Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oatmeal
Ingredients
o 1 tbsp. Coconut Oil or any oil
o 1 cup Steel Cut Oats
o 1/2 cup Sugar
o 2 tsp Vanilla
o 2 cups milk
o 2 cups Water
o 1 cup Blueberries Fresh or Frozen
o 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
o 1 tsp Cinnamon
o Butter for topping
Instructions
1. Place a crockpot liner in your slow cooker
2. Rub oil on crockpot liner to prevent sticking and burning.
3. Add Steel Cut Oats, Sugar, Vanilla, Milk, Water, and Blueberries. Gently stir ingredients.
4. Cook for 8 to 10 hours on low.
5. Your oatmeal will look separated after cooking. That is completely normal! Simply give it a good stir to combine all of your
ingredients.
6. Mix Brown Sugar and Cinnamon together. Sprinkle on top of each serving. Serve with butter if desired.
Once you are done with the oatmeal you just throw away the liner, and you are ready to start your day! Leftover oatmeal
refrigerates well and can be heated the next day for a yummy breakfast.
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Growing
WIC Newsletter | January 2017
Stronger Families
Opportunities for Otsego | 3 West Broadway, Oneonta | 607.433.8071 | www.ofoinc.org
The Origin of Resolutions!
Hours of Operation
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
8:00AM – 5:00PM
8:00AM – 5:00PM
8:00AM – 6:00PM
8:00AM – 5:00PM
8:00AM – 5:00PM
We are open on the 3rd Saturday of the
month from 8:30AM – 12:30PM. This
month we are open on Saturday, January
28th.
Ingredients
•1/2 cup butter
•2 cups granulated sugar
•1/2 cup milk
•4 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
•1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
•2 teaspoon vanilla
•3 - 3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
Outreach Days*
Instructions
1. Add the butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and oats and drop onto parchment paper.
4. Let cool until set, about 10-15 minutes.
*last appointments on site days are at 1:30
January 6th & 23rd Richfield Springs
9:45 AM – 2:00PM
January 10th
9:30AM – 2:00PM
Cooperstown
January 20th
9:45AM – 2:00PM
Cherry Valley
pm
Closings
WIC will be closed on Monday, January
2nd for New Years and Monday, January
16th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
It’s that time where resolutions are
made and most likely broken, so where
did resolutions as we know them start
to mark the New Year? How did they
popularize and what are the most
popular?
The act of making resolutions began
about 4,000 years ago when the
ancient Babylonians held celebrations in
honor of the New Year in mid-March.
This 12-day celebration occurred
during planting season and promises to
their gods were made to repay their
debts and return any objects they had
borrowed, these were the first
resolutions. If they kept their word, the
Babylonians would be bestowed by
their pagan god’s favors in the coming
years, if they did not however, they
would fall out of favor. Ancient
Romans had a similar practice after
Julius Caesar changed the calendar and
made January 1 the beginning of the
New Year. January was named after
Janus, a two faces god whose spirit
inhabited doorways and arches.
Romans believed that Janus
symbolically looked backwards into the
previous year and ahead into the future
and so offered sacrifices and promises
of good conduct for the coming year.
The first day of resolutions for
Christians came as a tradition of
thinking about past mistakes and
resolving to do and be better in the
future. It was in 1740 that the founder
of Methodism, John Wesley, created
the Covenant Renewal Service, held on
New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day
and served as a spiritual alternative to
the celebrations normally held to
celebrate the New Year. Today
instead of making promises to gods,
most make them to themselves and
focus on self-improvement. While a
recent study found that 45% of
Americans make resolutions, only 8%
actually achieve their goals.
So, what are the most popular
resolutions today? It’s no surprise that
many resolutions revolve around health
and getting healthier. In 2015 a Nielson
survey found that 37% resolved to stay
fit and healthy, many use exercise and
improving their diet as separate goals,
while 32% had the goal to lose weight.
Others may resolve to quit drinking or
smoking or even to get more sleep, all
contribute to becoming healthier. 28%
of those surveyed want to enjoy life to
the fullest; they want to take the time
to enjoy what is going on in their lives.
25% want to spend less and save more
so that they can get out of debt, travel
and enjoy their lives without worrying
about money. 19% want to spend
more time with the family and friends
and 16% don’t even set resolutions
because they know they won’t keep
them. There are many people that
have the same resolutions every year
with the hopes of getting farther along
than they did before. So, which are
you? Do you make a resolution every
year or do you keep on as before?
The leader in developing innovative solutions that promotes healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities.
Breastfeeding Peer
Counselor Section
When you are expecting, you hear lots of
information about how breastfeeding is
good for your baby. Less talked about is
how good breastfeeding is for a mom.
There are both short and long term
benefits for women who breastfeed.
This piece discusses the short-term
physical and mental benefits that
breastfeeding gives to women. Next
month we will discuss the life-time benefits
to a woman’s health.
-When a baby starts nursing right after
birth it causes the mother’s uterus to
contract. This reduces her loss of blood.
-Moms who breastfeed may lose
pregnancy weight faster and more easily.
Breastfeeding uses 200-500 calories a day.
(That’s the same as swimming 30 laps in a
pool or biking a mile uphill!).
-Breastfeeding decreases iron deficiency in
a woman.
-A breastfeeding woman’s uterus returns
to normal size by 6 weeks after birth
rather than the 10 weeks averaged by nonbreastfeeding Moms.
-Breastfeeding Moms generally have less
postpartum anxiety and depression.
-When a woman breastfeeds (or pumps,
to a lesser extent) a hormone is released
in her body that produces a sense of
calmness in her, and lowers her fight or
flight response.
-It is much less expensive to buy some
extra, healthful foods for a breastfeeding
Mom, than to purchase formula.
-Less money is spent for doctor’s visits
and medications, less time needed off for
working Parents, and less worrying about a
sick baby, as breastfed babies are generally
less likely to fall ill.
For more information, have a look at these
sources:
Alicia Dermer, MD, IBCLC, Illi.org
Askdrsears.com
It’s National Oatmeal Month!
Oatmeal is a great breakfast during
the colder months; you can add
anything to it to make it your own plus
it’s healthy. There are different kinds,
each with their own benefits, so what
makes them so different?
The type of oatmeal depends on how
it was processed or milled. The instant
oatmeal we know and love comes from
the process of rolling and soaking the
oats longer than you would for old
fashioned oats that allows them to be
cooked quicker. The type with the
least processing are called whole oat
groats. Groats are just another name
for the oat kernel. In this process only
the inedible parts are removed and the
kernels are kept intact, they are mostly
found in whole food stores and take
the longest to cook. The next least
processed are Steel Cut Oats. Steel
cut oats are also called Irish Oatmeal.
They are made by cutting the groats in
two or three pieces using a sharp metal
blade. They are quicker to cook than
oat groats because water can more
easily penetrate the smaller pieces.
Scottish Oatmeal is a different
variation of steel cut oats where
instead of using blades they are stone
ground as traditionally done in
Scotland. This process creates varying
sized oats and creates creamier
oatmeal. Rolled Oats are created
when oat groats are steamed and
rolled into flakes. This process
stabilizes the healthy oils in the oats
which helps they stay fresher longer
and cook faster by creating a greater
surface area. They are also called old
fashioned oats and by steaming them
longer and rolling them further we
have our instant or quick oats. The
most processed of all results in Oat
Flour. This is made like other flours
where the oats are ground down to
create a powder and used in baking or
in thickening soups and stews.
We know that oatmeal is a great
source of fiber, keeps us full and is a
great source of vitamins and minerals.
Oatmeal is one of the most nutrient
dense foods, being nutrient dense
means that oats provide more
nutrients per gram. A half a serving
provides significant sources of
manganese, phosphorus, magnesium,
iron, copper, zinc, folate, thiamin and
Pantothenic acid while also provide
smaller amounts of calcium, potassium,
Vitamin B6 and niacin. Whole oats are
rich in antioxidants which may help
lower blood pressure, and have antiinflammatory and anti-itching affects.
Oats contain a powerful fiber called
beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that partially
dissolves in water and forms a thick,
gel-like solution in the gut that helps
you feel full. The fiber also helps
reduce LDL and total cholesterol,
reduces blood sugar and insulin
response, and also increases growth of
the good bacteria in the digestive tract,
it helps keep he gut healthy.
Did you know that oats require less
energy to grow and don’t deplete the
soil’s nutrients as other grains? Oats a
cheaper to grow and the cost savings
are passed on to the consumer, win,
win!
Have you thought of making oatmeal
with milk instead of water? This adds
an extra boost of protein while making
it creamier. Adding 1 cup of milk to ½
cup of dried oats gives 13 grams of
extra protein!
There are so many ways to make
oatmeal, you can keep it simple or you
can make it fancy. Oats are very
versatile and can be used in so many
ways? What’s your favorite way?!
The leader in developing innovative solutions that promotes healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities.
Winter Fun! Fun ways to stay active inside and out!!
Inside fun:
1.
Make a fort with pillows and blankets
2.
Make a maze on the floor using masking tape
3.
Play hide and seek
4.
Have a scavenger hunt
5.
Use your new fort for a winter camp out, make s’mores, tell ghost stories and sleep inside your “tent”
Outside Fun:
1.
Create glass marbles by filling water balloons with water, adding food coloring, freezing and removing the balloon once frozen.
2.
Make a maze in the snow
3.
Build a snow fort/igloo
4.
Build a snowman
5.
Do a nature walk
6.
Have a snowball fight
7.
Create an ice snow catcher by freezing water in a small bowl around a used lid for a hole and adding colored water. Once
frozen remove the lid and bowl and add a piece of string to hang outdoors.
There are so many things you can do, use your imagination!
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and
employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age,
or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.),
should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA
through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:
http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information
requested in the form.