Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Healthy recipes for you and your family.



Now that the days are getting longer and the kiddos will be out of school soon, picnic's, play dates and fun times outdoors will be common. 

It's easy to make cold cut sandwiches or get take out for these days but here are some healthy options and ideas to bring along with you to the beach park or anywhere else you might be headed. 


Healthy snacks are great for kids and adults alike on fun days out. 
Here are some helpful hints to make heathy snacking a breeze.
1. Packing your snacks in snack size bags makes them easy to grab and go and also helps with portion control. You can even snag some reusable sandwich bags or snack containers which are great, that way you wont have to worry about tossing them if there isn't a trash can around and its better for the environment. 

3. Keep healthy snacks and treats in separate areas that way kids can help themselves to the healthy snacks but have to ask you for treats. 

4. Planning ahead will make a healthy day out a breeze. Prepping your snacks beforehand will help make sure you don't have to stop and grab unhealthy snacks on the run. 


3. Rethink left overs and plan todays meal for tomorrow's day out. This can be a creative way to use the day before's left overs to help you with a healthy meal for your day out with the family. For example you could make chicken for dinner and use your leftovers to make a healthy chicken salad. 


Here is a great recipe to use for a healthy version of egg salad.

Home Made Egg Salad


8 Large Eggs
2/3 cups plain Greek Yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
( feel free to leave this out )


-Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover
with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and
cook for 1 minute. Cover eggs with a tight-fitting lid
and remove from heat; set aside for 8-10 minutes.
Drain well and let cool before peeling and dicing.
-In a large bowl, roughly mash eggs with Greek yogurt,
-mayonnaise, seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste.



Have fun and be healthy! 




Friday, May 8, 2015

Community Gardening

The day is so beautiful that it had me thinking about gardening! If you don't have the space or time to commit to a full garden of your own community gardening is a great program to get involved with. There are many ways to get involved with community gardening . 

1. Volunteering is great!! Volunteers make these gardens possible. This doesn't even have to be structured volunteering. Basically if you see a weed in a community garden feel free to pull it, just make sure its not actually a plant someone planted there ;) As always if you are interested in volunteering with the CCRM feel free to call our offices at 716-366-1787.



2. Start seeds- for your local food pantry or other organizations in the community, such as a church or school program.



3. Grow a row. This a great thing to do to help your local pantry have healthy local fruits and veggies to offer to those in needs. You can do this by simply donating a row of the crops you grow to support healthy nutrition in your community. This can really make a difference to a family that would otherwise go without fresh food.  

4. Spending family time- Gardening is a really great way to get outside with your kids and enjoy the sunshine, while teaching them where their food comes from and how it grows. This is also a great way to disconnect from their technology and reconnect with nature.  

Okay, now go enjoy the beautiful sunshine & garden :). 

Monday, May 4, 2015

Tis the season

Tis the season to being getting your gardens ready to plant ( up north anyway, I know you southerners have been enjoying the bounty of your gardens already.)

We have been working hard at the CCRM getting our community gardens in shape for this season.
We worked with the local Boys and Girls Club and cleaned the gardens as well as turned over soil to get our garden boxes ready to plant.

Check out these hard workers!





We also began some work on the BOCES garden with their hardworking students. We tilled the garden, added in some much needed manure and built some raised bed. 
Check out the before and after photos. 

 (Before)

 (During)  ( excuse my finger ) 

 (After) 

Using garden beds are great to grow an abundance of vegetables in a small space. These are also most effective in areas with contaminated soil or where flooding is common to allow for drainage. 

These beds are also great for your little ones because it allows a trench or path for them to admire the garden without stepping on or harming the plants. 


Hope you are all having a wonderful spring and are working  hard on getting your gardens ready for planting.