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Category: 2021

Deliciously Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Throughout Your Day!

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

When you think about your overall eating pattern, do you believe you make every bite count? “Make Every Bite County” is the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans theme, and to me that theme is perfect! When I think about making every bite count, I think of focusing on naturally colorful and nutrient dense fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, lean proteins, and calcium rich dairy foods. When we focus towards those foods when we are hungry, we will be less likely to gravitate towards more processed foods. Use the following tips to eat more nutrient rich fruits and vegetables throughout your day, you will be glad you did!

Breakfast:

  • Add bananas, raisins or berries to cereal or oatmeal.
  • Drink a small glass of 100% fruit or vegetables juice (not “fruit drink”, “cocktail”, or “punch”).
  • Add chopped vegetables to eggs such as onions, bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, or tomatoes.

Lunch:

  • Have a fruit or vegetable salad with lunch.
  • Put vegetables on your sandwich, such as cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, or avocado
  • Have a piece of fruit or raw veggie sticks instead of chips.

Snacks:

  • Carry dried fruit, such as raisins, dates, or dried apricots in your purse.
  • Have any type of fresh fruit: grapes, apples, bananas, oranges, kiwi, etc.
  • On hot days, munch on a bowl of frozen fruit such as grapes, bananas, or strawberries.

Dinner:

  • Have a fruit or vegetable salad with dinner.
  • Add a side of steamed or microwaved vegetables-frozen veggies are fine!
  • Add chopped vegetables like onions, garlic and celery when cooking soup, stew, beans, rice, or spaghetti sauce.

Source: American Heart Association

By: Ashley Svaty

Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Congress expanded the Child Tax Credit through the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021 to support families during the coronavirus pandemic recovery act.  Important changes to the Child Tax Credit will help many families get advance payments of the credit starting this summer.

The American Rescue Plan Act increased the Child Tax Credit amount from $2,000 per eligible child to $3,600 for those under age 6 and $3,000 for children age 6 through 17.   Eligible individuals/families will receive a monthly payment of the advanced Child Tax Credit.

Eligibility requirements, including income thresholds and additional questions and answers can be found online at https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021.

The monthly amount is $300 per eligible child under age 6 and $250 per eligible child age 6-17. Payment dates are scheduled for July 15, August 13, September 15, October 15, November 15, and December 15 via direct deposit if a bank account is on file with the IRS.  You will claim any additional credit or potentially repay any excess credit, when you file your 2021 income tax return. These changes apply to tax year 2021 only.

Families will have the option to opt-out of the advance Child Tax Credit to receive their eligible amount when filing their 2021 taxes.

By: Brenda Langdon

June 10th is Herbs and Spices Day!

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Cassie Homan and Ashley Svaty teamed up to deliver a virtual program discussing how to grow and cook with herbs and spices on May 5th. If you missed the live program, the recording is below along with the link to the other KSU Garden Hour series videos and resources.

Link to KSU Garden Hour series and resources: https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/k-state-garden-hour-webinar-series/k_state_garden_hour.html

By: Ashley Svaty

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program provides support to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, virtual classrooms, and so much more. It will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. Learn more, including eligibility guidelines, at https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit

By: Brenda Langdon

 

Storm Damage Cleanup

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

If your home has been affected by the recent heavy rains, here are some guidelines to safely and effectively clean and restore your storm-damaged home and contents.

  • After a flood, it is important to take every precaution to ensure the safety of your well water. Have the water sampled and tested to ensure it is safe to drink.
  • Discard all food that came in contact with floodwaters, including canned goods. It is impossible to know if the containers were damaged and the seals compromised.
  • Discard wooden cutting boards, wooden spoons, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers. There is no way to safely clean them if they have come in contact with flood waters.
  • Never enter a building that might have structural damage. Look for signs such as cracks, sagging rooflines, leaning and foundation shifts. Make sure electrical and gas supplies are disconnected and inspected for chemical contamination.
  • Be alert to possible invasion by snakes, fire ants and other creatures.
  • Mold problems can result in damage to materials and health. The longer the mold is allowed to grow, the greater the risk and the harder it is to remedy. As soon as the floodwaters recede and it is safe to return, don’t delay cleanup and dry out.
  • If you need to clean mold, follow these steps and refer to EPA guidelines online at epa.gov/moldto do it as safely and effectively as you can.
  • Cleaning and drying water-soaked floors is difficult. In the aftermath of a flood, contamination by mud, silt, sewage and mold compounds the problem. Surfaces exposed to rising flood water or sewage should be both cleaned and disinfected.
  • Some fixtures, wiring and appliances such as laundry equipment, dishwashers with replaceable insulation and microwave ovens, may be salvageable. However, they should be inspected by a service professional before use. Unplug, clean and dry appliances, but do not use them before servicing.
  • Check to make sure that tetanus shots are up-to-date. Get a booster shot if you have not had a tetanus shot within the past 10 years. Some health departments recommend a booster within five years if you are working in flood water.

By: Brenda Langdon