Skip to main content

Simply Nutritious, Quick and Delicious

Latest Posts

A half of an avocado face up against a pink background.

Avocados are ripe with health benefits

I can’t say that I ever tasted an avocado as a child, nor did I even know what it was. However, a lot has changed over the last forty years! The demand for avocados has certainly increased, and in fact, avocados are now frequently a babies first food! This unique fruit is often consumed more like a...
Finish this story
A wooden spoon with prunes along with prunes spilled on the table. Contains orange I block logo and Illinois Extension wordmark.

Prunes are good for more than digestion

Are you a prune lover like me but feel you must eat them in secret for fear of people assuming you have digestive issues going on? Prunes are so good at what they do (preventing constipation) that they get a bad rap for it, because let’s face it, no one wants to talk about that. They are often...
Finish this story
Five eggs on a cloth. Contains orange I block logo and Illinois Extension wordmark.

How to make pickled eggs

Do you like hard boiled eggs? Do you like pickles? Then why not try pickled eggs? When there is an abundance of eggs and you’re not sure what to do with them, pickling will help them last for several weeks. However, it’s important to note that the only safe method for storing your pickled eggs is...
Finish this story
A cutting board with stacks of carrots, sugar snap peas, and a bowl of cucumbers. Contains blue I block logo and Illinois Extension wordmark.

Enjoy the sweet crunch of sugar snap peas

Sugar snap peas hold true to their name; they are both sweet and crunchy. Sugar snap peas are members of the legume family. While all beans, including peas, grow in pods, sugar snap peas do not naturally split open when ripe. They are harvested when their pods reach full length, and their peas are...
Finish this story
Stack of feta cheese blocks on a plate beside a bowl of sugar. Contains orange I block logo and Illinois Extension wordmark.

Jump into Mediterranean cooking with feta cheese

As part of Mediterranean cuisine, feta cheese is used in a wide variety of dishes. Originally from Greece, feta cheese is made with sheep’s milk, but may also contain up to 30% goat’s milk. However, most of the feta cheese made and sold here in the United States is made from cow’s milk, certainly...
Finish this story
Bowl of tan-colored bulgur with a spoon, with some of the bulgur spilled on the table. Contains orange I block logo and Illinois Extension wordmark.

Bulgur is a convenient whole grain source

Bulgur wheat may not be the most common grain in the grocery store, but it’s about time we gave this whole grain a try. Bulgur starts with wheat berries, the raw, simplest form of wheat. These kernels are then hulled, partially cooked, and dried before packaging. Unlike wheat berries, which may...
Finish this story
Strawberries, garlic, and four packages of sausage on a refrigerator shelf. contains orange I block logo and Illinois Extension wordmark.

Be smart and keep foods apart to prevent contamination

When serving a meal to a child, you may have heard them demand that their foods not touch each other. This mantra of “don’t let my foods touch!” is one to live by when storing and preparing raw animal foods, including meat, poultry, fish, seafood and eggs, which must be kept separate from ready-to...
Finish this story
Pair sliced in half, with one half facing forward and the other half facing backward, set on a white tablecloth. Contains Illinois Extension wordmark and orange "I" logo.

When eating the rainbow, don't forget white and brown foods

As a registered dietitian nutritionist, we often tell people to “eat the rainbow.” There is good reason for this as it’s a reminder to include a variety of foods in our diet, especially produce that is deep and dark in color. It is true that many darkly colored foods, offer a large amount of...
Finish this story
Three cinnamon sticks stacked over a pile of ground cinnamon on a dark table. Contains an Illinois Extension wordmark and orange I logo.

Enjoy the delectable taste of cinnamon

Cinnamon is my absolute favorite spice; it’s my go-to candle scent, my favorite flavor of gum, and it’s generally the largest spice container in my spice cabinet. Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of various species of Cinnamomum trees. Ceylon cinnamon is known as “true cinnamon” but the cinnamon...
Finish this story
Woman cutting into a whole chicken on a platter. Measuring cups behind the platter. Contains an orange I logo and Illinois Extension wordmark

Benefits of buying a whole chicken

Buying a whole chicken, rather than its individual parts, offers many potential benefits. However, to some people, even the mere thought of reaching into a dead bird’s carcass to pull out the liver, heart and gizzards is enough to put the brakes on and reach for the more convenient, less “icky”...
Finish this story
Blog Authors