September 2023                         Volume 19 Issue 6

Back to School Snacking

It's "back to school" and time to be thinking and planning for healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks for your kids. Let's talk about snacking.

We recommend that snacks be limited to 200-300 calories, low in fat and containing both a protein and carbohydrate source. Plus, water for the hot Houston climate. Many kids have after school sports and activities so planning and packing smart snacks needs preparation.  

Parents, to ensure healthy after school snacks, you need to have them handy and ready to eat in the fridge and in your home. Our motto "if you have healthy foods available kids will eat them, likewise if all the choices are not so healthy, they will eat those too."

Oliver Foundation Healthy Choices Grant

Next Deadline October 15, 2023

Apply Now

Congratulations to our July 15, 2023 Grant Awardee

Fortress Preschool - Fort Worth. Texas



Texas Action for Healthy Kids Fall Summit

JOIN US FOR OUR VIRTUAL EVENT:

CONNECTING THE PIECES - SUPPORTING THE WHOLE CHILD

Tuesday, October 24 - 11:30am - 4:30pm

Wednesday, October 25 - 8:30am - 12:00pm Noon

Topics include:

Parent Engagement

Mental Health Resources for Students and Staff

Keeping Physical Education in a Learning Loss Environment

Connecting Communities/Schools/Families through SHACs

Youth Engagement

Click here to register

Mark your calendars:

Tuesday, October 24 - 11:30am - 4:30pm

Wednesday, October 25 - 8:30am - 12:00pm Noon

Ariyana Patel, Teen Board Member

Travis High School - Richmond, Texas 

Teen Board Member 2022 - Present

Ariyana is a freshman at Travis High School. She is a member of the GSA academy program, GIS committee, SASA program, and a Debate club member. In addition, her extra-curricular activities include piano, dance – Bollywood, and she has been a member of Girl Scouts for the past 9 years. In the future, she would like to continue her community volunteer efforts and aspires to become a Medical Doctor, either as a Neurologist or Cardiologist.

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Tips for Stress and Time Management

With school and extracurricular activities starting back up, I am sure stress levels have increased. Teachers may be handing out a lot of homework and tests which can get overwhelming. So, I am going to share some tips I use to help cope with stress and time management when I have a lot of things to do and feel there's not enough time to get it all done.

One thing I do is try to get at least 8 hours of sleep daily. I know with schoolwork, it can sometimes be difficult, but it will help you stay focused and more relaxed. The best way to make sure you go to bed on time is to start off with creating a daily checklist. Try putting it in order of priority. For example, if something must be completed today because it is due tomorrow, that should be first on your list. For something you would like to get done today, but is not necessarily due tomorrow, you can put that towards the end of the list. Next is to set time goals for your to-dos on your list and make sure to be realistic with these goals. Setting time goals will help keep you on track in getting your work completed.

Another thing you can do is listen to music while working. Listening to music serves as a distraction from thinking about how much work you have and keeps you focused. I would recommend listening to soft music, so it is not too distracting. At least for me, music helps me get my work done faster. What I would not recommend is turning on the TV because that could be really distracting.

There are many things you can do to keep calm and get your work done fast. What I would recommend is finding the best option for you because everyone is different, and my relaxation tips might be different from yours. 

Ariyana Patel September 2023

Teen Board Recipe

Jenna Chuan

Co-Event Coordinator

Air Fryer Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients:

3 apples, sliced in half, seeds and

stem removed

Coconut oil

Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat air fryer to 350° Fahrenheit

2. Cut apples in half and remove stem,

seeds and core with a spoon or knife

3. Drop about a 1/2 tsp of coconut oil in

each apple half

4. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add any

toppings you want! (such as granola,

honey, chopped nuts)

5. Bake in the air fryer for 12-15

minutes, until they reach your desired

softness.

6. Once done, remove and add any

additional toppings you'd like and

serve warm. Store any leftovers in an

airtight container in the fridge for 2-3

days.