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Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, community involvement, and disease and injury prevention.

Volunteers Needed

If you are looking for an organization to donate a bit of your time to, I can recommend one.

Get Healthy DeSoto could use your help. If you can donate time to us, it will be appreciated. Below is a list of activities that we have or are planning for in the near future. Give us a try. We will respect your time and your priorities. Some of our activities are seasonal and some are on-going, so look over the list carefully and ask questions if you need to. Take your pick and we will put you to work.

  1. The De Soto Farmers’ Market
  2. Walking Club
  3. Hiking Club
  4. Christmas Home Tour
  5. Health Fairs
  6. RN’s for Blood Pressure checks
  7. Community Garden
  8. Herb Garden
  9. Walking School Bus
  10. Newsletters
  11. Bulletin Boards
  12. Winter Flakes 10K/5K/1 mile walk run
  13. Weed eating and Grass cutting
  14. Booger excavation crew-Just kidding! I wanted to see if you were paying attention.

If you are interested in working in any of these areas, please contact me at 636-586-4570. Thanks for your consideration.

From the July 13th Newsletter

Hope everyone is enjoying a bit of down time this summer. During the fall and winter months we seem to get caught up in a whirlwind of activity: getting the kids to school, arranging private enrichment lessons, going to ball games & practices, grocery shopping, church activities, club meetings and oh yeah, I almost forgot, doing an outstanding job in the work place! This summer, even though the kids may have a few organized activities or camps, hopefully you are a bit more relaxed and your life less chaotic. Summer is a great time to spend quality time with your family. You could go for a hike, take a nature walk, organize a bicycle ride, plan a picnic, go swimming or fishing. Another idea is to plant a vegetable or flower garden. Putting your hands in the soil and getting dirty can be a great opportunity to bond with the family. Plus you have the added bonus of enjoying the beauty of something you created and reap the benefits of fresh produce. Vacation time should be a heart healthy endeavor. Take the time to relax and enjoy.

There are some often under-appreciated benefits of vacation. It can:

  • promote creativity
  • staves off burnout
  • lower your blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones
  • promote overall well-being
  • strengthen bonds within the family
  • relieve stress

Taking a break from your normal routine can have a long-lasting positive impact on you. You don’t need to plan an expensive get-a-way to reap these benefits. Be creative, relax, enjoy the day, spend time with those you love and be happy.

Get Healthy Newsletter

Did you check out the article in the June 8th Newsletter about sleep and how important it is? It offered some suggestions for people having trouble sleeping. Here they are again with some additional commentary that I may have added.

  1. Avoid caffeine in beverages and chocolate in late afternoon and evening…unless you find TV programming at 3 AM to be particularly stimulating and thought provoking.
  2. Nicotine and alcohol can impede your sleep. In fact, a study in California found that for fatal automobile accidents from midnight to 3 AM, 66% of them involved alcohol-impaired drivers. Drink less, sleep more!
  3. Physical activity during the day improves your chances for a good night’s sleep. Try not to exercise right before you go to bed if it takes you a while to relax after exercising. More research is pointing to the fact that the time you exercise isn’t as important; physical activity is good whenever you can fit it into your day. Here’s an article about that very idea.
  4. After eating a big meal, you need to wait several hours for your food to digest before going to bed. The phrase “food coma” is just that: a phrase!
  5. It is important to get up and to go to bed at the same time every day. Keep a regular pattern even on weekends. Think: small children up past their bedtime.
  6. A cool dark room is ideal for sleeping.
  7. If you are thinking about things you need to do tomorrow, get out of bed, make a to-do-list and then put it out of your mind. Better yet, keep a pad and pen on the nightstand so you don’t even have to get out of bed.
  8. If pain is interrupting your sleep, talk with your health care professional.
  9. Perhaps some of the prescription medication or over-the-counter drugs you are taking is causing sleep problems. Ask your health care professional…and be sure to tell them about all your medications.
  10. Try taking a warm bath about 90 minutes before going to bed. It will lower your body temperature and help you relax. Father’s Day is close, so you might consider giving a tired dad the gift of a nice soak in the tub.
  11. If you rely on taking a sleeping pill every night, talk to your health care professional about other options for you to explore.

Get some rest. You not only need it, you deserve it!

Seasons Greetings…of a different kind!

The Get Healthy DeSoto Herb Garden, located at 650 Vineland School Rd. is ready for you to visit. Joe Bean, our Master Gardener, invites you to come enjoy the beauty of the garden and reap the benefits of using fresh herbs. Many of the herbs are ready to be harvested. If you need help, there is someone on-hand on Friday mornings from 8:00-11:00 a.m.  If you have questions about the garden, email Joe at [email protected].

According to an article on the Food Network, herbs can be used in all sorts of dishes. Their recommendation:

Delicate herbs such as basil, parsley, chives, dill weed and coriander are generally chopped, snipped or torn and added at the end of cooking to maximize their flavor impact. Heartier herbs like thyme, oregano and rosemary can be added earlier in the cooking process to allow their flavors to completely infuse your dish. These are often added whole and removed before serving.

And for those non-fancy pants folks, coriander is also called cilantro!

White Pizza with Vegetables

In case you missed it from the recent newsletter, this recipe was submitted by Linda Bean and appears in the DeSoto Farmers’ Market Cook Fresh Cookbook.

Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 6oz. mushrooms, sliced
  • 8oz. broccoli florets
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • ½ cup black olives
  • 1 small green or red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella, divided
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan, divided
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 13.8 oz. refrigerated pizza dough
Instructions

Place pizza stone or baking sheet in the center of oven and heat to 425 degrees F. Melt 1 ½ teaspoons butter or margarine in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions, green pepper and cook 4-7 minutes, or until beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Add broccoli and 1/3 cup water. Cover tightly, and steam broccoli in skillet 3-4 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1½ Tablespoons butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour, and cook 2 minutes or until pale golden, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, garlic and salt. Cook 3-4 minutes or until mixture thickens and begins to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in ¼ cup mozzarella and 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese until sauce is smooth and cheese is melted. Shape pizza dough according to package directions. Remove pizza stone from oven and place dough on hot stone. If you like extra crispy pizzas, prebake the dough 3-4 minutes before adding toppings. Spread white sauce over dough to within ½” of edge and top with broccoli mixture and black olives. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan over top. Return to oven, and bake 18-20 minutes or until edges of pizza are golden and center is hot and bubbly. Cool slightly before slicing and serving. Serves 6.

Nutritional Info Per Serving

Calories 300; Protein 13g; Carbohydrates 40g; Dietary Fiber 3g; Total Fat 10g; Saturate Fat 4.5g; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 20mg.

News

Contact

[email protected]

Mailing Address

520 N. Main Rd.
DeSoto, MO 63020