Fresh Sheet
Food conference focuses on region
Registration is open for a conference designed to consider the potential of the regional food economy.
The Power of Our Regional Food Economy is a daylong discussion about the area’s food system, with plans to create a system for improving it.
It features speaker Ken Meter, who has a national reputation as a food systems analyst. Put another way, he specializes in identifying improvements to food systems to help farmers, create jobs, improve food accessibility and help people eat healthier.
The conference will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 19 at the Phase One building on Spokane’s Riverpoint Campus, 668 N. Riverpoint Blvd. The $35 registration fee includes parking and lunch. There is more information and a link to register at www.realfoodspokane.org.
Healthy snacking tips
Members of the Greater Spokane Dietetics Association are sharing healthy eating tips during March’s National Nutrition Month campaign, “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day.” Find more tips, resources and recipes online at www.eatright washington.org/gsda and at www.eatright.org.
Here are this week’s tips:
• Plan your snacks ahead of time. Keep a variety of nutritious, ready-to-eat supplies on hand, such as whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese. Stacy Trogdon
• A fruit smoothie is a great breakfast to take with you and starts the day off right. Try blending any frozen berries with no-fat or low-fat milk. If that isn’t sweet enough, try adding a banana. You can also try slicing your bananas and then freezing them in a single layer on waxed paper. Once they are frozen, you can store them in a zip-top bag and pull them out as you need them. Also, try adding a handful of fresh spinach to your smoothie. This adds a powerful nutrition punch with very few extra calories. It might look a little funny, but I promise you will still enjoy the taste. – Joan Milton