Shape Up Your Plate

March is National Nutrition Month and this year's theme is "Shape up your plate." What a great time for you and your family to focus on a few healthy eating habits! The new healthy eating icon, a plate and cup with the food groups shown by colors, is starting to look familiar. MyPlate replaced the pyramid last June and so far the audiences I have shared it with consider it a positive change.

March 04, 2012 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Make This a Walk Kansas Year

The Walk Kansas program is in its 11th year. It has become a signature program for K-State Research and Extension with nearly 20,000 individuals participating last year. Locally, our Walk KS committee is promoting this years' campaign and I am pleased with the interest and enthusiasm of several key individuals and groups.

February 19, 2012 | Donna Krug | Local Life

“Does Your Money Have Wings?”

So many news stories these days are centered on the difficulty families across the country are having making ends meet. From home foreclosures to longer than usual lines waiting for public assistance, it is easy to see that the effects of economic problems are everywhere you turn. The good news is K-State Research and Extension has many publications that can guide people through some hard times.

January 29, 2012 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Active Aging Workshop registration is open

I hope your year is off to a great start. In my New Years' Day column I invited you to develop an action plan for healthy living. If healthy eating and increasing physical activity is part of your action plan I have another suggestion. Consider signing up for the "Active Aging" workshop set to begin soon.

January 15, 2012 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Replace Resolution with Action Plan this year

It isn't often that my New Year's column actually runs on the 1st, so I will take advantage of the opportunity to share a thought or two about plans for the New Year. No doubt you have been thinking about something you would like to resolve to do in the coming year. Many times resolutions focus on things like weight loss, getting out of debt, or breaking a bad habit. Research shows that success in ...

January 01, 2012 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Tips to Trim Heating Bills

No doubt with the frigid temperatures we are experiencing you are giving your furnace a workout this week. There are many ideas floating around about how to best save energy. Bruce Snead, our director of engineering extension at Kansas State University shared some tips in a recent article that I will pass along today.

December 11, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Keeping fit through the Holidays

We have entered the period of the year when spreads of rich holiday foods seem to appear at every social gathering – frosted cookies at the office, eggnog at your neighbor's, or chocolates in your Christmas stocking. All these extras add up, and if you are like most Americans, you will put on a pound or two by New Year's Day.

December 04, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Happy Thansgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are spending time enjoying the family gatherings that surround the holidays. If you have not started your holiday shopping, remember that time, instead of expensive gifts, may be exactly what your family needs this year. Create your own traditions that exemplify your values. Time spent playing board or card games together; going to a movie or enjoying a sin-a-long can help define the holidays in a way that is meaningful to you.

November 20, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Go Green with Extension

Instead of the purple that is usually associated with K-State Research and Extension, we have decided to "Go Green with Extension." Mark your calendars for Tuesday, Nov. 8, and drop by the Barton County Extension Office, 1800 12th Street, to vote and to learn something new.

November 06, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Parenting information available anytime

The past week has been a busy one. Fall Extension programs are in full swing. In between those busy days I have found some time to get acquainted with the newest member of the family. Camdyn Mae Baker, was born Thursday, Oct. 20, and weighed a healthy 8 lbs. 9 oz. Her parents, Art and Kristen, plus all of her aunts, uncles, grandparents and great grandma have gotten to bond with her. Big sister, Calyn, ...

October 30, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Celebrate Family and Community Education Week October 9 - 15

Happy 75th birthday FCE! A visit to the web site of National Association for Family and Community Education shows such a positive organization; one that cares about families and communities. The organization has gone through several name changes in its seventy-five years; some of you remember the Home Demonstration Units and Extension Homemaker Units of the past. Through all of this the mission to strengthen individuals, families and communities through continuing education, developing leadership and ...

October 09, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Celebrate Family Day Tomorrow

"Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children" is a national movement launched in 2001 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University to encourage more parent-to-child communication as a means of substance abuse prevention. It is celebrated the 4th Monday of each September, which is tomorrow.

September 25, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Cook It Safe when preparing convenience foods

September is designated as Food Safety month, so it is a perfect time to share information about a new campaign. The "Cook It Safe" campaign encourages consumers to read and follow all cooking instructions printed on food packages before preparation. Consumers of all ages need to improve their safe food handling practices. With only 61 percent of Americans following all package cooking instructions, and even less using a food thermometer (19 percent), this is a ...

September 18, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

Jump Start Your Day with Breakfast

As I begin my twenty-third year in adult education through my job as an Extension Agent I feel blessed to enjoy the variety of each day. While most of my programming is directed toward adults, I also enjoy contact with children of all ages. Nothing pleases me more than sharing nutrition information with a young person and then meeting up with them again and have them say, "Hey, I remember you; you told us to ...

August 07, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

New Icon for Healthy Eating

The past 50 or more years have brought a multitude of ways to teach and reinforce the concepts of healthy eating. When I was in the elementary grades the 'carrot lady' would come and visit our school lunchroom in Washington, at least once a year. Her message was one that stuck in my memory; "eat first what you don't like and then what you do like, and your plate will be clean." The 4-H foods ...

July 24, 2011 | Donna Krug | Local Life

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