An Apology, New Job, Cooking with Kids and Pumpkin Scones with Ginger Glaze

Hello! My name is Melissa and I am the gal behind My McDonald Meal and I owe you an apology! I am very sorry I have been absent for a few weeks but I promise it's been worth every minute. A few months ago I mentioned to you all that I had landed a cool new job, well I now feel comfortable enough to let you all in on my special secret. My passion for children, physical activity, nutrition and education are now all part of my job duties as the Relationship Manager for Kentucky with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation!! Woohoo! How cool is that job title.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation was founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation in 2005. We are a non-profit that works to address one of the nation's leading public health threats – childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids to make healthy lifestyle choices.

My job is to connect the schools in Kentucky to the Healthy Schools Program and walk them through our framework which outlines specific steps to create healthier school environments. The framework is based on policies and practices that positively impact healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among students and staff.

Did you know that 1 in 3 children are obese or overweight?
Did you know that this might be the first generation of children to live shorter lives than their parents?
Did you know that 1/3 of high school students get enough Physical Education?
I could go on but I'll let you do the research on your own.

So, if you have never heard of us before then make sure to check with your school office to see if they are already signed up. If they are then great, see how you can help. If not, no fear, we have a great option on our website for you! You can sign up as an individual and we'll make sure you receive a jam packed bi-weekly newsletter, access to our list of online resources, including our product navigator, a tool to see if the snacks and meals your school is serving is in compliance with our program.

Spend some time on our site and check out what we can do to help get your schools healthy! NOW is the time to join the fight to reduce childhood obesity.

Well, with my new job I am working from home part-time and traveling to schools across the state the other half---plenty to keep me busy, but all for an amazing cause! Recently my evenings have been focused on dedicated family time and enjoying being "unplugged", since I have to rely on being plugged in all day. But don't worry, this hasn't meant I have not been in the kitchen! No! No! I've been spending plenty of time in the kitchen cooking up yummy, healthy foods for my family and I've even had some pretty cool teenagers cooking with me!

Back in the summer after I helped with a kids cooking class with my previous job, I had a mom contact me to see if I could help with cooking classes for her son and some of his friends. Flash forward a few months and we've now had two classes together! This has been an incredible opportunity for me to be able to spend time with kids that could make a difference. Oh boy, I can't wait to tell you more about these amazing teenagers, but for now I'll leave you with a few pictures and a yummy recipe they cooked up on their FIRST time with me!



 



Pumpkin Scones with Ginger Glaze





2 cups all-purpose flour

7 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg (OR USE 1tsp of allspice)

¼ tsp ground cloves

 

¼ tsp ground ginger

6 tbsp cold butter

½ cup canned pumpkin

3 tbsp half-and-half

1 large egg

Preheat oven 425 degrees. Cut butter into ½ inch cubes. Sift flour, sugar and spices together. Mix butter with dry ingredients until it resembles a cornmeal.

In small bowl whisk egg, half and half and pumpkin together. Gradually stir wet ingredients with dry. Turn out onto floured surface and knead two times. Form a round ball and flatten to ¾ of inch thick. Cut out triangles and place on parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until slightly brown.

Ginger Glaze

2 tbsp minced crystallized ginger

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups powder sugar

2 tsp milk

Whisk all ingredients together and drizzle on top of nice warm scones and serve!