or green), use 4 large, or 6 medium sized
• 1 to 1 1/4 lb of ground beef (ground chuck, 16% fat)
• 6 large fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil)
• 1/2 teaspoon dry summer savory
• 1/2 teaspoon ground marjoram (or 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped)
• (Can substitute herbs with other herbs such as an Italian herb mix)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Paprika

Method

1 If you haven't already made the rice, start cooking the rice following the package instructions (usually 1 cup of raw white rice plus 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.)

2 Cut the tops off of the bell peppers. Remove and discard (compost) the stem and seeds. Place bell peppers cut side up on a steaming rack over an inch of water in a large covered pot. Bring to boil, let steam for 10 minutes.

3 Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, basil, summer savory, marjoram, salt, several turns of black pepper, and rice.

4 Remove bell peppers from steamer pan. Place cut side up in a pyrex or other oven-proof casserole. Gently stuff the peppers with the ground beef rice mixture. Drizzle olive oil over the stuffed peppers, along the outside of the peppers, and into the pan. Rub the oil over the outside of the peppers; it will help with browning. Sprinkle the tops generously with paprika.

5 Place on middle rack and cook for 35-50 minutes, or longer, until the meat is cooked through.

Serves 4 to 6. Serve with ketchup.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/moms_stuffed_bell_peppers/

Jalapeño Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 cup garbanzo beans
• 1/3 cup canned jalapeno pepper slices, juice reserved
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• crushed red pepper to taste

Directions

In a blender or food processor, mix the garbanzo beans, jalapeno peppers and reserved juice, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. Season with cumin, curry powder, and crushed red pepper. Blend until smooth.

Snacks in Hand

Today we've got delicious recipes to help you send your child back to school. A PB + J is always a favorite, but why not mix it up? Things like homemade granola bars can be fun to make together and it can be done ahead of time so you have a little less to worry about during your week.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Beet Muffins

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup canola oil

2 cups applesauce

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup shredded peeled beets

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups

2. Mix the whole wheat flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the canola oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, and water. Pour the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Gently fold in the blueberries and shredded beats. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cranberry Nut Granola Bars Recipe

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 cup mixed nuts

1 cup dried cranberries

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 13x9-inch pan with lightly-greased parchment paper; an inch or so of parchment paper should stick up on 2 sides to form lifting handles.

2. Mix the quick-cooking oats, old-fashioned oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, mixed nuts, cranberries, and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl; spread into the prepared pan, evenly pressing into the corners and out to the sides.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes, using slightly less time for chewier bars and slightly more time for crunchier bars.

4. Allow the the bars cool for 5 minutes in the pan before using the parchment paper to lift them from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Let the bars cool completely and store in an airtight container.

recipes from allrecipes.com

Simply Summer

Wowza! The summer sure has gone quick, and now school is right around the corner. You know what that means? We've got to enjoy these fresh foods while we've got them! This week is brought to you by meals that have LOTS of tasty fresh ingredients in them. Don't think that means it has to be complicated. These dishes sure pack in lots of good colors, but aren't too much of a time suck to take over your night. Enjoy the rest of summer and watch for tips on how to store all these fresh foods to enjoy the rest of the year.

Southwestern Corn Chowder

½ cup sweet onion (chopped)

Sauté in 1 Tbsp olive oil in soup pot till soft

2 ½ cups corn (option to grill for a nice flavor)

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

add and cook 10 min. remove 1 cup of soilids with about 1/3 cup broth and place in blender or food processor- till smooth. Return the purée to soup pot and heat until NEARLY boiling.

1 medium red sweet pepper

1 small tomato

stir in and heat another minute

½ fresh lime – juice

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro

Squeeze lime into soup and top with cilantro immediately before serving.

Garnish individual bowls with Tabasco pepper sauce, lime wedges and a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream.

Summer Garden Ratatouille

2 onions (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 bay leaf

Sauté in 3 Tbsp olive oil for ~5 min

1 medium eggplant (chopped)

1 ½ Tbsp fresh basil (chopped)

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped)

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp fresh marjoram (chopped)

Add cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until eggplant is soft (15- 20 min)

2 summer squash (chopped)

2 green, orange or red sweet peppers (strips)

2 cups tomatoes (chopped)

Add and simmer until peppers and squash are tender (~10 min). Serve Over pasta or polenta sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley, black olives or freshly grated parmesan cheese.

*"Simply in Season" by Lind, Hackman-Wert

Snacks You Can't Beet

Beet Hummus

1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium sized beets), scrubbed clean, cooked, peeled,

and cubed*

2 Tbsp tahini sesame seed paste

5 Tbsp lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp lemon zest (zest from approx. 2 lemons)

Generous pinch of sea salt or Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

*To cook the beets, cut off any tops, scrub the roots clean, put them in a

covered dish with about 1/4-inch of water in a 375 F oven, and cook until easily

penetrated with a knife or fork. Alternatively, cover with water in a saucepan

and simmer until tender, about 1/2 hour. Peel once they have cooled.

Method

Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasonings and ingredients as desired.

Chill and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for longer

storage.

Eat with pita chips, or with sliced cucumber or celery, or on a crostini with

goat cheese and shaved mint.

Makes 2 cups.

From: KELLY AKKERMAN at Malek Family Stewardship Farm

Pickled Beets

Scrub beets. Leave on tails and 2-3 in. of tops. Place beets in tall pot. Add water to halfway. Boil until fork tender (1-2 hrs). Drain and set aside beet juice. Run cold water over hot beets while sliding off skins with hands. Slice or dice to your preferred shape!

3 cups white vinegar

2 ½ cups brown sugar

2 cups beet juice (left from cooking)

1 cinnamon stick

6 whole garlic cloves

1 ½ tsp salt

Combine in a large soup pot. Add sliced or diced beets and bring to a boil (3-5 minutes). Cool. Beets mat be kept covered and refrigerated for 4-6 weeks.

To keep for longer and into the winter, place hot bets and liquid into hot canning jars and seal with sterilized lids and rings. For more canning and preserving tips, head over to Pick Your Own

Smart Dining Near You

The average American eats outside of their home for almost half of their dining. That sure is a lot! While it's nice to get out of the house and sit down with friends and family, it’s often harder to eat healthy when dining out because you have no part in the creation. Wait a minute!? What if restraints decided to make healthy options available and easy to find?

It is real! Many restaurants in Wood County and the central Wisconsin area are joining a program making it easier to eat out and stay healthy. The Smart Meal program was created by the Wood County Health Department as a designation that ensure certain nutritional qualities of a meal (listed below).

These are some of the restraints to already join the smart meal program. Haven’t tried any of these places yet? Dine on the town and try a smart meal to mix up your norm.

The Blue Heron Brew Pub in Marshfield

Hidden Creek Kitchens by ODC in Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids

Red Mill Supper Club in Stevens Point

Jamaican Kitchen in Wisconsin Rapids

Wishing your favorite restaurant was on the list? Ask them about their meals and if they've thought of making it easier for their customers to be healthy by making Smart Meals. You can at least get them thinking!

As for what that fancy sticker really means? Read below for the nutrition you’ll be getting from a fun meal out with the family:

For adult meals to qualify for the Smart Meal™ program they must contain:

• Two servings or more of beans, whole grains, fruits, or vegetables.* One serving may be substituted for a serving of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk product.
• 700 calories or fewer.
• 30 percent or less of total calories from fat or 23 grams or fewer of total fat.
• 10 percent or less of calories from saturated fat or 8 grams or fewer of saturated fat.
• 0.5 grams or fewer of trans fat (no added or artificial trans fat).
• 1,500 mg or fewer of sodium.

For kids meals to qualify for the Smart Meal™ program they must contain:

• Two servings or more of beans, whole grains, fruits or vegetables.* One serving may be substituted for a serving of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk product.
• 400-600 calories or fewer.
• 30 percent or less of total calories from fat or 13-20 grams or fewer of total fat.
• 10 percent or less of calories from saturated fat or 4-7 grams or fewer of saturated fat.
• 0.5 grams or fewer of trans fat (no added or artificial trans fat).
• 600-800 mg or fewer of sodium.

Learn More: Get Active Webpage

No Red Dye #40 Here

Time for some messy red fun! Beets are a fun different food to cook with. Beets have lots of important minerals in them like iron, potassium, magnesium, niacin as well as Vitamins A and C. This red veggie is full of dietary fiber, but very low on calories. They are great for heart health!

Here is some different recipes to try with a red flare. The grilled beets are easy to add when all the other veggies get on the grill! and since our nights are getting a little cooler (crosses fingers) we can start with the tasty soups again!

Have a fun and safe weekend at the farmers market.

Don't forget to enter our quiz for a chance to win a family 4 pack to the Rafters Game!

Grilled beets!

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

Coat one side of a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Place beets and oil on foil; season with salt and pepper. Wrap foil over beets.

6 beets, scrubbed

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

Place packet on the grill grate. Cook 30 minutes, or until beets are very tender. Allow beets to cool about 5 minutes before serving. You don't even need to peel to enjoy!

Bay Leaf Beet Soup

4 large red beets, trimmed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped leek

4 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

5 bay leaves, broken in half

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cumin

1 pinch dried tarragon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Wrap beets in foil.

Bake the beets until tender, about 1 hour; allow to cool, then peel the beets. Cut them into bite-size chunks.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, and cook the red onion, leek, and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in the beets, bay leaves, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, cinnamon, cumin, and tarragon. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the flavors of the bay leaves and spices are blended, 20 to 25 minutes. Pick out bay leaves.

Ladle about 1/4 of the beets into a blender, and add soup liquid as needed to fill the blender about 1/4 full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen
*allrecipes.com

Garden Knowledge

Happy August Gardeners!

We hope your gardens are thriving this summer. We want to help you maintain a successful garden for many more seasons. Three Got Dirt/Got Veggies trainings will be provided on the following dates/times and locations.

September 1st: 6pm-8pm

Marshfield

Childcare Centers of Marshfield - Site 2 Tiny Tigers

905 Tiny Tigers Ct. Marshfield, WI

September 26th: 6pm-8pm

Wisconsin Rapids

St. Lawrence Early Childhood Center

551 10th Ave. North

The trainings provide useful information about how to start/maintain a successful garden and what to do when it's harvest time.

If you are interested in attending one of the trainings above please let us know. Or, if you would like hands on assistance with your garden we are here to help.

Sincerly,

Your Wood County Garden Team,

Elizabeth, Amelia, and Ryan

Contact: 715-498-6896 or email rmoll741@yahoo.com

Let these lists give you a starting place for a healthy worksite makeover! You can use these lists to show that lots of healthy options are available for vending machines, there is a choice!

Wellness Challenge Winners!

Congratulations to the Five Fayas Fanatic's from New Page. They won the Wood County Lifestyle Challenge by completing the most activities. You each won three personal training sessions at the YMCA in Wisconsin Rapids! Congratulations!

The Electric Girls from J& B Electric won the drawing for 2 nights of electric camping at any Wood County Park and Toni Joosten from MSTC won two tubing tickets at Powers Bluff. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks again for participating in the Wood County Lifestyle Challenge!

Our wellness challenge may be over for the summer, but yours doesn't have to end! Create teams in your family/neighborhood/work or make a personal challenge for yourself. See how many points you can get a day, how many can you get in a week?!

Here are some ideas for points, but think up some of your own thatwork best for your challenge:

1 point for 30 minutes of physical activity

1 point for a salad of fresh greens

1 point for a snack that is only fresh fruits and veggies

1 point for learning how to read food labels

1 point for going to your farmers market

1 point for attending a local food event or demonstration

1 point for learning about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

*HINT: our website has lots of resources to help you do ALL of these things! *

Berry Bread

I have been staring at this recipe and others like it for a week now, so I hope you try it and like the wonderful combination of berries and crunchy nuts! We can still find fresh berries at our markets, so enjoy them while they last! Check older posts here or our webpage for more berry tips and ways to preserve them all year round.

Berry -Almond Quick Bread

· 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note), or whole-wheat flour

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 2 large eggs

· 1 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)

· 2/3 cup brown sugar

· 2 tablespoons butter, melted

· 2 tablespoons canola oil

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

· 2 cups fresh berries, (whole blackberries, blueberries, raspberries; diced strawberries)

· 1/2 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds, (see Tip), plus more for topping if desired

1. Preheat oven to 400°F for muffins, mini loaves and mini Bundts or 375°F for a large loaf. (See pan options, above.) Coat pan(s) with cooking spray.

2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil, vanilla and almond extract in another large bowl until well combined.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add berries and almonds. Stir just to combine; do not overmix. Transfer batter to the prepared pan(s). Top with additional almonds, if desired.

5. Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes for muffins or mini Bundts, 35 minutes for mini loaves, 1 hour 10 minutes for a large loaf. Let cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let muffins and mini Bundts cool for 5 minutes more, mini loaves for 30 minutes, large loaves for 40 minutes.

Some secret tips for a more successful bread baking!

· Make Ahead Tip: Store, individually wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. | Equipment: Pan options: 1 large loaf (9-by-5-inch pan); 3 mini loaves (6-by-3-inch pan, 2-cup capacity); 6 mini Bundt cakes (6-cup mini Bundt pan, scant 1-cup capacity per cake); 12 muffins (standard 12-cup, 2 1/2-inch muffin pan)

· Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Find it in the baking section of the supermarket or online at King Arthur Flour, (800) 827-6836, bakerscatalogue.com.

· Tips: No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.

· To toast sliced almonds: cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

*eatingwell.com