The idea of paying for college can be extremely stressful for parents.  Ryan LaRue of Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services has some pointers for families on dealing with the stress that comes with financing college.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

There are loads of family fun activities taking place around West Michigan this weekend.   Here are a few of my favorites.

 Winterfest-Saturday, January 21 from 11am-3pm-Outdoor Discovery Center – Holland   www.outdoordiscovery.org

Families are invited to the Outdoor Discovery Center to celebrate winter!  Activities offered include ice fishing, snow fort building, snowshoeing and more.

 Little Red Riding Hood-Saturday, January 21 at 10:15am & 11:15am-Sunshine Community Church – Grand Rapids  www.grsymphony.org

The Grand Rapids Symphony presents this children’s classic set to fun music.  Cost is $5 per person and it’s the perfect way to introduce your child to the symphony.

 The Great Skate-Saturday, January 21 through Sunday, January 22-Rosa Parks Circle – Grand Rapids   www.griffinshockey.com

From 10pm on Saturday to 10pm on Sunday, there will be an ice skating marathon at Rosa Parks Circle.  Through out the 24 hours there will also be a variety of children’s activities taking place.  This event is a benefit for the Griffins Youth Hockey Foundation.

 Harlem Globetrotters-Sunday, January 22 at 2pm-Van Andel Arena Grand Rapids    www.ticketmaster.com

If your kids love basketball, you won’t want to miss the Harlem Globetrotters!

 Museums Free 4 All-Sunday, January 22 from Noon-5pm

The Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids Children’s Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum are all offering free admission this Sunday!  Head downtown and take advantage of this special opportunity.

www.artmuseumgr.org

www.grcm.org

www.grmuseum.org

www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov

This week on Where You Live, we’re talking about Cash for College.  We’ll take you to Ferris State University as we talk to experts and find out how to navigate through the world of financial aid and scholarships.  Meet a student who is working her way through college debt-free, plus get important financial advice on saving money now to help your child pay for tuition in the future.  Watch Friday at 7pm on WXSP, Saturday at 7:30am & 7:30pm on WOTV and Saturday at 6:30pm on WOOD TV.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

I hope that doesn’t sound like too personal of a question, but as a dietitian I am very interested in how people stock their cupboards and refrigerator.  Many customers that I talk to express the need for foods that taste good but are easy to prepare.  That’s probably why so many of us rely on “convenience” foods as part of our daily meals.  In fact, research has shown that the average American eats six convenience foods daily.  With a number that high, it’s very important to know which convenience foods are healthiest for you and your family.  Keep convenience products from our list below in your kitchen.  With these on hand, you won’t need to turn to less-healthy choices:

In your freezer:
Steam-in-bag frozen vegetables –  Add to casseroles, soups or use as a quick side dish.  Avoid veggies in sauces.
Frozen berries – Add to smoothies, muffins, whole-grain pancakes or yogurt.  Avoid those with added sugar.
Individual frozen fish fillets – Fish is the ultimate fast and healthy food!  Try our delicious recipe below.

In your refrigerator:
Bagged salad greens – Dole makes a number of salad blends and most of them are 100 on the NuVal™ Nutrition Scoring System.  Top salads with lean meats, low fat cheese and more veggies for a meal or have a side salad with a low fat dressing.
Coleslaw mix – Stir fry with lean meat and a little soy/ginger sauce for a quick meal or blend with almonds and orange segments and a lite dressing.
Precut fruit – Healthy option for any meal or snack
Precut veggies – Convenient snack item or roast them in the oven for a delicious side dish.
Cheese sticks – Convenient source of calcium and protein; choose the lower fat versions.

In your cupboard:
Salsa – Top chicken or fish; add to pasta sauce; or mix with a can of black beans and corn for a hearty dip with whole grain chips.
Canned beans – Beans count as a vegetable and a protein source!  Add them to salads, soups or casseroles. 
Whole grain couscous or instant brown rice – Cook in low sodium broth for added flavor and add cut up veggies for a super fast side dish.
Whole grain crackers – My favorite travel lunch is crackers, an apple and low fat cheese sticks.
Canned salmon and tuna – Full of omega-3 fats and delicious for dinner or lunch.

Brown Sugar and Ginger-Glazed Salmon
Makes 4 servings

4 (4 oz.) salmon fillets
1 tbsp. Meijer dark brown sugar
1 tsp Meijer Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Meijer soy sauce
¼ tsp. McCormick ground ginger
McCormick toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. CHOOSE  – 4 (4 oz.) salmon fillets.
2. SEASON – In a small bowl combine sugar, mustard, soy sauce and ginger; set aside.  Season fillets with pepper to taste.  Place skin side up on a broiler pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
3. COOK – Preheat broiler to high.  Broil 5 minutes.  Turn salmon; brush with glaze.  Broil 3 to 5 minutes more until sugar melts and fish flakes easily with a fork.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds(if desired), and serve.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:  195 calories, 5g fat,  80mg cholesterol, 285mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 31g protein

SERVE WITH:  Steamed Snow Peas, Meijer Instant Brown Rice and Meijer Pineapple Chunks

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

I’ve never been the type of person who makes a New Year’s Resolution.  Each year New Year’s Eve rolls around and as midnight creeps closer I quickly come up with something like, “I need to have more patience this year” or “I’m going to try and workout more this year.” Then, October rolls around and I realize that I never really held myself to it.

This past December I was at a friend’s house and noticed they had written out a list of goals for 2012 and had it posted clearly where they could see it each day and be held accountable.  They had laid out goals for work, health and family.  That night at home I couldn’t stop thinking about their list and how I liked the idea of actually writing goals down and putting them where they’d be a constant reminder.  I started to think about what I would put into those categories and what my goals for the coming year would be.

I think a lot of people (including myself) don’t like to make a big giant New Year’s Resolution because it can be hard to live up to.  But, by setting a list of goals to work toward, it’s not such a daunting thing to take on.  I decided to make my own list of 2012 goals and so far I’ve only shared it with my husband.  I think by sharing my list with all of you, it will hold me accountable and hopefully inspire some of you to take on some new challenges this year.

Family Goals for 2012
1.    To work harder on doing nightly homework with Sophia. I know this sounds like an easy one, but surprisingly Kindergarteners get lot of homework.  Patience is not a virtue that I’ve been blessed with, so I dread this time each evening, especially when Entertainment Tonight is calling my name. This year, I’m going to work harder at carving out time for homework with Sophia and channel my inner teacher.
2.    To spend more quality time with my husband. Anyone that has children knows that a large part of your life is spent catering to their needs (I originally typed being a slave to them, but realized that sounded too harsh).  A week will pass and my husband and I haven’t had a conversation that didn’t involve iCarly, Barbie dolls or poop.  Enough said.

Health & Wellness Goals for 2012
1.    To run a 5K. I haven’t said this one out load except to my husband, probably because I’ll be forced to do it.  I’m not a runner, but I’ve always thought it seems like such an accomplishment to run a race.  I know a 5K seems small, but these goals are supposed to be obtainable.
2.    To do something active three times a week.

Work Goals for 2012
1.    To blog at least twice a month. I know over the past year I’ve slacked on this, but I’m committed to blogging more often!  If anyone has any topics for me to tackle, I’d love suggestions!
2.    To be a more positive person. I think this is something that I need to try to apply to my life in general.  I’m often a glass half-empty kind of gal and I think I need to be more optimistic and positive, like envisioning my glass half-full of wine.

So, there they are.  Those are my goals and now it’s time for me to start working towards them.  I’d love to hear from you about your goals for 2012.  Do you set them?  How are you working towards them?

Photo is courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/puuikibeach/3242828279/

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

From the moment you walk into the new Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, you can tell this special place is all about kids.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

14 year old Katie Hollstein, was a patient at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.  We wanted to find out what kids think of the new facility and went straight to the source to find out!

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

We made our Top Ten List of what makes Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital a special place for kids.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

Candy Ritsema is a nurse at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.  Her hospital experience as a child, made her decide to go into the health care field.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is “all kids all the time!”  Their one of a kind staff cares for kids of all ages, including babies in the neo-natal unit.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

One of the most popular programs for patients at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is their pet therapy.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments