A Recipe With Some Green for St. Patrick's Day

Spinach-Orange Salad

(4 servings, about 1 cup each)

• 4 cups spinach (torn-into-pieces)
• 2 medium oranges, sectioned
• 2/3 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion (optional)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Place spinach in bowl. Add orange sections, mushrooms, and onion. Toss lightly to mix.
    
2. Mix oil, vinegar, orange juice, ginger, and pepper well. Pour over spinach mixture. Toss to mix.
    
3. Chill.

Per Serving:
Calories: 110
Total fat: 7 grams
Saturated fat: 1 gram
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 25 milligrams

Source: Using the Food Guide Pyramid: A Resource for Nutrition Educators, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture/Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services/Center For Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Sad News

Just heard that Oma Jones, former Jefferson County Extension Adviser, died on Tuesday. Will share more information as it is available.

Extension Moving to Three Regions

It seems that U of I Extension will be moving to three regions sometime this year. The explanation we have heard is that there will be Cook County and a small group of collar counties. The rest of the state will be divided East and West from far north to far south.

Springfield is to be the Regional Office for the west side, and it is not yet decided for sure where the one for the east side will be.

Changes in Civil Service staffing (community workers, program coordinators, and secretaries) are being discussed now and will take effect as soon after July 1st as possible depending on bumping scenarios, etc. Times are still tough!

Living Well--More Than a Cookbook

Living Well--More Than a Cookbook was developed by National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Science members from across the country.

It features favorite recipes of members from every state. Delicious ideas for every thing from appetizers to zucchini that represent all of the food groups are included.

The book also has tips on financial management, home safety, living green, and much more. It is a wonderful resource from professionals in the field!

Retail price for this hardbound book is $29.95, but you can purchase it for $25.00 plus shipping. It is an ideal gift for a wedding, birthday, or any other special occasion. To order one or more copies please contact us at ieafcslife@gmail.com.

Carol Schlitt is Keeping Busy!

Lighthouse in Maine

Carol Schlitt has started her own business, "Safe and Savory Solutions, Inc."  She is doing food safety and food preservation lessons and food demonstrations on a contract basis. She is involved in some other areas of food safety as well. Ask her about it when you see her! She is keeping busy in her retirement....and loving it!

Notes from JCEP

About 60 people attended the JCEP Meeting in Springfield this week. The group included a number of retirees. There are also several individuals who will be retiring and/or leaving by June 30th. Times are tough for Extension and everyone else with all the budget uncertainties.

Pam Weber did not have a lot of good news from the state legislature, but it is encouraging that Extension is still in the budget. Some groups have had their funds completely cut. Any contacts with legislators on behalf of Extension would be appreciated. There are a lot of new ones who need to be told about the excellent work that is done.

One news item is that Extension is moving out of the building on the State Fairgrounds sometime this summer. The Center will close. It is not yet known where the county office will be located.

Another is that there will be a retirement celebration for Dr. Jim Oliver on April 1st. Contact Susan Taylor at setaylor@illinois.edu for details.

Amy Griswold has had knee surgery recently, and she is recuperating. Hope you are doing better every day, Amy.

It was good to see many old friends and co-workers.

Fiber seems to be linked to a reduced risk of disease in people older than 50

Here is another note from NARFE.

A study analyzed medical and food consumption data on 388,122 adults older than 50. In a nine-year span, 31,456 of them died. People who routinely consumed the most fiber--an average of 24 grams daily for men, 26 for women, were 22 percent less likely to have died in this time period than were those whose diets included the least amount of fiber.

Something to think about!

JCEP spring meeting is this week in Springfield. We'll try to have an update on current events next week.

Send any news you are willing to share to ieafcslife@gmail.com.