Better Living for Texans

Today’s episode is the season 3 finale! Don’t worry though, we will be back in a few weeks. Today we’re answering the question - “What challenges and successes did Better Living for Texans (BLT) agents and educators experience during the past year?”. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has made some significant impacts on the way go about our daily lives and the BLT program is no exception to th...

Basil, parsley, mint, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, dill, and more! There are so many herbs you can grow and use when cooking. In this episode, we're talking all about how to successfully grow and cook with herbs! Better Living for Texans - Extension Agent, Christy Curran and Horticulture County Extension Agent, Jeanette Castanon, share a lot of great tips that will surely inspire you to grow some of...

Have you ever wondered what to do when you grow more fruits or vegetables than you or your family can eat? After all the effort of growing and maintaining a garden, the last thing you want to do is let the produce you have grown go to waste. In this episode we are answering the question – how do you preserve the produce from your garden? Or in other words, how can you make it last longer. To answe...

Better Living for Texans (BLT) offers gardening programs to youth and adults. Participants of these programs have expressed improved accessibility to and intake of fruits and vegetables. Today we are joined by BLT extension agent, Amy Smith-Shively and returning guest, Greg Grant a county extension agent who specializes in horticulture. In this episode Amy and Greg talk about the youth gardening p...

How do you grow a successful vegetable garden? To answer this question I have Greg Grant, a county extension agent who specializes in horticulture on the podcast today. Greg goes over the top 3 most important things you need to know when growing a vegetable garden. Whether you are planning on growing a garden or you’ve already started a Springtime garden, the tips shared in today’s episode will su...

Its the fourth and final podcast episode of our series celebrating National Nutrition Month! The last key message from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for National Nutrition Month is Consult a Registered Dietitian, during this episode we talk about what a dietitian is but we also shift this message a bit to better fit within the context of the Better Living for Texans program. So in this ep...

We continue our series celebrating National Nutrition Month by talking about useful skills for creating tasty and nutritious meals. Tune in to hear from our agent, Natalie Ramos, as she shares practical tips to help you prepare meals that both delicious and nutritious! Also, try out the easy salad dressing recipe from Natalie. Homemade Salad Dressing: 1 tablespoon olive oil (canola oil can substit...

In the second episode of our 4-part series celebrating National Nutrition Month, we're talking about planning nutritious meals in advance! Guests: Valeria Arredondo and Genesis Hernandez.

It's National Nutrition Month! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has provided key nutrition messages for each week in March. Through-out March the Better Living for Texans podcast will be highlighting these key messages of the week! The first key message to kick off National Nutrition Month is Eat a variety of nutritious foods each day. Extension Program Specialist, Danielle Krueger, joins us...

Welcome back to Season 3! Since February is American Heart Month, we're kicking off the new season by talking about heart health. Tune in to learn more about how eat a nutritious diet and exercise can help prevent heart disease.

We are joined by BLT and FCH AgriLife Extension Agents District 8 to discuss their "Sleigh the Holidays" project. To join, learn more at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2086015488195592 . Thank you for joining us for the past two seasons. We will see you in 2021 for Season 3!

This week, we finish our 4 part series on eating during the holiday season. Big meals often mean leftovers. Hannah Moore joins us to discuss important practices to keep in mind when cooking, chilling and heating food to help prevent food borne illness.

We love those traditional holiday foods! But, there's a reason we don't eat them often. Even if you're trying to be mindful of what you're eating, we've got some ideas to help make sure you're getting all your daily nutrients! Guest: Hannah Moore

There's a lot of things we love about the holiday season. There's also a lot of food to eat during the holiday season. We get it! Food is an integral part of family moments and cooking those big meals is a cherished memory by many. Sometimes, however, after the meal(s), we can full and even uncomfortable. This week, Hannah Moore joins us to talk about mindfulness during the holidays, to help keep...

This week, we kick off our month long series discussing eating around the holidays. Thanksgiving (and the holiday season, in general) can be stressful. Project Specialist Hannah Moore offers recommendations to keep in mind when planning a big meal this holiday season.

BLT Agent Leanne Raborn in Williamson County joins us to discuss how BLT can help expectant mothers in our state.

Better Living for Texans Regional Project Specialist Andrea Stelting joins us to talk about how BLT programming looks different across our big, diverse state.

BLT Program Specialist Hannah Moore join us to discuss purchasing foods at the farmer's market with your SNAP benefits. Mentioned Resources Produce Availability Chart http://www.gotexan.org/portals/1/pdf/produce%20availability%20brochure%202015-nocropmarks.pdf Texas Farmers Market List https://agrilife.org/texaslocalproduce-2/csas-farmers-markets/farmers-market-list/

We talk with BLT Program Coordinator Hannah Moore to learn more about using SNAP benefits to purchase groceries online in Texas.

We talk with BLT Agent Heidi Lopez in Starr County to discuss urban agriculture. Check out her work at Facebook.com/BLTSTARR.

We talk with BLT Agent Jade Edgar in Johnson & Ellis Co's. to learn more about why speaking to others with empathy is important at Better Living for Texans.

BLT Agent Michele Scaife in Montgomery County joins us to give us some tips and tricks to garden on a tight budget, even in the hot Texas summer months! Follow her work on Instagram @BLTmongtomery or on Facebook at facebook.com/bltmontgomery.

BLT Agent Wendy Hamilton in Brown County joins us to talk about why partnerships with Better Living for Texans are so important and make our work possible. You can follow the work in her community at https://www.facebook.com/BrownCountyBLT .

Texas A&M University professor and AgriLife Extension Specialist Dr. Jenna Anding joins us to talk about healthy food safety practices to keep in mind while cooking outdoors this summer. Referred infographic: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/7e6f98c1-ce6d-4ff9-b99b-e81dad762cf9/Is-It-Done-Yet-Magnet-2016.pdf? MOD=AJPERES

We break down a few factors as to why Americans eat too much meat and grains and not enough fruits and vegetables. Map to check out: https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4565491/Fruits and veggies.png