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Dairy Princess News - April 26, 2012
Apr 26, 2012 - 1:09:30 PM

    The weather is getting warmer and days are longer.  April is a bittersweet time in the reign of a Dairy Princess.  Springtime brings more opportunities to promote the industry we love so much but it is also the time of year to look for the next enthusiastic young lady that will represent the SUN Area and our dairy farmers for a fun filled, exciting and busy year of education and promotion.  April 21st , the SUN Area Dairy Promotion Committee with having a Frappes and Wraps event at the Public Library of Union County in Lewisburg at 11 am in the conference room.  Any girl between the ages of 8 and 24 who lives in Snyder, Union, Northumberland and Montour counties and are interested in promoting the dairy industry as a Dairy Miss, Dairy Maid or Dairy Princess during the upcoming year are encouraged to attend.  Contact the Promotion Coordinator Mrs. Michelle Shearer at 570-568-2244 for more information or to RSVP.  Ag Dairy Days will be held June 1st and 2nd and on the evening of June 2nd the 2012-2013 SUN Area Dairy Princess will be crowned.  I will have more details on that in my column next month.  
    During the past month I have been busy visiting preschool classes throughout Union and Snyder Counties. I’ve enjoyed good meals with outstanding company at the North Mont Dairy Club Banquet, Mifflinburg and Midd West FFA Banquets and the Christ’s United Lutheran Church.  During the Parent/Teacher conference at the Mifflinburg Elementary and Intermediate schools and the Home School Association Book Fair, we made sure the staff reached their 3 Every Day® goal by sending in cheese and cracker plates for them to snack on.
    With the warm weather and spring sports underway, I thought it was time to talk about our sports recovery routine.  Did you know that fat free and low fat chocolate milk is the best way to refuel, rebuild, rehydrate and replenish our bodies after a strenuous workout?  Let’s talk about the science of peak performance and how chocolate milk has what it takes to help you recover and perform your best over commercial sports recovery drinks.
    Perform: Drinking chocolate milk after a hard workout could give athletes a performance edge. Some studies say drinking low-fat chocolate milk after strenuous exercise could help athletes boost power and improve their training times.    
    Refuel: Low-fat chocolate milk contains the right mix of carbs and protein scientifically shown to help refuel muscles. Chocolate milk helps restore muscles quickly to their peak potential. Replacing muscle fuel (glycogen) after exercise is essential to an athlete’s recovery. A recent study found that drinking 16 ounces of fat-free chocolate milk with its mix of carbohydrates and protein (compared to a carbohydrate-only drink with the same amount of calories) led to greater concentration of glycogen in muscles at 30 and 60 minutes post exercise.
  Rebuild: Low-fat chocolate milk contains high-quality protein to help repair and rebuild muscles after strenuous exercise. It’s also been shown to help athletes gain more lean muscle and lose fat when compared to drinking a carb-only beverage.  Several studies have found that subjects who drank regular or flavored milk after a rigorous workout experienced less exercise-induced muscle damage than those who drank typical sports drinks or water.
 Refuel: Chocolate milk is a natural when it comes to electrolytes, providing some of the same electrolytes that are added to commercial recovery drinks (calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium) along with fluids to help you rehydrate. In fact, some research suggests milk may help you stay hydrated after exercise, more than some commercial sports drinks.  Low-fat chocolate milk has 9 essential nutrients that an athlete needs, including some not typically found in recovery drinks. The bottom line is low-fat chocolate milk has the right mix of carbs, proteins, essential nutrients and electrolytes over other sports recovery drinks.  It’s made with real milk, costs less than 50 cents a glass and is made with all natural ingredients unlike commercial recovery drinks that are lab created to give us what milk provides naturally.  For more information about how you can use low-fat chocolate milk as part of your sports recovery program and the scientific research, visit www.gotchocolatemilk.com.
    During my tenure as SUN Area Dairy Princess, I’ve shared quite a few recipes.  These are a few I frequently get requests for.  The first is an unconventional way of making peanut butter fudge but I’m sure you’ll love it after you have tried it.  My mother made a chocolate variation of it that I will also include.

Cheesy Fudge
    8 oz. Velveeta cheese                1 bup melted butter
    3 tbsp. peanut butter                1 tsp. vanilla
    2 lbs. confectioner sugar

    Melt butter and cheese on low heat.  After it’s melted, add peanut butter and vanilla.  Mix well then add sugar.  Mix until smooth.  Once you have it to a smooth consistency, spread the fudge in a buttered 9 x 13 pan and refrigerate.  
    You can vary the recipe by adding ½ cup of cocoa to make chocolate peanut butter fudge or omit the peanut butter and add the ½ cup of cocoa for chocolate fudge.

Fruit Dip
    1 oz. container of low-fat yogurt
       (I like to use Vanilla flavored Greek Style)
    ½ cup fat free sour cream
    3 tbsp. instant vanilla pudding

    Combine yogurt, sour cream and instant pudding in a bowl.  Stir until smooth and blended.  Serve with your favorite fresh fruit.

Creamy Berry Fruit Dip
    1-8oz. package cream cheese
    ¼ cup marshmallow fluff
    3 T. strawberry jam or preserves

    Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Blend well.  Serve with fresh fruit.

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