EVERYWHERE — When kids come home from school, they’re ravenous.

The food experts at Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE)  in Sullivan County have some tips on healthy eating—both for kids and adults—and how snacks can help you stay healthy.

Going by the federal My Plate guidelines, said CCE Healthy Schools program coordinator Sue Ann Boyd, “one-half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, one-quarter should be grains and one-quarter protein.” Above the plate—where the beverage would go—is dairy.

My Plate is an easy way to remember to include healthy foods in your diet, she said. And “snacks can fit into all of these categories.”

Start with dairy. A glass of milk, of course, but also smoothies, yogurt, cottage cheese and low-fat cheese, she said.

For proteins, hummus dip (with vegetable sticks) makes a great snack. Also “refried beans, hard-boiled eggs, tuna on crackers. All are cost-effective and nutrient-dense.”

Cost-effective, yes. That matters these days, as food prices climb.

Fruit is great on its own or dipped into a homemade yogurt dip. (Apples are good here, she said.) Another suggestion: frozen grapes.

Vegetables like a yogurt dip too; try adding seasonings.

For the grains portion, “DIY trail mix,” Boyd said, “using cereal, pretzels, raisins and so on. It’s a lot cheaper than going to the store. Use the ingredients you have at home.”

Another advantage of homemade trail mix—not everyone has access to a working stove. Trail mix is easy to put together and doesn’t need a fridge.

CCE is keeping the cost of food in mind as it recommends recipes. “A lot of people really need help with food costs,” Boyd said.

If you’re on WIC or receiving SNAP/EBT benefits, you can use farmers’ markets. They’ll take your benefit card, both here and in PA. (In Pennsylvania, check out NEAR Cash at the Cooperage, contact your county or the Penn State Cooperative Extension for more information; see box at right.)

If you don’t have transportation, there are a few possibilities. Boyd mentioned the Sullivan Fresh Farmers’ Market on the Move, which stops in Liberty, Loch Sheldrake, Wurtsboro and Fallsburg; see the website below for the schedule.

Keep an eye on the MOVE Sullivan

schedule too; the service has stops in Liberty, Monticello, Harris, Hurleyville, Loch Sheldrake and South Fallsburg and as of now, rides are free.

What farmers’ markets offer

Each market differs in some ways. Boyd talked about the Monticello Sullivan Fresh market, which is open on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 10 Jefferson St.

At Sullivan Fresh, “we give demos and hand out coupons” that people can use at the market.

There are fruits and vegetables, as you’d expect, and honey, maple syrup, eggs, garlic, jams and prepared food too.

If you have a way to cook, the CCE website offers recipes and tips; you don’t have to spend a fortune to eat healthily. Cut way back on sugary beverages and energy drinks, Boyd said. Same with candy, soda and ice cream.

It’s for the parents too

But isn’t it an uphill battle if parents like the unhealthy stuff?

That’s why CCE has programs in the schools.

“Sometimes parents send kids to school with a two-liter bottle of soda and some chips,” Boyd said.

Bee Moser, the SNAP-Ed nutritionist at CCE, “educates kids [in school], sends them home with…refillable water bottles,” which are an alternative to the soda.

“Kids kind of have power over parents,” Boyd said. “They can encourage physical activity, eating healthy.” And just to highlight the message, there are tip sheets. Recipes are online. And more.

Livingston Manor and Roscoe are using local foods, making homemade soup for lunches and partnering with CCE. “It’s farm-to-school,” she said.

CCE has had a salad bar at Liberty Elementary. “[The kids] eat more salad if it’s there,” she said. “These kids went crazy for it.”

The need for good food

There are programs in Fallsburg and Monticello too. It’s critically important. “Sometimes, a kid’s only meal is at school,” Boyd said.

Snacks are a key piece of the food puzzle.

“Healthy snacks help manage kids’ hunger, boost nutrition and keep kids from getting hungry and cranky,” she said.

Learn more

Sullivan County, NY

Sullivan County farmers’ market list: sullivancce.org/agriculture/farmers-markets

Sullivan Fresh farmers’ market: sullivancce.org/agriculture/sullivan-fresh

Recipes: sullivancce.org/food-nutrition/recipes

And more recipes: fnec.cornell.edu/for-participants/recipe-table/

MOVE Sullivan (Sullivan County transportation) sullivanny.us/Departments/Transportation/MoveSullivan

Pike County, PA

Farm-to-school efforts, recipes and more at Penn State Cooperative Extension: bit.ly/3phcwNy

Human services office, for SNAP benefits and information about food pantries: www.pikepa.org/living___working/human_services/index.php

Penn State Cooperative Extension: extension.psu.edu/pike-county

Transportation services: www.pikepa.org/living___working/transportation/index.php

Wayne County, PA

Farm-to-school efforts, recipes and more at Penn State Cooperative Extension: bit.ly/3phcwNy

Human services office, for SNAP benefits and information about food pantries: waynecountypa.gov/101/Human-Services

Penn State Cooperative Extension: extension.psu.edu/wayne-county

Transportation services: waynecountypa.gov/218/Transportation