Kent State Interns

October is National Cookie Month and to celebrate I encourage you to get a group of people together and create a batch of cookies!  Cookies will always be a delicious treat, but there are ways you can make them "healthier".  Whatever flour amount your recipe calls for, make half of it whole wheat. Whole wheat flour contains several vitamins such as folate, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin, which gives it a nutritional advantage over white flour. You can also replace some of your flour with oats. Oats are rich in antioxidants and are loaded with vitamins and minerals.  Experiment with your cookie recipe by decreasing the amount of sugar you add. If you decide to decrease your sugar you may need to add more liquid to make sure your cookies don’t dry out.  Think about adding spices (such as cinnamon), chopped nuts, dried fruit, or dark chocolate to your cookies to increase their nutritional value.  Put these tips to the test with this Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe Ingredients 1

  The Ultimate Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheese Recipe The most popular Autumn food is….. of course, pumpkin. Pumpkins begin growing in May and are finally ready to be harvested in late August through mid-September, which is why popularity is tends come and go in the blink of an eye! If your local grocery store manages to receive pumpkin puree AND keep it on the shelves long enough for you to get your hands on it, BUY IT because I have the tastiest and most comforting Autumn recipe for you. My favorite part of this recipe is the fact that pumpkin puree replaces heavy cream and up to 75% of the cheese in a typical mac ‘n cheese recipe! It also helps provides a significant amount of dietary fiber and vitamin A, which will help with healthy digestion and healthy eyes!   Ingredients for 5 cups of sauce: o     3 cups pumpkin puree o     3 tsp minced garlic o     1 tsp salt o     3 Tbsp butter  o     2 cups milk of choice o     2.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese Other ingredients: o     3 cups fresh broc

                                                             Festive Halloween Treats Made Healthy!   Halloween is just around the corner. Nothing better to get into the Halloween spirit than cute and festive Halloween treats. Maybe one of these ideas will be the highlight of your Halloween party this year!  Snack-o-lantern Fruit Cups-  Take a regular orange and act as if it’s a pumpkin and take out the middle and keep the outside. Carve the peel to look like a Jack-o-lantern. Then fill the orange peel with diced fruit or any small treats that will fit.  This can also be done with a bell pepper.          Halloween Banana Popsicles - Cut banana in half. Put popsicle stick through the center. Dip in vanilla Greek yogurt. Place in freezer until set. Use mini chocolate chips for eyes. You can make a ghost by just using chocolate chips for eyes or you can make a mummy by drizzling peanut butter on.      Dark Chocolate Pistachio Bark - It takes just 30 minutes to make. Simply melt dark choco

Did you know that there are 7,500 different varieties of apples grown worldwide? As the second largest producer of apples, the United States grows over 100 of those different varieties commercially and 2,500 of those varieties altogether. Apples are grown commercially in 36 different states by over 5000 different producers. Let’s take a closer look at this fall favorite! Nutrition facts: (one medium, 2 ½ inch sized fresh, raw apple with skin) Calories: 81  Carbohydrate: 21 grams Dietary fiber: 4 grams Calcium: 10 mg Phosphorous: 10 mg Iron: 0.25 mg Potassium: 159 mg Vitamin C: 8 mg Vitamin A: 73 IU Folate: 4 mcg Other apple facts: • The science of apple growing is called pomology. • Apples are a member of the rose family. • The largest apple picked weighed 3 lbs. • It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce 1 apple. • Apples ripen 6-10 times faster at room temperature than when refrigerated. • 2/3 of the fiber and many antioxidants are found in the peel of an apple. As y

 

     This is a late summer early fall themed meal perfect for a group dinner or a date night. As we harvest the last of our gardens fruits from the growing season we can use them to make savory, satisfying, and heathy meals. For this meal, it has a drink (alcoholic optional), salad, soup, and main course pasta dish. there are staples in the meals of both summer and fall.  Blood Orange Spritzer Ingredients: -           1 blood orange -           ½ cup apple cider -           ½ cup club soda or non-alcoholic ginger beer   Instructions: Cut half of the blood orange into half-moon slices Squeeze the other half into the glass and add ice Pour over the cider and club soda. Top with sliced oranges optional: add 1 oz of desired alcohol    Feta Pasta Bake Ingredients: -           Half box of whole grain pasta -           2 cups (or two small containers) of cherry tomatoes -           Square 3 inch block of feta or a small container of crumbled -           1 me