Ingredients:

• 1 16-ounce package powdered sugar
• 1 stick butter or solid vegetable oil if you prefer
• 3-4 tablespoon milk
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Frosting directions:

In a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed, beat all ingredients are very smooth adding more milk if necessary to make a good spreading consistency. It’s easier to add more milk than sugar.

Complete cupcake directions:

To assemble prepare cupcake cake mix as directed.

Place half cherries in a food processor to break down into a finer consistency, keep the other half whole.

Place cupcakes liners in pan, add 2 tablespoon cake filling in liner cup add 1or 2 whole cherries and fill to 2/3 full with more cake batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for recommended time, usually 15 to 20 minutes.

Let cupcakes cool completely, place frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe an even rope around the edge of the cupcake; fill the inside with pureed cherries.

This will become one of your favorite cupcakes, I promise!

Joe Dennis is a farmer at Nostalgia Farms in Walcott, Iowa. Together with his partner, Ed Kraklio, they sell locally-grown, organic produce at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in downtown Davenport, IA near LeClaire Park, every Tuesday (3-6 pm) and Saturday (8 am -1 pm). You can visit the farm’s website at: www.nostalgiafarms.com. Read more of Farmer Joe’s blog posts on MVHNews, or try any of the Nostalgia Farms recipes on this website.

Valentine Moonlight Walk
Tuesday, February 14
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Black Hawk State Historic Site, Rock Island, IL

Made-from-scratch doughnuts, hot cocoa, and cider fuel up romantics of all ages for the luminaria-lit Valentine’s Day Moonlight Walk through Blackhawk Park. And of course there’s more than just a walk — a live band plays and square dances are called out in the Lodge, where fires crackle in the WPA-era fireplaces.

Learn more about what’s going on at Black Hawk State Historic Site

by Jen Foley, MVHNews fitness blogger

Mississippi Valley Health News' nutrition blogger Jeni Tackett (left) and new fitness blogger Jen Foley (right) offer their insights and inspiration to help you keep your promises and get on the road to great health.

Welcome to February! We are in week five of the New Year and we start hearing these questions around the Y;  How do I assess where I am? Do I use the scale? I am feeling really good, but how do I if I am making progress?

The response is,  Have you done a BMI?

What is a BMI?

A BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is a useful measure of our true weight status. It is calculated from your height and weight. It is very important to know our true weight  and the best way to measure our status is by numbers.

“BMI is an estimate of body fat and a good gauge of your risk for diseases that can occur with more body fat. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk for certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.

Although BMI can be used for most men and women, it does have some limits: It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build and It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle”. (Source: www.nhlbi.nih.gov)

How do I find out what my BMI is?
Using the chart below simply find your height and weight and circle the number where the lines intersect. (See Chart) That is your BMI. You can do it yourself, it does not hurt, and it does not cost money. Once you have your number you will know where you currently and you can assess where to go from there.

If your number is high the chances of disease increase. If you do not know how start the process of healthy weight loss, contact your local YMCA and schedule an appointment with a personal trainer. With their knowledge they can help you get on the right path and stick with your lifestyle change. At the end of the day, we all want to live a healthy and full life!

Just a note, don’t confuse your BMI with another assessment called “Body Composition.”  Body Composition Analysis involves measuring the lean muscle-to-fat ratio in your body.  There are different techniques for measuring this and most YMCA’s and many gyms offer this service, often for a fee.

This can be an excellent analysis as it will give a truer picture of the fat percentage in your body. I will be exploring this measurement and what it can tell you about your health in my next blog.

Jen Foley is the Healthy Lifestyles Director at the Two Rivers YMCA, Moline.  Jen majored in Therapeutic Recreation at the University of Tennessee and Gerontology at Sonoma State University. She lives in Davenport with her husband, Tim and their two pugs Jack and Lucy. She enjoys having an active lifestyle and helping others achieve their goals.For a listing of all of Jen’s blog posts, click here.

by Jeni Tacket, Registered Dietitian, Trinity Medical Center

February is here!   How is week 5 treating you?  Have you started dwelling on the number you see on the bathroom scale?  I have clients who have an unhealthy relationship with their scale (their nemesis).  They step on the scale not just once, but multiple times a day. 

In the morning before they eat, and in just their Birthday suit, they weigh the least and feel happy.  Then they eat a little too much at lunch and step on the scale and feel sad.  Then they eat barely anything at dinner and go for a walk and step on the scale and feel a little better…they are back to their morning weight.  But then they eat too much watching TV and step on the scale and go to sleep feeling sad but determined to weigh less in the morning.

Mississippi Valley Health News' nutrition blogger Jeni Tackett (left) and new fitness blogger Jen Foley (right) offer their insights and inspiration to help you keep your promises and get on the road to great health.

Aghhhhh!  As you can see, stepping on a scale can result in quite the mind game.  You can end up in a bad mood because of the numbers on a scale.  Here are my recommendations:  only weigh yourself once a week.  Weigh yourself at the same time of day.  If you have an unhealthy relationship with your bathroom scale, get rid of it!  Use the scale at a friend’s house or the YMCA (but always use the same scale).

My husband states that his scale is a full length mirror.  If you stand naked in front of a full length mirror then you will see the truth reflected back at you.  There is no tricking the full length mirror (unless it’s a fun house mirror…and in that case I want the one that makes me look ultra tall and thin).

Even your clothes aren’t the best measure of how fit you are.  I have stretch pants that I can fit in comfortably at my current weight and 5 pounds heavier.  Stretch material is not helpful!  I have a pair of jeans with no stretch that I put on to tell how I really feel in my clothes (there is no give there).

I do believe in weighing once a week.  Some people never ever weigh themselves and live in denial (wearing lots of yoga pants and stretch material) and then go to the doctor’s office for a yearly physical only to come home in tears because they gained 20 pounds in the past year.  You know how you feel and if you feel “thick” around the middle or out of shape.  A scale can keep you in line so that you are aware of upward trends in your weight.

To deal with the number on the scale, you need to think positively.  Your attitude plays a big role in your success with weight loss.  Have you ever said, “This day is ruined!” because a few things go wrong?  Did your day improve, or did your bad attitude infect the rest of your day?  Has anyone ever told you that you look tired?  Did you start feeling tired after their comment?  I believe attitude has a huge impact on our behavior.  If you feel sluggish then you will skip a workout that could actually give you energy.  If you feel overweight then you will overeat and end up contributing to the problem.

Think positively about yourself and your ability to lose weight.  As a dietitian I have many coworkers who will put down their body size.  I always reply, “Stop with the negative self-talk!”  You need to talk positively about yourself and focus on your strengths and soon your thoughts will follow.  Remember that everyone has times that they overeat or do not exercise, but the key is getting back to a healthy lifestyle.  When you look in the mirror or step on the scale, smile and think a positive thought about yourself!  You are worth the time and effort it takes for a healthy lifestyle.  You will be a better spouse, parent, and friend if you take time to eat right and exercise.

Start today by saying to yourself, “I’m going to have a great day!” and go out there and make it happen!

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.  ~Winston Churchill

Jeni Tackett is a registered dietitian at Trinity Medical Center and the Two Rivers YMCA. Jeni majored in Nutrition and Dietetics at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Caroline. She lives East Moline with her husband, Nathan and their two children, Noah and Lily and two dogs. Jack and Lola.For a listing of all of Jeni’s blog posts on MVHNews, click here.

As winter’s sniffles and sinus infections multiply, many children develop ear infections. Often the best treatment for recurring ear infections is surgery to put in very small — think embroidery bead size — tubes that drain infection-causing fluids. The surgery can be completed at the Mississippi Valley Surgery Center in just about two hours from check-in to discharge.

In this video segment, WQAD’s RaeChelle Davis reports on how ear tubes can dramatically change life for kids like yours.