"HUMMUS AT HUMISTON" HOME RUN FOR KIDS

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

"I realized you can only be as good as your health.  I let my health go because I was so focused on building my company."

                                      --Celebrity chef Art Smith, Chef Art was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008 after complications from the disease killed his father and grandfather.  That's when he learned how to eat smarter and lost 120 pounds.

WE DID IT AGAIN!  Our Third Annual Hummus at Humiston event for kids from Youth Guidance Mentoring and Activities Program in need of mentors was a success!  This event is a favorite of the staff at Youth Guidance because the weather is always perfect in November, the food is awesome, and the local farmers are at the Green Market with their fall bounties of squash, tomatoes, and kale. 

A special thank you to the local farmers who helped make this event a memory maker for all the kids (and the volunteers) at our Third Annual Hummus at Humiston.  Thanks to Sid Banack of Countryside Citrus, Louis Schacht of Schacht Groves, Kevin O�Dare of Osceola Organics, Lisa Brenneman of Florida Veggies and More, and Alex Gomez of Pure Produce.  Here are some pictures from our party in the park!

Sid Banack of Countryside Citrus 

Kevin O'Dare (right) talks with a volunteer and a youth about "why" organic.

Stopping at Florida Veggies and More

Alex Gomez of Pure Produce (hydroponically grown veggies)

The karate demonstration was great!

"We made it ourselves!"

Hummus, as the kids all learned � and tasted � is easy to make.  It makes great appetizers, sandwiches, wraps, and snacks for Growing Healthy Kids!  For this recipe and more, order a copy of Nourish and Flourish  from Growing Healthy Kids.  Click here. 

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS: Our Recipe Collection

HUMMUS AT HUMISTON

PLACE in food processor or blender:

• One 16-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed
• 2 Tablespoons tahini (sesame seed butter)
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or 5-10 black olives)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)

TO STORE:  3 days in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer.

OTHER FLAVORS to make:

1. Artichoke-lemon hummus:  Add 1 cup artichoke hearts and an extra 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2. Sun-dried tomato hummus:  Add 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

CHOP 2 or 3 of your favorite vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. 

SERVE hummus for lunch in a whole grain pita or wrap.  Serve it as a snack with veggies.  Choose whole grain pitas or wraps with 4 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving.

The best part of our Third Annual Hummus at Humiston event?  One child is now matched with a mentor for the next year!!  Bam!  Thank you to all the volunteers at the event.

Foods filled with fiber - like the garbanzo beans in hummus, and fruits and veggies, are the foods that help prevent diabetes.  Eat more of the good foods!  Bon apetit!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. 

Magic in the Morning AKA "Hummus at Humiston"

Paradise Greetings,

Don't you just love those mornings when you know something special happened? Last weekend's educational program was magic in the morning.

A group of kids in need of mentors meet monthly with me and a team of volunteers for a unique event combining exercise and healthy eating. Many of the kids who come to these events are overweight and obese. These kids don't get high fiber foods at school so we are teaching them how to make high fiber snacks and meals at home.

Last Saturday was our second annual Growing Healthy Kids "Hummus at Humiston" Party, where I teach a group of kids (and adults) how to make hummus, a traditional middle-eastern dish which is really good for you and is extremely versatile. This "party" was held at Humiston Park in Vero Beach, on the ocean and across the street from the new Saturday Green Market. After a rigorous Zumba workout, thanks to Kim from The Jungle Club, the kids and their mentors bounded over to the market to go shopping for fresh veggies. They came back with treasures. One boy ate the starfruit he had picked. Mind you, he'd never had a starfruit before. He loved it!

The kids and volunteers (including the wonderful kids from the Indian River Charter and Vero Beach High Schools Kiwanis Key Clubs) chopped up veggies such as fresh-picked peppers from Osceola Organics while the 3 Growing Healthy Kids' chefs (see picture) helped me make artichoke-lemon hummus. We put the hummus in whole grain pitas and added the veggies just purchased from local farmers. What flavor!!! All the kids loved it!!! They now have the recipe they can make at home. They know how easy it is to make. The beauty of hummus as a healthy snack idea is you can put some into several small containers and freeze it for up to a month. The kids can take out one container a week to use as part of their after-school snacks!

Learning how to eat healthy is simple when you know what to do. Last weekend, a great group of kids learned several lessons about how to eat healthy. Hummus at Humiston, to me, is pure Magic in the Morning!

Growing Healthy Kids - improving the health - and lives - of America's children, one garden and one child at a time.

To your perfect health!

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

PS -- if your organization would to host a Growing Healthy Kids Hummus at Humiston Party, let me know!!