WIC Food Helps Raise Healthy Babies in Austin
Every Austin area mom wishes for a healthy baby. A free Texas program – Texas WIC – is helping moms have healthier babies while from the time they learn they are pregnant.
Pregnant moms who meet certain guidelines (see below for guidelines) can qualify for the Texas Woman, Infant and Children (WIC) program. The program is a free nutritional counseling program to help mothers get the nutrition their babies need to be healthy.
The program offers free nutritional guidance, support and free monthly nutritional food packages. Each WIC participant receives an ebt card that is loaded each month to help mothers get healthy food packages that are customized to their needs.
Pregnant mothers receive credits on their ebt card for certain foods – such as cereal, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, low fat milk whole grails and fruits & vegetables – that help them get the right nutrition while they are expecting. You can learn more about these food packages on WIC’s website.
All About Peanut Allergies
Experts Give Advice About Peanut Allergies
The thought of peanut allergies may stir up some nerves for parents concerned about giving peanut butter to their little ones. With a few tips and guidelines from pros, parents can be prepared to recognize any signs of an allergic reaction.
Texas WIC provides a great online resource about food allergies, including how to spot signs of a food reaction, like: hives, flushed skin or rash, tingling or itching in the mouth or other body part swelling in face or tongue, vomiting or diarrhea, stomach cramps, coughing or wheezing or dizziness or difficulty breathing.
Even though parents may want to avoid exposure to peanuts out of fear of an allergy, experts offer some advice.
Early exposure to peanuts (around 6 months of age) might actually lower the chances of developing an allergy, according to research provided by The National Peanut Board.
A great way to introduce peanuts to your little one is thinned peanut butter. Afterall you don’t want your little one to choke on peanuts, which are not at all recommended to be given to babies or toddlers.
According to Texas WIC: you most likely do not need to avoid the common food allergens while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Introducing a common food allergen to your baby after 6 months is okay, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Offering foods containing ground or powdered peanuts may even lower his risk of developing an allergy. It does not increase the chance of your baby developing a food allergy.
PEANUT BUTTER IS A WIC FOOD
Peanut butter, a Texas WIC Food, is full of nutrition, including more protein than any other nut and more than 30 vitamins, minerals, fiber and good fats, according to the National Peanut Board.
To help offer up a few servings of peanut butter perfect for toddlers and adults here are a few recipes to try.
The National Peanut Board offers great recipes online, including this one originally from rhubarbarians.com for:
FRUIT KABOBS WITH YOGURT PEANUT BUTTER DIP
1 cup salted peanut butter*
1 cup plain yogurt
1-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (Omit for children 2 or younger)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 large strawberries, hulled and sliced in half lengthwise
1 medium banana, peeled and sliced into 1″ slices
1/2 medium apple, cut into bite sized pieces
20 large blueberries
Stir together the 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 or 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup (depending on how sweet you’d like the dip), and the 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Set aside.
Form your kabobs by piercing the fruit with the end of a skewer and sliding the fruit on. Continue adding fruit to your kabobs evenly until you have 5 full kabobs of fruit.
Enjoy and have fun! Take pieces of fruit off of the kabobs and dip into the yogurt peanut butter dip.
Note: If using unsalted peanut butter, add a small pinch of salt to the dip.
Peanut butter is a popular WIC food. Here is one of our favorite recipes using peanut butter:
CINNAMON PEANUT BUTTER BANANA TOAST
1 slice whole-wheat bread, toasted
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 banana, sliced
Ground Cinnamon to taste
Toast bread. Spread peanut butter on one side of toast. Place sliced bananas on bread in single layer. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Get all your WIC foods at Lone Star Family Market locations in Austin, San Marcos and Round Rock. Our stores have bilingual clerks that gather all your WIC items during a one-stop shop without all the hassle of searching for all your WIC foods.
Celebrate July 4th With American Picnic Using WIC Foods
The heart of the summer – July 4th – is almost here.
Grilling, cold fruit and fresh sides are the perfect ingredients for a holiday picnic. To help make your planning a little easier, here are two perfect recipes featuring WIC foods.
The first recipe will cool you off from that hot summer sun, but offers the ‘blue’ and ‘white’ for your red, white and blue menu. These little bites pair perfectly with a cold watermelon. They may be such a hit with the kids, that you want to keep some in the freezer for the next few months.
FROZEN YOGURT BLUEBERRY BITES
1 8-ounce container of Blueberries
½ cup Vanilla Yogurt
Cover a large baking sheet with wax paper. Place yogurt in a small bowl and stir. Poke blueberry one at a time with a toothpick and dip into yogurt until it is completely covered. Move blueberry from toothpick onto wax-covered baking sheet. Repeat with all blueberries. Place in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove blueberries from wax paper using a spatula. Once frozen, place all blueberries into an airtight freezer-safe bowl with lid and until ready to eat. Can store in the freezer for a few months.
This next recipe is easy to add any vegetables from your refrigerator. Feel free to cut and use what you have. Substitution ideas include broccoli, olives, carrots or really anything you like.
COLORFUL RAINBOW PASTA SALAD
8 ounces of Dried Pasta (such as Rotini)
1 package of Italian Salad Dressing mix
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
½ Onion, sliced thin
1 Zucchini squash, sliced thin
1 Yellow Squash, sliced thin
Pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Prepare Italian seasoning mix according to directions. Mix dressing and pasta in a large bowl. Add cut vegetables. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
To pick up all your WIC groceries for your July 4th party, visit any Lone Star Family Market location in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos. Texas WIC is currently offering expanded fruit and vegetable benefits this month.
For more information about Texas WIC, visit TexasWIC.org.
Fun Family-Friendly Recipe Ideas
Recipes Featuring WIC Foods: Fruits and Vegetables
Looking for something new to make? We have a few family-friendly meal ideas for recipes spotlighting a popular WIC food: fruits and vegetables.
This month Texas WIC is offering even more fruit and vegetable benefits. Here are a few ideas to serve up recipes with some great produce you can get with those added benefits.
This first treat is perfect for kids and adults, and it’s a great treat for the summer.
FROZEN YOGURT BANANAS
2 Bananas cut in half in the middle of the banana
1 cup Yogurt
2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup
½ teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
Pop sticks
Insert pop stick into bottom of banana. (see photo). Combine yogurt, syrup and cinnamon in a bowl and mix. Dip the bananas in the mixture. Lay dipped bananas onto a cookie sheet. You can add sprinkles or mini chocolate chips for added fun. Freeze for about 6 hours or until yogurt is frozen.
This recipe is the perfect side for any summertime meal. It’s also very easy to make.
CUCUMBER, TOMATO & ONION SALAD
1 large Cucumber, sliced.
3 Tomatoes cut into thin wedges
1 Onion, sliced
1 cup White Vinegar
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
¼ cup Water
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine cut vegetables into a bowl. Combine all other ingredients in another bowl and mix together. Pour the mixture over the cut vegetables and mix together. Cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
Pick up your WIC groceries at any Lone Star Family Market location in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos. We provide an easy shopping format for WIC groceries and even have bilingual staff to help you get everything you need. To find a location near you, visit us online at LoneStarFamilyMarket.com/locations.
Texas WIC Online Class Offered Monday
Texas WIC Class Offers Up Recipe To Stay Hydrated During Summer
The hot summer months have arrived, and it’s important to keep you and your family hydrated without filling up on sugary drinks. An online Texas WIC class has several tips to help.
Texas WIC is offering an online class Monday that offers recommendations for drinks for children, ways to drink “more water and less sugar” and how to make kid-friendly infused waters and ice cubes.
“We’ll explore the truth behind many common drinks and demonstrate recipe ideas that are not only cool for kids, but fun for the whole family,” according to Texas WIC’s online class description.
TEXAS WIC ONLINE CLASS
The “Live Discussion and Activity on Cool Drinks for Kids” class is being offered online from 1 to 2 PM on Monday, June 21st on the TexasWIC.org website. If you would like to participate, simply register for the class using the link below:
https://classes.texaswic.org/class/de408a18-4dd4-4457-82ad-c924abd56f59
You can watch the online class with a computer, tablet or mobile device that has Internet.
Lone Star Family Market is a primarily WIC grocery store chain with locations in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos. Lone Star Family Market makes it easy and convenient to shop for WIC groceries. We have bilingual staff that is familiar with the WIC program that can help you shop for the items you need. Find a location near a WIC clinic today on our website.