Recipe of The Week Using WIC Foods
VEGGIE OPEN FACED SANDWICH ON WHOLE WHEAT
Using popular WIC foods, here is a twist on a classic American favorite – grilled cheese.
Texas WIC is a nutritional assistance program that provides free counseling and monthly food packages for moms and their children up to age five. The program helps ensure children get a healthy start in life. Each month WIC clients get access to FREE nutritional foods.
The recipe below uses WIC foods like whole wheat bread, cheese and vegetables. It’s a great way to get multiple healthy ingredients in one meal. Plus, it’s super easy and quick to make, something every mother will love. In a few easy steps you can have this meal ready for a weekend lunch or quick family dinner.
VEGGIE OPEN FACED SANDWICH ON WHOLE WHEAT
2 pieces of Whole Wheat Bread
Enough cheese slices to cover top of toast, use whatever flavor you like
1/2 Onion, sliced
½ Bell Pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
Add olive oil to pan on medium heat. Add sliced onions and bell pepper and cook until tender. Lay bread on baking sheet. Add cheese on top. Add cooked veggies on top of cheese. Cook in oven at 355 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes until toast is gold
Get your WIC foods at any Lone Star Family Market location in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos. Lone Star Family Market offers WIC Grocery shopping in 1 easy stop. The stores carry baby formula, baby food, milk, cheese, yogurt, bread, beans and produce – all in an easy shopping format so you can get everything you need without all the hassle.
Pregnant? Join Texas WIC
Get WIC Nutrition Help For Your Baby Before They Are Born
Are you pregnant, and need a helping hand with your baby? Get FREE nutrition help from Texas WIC. It’s a great resource for qualifying expecting moms and moms of children up to age 5.
The program provides nutrition education and free monthly food packages for expecting mothers. Once your baby arrives, they also provide breastfeeding support, nutrition counseling and even free formula for your baby. If you would like to apply to the program, visit TexasWIC.org/apply to find out if you qualify.
Let Lone Star Family Market show you how easy WIC grocery shopping can be. The primarily WIC grocery store chain helps WIC clients get all their WIC groceries in one easy, hassle-free stop. Locations in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos are located near WIC clinics for convenient access. Find a location at Lonestarfamilymarket.com/locations.
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.