A picture is worth a thousands words! Here are some photos of our Summer Camp for 6-9 year-olds! The kids had a great time, their parents were impressed and our D5 teachers felt incredible that they were making such a difference in the lives of kids!

We are proud to announce that Dr. Adam Gazzaley has joined our Board of Directors. Dr. Gazzaley brings a depth of experience and important contacts to the Board that will serve DirectionFive well in our goal to expand our reach to serve kids not only locally but throughout the country. Here is Dr. Gazzaley’s brief biography. If you are interested in obtaining his full biography, please let us know.

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Dr. Adam Gazzaley obtained an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, completed clinical residency in Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, and postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at UC Berkeley. He is the founding director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at the UC San Francisco, an Associate Professor in Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry, and Principal Investigator of a cognitive neuroscience laboratory. His laboratory studies neural mechanisms of perception, attention and memory, with an emphasis on the impact of distraction and multitasking on these abilities. His unique research approach utilizes a powerful combination of human neurophysiological tools, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial stimulation (tCS). A major accomplishment of his research has been to expand our understanding of alterations in the aging brain that lead to cognitive decline. His most recent studies explore how we may enhance our cognitive abilities, and/or prevent them from declining in various neuropsychiatric conditions, via engagement with custom designed video games, neurofeedback and tCS. Dr. Gazzaley has authored over 70 scientific articles, delivered almost 300 invited presentations around the world, and his research and perspectives have been consistently profiled in high-impact media, such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME, Discover, Wired, PBS, NPR, CNN and NBC Nightly News. Recently, he wrote and hosted the nationally televised, PBS-sponsored special “The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley”. Awards and honors for his research include the Pfizer/AFAR Innovations in Aging Award, the Ellison Foundation New Scholar Award in Aging, and the Harold Brenner Pepinsky Early Career Award in Neurobehavioral Science.

According to one study of 31,337 children and adolescents, snacking can contribute up to 600 calories per day, mostly from high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar foods. Three snacks per day are common and more than 27 percent of children’s daily caloric intake is coming from snacks. These snack habits are eroding mealtime where healthier food is generally served. My guess is that adults aren’t too far behind in these statistics.

Snacks can be a healthy part of food intake, but should be eaten only when hungry, not as habit or from boredom.  Here are some healthy snack tips:

• Choose snacks for variety and select foods from different food groups.
• Snack only when you are hungry.
• Eat snack size portions.
• Plan ahead and bring snacks with you.
• Read labels for serving sizes and portion control.
• Drink water.  At least 8 eight-ounce glasses are recommended each day, unless you have kidney problems.
• When you are snacking be sure you are only eating.  Snacking while studying or watching TV usually means you will eat more than you intended!
• Plan snacks as a part of the day’s food plan.
• When shopping, let children help pick out fruits, vegetables and cheeses, they will be more interested in eating them.
• Set aside a “snack spot” in the refrigerator and cupboard; keep it stocked with nutritious ready-to-eat snacks.  Teach kids to only eat when hungry.
• Offer snacks at regular times, such as midmorning and mid afternoon. Don’t let children nibble constantly during the day.
• Avoid high sugar, fatty and salty snacks, such as candy and soda pop.
• Snacks are a good way to introduce new foods. Include a game or activity to learn about the new food; let the child help fix it.
• Never offer food as a reward for good behavior.

Here are a few healthy snacking ideas:

• Fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness and only a small amount of calories. They also provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.
• Ants on a log — Spread peanut or almond butter on celery sticks and top with raisins.
• Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are a good source of protein and healthy fats, which helps keep you feeling fuller longer. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, however; so don’t eat them in large quantities. Buy and eat raw nuts and seeds.
• Pita and hummus — Cut whole-grain pits bread into triangles and bake in the oven until crispy. Serve with carrot and celery sticks and dip in hummus. At our non-profit DirectionFive-a culinary and nutrition program for kids-this recipes is a favorite of the kids we teach. Try it!

Hummus

Serves 6

Yield: 2 cups

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans or 1-15 ounce can*

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Rinse and drain garbanzos and place them in a food processor. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper, tahini, garlic, cumin and cayenne. Turn on the processor and slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream until the mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Place in a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

*To cook your own garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, soak 1 cup beans in cold water and a piece of Kombu seaweed for 8 hours. Another way is the quick-soak method. Place 1 cup beans and 2 cups of water in a saucepan bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Next, cover; turn off the heat and let sit for 2 hours. After soaking, the beans take about an hour to cook at a simmer on the stove. The Kombu in the soaking liquid and in the cooking water makes the beans more digestible and less likely to cause gas.

Patty showing the kids how to make egg pastaSonoma Academy KidsThese kids prepares a meal for a group of Veterans and with the D5 Team and the kid’s parents we delivered the meal to them. We call this series, It Takes a Village. It’s wonderful to watch the kids give back to community at such a young age!

Learning to make homemade pasta.

We love school gardens! So many of our schools either have gardens or are planning gardens. We can take the kids to the gardens to pick the ingredients to prepare the recipes. They learn about where their food comes from and why fresh food tastes so much better!

It’s incredible how much progress these kids have made! Their knife skills are incredible and when tasting a soup they had just made one of our students who has been with us for quite a few classes said, “Hum, I think it needs more acid.” She’s in the 4th grade and knew that the split pea soup needed a splash of lemon juice. Impressive!

Please remember that our programs are based on what kids all across the country said they wanted and needed to learn to lead healthier lives. If kids ask for it, we create it. Well, the kids at Sonoma Academy asked for an advanced program after completing our foundation program, so that is what we’re working on now. From Bain-Marie to Pickling, they will learn more cooking terms and procedures, intensified knife skills, and in-depth nutrition information. We’re very excited to begin teaching DirectionFive Advanced and will keep you up to date on our progress.

Well, our first ‘Exploratory’ program at Sonoma Academy is over and we look forward to seeing this same group of kids in a new offering from DirectionFive–DirectionFive Advanced. We will take them to an even higher culinary and nutrition level. They asked for it and we’re thrilled to offer it to them!

More soon on the new program. Perhaps your school would like to offer DirectionFive Foundation and DirectionFive Advanced…..

At DirectionFive we feel that vegetables are the key to health and therefore we’re veggie-centric. That doesn’t mean we teach the kids just vegan or vegetarian recipes and meals, it just means that vegetables are not relegated to a ‘side dish.’ Kids love our recipes and we take great pride knowing that the kids go home and make the recipes we taught them to make for their families. Perfect!

Here are a couple recipes that you might be surprised to know are the kid’s favorites!

The Best Kale Salad Ever
Serves 6

2 bunches kale, washed, dried and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium apple, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 whole, ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Tamari soy sauce or Bragg’s Amino Acids
1/2 cup cashews, raw, chopped

Wash, dry and remove the stems of the kale leaves. Either chiffonade the leaves or chop kale; place in large bowl. Add lemon juice and avocado, and with your hands mix together until the avocado is smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve immediately.

Wonder vegetable
Leafy green vegetables are wonder foods. We would all be so much healthier if we ate dark green leafy greens every day. Kale is high in Vitamins K, A and C as well as an excellent source of manganese and dietary fiber. Kale is thought to be protective against certain types of cancer such as lung, colon, bladder, breast and ovarian.

Serving suggestions
In the summer I slice some beautiful tomatoes and serves this salad on top. I also stuff pita bread with this salad. Delicious!

Vegan Patties
Serve them with grated carrots, sprouts, lettuce and sliced tomatoes on a whole-grain bun.
Serves 6

1 14-oz can garbanzo beans,
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
Dash cayenne

Place garbanzo beans in the food processor and process until smooth. Place red onion in food processor and pulse until chopped fine. Add cooked quinoa and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Form into patties and sauté in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes on each side or bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Alterations
Change the herbs if you like…use cilantro instead of the parsley and skip the coriander powder. We like to add 1 teaspoon of curry powder.

To cook quinoa:
Wash quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer, at least twice, or it will be bitter.
Bring 1 cup water to boil in a 2 quart saucepan. Add 1/2 cups quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, stir. Return to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.