Better Living for Texans Montgomery County

A great salad for your brunch or lunch!

Wishing you a safe and happy Easter celebration.

Working in a garden can help build up physical and mental strength.

Gardening and yardwork are good low-impact outdoor activities.

Check our stories for more!!

12 Yoga Poses You Can Do Wherever You’re Working

@Cleveland Clinic “If you can take a few minutes each day to do these simple stretches you’ll get your body and mind moving towards a healthy balance and promote good health down the road.

"Learn more (+videos): https://cle.clinic/3sy4D7S

Did you know the green stalks and the bulbs of garlic are edible?
Most use the fresh green tops as you would chives, but they can also flavor broths, soups, and stews. In our area, garlic grows in the fall and spring garden.
This amazing antioxidant can be frozen or dehydrated for future use.

Thank you @elementarymilam for having us at your Spring Sling last night.

It was great to be back in school meeting families & sharing about programs and plants we eat.

Stay Fit in Your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and Beyond: How to exercise as you age

The most important pointer for exercising in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond? You do you.

Don’t worry about what your buddy is doing or stress about keeping up with the younger crowd.

“More isn’t always better,” Lannetta says. “There’s no shame in adapting your routine as you get older. It’s the movement, not the method that matters.”

Source: Cleveland Clinic
Read more: https://cle.clinic/3HdfhH5

Wonderfully long day in several gardens talking soil, spacing, and local varieties.

The is my favorite classroom.

People often get intimidated by cooking and eating darker varieties of greens due to their intense flavors. Try these tips for enhancing the flavor of different varieties to make them more enticing.

It was a great day to touch, taste, and explore the gardens with @bridgewoodfarms and our fabulous Master Gardeners

Did you know that every part of the celery plant is edible?
This crunchy vegetable is in season and full of nutrients. While we typically eat the stems fresh or cooked, the leaves are full of flavor and make a great addition to soups, stews, and broths- even fresh salads.
Celery freezes and dehydrates well for later use.

We are in the garden planting today. Did you know SNAP funds can be used to purchase vegetable seeds and plants?

Join our garden group in Facebook at Garden to Harvest & Beyond for daily garden tips, information, and inspiration.

Is walking daily "good enough" exercise?
Source: Intermountain Healthcare
You know you need to be active, but you avoid exercising because you think it needs to be a difficult, sweat-inducing experience. Fortunately, walking for exercise can give you a lot of the same benefits as grueling workouts, which means no more excuses. Getting in a daily walk is much more manageable than spending hours at the gym and it’s a lot easier on your joints. But is walking enough to keep you healthy?

Reposted: Walk Across Texas
Learn more:
https://bit.ly/3G98zRk

Asparagus- you may be seeing at the store this week, and it is an amazing price right now.

This seasonal stem is completely edible and really easy to prepare: roast, grill, and steam are the most popular methods.

Here are some great ideas for serving asparagus:

Roasting with pepper, garlic, and parmesan
Baked or steamed with butter and seasoning of your choice (I like lemon pepper)
Grilled with some salt and pepper

Have you tried it?

What to Wear When You Work Out
Source: American Heart Association

Sometimes the right gear can make or break your sweat sesh. With a few simple tweaks, you can get your wardrobe workout-ready in no time.

Learn more:
https://bit.ly/3H6Rysj

Did you know the entire plant of radish, turnips, beets, and carrots are edible?

Tops can be used just like spinach! Roots can be roasted, or eaten fresh. Both tops and roots freeze well.

It’s a beautiful, sunny Saturday for a garden class.

Heading to the Deerwood Community for a health event to share container gardening tips & how to get the most from your harvest.

I have had some great questions lately from the community about microgreens.
Any tray will do... I have used plastic clamshell containers that blueberries came in.. but you can use a simple plastic container from your pantry.
You do not have to use soil... 2 layer soil paper towels work great.
Seeds- organic or sprout/microgreen seeds.. I find them at garden centers where seeds are sold & online
5-10 days depending on the seed you use
and finally.. they only keep 3-5 days in the fridge.. so eat them up!
Questions?
More info:
https://www.westtexasgardening.org/post/microgreens-2...

Exercising with Chronic Conditions- Can we? Should we?

Almost anyone, at any age, can do some type of physical activity. You can still exercise even if you have a health condition like heart disease, arthritis, chronic pain, high blood pressure, or diabetes. In fact, physical activity may help. For most older adults, physical activities like brisk walking, riding a bike, swimming, weightlifting, and gardening are safe, especially if you build up slowly. You may want to talk with your doctor about how your health condition might affect your ability to be active.

My motto: there is always something we can do.. if we are moving, we are improving!

Source: National Institute on Aging
Learn more:
https://bit.ly/3IGAYzz

Looking to lower your salt intake? The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.

Reducing salt intake can help reduce the instances of high blood pressure, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.

For more information visit: https://www.jrnjournal.org/article/S1051-2276(11)00250-0/fulltext

We had a great talk yesterday at Journey Home. Here are a few when using your

Did you know broccoli leaves, florets, and stalk are edible?

Leaves can be chopped and sautéed or added to soups, just like other greens. The stalk can be chopped or riced. Each part freezes well for later use; blanch in boiling water for 1 minute and shock in ice water before freezing for best results.

Broccoli is an excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

For more about getting growing and the most from your produce, join us on Facebook at Garden to Harvest & Beyond

Home Sweet Home @ACSMFitIndex If you’re looking to stay active at home, ACSM offers free on-demand exercise classes https://bit.ly/3HLK7Hh If you have a chronic condition or disability consider this @NCHPAD https://bit.ly/3HLKrpt

Want to grow veggies in any space on a budget? Grow right in the bag!

Works just like container gardening & can be placed on any surface.

Visit us on Facebook at Garden to Harvest & Beyond for more east growing tips & info.

Happy from @cityofconroeparksandrecreation senior center.

We celebrated with an introduction to our Growing & Nourishing Healthy Communities program.

Spring brings us some beautiful and delicious fruits and vegetables, making healthier eating colorful and budget friendly.

For more about what is in season, and some great recipes visit:
https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/nutrition-education/snap-ed-recipes/spring-recipes