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Author: djbechard

Eat More Dark Green Veggies

Posted on by djbechard

Most Americans age 2 and older do not eat the recommended amounts of vegetables. It is important to add more veggies to our meals and snacks, as vegetables provide vitamins and minerals and most are low in calories and fat.

Vary your veggies. The most commonly eaten vegetables are potatoes and tomatoes according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is important to vary your veggies throughout the week by eating from the five vegetable subgroups: dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and other vegetables.

These vegetables are grouped together based on their nutrient content. Most Americans do not eat enough of dark green, red and orange vegetables, and beans and peas. Try to focus on fitting more dark-green vegetables into your day.

4 Ways to Add More Dark Green Veggies

  • Add spinach to a smoothie.
  • Dip fresh broccoli in hummus, yogurt-based dip, or another low-fat dip.
  • Not used to eating salads with leafy dark greens? Try mixing romaine lettuce, spinach, or baby kale with a lettuce you normally use.
  • Liven up a pasta dish, stir fry, omelet, or salad by adding spinach or chopped broccoli.

See the recipe for Clover Power Smoothie. Try this simple green smoothie for a fun and festive way to add dark green vegetables by using spinach.

VEGETABLE SUBGROUP EXAMPLES
Dark Green Broccoli, spinach, leafy salad greens (including romaine lettuce), collards, bok choy, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, green herbs (parsley, cilantro)
Red and Orange Tomatoes, carrots, 100% tomato juice, sweet potatoes, red peppers (hot and sweet), winter squash, pumpkin
Legumes (beans and peas) Pinto, white, kidney, and black beans; lentils; chickpeas; lima beans (mature, dried); split peas; edamame (green soybeans)
Starchy Potatoes, corn, green peas, lima beans (green, immature), plantains, cassava
Other Lettuce (iceberg), onions, green beans, cucumbers, celery, green peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, avocado, summer squash (includes zucchini), cauliflower, eggplant, garlic, bean sprouts, olives, asparagus, peapods (snowpeas), beets

By: Jamie Rathbun

Stress Less

Posted on by djbechard

Stress is the “State of tension that arises when you experience demands from your environment or from inside yourself.”

Acute Stress – Is often sudden, generally short-lived physical or emotional challenge or threat.  For example: theft, car accident, giving a speech or a wedding.

Chronic Stress – Ongoing exposure or demand such as family conflict, work stress, financial stressors.  Examples would be high-pressure work environment, relationships, indebtedness. These stressors are subtle in nature so they are more difficult to recognize.

We often don’t correlate stress with the impact it has on our bodies.  Our bodies are uniquely designed to handle stress. When presented with a threatening situation it is our most basic survival instinct to either engage in a fight or run for our lives.

It is important to have a self-care toolbox to help with coping with stress.  Keep such things as exercise, meditation, breathing, and stretching in your toolbox.  Set aside 10 minutes a day where you don’t really think about anything and clear your head.  Create small moments in your day to help cope.

By: Brenda Langdon

Get “March”ing!

Posted on by djbechard

Walking is a wonderful option for physical activity, but venturing outside in winter months isn’t always appealing.

To get some extra steps in and avoid sitting too much on brutally cold days, try some of these marching in place variations. Use a counter top or chair for balance, if needed. To track your progress, keep a daily tally of how many times you perform one of these options.

Do each for account of 20. Add more repetitions as you are able.

  • High Knees: Standing tall, lift your knees as high as you can while you march.
  • Forward and Back: Take one small step forward with each foot, and one step back with each foot.
  • In and Out: Starting with your feet about a fist’s distance apart, take a small step to the side with one foot and then the other. Take a small step back in with one foot and then the other.

If desired, create your own patterns.  How many times can you do this throughout the day? Aim to increase over time.

By the end of the month you will be ready to join us for Walk Kansas 2023, March 26 – May 20. Contact any Post Rock Extension District office for details on how to register.

By: Jamie Rathbun

Controlling Grassy Sandbur

Posted on by djbechard

Grassy sandbur is the “sticker” plant that looks like a grass. It will often invade thin lawns, especially in dry years. Therefore, the best control for this weed is a thick, healthy lawn. However, if your lawn is thin this spring and grassy sandbur was a problem last year, use a preemergence herbicide before the sandbur comes up. Not all preemergence herbicides are effective. The three products that can help minimize grassy sandbur are oryzalin, pendimethalin and prodiamine.

Oryzalin is sold under the trade names of Surflan and Weed Impede.   It can be used on all warm-season grasses as well as tall fescue. It should not be used on cool-season grasses other than tall fescue such as Kentucky bluegrass. Oryzalin is also sold as a combination product with benefin as Green Light Amaze.  As with oryzalin alone, it can be used on all warm-season grasses as well as tall fescue. It should not be used on cool-season grasses other than tall fescue such as Kentucky bluegrass. Apply Amaze or an oryzalin product about April 15 when redbud trees approach full bloom.

Pendimethalin is sold commercially as Pendulum as well as several other names. On the homeowner side, it is sold as Scotts Halts. Pendimethalin is best applied as a split application with the first half applied about April 15 and the second about June 1. Alternatively, make the first application when redbud trees approach full bloom and the second six weeks later.

Prodiamine is sold under the commercial name of Barricade.  It is also sold as a homeowner product Howard Johnson Crabgrass Control Plus with 0.37 Prodiamine  00-00-07.  It can be used on all of our common lawn grasses. Apply as is done for oryzalin, about April 15 or when redbud trees approach full bloom. Only one application is needed per year.

None of the “weed preventers” will give complete control but each should help. Quinclorac (Drive) can provide some postemergence control especially if the sandbur is in the seedling stage. Quinclorac is also found in a number of combination products that control both broadleaf weeds and crabgrass such as one of the following:

Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max + Crabgrass Control

BioAdvanced All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer.

Monterey Crab-E-Rad Plus

Fertilome Weed Out with Crabgrass Killer

Trimec Crabgrass Plus Lawn Weed Killer

Bonide Weed Beater Plus Crabgrass & Broadleaf Weed Killer

Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Plus Crabgrass Killer

 

Again, the best control for grassy sandbur is a healthy, thick lawn.

By: Cassie Thiessen

Financial Tips

Posted on by djbechard

Plan tax refund dollars.  Make a plan for tax refund dollars before they hit your bank account.  Some options to consider as you make your plan include:

  • Pay down debt
  • Build your savings
  • Jump-start a financial goal
  • Give to someone in need
  • Invest

Create your will. There are many free or inexpensive forms available online that can guide you through creating a will. Your employer may also provide access to legal services. If you use an online form, make sure it is specific to your state.

Put 5% of your tax refund into your savings or emergency fund account. If you won’t receive a tax refund, add at least $5 extra to your savings or emergency fund this month. Small amounts add up over time.

Become financially confident.   Financial confidence is the intersection of building a savings habit, knowing what resources you have available to support your financial stability, and taking advantage of those resources as needed.  Financial confidence recognizes that Savers have unique circumstances, and even if you are in a scenario that makes it difficult or impossible to save at this moment — you are committed to doing the work, taking control of your finances, and becoming more financially stable.

By: Brenda Langdon

Clover Power Smoothie

Posted on by djbechard

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a festive, tasty, and kid-friendly green smoothie.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup 100% apple juice*

½ cup fresh baby spinach**

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks, no sugar added

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt***

1 banana

Directions:

  1. Add apple juice and spinach leaves to blender. Blend first to help make it smooth and avoid leafy chunks.
  2. Place the remaining ingredients in the blender.
  3. Blend until smooth and serve.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (1 cup): 135 calories, 1g Total Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 35mg Sodium, 31g Total Carbohydrates, 24 g Sugars, 2g Dietary Fiber, 2g Protein

* You can substitute low-fat or nonfat milk or 100% white grape juice for 100% apple juice. Adding milk instead of 100% fruit juice will lower the calories and sugar while adding extra calcium to help strengthen bones.

** You can use kale instead of spinach. Kale does have a stronger flavor than spinach. I like using spinach since it has little to no flavor.

***To make the smoothie even healthier, use nonfat vanilla yogurt or nonfat Greek yogurt instead of low-fat vanilla yogurt.

By: Jamie Rathbun