Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new icon to replace the long-familiar food pyramid to help people make healthier food choices.

While the USDA’s nutrition messages largely stay the same, the new food guidance icon, MyPlate, is easier to read. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.

The key points emphasized are:  

Balance Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.

• Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

• Make at least half your grains whole grains

Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.

• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week released revised cooking recommendations for meats including whole cuts of pork.

The USDA lowered the recommended safe cooking temperature for whole pork from 160 °F to 145 °F. The USDA this week also added a recommended three-minute rest time for meats.

Like whole pork, the safe temperature for steaks, roasts and chops is also 145, the USDA says. The safe temperature of all ground meat and poultry is higher. According to the USDA, 160 is safe for ground meats and 165 for all poultry.

"With a single temperature for all whole cuts of meat and uniform 3 minute stand time, we believe it will be much easier for consumers to remember and result in safer food preparation," USDA Under Secretary Elisabeth Hagen said in a news release. "Now there will only be 3 numbers to remember: 145 for whole meats, 160 for ground meats and 165 for all poultry."

The USDA stressed the three-minute rest period is important.

“A ‘rest time’ is the amount of time the product remains at the final temperature, after it has been removed from a grill, oven, or other heat source. During the three minutes after meat is removed from the heat source, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys pathogens,” the news release said.

The USDA news release also address concerns of pink pork and noted that color and appearance are not reliable indicators of food safety.

The PBS.org website is featuring a local Cooperative Extension video. The WMHT “From Farm to Table” series features Nutrition Educator Kim Sopczyk of CCE in Warren County. PBS is featuring the ‘Grilling Year Round’ episode in which Sopczyk shares the famous Cornell barbeque sauce recipe as well as recipes for grilled peaches and kabobs.

The Cornell BBQ sauce recipe was developed by Dr. Robert C. Baker, a former Cornell University poultry science and food science professor who worked to promote the state’s poultry industry.

Cornell Barbecue Sauce

(enough for 10  broiler halves)                              

1 cup cooking oil*                                       

1 pint cider vinegar                                    

3 tablespoons salt**                                                

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning               

1/2 teaspoon white pepper                        

1 egg                                                              

A long winter storm…heavy spring rains…strong winds…a power outage lasting several days...unexpected guests dropping by.... These are times when people suddenly look to their cupboards for ingredients to make meals or snacks. In the absence of a home pantry, many individuals will seek in vain, requiring a trip to the nearest grocery store.

Thankfully, good ol’ fashioned pantry space is making a big resurgence. Catherine Seiberling Pond, author of the book The Pantry – Its History and Modern Uses, reports that today “walk-in pantries are the most requested kitchen feature in American homes.” Ms. Pond, an architectural historian, explains that walk-in pantries were once used for food preparation and storage. They were abandoned by the 1950s when American homemakers availed themselves of in-kitchen cabinetry and the ongoing improvements in refrigerator technology.

Since the 1990s, America has been moving back toward food pantries in the home, a trend supported by Cornell Cooperative Extension. The extension organization, with offices in almost every county in New York State including Fulton and Montgomery, has long been involved in encouraging communities to be prepared for emergencies while educating the public on the most economical ways to purchase and prepare family meals.

Home pantries help on both accounts. Cornell University Extension Associate Sonya Islam states that “using a well-stocked pantry is such an easy way to save time, money and frustration.” Ms. Islam further explained that “having the ingredients for a few meals on hand is both comforting, and practical.”

If you would like to be to prepare quick and thrifty meals at home at moment’s notice then check out our new publication Mother Hubbard! What’s In Your Cupboard.

Saving time, money and being prepared for emergencies are some of the reasons why Cornell Cooperative Extension educators recommend families start a home food pantry.

The new publication, developed by CCE educators in Schoharie County, provides information on how to stock and manage a proper food pantry. Mother Hubbard! What’s In Your Cupboard has shopping lists and storage charts for all the ingredients you’ll need and should keep on hand to make nearly 30 recipes for soups, sides, main dishes and desserts.

Among the recipes you’ll find scalloped tomatoes, chicken patties, Sheppard’s pie, split pea and rice supper and much more.   

If you’re planning a garden this year, then it’s time to make plans to can or otherwise preserve your harvest.

In a recent post to their blog, Evidenced-Based Living, the associate dean and associate director of Cornell Cooperative Extension discuss how canning is a great way for people to “eat locally” all year.

“But a national survey found that many people who process food at home are doing it in a way that puts them at risk for spoiled food and foodborne illness,” the blog says.

Luckily there are many resources to help people safely preserve their food.

Locally, CCEFM nutrition educators have several canning and food preservation classes upcoming. This year’s first food preservation class, Jams, Jellies and More, is set for late May with pressure canning, pickling, freezing and tomato canning classes to follow.

The Evidence-Based Living blog also suggest people interested in food preservation visit the National Center for Home Food Processing and Preservation website. This website, supported by the national Cooperative Extension system, offers many resources such as videos, recipes, answers to frequently asked questions and much more.

Most people admit that they could increase their level of physically activity to improve their life style. Usually as little as 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day five times a week will help you have a healthier heart, tone up sagging muscles, and promote restful sleep. 

Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, ballroom or line dancing, bicycling on level ground, or water aerobics. Think about how these changes can improve the way you feel. Check out our How Active Am I? Activity Scan to help you determine your current level of physical activity and serve as a reminder of what to do next.

Physical activity guidelines are available at http://www.health.gov. 

Also, if you’re interested in losing weight, remember that keeping a food diary and graphing your weight loss are two effective techniques that could help.

Download our food diary and weight graph to get yourself started.

On May 17 CCEFM nutrition educators will present From Mindless to Mindful Eating, an hour and a half class that looks at the environmental factors that influence eating decisions. Find out what triggers mindless eating. Learn to pay more attention to the experience of eating and enjoy food more. This fun, interactive workshop will get you started on eating better and provide strategies to reduce mindless eating.

Factors beside how hungry we are influence how much we eat. Watch Brian Wansink, a professor and director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, discuss how bowl size influences eating in the below video. 

Last week’s Stir Fry Magic class was well attended. If you wanted to attend but couldn’t here’s a beef stir fry recipe you can try at home.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean beef, cut into thin strips (may use other meats such as pork or chicken)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 green pepper, cut into strips

2 cups fresh cut vegetables (such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)

6 cups cooked rice, still hot

Nutrition educators from Cornell Cooperative Extension in Fulton and Montgomery Counties will present a variety of food preservation, pressure canning and pickling classes over the next several months.

Classes scheduled include:

5/24 – Jams, Jellies and More

6/11 – Herbs & Freezing Basics

7/9 – Pressure Canning

7/19 – Boiling Water Method for Tomatoes/Pickles

8/11 – Storing and Preserving the Fall Harvest

9/17 – Jams, Jellies and More