Share & Voice: Wrap Recipe

Pepper Roll-Ups

Well since I have had a lot of requests for the wrap recipe I made for class, I decided to post it to my blog for anyone to have! They are very easy and usually a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Whole-Wheat Tortillas (Any type of tortilla would work)
• 1 package of Neufchatel Cheese (Any type of cream cheese works)
• 1 jar of Jalapeno Pepper slices
  
• 1 jar of Roasted Red peppers
• 1/2 tsp Cumin (Can alter to your taste)
• 1 bag of Shredded Cheese
  
• 1 package of turkey (optional)

Directions:
Mix cream cheese and cumin. Spread across wraps. Finely chop jalapenos and red peppers. Sprinkle shredded cheese and peppers over wraps. Roll up and cut into thicker slices so ingredients do not fall out. If using turkey or other meats put on meat after sprinkling shredded cheese then put on peppers.

The great thing about this recipe is you can really make it however you want. You can alter or change the ingredients to your liking. Other ingredients you could use are ham, roast beef, olives, other types of peppers, other spices, and etc. Hope you all enjoy! Also, if there are any questions just ask!

Share & Voice: SHIP meeting

Northeastern Minnesota Ship Regional Leadership Team Meeting:

On Friday, November 19th I had the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Statewide Health Improvement Plan meeting. It was actually very interesting and fun. I got the chance to listen to current plans being implemented right now, meet some very fun and important people, and was offered a volunteering job with Elissa Hansen, the NE MN SHIP Regional Coordinator. Some of the current programs we discussed were:

• Breastfeeding Intervention
• NE MN SHIP Update
• Worksite Wellness Invention
• Tobacco addiction

After discussing Worksite Wellness it really got me thinking that this is something I am really interested in. Fit City Duluth showed a PowerPoint presentation that had a lot of information on it and how to get involved. It makes me excited that I may have found something else I am really interested in. If you have any questions regarding SHIP or Fit City Duluth the websites are listed above.

*FYI: They also mentioned how we should let people know there is a Health Survey going on right now. According to the handout we received, "Starting in November, over 5,000 individuals in a nine-county area will be asked to respond to a telephone survey". It is very important to answer this call because it will only benefit your health. So tell around to answer this phone call it is NOT a telemarketer! Thanks :)

Image Source: http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/ship/about/index.html

Share & Voice: Test Your Knowledge

Test Your GMO Knowledge

While browsing some of my favorite television shows websites I came across this GMO quiz. I found this quiz on the TLC website. This quiz has some of the same information we have talked about in class and watched in the movies. I am embarrassed to admit I only got 3 out of 10 right! :S.....not very good. Some of the questions are shocking. I would tell you which ones but I do not want to give away any answers. Let me know what you guys think of the quiz and how you did! Good Luck!

Picture Source: By Marvel (Based upon a NASA image, see [1].) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Share & Voice: Whole Foods Co-Op

Many of you are going to be surprised but I have NEVER been to the Whole Foods Coop....I know very sad. Since I have never been there I decided to check their website out before I make my trip there next week. Their website has many things to offer, they have coupons, recipes, newsletters, membership information, local artist information, their mission, employment opportunities, and class and meeting info. I never realized they did as many things as they do. I just figured they were another "health store". I overlooked their class schedule and it looks like a lot of fun. They offer classes called, Preserving your Garden, Pizza-From Scratch, Gluten-Free Baking, Healing with Homeopathy: Remedies for First Aid, and etc. If you have never been there like me take a trip soon because I hear they have some amazing products. Also, if you have some time checkout their website.

I would also love to hear some feedback about those who have been there before. Did you like it? Is the food very expensive? Or anything you would like to say :) Thanks!



Source for image: http://www.superiortelegram.com/marketplace/wholefoodscoop/

Share & Voice: Wake Up to Reality

I was looking on youtube and came across this video, Wake Up to Reality. I thought this video did a great job summing up some of the issues we are facing today. We need to realize what we do today not only affects us but everyone around us. I know in Dr. V's class this week she brought up the acronym, NIMBY, Not In Our Back Yard. I know of a lot of people that live by this. If they do not have to see it or deal with it right now they do not care. That is not the case. Lets do something now to prevent future problems! Hope you enjoy the video below!

Share & Voice: Monopoly at McDonald's

This week I wanted to share my opinion about the game Monopoly at McDonald's. I really knew nothing about this game or how it was played at McDonald's so I did some researching on the McDonald's website. According to the Monopoly Game on McDonald's website there are some rules and guidelines you must follow to play this game from who is eligible to play to how to obtain your pieces. What I found interesting was the food options that these pieces are on. The only way to obtain monopoly pieces from the restaurant is by purchasing these foods listed below:

• Big Mac
• Hash Browns
• Filet-O-Fish
• Large Fries
• McGriddles
• Chicken McNuggets (10-piece & 20-piece)
• Medium Fountain Drinks
• Medium & Large McCafé Drinks (Hot & Iced)

Do you notice anything about these choices? If the obesity issue in the United States isn't already big enough lets just throw out a game where you can purchase only these food items to play. Why can't stamps be placed on better choices like skinless chicken breast sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, or salads? One thing I did notice on the website though is you do not have to purchase these foods to play. You are able to participate without having to buy anything. It only mentions sending in a letter with your address and the right amount of postage so I am not sure if you have to send in money or what to get these pieces.

Another thing I noticed on the McDonald's website are the odds to winning the prizes they offer. For example, you have a 1 in 6,797,351 chance of winning $100.00 dollars cash or a 1 in 273,825,959 chance of winning the 1 million dollar grand prize (Which if you do win read the fine print, you get $50,000 dollars every year for 20 years). After seeing the odds to winning I do not know why so many people would want to play. Some friends of mine that have been playing have mostly been winning free fries or pops from McDonald's, which is what I would imagine to be the majority of the prizes.

Overall, I find this game to be a joke. This is just another advertising ploy by McDonald's to get people to buy their foods. Yes, you may get a free Redbox dvd or a free medium fry but in the end is it really worth it? You end up spending more money than you really get back in prizes.

Question Time: After hearing my overall opinion I want to know what you guys think. Do you think this game is a good idea? Maybe you play it and have more information for me? Let me hear your thoughts and opinions. Thanks!


Source: 2010 Monopoly Game at McDonald's; http://www.playatmcd.com/default.aspx?accepts=cookies
Image: The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted.

Share & Voice: BreatheFree UMD

Today, I was thinking about the BreatheFree Policy at UMD so I decided to go check it out. I am very impressed with the page on the UMD website about this. They offer great information from frequently asked questions to smoking cessation resources. Coming from parents who smoked and having asthma I stand firmly on the no smoking policy. I am proud to say my mom has quit and my dad is in the process (He is very lucky he only sees me once in a while otherwise I think he would quit for how annoying I am about it). I do not judge people who do smoke because that is there decision, I just wish for the sake of their health they would quit. Smoke flares up my asthma so I cannot say I miss smelling it outside around UMD. One thing I wish we could increase on though at UMD is enforcing this policy. I still see many kids smoking on campus. Does anyone know what the fine is for smoking on campus? Hopefully within the next couple of years this policy will be in full force to stop those who like to violate it.

Share and Voice: California Trip 2009

For this share and voice I decided to share my experience of visiting California! For spring break 2009 I decided to go Santa Barbara, California to visit my high school friend, Michael, who had moved there to attend college and to visit my brother Matt who also lives out there. While I was there we did many fun things. I got the chance to go to L.A., Hollywood, and Bel-Air. While in L.A. I went on a star search and got to see many celebrities houses like Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Richie, Bob Barker, Lauren Conrad (LC), Dr.Phil, David Beckham, and many more. My goal was to see at least one star and I ended up seeing 2, Joan Rivers and America Ferrera (Sister Hood of the Traveling Pants). Some other fun things we did were went whale watching, visited piers, attended a street dance, and toured the college in Santa Barbara. It was crazy to see how different their environment is from Minnesota's! California has some of the most beautiful scenery from the beaches to the mountains. While there we hiked in the mountains where there had just been a forest fire, went for daily runs, and even rode bikes through downtown Santa Barbara-which I do not know if I could do again. If you did not know California has some of the craziest drivers. Anyways, I had the best time so if you ever get the chance to take a trip, go to California you will love it! Below I posted some pictures from my trip. Enjoy! Me in front of the Beverly Hills sign

The Hollywood sign on a foggy day.

Me at Venice Beach

The pier in Santa Barbara

Look familiar? It is the Fresh Prince house!

mmmm fresh oranges

This is Jerod (left), me, and Michael at the beach.

Share & Voice: Fit City Day and Suicide Awareness Memorial Walk

I am taking a class called Health 4000. In this class we have to have a Lincs agency where we dedicate at least 40 volunteer hours to a place of our choice. I chose the Carlton County Public Health Services office. This coming week will be my first time working with them and there are a couple important events that I will be attending that I would like to talk about. The first event will take place on Wednesday, October 6th. This is the Moose Lake Fit City Day. Fit City Day is an event where they promote being active. Some fun things that will happen during this is you can take a walk with the mayor of Moose Lake, listen to two guest speakers, and receive discounts from local businesses. This event starts at 5:30 and it should be a lot of fun. Below I attached the poster if you would like to take a look and get more information.

Moose Lake's Fit City Day

I am also attending another event on Saturday, October 9th. This is the Suicide Awareness Memorial Walk. Carlton County is the fifth highest county in Minnesota for suicide attempts so this is a very important event for this community. Registration begins at 9:30 at the Four Seasons if you would like to join. This event consists of walking down the main street in Cloquet, then down highway 45, and finishes up on Munger Trail. The walk should only take approximately 30 minutes so if you are free come join us! :) Below I also attached the website flyer if you would like to take a look.

Suicide Awareness Memorial Walk

Share & Voice: Ban Smoking in Public Places

Lately, I have been hearing things about a smoking ban taking place for all public places. After hearing about this I had to check it out. According to the report, Ban Smoking in Public Places, the surgeon general is wanting to ban smoking in the workplace and public places because of the increased rates of secondhand smoke, especially in children. The smoking issue has always been a topic I have been interested in because I am very much against it. It is not fair to those of us who do not smoke to have to breathe it in and have that chance of becoming ill. Also, it is sad when children have parents that smoke because there is nothing they can do to avoid it when they are younger. The surgeon general knows there will be people who do not like this ban but it is only to better the environment and people's health. I would love to hear how others feel about this ban and whether or not you agree with it.

Welcome to Out and About with Alicia

Hi I am Alicia! I created this blog for my Environment Health class. My blog is going to be about being environmentally healthy. As you see the title of my blog is Out and About with Alicia and that is because I like to do almost anything, especially if it is outside. If weather permits I am always outside either playing sports, running, walking on the shore of Lake Superior, swimming, or etc! Soon there will be more on my page. Come back and take a look!

There are 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
2. Eye Openers
3. Reflections
4. Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change
5. Read 'n' Seed
6. Share and Voice

If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

The members of my web group are:

1. Brenda: Brenda@Barefoot in the Backyard with Brenda
   
2. Dane: Dane@Danes Trail of Health
   
3. JD: JD@Earth and Me with JD
   
4. Samantha J: Sam@Sustainability with Sam
   
5. Matt: Matt@Matts Smoke Free Zone
6. Molly: Molly@Mollys Rico Eco
   

You can subscribe to my blog by clicking the subscribe gadget in the gadget column. You can also follow my blog by clicking "Follow this Blog" in the gadget column. I am subscribed to all the blogs in my blog list gadget. You can see my complete profile and all the blogs I am following by clicking on "See Complete Profile."

This was my first time posting something on my blog! It was actually very easy and fun. This post was used to explain how you will be able to subscribe to my blog to follow me this semester.