University of Illinois Extension

Events (3)

Learning How to Use a Slow Cooker | Kitchen Companions

Thu, 10/13/2022 - 12:00

Eureka Public Library

Learning to Use an Air Fryer

Thu, 10/27/2022 - 12:00

El Paso Library

Cooking for 1 or 2 | McLean County

Thu, 12/08/2022 - 12:00

Living Well United

Blog Posts (113)

How to prepare butternut squash

Explore National Hispanic Heritage Month with these Latin American foods

How to make bruschetta

Easy hacks for quick, healthy meals

Cooking with heart-healthy sesame oil

Rosemary adds a strong, assertive flavor to your plate

Eggplant is a recipe centerpiece and a team player

Flat metal pot with 3 eggplant on wood background

Yogurt offers many health benefits with probiotics

Raspberries add a pop of color and nutrients to your plate

Making homemade barbecue sauce

Summertime is the best time to enjoy peaches

Tan wood background with whole and halved peaches with a few peach leaves

Burrito bowls are fresh, nutritious, and easily customizable

Lowering your costs at the grocery store

Grilling brings a whole new flavor to food

Pack your smoothies with vital nutrients instead of sugar

5 summer salads to help you cool down in hot weather

Potato salad in yellow bowl next to fork on blue wood table

Fair Shares Combined CSA benefits farmers, consumers, and community

Add rhubarb to your meals for a splash of color

How to make bubble tea

Wrap up your dinner with tortillas

Switch up your meal routine by adding turnips and turnip greens

Small white turnips with attached greens on a bamboo mat

Avocados are ripe with health benefits

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

Prunes are good for more than digestion

How to make pickled eggs

Cucumbers make tasty salsas, salads, and pickles

Plate of sliced cucumbers with overlaying text of "Cucumbers: From pickles to salads to sandwich toppers to dippers." Photographs show a young Asian holding a cucumber, a pregnant women slicing cucumbers, and an African American father and child holding cucumbers on a cutting board

Enjoy the sweet crunch of sugar snap peas

Jump into Mediterranean cooking with feta cheese

Bulgur is a convenient whole grain source

Add celery as a supporting player in recipes

Add celery as a supporting player in recipes. With tips on recipes, shopping, and storage. Dark wood background with whole head of celery off to the right and cut celery above whole head.

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

Enjoy the delectable taste of cinnamon

Let's look inside the can

A Look Inside the Can: The Role of Canned Food Liners

Benefits of buying a whole chicken

Top five must-have kitchen gadgets

A garlic press on top of a table with fifteen to twenty cloves of garlic behind it. Includes an orange I and Illinois Extension woodmark.

How do I eat kiwi fruit?

How Do I Eat Kiwi Fruit? With Tips on Recipes, Shopping, and Storage. Left photo is a gold kiwi fruit cut in half sitting on a blue napkin. Right photo is a wood cutting board with a knife and green kiwi fruit cut in half.

How to brew homemade chai

Overhead view of a cup of tea

Find oranges at their peak during winter months

A sliced orange in front of a whole orange

9 sweet and savory pumpkin recipes

9 sweet and savory pumpkin recipes

Maillard reactions change the tastes of your food

Roasted carrots and potatoes on a baking sheet

Eight food ideas for your holiday charcuterie board

Array of fruits, meats, nuts, and cheese on a charcuterie board

Use leeks in your autumn meals

Use leeks in your autumn meals: with tips on recipes, shopping, and storage. Background includes leek tops and ends on light blue wood background

Enjoy your holiday chili with a few healthy alternatives

Bowl of red-colored soup with a spoon and green garnishes set on a black table.

Crack open black walnuts for a nutritious treat

Oatmeal in a white bowl with two spoons

Shop farmers markets for your Thanksgiving meal

A spread of different vegetables including brussel sprouts, carrots, bell peppers, potatoes, and garlic on a white table.

Acorn (squash) are not for squirrels

Acorn Squash Are Not for Squirrels: With Tips on Eating, Shopping, and Storage

Add valuable nutrients to the diet with wheat germ

A wooden spoon full of wheat germ with text

Squash the rumors about zucchini!

Sliced zucchini on a cutting board with text

The great benefits of grapes

A wicker basket with an assortment of green and black grapes. Text says, 'the great benefits of grapes'.

Tacos are an easy meal for the whole family

A row of tacos with text that says, 'taco time'.

10 recipes for the zucchini and summer squash overflow

Title text of 10 Recipes for the Zucchini and Summer Squash Overflow, with photo of young Caucasian boy holding very large zucchini in kitchen

Crafting the perfect BLT

A side view of a BLT sandwich with bread, mayonnaise, bacon, tomato, and lettuce. Text says 'crafting the perfect BLT'

How to use your heirloom tomatoes

A bunch of tomatoes of various shapes and colors in a wooden box. Text says 'How to use your heirloom tomatoes'

Reintroducing green beans

A tray of green beans set in front of an air fryer.

Rounding up some fresh blueberry recipes

Older women sitting outside eating blueberries

Flavor up with balsamic vinegar

A person's hand is shown pouring balsamic vinegar into a white bowl.

Summer grilling success

photo of grilled meats and vegetables above the words, 7 tips for grilling success.

Grilling and summer food safety

Summer Food Safety image of chicken, corn, grilled veggies, watermelon

Ask your local growers about daikon radishes

A bunch of daikon radishes with green stems attached

Is ghee healthier than other fats?

A spoon scooping ghee out of a glass jar. Flowers on the table around the jar.

Just peachy!

peaches next to the words peach recipes and preservation

Make meals and messes with kids in the kitchen this summer

Make Meals and Messes with Kids in the Kitchen this Summer

Gather around for campfire meals

a campfire in the forest

Are you tired of cooking, too?

A white plate with gold silverware and text that says "are you tired of cooking, too?"

Eat a radish from top to bottom

Eat a Radish from Top to Bottom

Get your fruits and vegetables in by sampling the seasons

Text says "Get your fruits and vegetables in by sampling the seasons" and image is of carrots.

Turn strawberries into jam and fruit leather and salsa

Turn strawberries into jam and fruit leather and salsa

Using a new recipe? Better check it twice

Person looking at a recipe book

Debunking five nutrition myths

Overhead view of a bowl of oatmeal with fruit, a cup of coffee, and avocado on a cutting board.

Save on sodium with homemade refried beans

A maroon bowl with refried beans

Do you need to bulk up on protein powder?

Five different scoops of different colored protein powders.

Homemade granola bars

A stack of granola bars on a white plate.

Does couscous belong in the grain or pasta family?

Bowl of couscous with slices of red bell peppers and basil

What onions (and alliums) to use when

What Onions (and Alliums) to Use When

Savor the versatility of poppy seeds

A white bowl full of poppy seeds.

One skillet casserole for a easy weeknight meal

Casserole and green beans on a white plate

Are flapjacks a family favorite?

Stack of pancakes with blueberries and raspberries

Increasing broccoli's appeal

Increasing Broccoli's Appeal

Get ready to spread homemade peanut butter

Peanut butter in a glass jar with a spoon full of peanut butter on top.

For the love of mashed foods

Mashed sweet potatoes in a bowl

5 heart healthy breakfasts under 5 minutes

5 heart healthy breakfast items including oatmeal, protein smoothies, avocado salad on toast and egg scramble wraps

Pack your smoothies with plant proteins

fruit and tofu smoothies

Remix your mornings with breakfast salads

avocado and tomato salad on top of whole wheat toast

Are there health benefits to apple cider vinegar?

One sliced apple and two whole apples beside a pitcher of glass pitcher of apple cider vinegar

Recognize hunger cues with intuitive eating

Fish tacos next to limes and a bowl of guacamole

Now's the time to use your slow cooker

plate of chicken

Enjoying Sweet Potatoes All Over the Country

Enjoying Sweet Potatoes All Over the Country

Cooking with your kids

mom and child baking together

Salud y Bienestar Durante las Fiestas Decembrinas

Holiday DIY: Gifts from the kitchen

gifts from the kitchen including pomander balls, chai, homemade tea bags and roasted nuts

Cabbage Recipes for Every Season

Every Season Recipes for Cabbage

One pot meal made simple

A pot on a stove with steam coming off the top

Meatless meals

Cutting board with avocado, tomatoes, mushrooms, and various other vegetables

Nut Nutrition: Healthy Fats, Protein and Fiber

Nut nutrition. With tips on shopping, storing, and cooking

Level up on legumes

Chickpeas on a baking sheet

5 wholesome ways to add more oats to your day

oat-based recipes including overnight oats, savory oats, and oatmeal bars.

Meals in the field for farm families during harvest

Farming combine in background with text in foreground reading Meals in the Field

3 Apple Side Dishes for Fall

Three apples on wood background

5 easy ways to fit fruits and vegetables into your day

picture of a green fruit and vegetable smoothiehea

Time to eat your tomatoes

Tomato basil salad on a blue plate

Use herbs to flavor up your favorite drink

Assortment of green herbs laid out on a wooden cutting board.

Sweeten up with kiwifruit

Various pieces of food creating a bunny face (pretzel sticks for whiskers, kiwi slices for ears) on a white plate.

Pass the chili sauce

Lighten up your summer salads

Chicken salad sandwich with lettuce and bread, set on a napkin on top of a table.

Thyme to enjoy fresh herbs

A bundle of thyme sprigs in a white bowl set on a white wooden table.

Cocinando sanamente al aire libre

Outdoor cooking

Perk up your dinner with pesto

Basil leaves on a wooden table.

Give your meals a Mediterranean makeover

Mediterranean Foods

Save money by using the whole plant

This is Not a Snow Day

MAN BAKING BREAD

Matcha Madness: Health Benefits & Recipes

Green tea late with foam flower in a white mug

Cooking Together

spoon with heart

Herbs: from garden to kitchen

variety of herbs, garlic, tomatoes and cooking utensils

7 reasons to grow & use fresh herbs

variety of herbs hanging

News Releases (30)

Back to school is a great time to make the healthy choice, the easy choice

Spring into quick breads

Health education is accessible for all using live and recorded sessions

Healthy habits can be learned

First steps in dealing with diabetes

Show your heart some love this February!

Getting the Scoop on Winter Squash

Taste of 4-H Cooking Club to start in Amboy

Preserving foods workshop offers families ways to enjoy foods all season long

Take the electric pressure cooker out of the box, help is here

Families urged to jump-start a healthy summer with 4-H and Walmart

Youth gain skills with educational cooking kits during Mediterranean diet month

SNAP-Ed Healthy Cents lessons reach adults online

From hunt to plate, make a tasty dish of your wild game

Take the electric pressure cooker out of the box, help is here!

National Nutrition Month

Prevent, manage heart disease with healthy food choices

Know your oats this Oatmeal Month

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Dry and Dry Again

Fun with Fermentation

Upgrade Your Salad

The Mediterranean Lifestyle

Every Step Counts

Is Gluten-Free Right for Me?

Cracking Open Canned Food Myths

Using Fresh Herbs in the Kitchen

What's the Best Diet/ Plant-Based Eating Trend Grows

The Cook's Garden

Cooking Under Pressure: Air Fryers & Pressure Cooker

Cooking and Booking Club available to local youth in Dixon

Staff (8)

Tara Chenoweth

Tara Chenoweth

Knox County Office Support Assistant

Amy Finley

Amy Finley

SNAP-Ed Community Worker

Cindy Glavin

Cindy Glavin

DuPage County SNAP-Ed Program Coordinator

Angela Jimenez

Angela Jimenez

Peoria County SNAP-Ed Instructor (Bilingual)

staff photo of Mari Lopez

Mari Lopez

Peoria County SNAP-Ed Instructor (Bilingual)

Caitlin Mellendorf

Caitlin Mellendorf

Nutrition and Wellness Educator

Nayaab Sattar

Nayaab Sattar

SNAP-Ed Educator

Jo Elyn staff photo

Jo Elyn Smith

Peoria County SNAP-Ed Instructor