Book Mark

March 2 marks this year’s Read Across America Day, which is organized by the National Education Association to shed a bright light on the importance of reading for children. Of course, any day is a great day to pick up a book!

Early Elementary: Dream Street by Tricia Elam Walker and Ekua Holmes welcomes readers to a neighborhood where children and adults alike dream big dreams. The children look to the future with hope and wonder, secure in knowing their dreams will be nourished and uplifted by caring neighbors.

Middle Grade: Karthik Delivers by Sheela Chari delivers the heartwarming story of Karthik, an Indian American boy, who dutifully delivers groceries to his neighbors. Shanthi, a local playwright, learns of Karthik’s remarkable ability to remember long grocery lists and wonders if that talent would translate into remembering the lines for the lead role in her play about Leonard Bernstein. Karthik discovers his passion for art while learning to trust in the community and family that care for him so deeply.

Grades 10 and Up: We Weren’t Looking to be Found by Stephanie Kuehn tells the harrowing yet hopeful story of Dani and Camila, reluctant roommates at a mental health treatment center for adolescent girls. Dani, a rich Black girl from Dallas, and Camila, the daughter of Colombian immigrant parents in rural Georgia, couldn’t be more different. As they work through their mental health struggles, they discover that they are more alike than they realize.

Tracy Hvezda-Lehtola is a patron experience supervisor for the Hennepin County Library–Excelsior. Read more at hclib.org.

“My smile has always been my biggest insecurity and now I can’t stop smiling. I’m a whole new confident me. Thank you for creating a beautiful smile while keeping me looking like myself!”

Move

Spring Cleaning Diet

Spring is here. Aside from the traditional steps (cleaning closets, drawers and other household spots) we take as we exit hibernation, there is another step—spring cleaning your diet.

Eliminate Added Sugars: Reducing your sugar intake can increase energy, stabilize moods and reduce urges for more sweets. Track sugar intake. Aim for 25–30g/day, and use 10g of sugar or less/serving as a guide when selecting foods.

Hydrate: Dehydration can lead to over eating, mental fog and exhaustion. Focus on drinking half your bodyweight in ounces of water each day. Add lemon to enhance the taste and a healthy boost of vitamin C.

Exercise: Move your body for 30 minutes each day, and head outside for a time. Just 15 minutes of sunshine will get you the recommended amount of vitamin D, supporting your immune system and boosting energy.

Clean Out Food Inventory: Get rid of expired, stale and uneaten foods. Clean and organize shelves to prepare for incoming healthy items.

Eat Seasonally: This provides the greatest health benefits, as foods are rich in vitamins and minerals when they are in their freshest form. This spring, consider vegetables, such as mushrooms, sweet potatoes, shallots, plums and kale.

Laurel Famigletti is an area resident and owner of EndorP.H.I.T, where she provides virtual group fitness classes, in-home personal training and virtual nutrition coaching.

TASTE Bowled Over

While St. Patrick’s Day might bring to mind shamrocks, leprechauns and everything green, don’t forget about Irish cooking, especially when it comes by way of a warm loaf of soda bread and a hearty stew. Why not combine the two recipes to create a bread bowl, where you get the best of both worlds?

Rosemary and shallots in the soda bread create a lot of flavor. If you are unfamiliar with soda bread, know that it’s classed as a quick bread, meaning it doesn’t use yeast but uses a chemical leavening agent, in this case, baking soda. The stew is equally as delicious, full of fresh herbs and root vegetables, perfect to warm you up during the final days of winter and the inevitable last snowstorm.

With the bread bowl, the bread and stew work hand in hand to develop a collective flavor profile. The herbs work well together as the flavors build off each other to offer a unified taste experience.

Find the recipe for Irish Bread Bowls at lakeminnetonkamag.com.

Spencer Olson, who is from the area, continues to expand his cooking repertoire. Taste more at thewoodenspoonchefs.com.