Live Well. Eat Well. 2014

Every Thanksgiving celebration seems to be complete with way too many leftovers, usually the turkey, pies, and dinner rolls. And really, how many leftover turkey sandwiches can you eat!? This holiday season, mix things up with some new recipes using your dinner leftovers and extra ingredients. But...

Often a day of candy, treats, and sugar, a healthy Halloween might be an oxymoron. By focusing more on getting dressed up and the fun of playing games and tricks, you can focus less on food and celebrate the festivities with healthier options. Giving Out (Tricks or) Treats If you are...

September is Healthy Aging Month, and a great time to highlight nutrition needs of older adults. With advancing age, nutrient requirements change. Primarily, older adults need fewer calories but actually need more of many nutrients. Read on for a "Top 5" list of nutrition topics older adults need...

Summertime equals vacation time, and we want to enjoy it! But enjoying your vacation does not mean you have to forget about your health. Whether traveling by car or eating for days at the beach's hotel restaurant, try these tips to keep your health on track. Tips for Travel (car...

One tiny berry packs a nutritious and versatile punch as we celebrate the blueberry during National Blueberry Month. Starting in June and throughout the summer, look for subtly sweet blueberries growing locally in Illinois. Nutritionally, blueberries are like many fruits: low in calories,...

It's that time of year where fresh garden produce is more readily available. Whether from your own garden or the farmer's market down the street, that garden fresh taste is hard to beat. Unfortunately, most produce we find in the grocery store is harvested before it is ripe and transported many...

School is ending for the year and kids everywhere are excited to start their summers. Whatever the kids are doing, make sure they eat healthy lunches this summer. For kids who will be staying home alone or with siblings, will they need to make their own lunches? If so, be sure to stock kitchens...

Whenever I teach on food groups – to youth and adults – there are always a few foods I mention that overlap into two food groups. Not that we cannot put them into just one, but because foods have a lot of different nutrients, they might fit into more than one group. The current guide describing...

This March, Nutrition & Wellness Extension Educators across Illinois are excited to celebrate the start of the "Illinois Nutrition Edition" blog. We write this collaborative blog to be your source for information on issues and trends related to food, nutrition, and health. Nutrition is an ever...

Humble and Hearty, root vegetables are the earthiest of produce and can add a variety of colors and flavors to your fall meals. Low in fat and calories, many roots serve as good sources of fiber which we all know is favorable for digestion, preventative for disease like heart disease and cancer...

Have you heard? The FDA recently announced plans to revamp the Nutrition Facts label. This tool was introduced more than 20 years ago (!) and was designed to help consumers make food choices in the supermarket. Many people think this information has made it even more challenging to figure...

When it comes to comfort food, macaroni and cheese is as classic as you can get. But forget the boxed versions -- if you're going to have the mac, do it right. Macaroni and cheese from scratch is far more satisfying, and you have better control over what goes in it. Unfortunately, some recipes go a...

Hash brown casserole is comfort food at its best, but not so comforting for your waistline. Try this healthier version that's cuts out fat and calories but keeps all the flavor! A perfect dish for your next brunch or potluck. (Scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable PDF version...

They're a cool and creamy summer treat, but you can end up sipping over 500 calories in just a few minutes. Can you have your milkshake and drink it, too? With a few recipe tweaks, yes! (Scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable PDF version of the recipes!)...

“What’s this whole thing about eating whole grains? At least half of my grains need to be whole grains?! Geez – how am I going to cram that much into my diet when I don’t have that much money to spend on food anyway?! All this healthy stuff is too expensive…I give up…” If that sounds like...

Gluten free, low sugar, no fat---doesn't that sound like a yummy Thanksgiving dinner? We could be describing a trend in modern dieting,however, what we are talking about is the first Thanksgiving. When coloring hand traced turkeys and making paper bag vests in elementary school we learned that the...

As you may have heard, the Nutrition Facts panel is about to undergo renovations. Seems like the same old story. Just when you've gotten used to something, it up and changes. But change isn't always bad, and we need it in order to move forward. To get a better idea of whether this one is good or...

Butternut squash soup sounds healthy enough. I mean, it's gotta be good for you... it's got vegetables! Right? Yes, you're getting lots of good stuff from the squash - vitamin A, fiber, potassium, and so on. But butternut squash soup typically includes high-fat ingredients like cream for silky...

Caprese Pasta Salad Makes 18 cups Ingre