Kent State Interns

With Halloween approaching, you’re guaranteed to spot plenty of orange pumpkins on porches all around the neighborhood. But what if you see a teal pumpkin? What does it mean? These teal pumpkins have a purpose and are much more than décor. The Teal Pumpkin Project makes trick-or-treating for children with food allergies safer and less stressful. When you place a teal pumpkin on your porch or doorstep, it signifies that you offer non-food treats to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. We all know Halloween can be EXTRA spooky for the 1 in 13 children with food allergies. It can be especially stressful for the parents of children with food allergies because they have to deal with dodging certain candies, sorting through their child’s stash, and removing unsafe treats. The Teal Pumpkin Project makes it easier for these parents and children to find houses that provide non-food items. These non-food items can include small toys like stickers, glowsticks, bracelets, and more. The Teal Pumpkin Pro

CREAMY CHICKEN  & DUMPLING SOUP  ♡ If you're like me you love fall, & with fall comes soup!  🍁 Soup is a great comfort food for when the weather is chilly.  🍁 Incorporating all the essential macronutrients into a soup will not only taste great, but it will leave you feeling full & satisfied long after you're done eating! 🍁 This is why this Creamy Chicken & Dumpling Soup is one of my favorite fall recipes.  🍁 I created this recipe on a chilly Sunday while watching the Browns win their game against the 49ers.  🍁 If you love cooking, give this recipe a try!  🍁 It's quick, easy, & there will be enough left over for at least another meal or two.  🍁 Soup Ingredients  - 1 package thin sliced chicken breast - around 1lb (can include skin or be skinless)  - 1 package (32 oz) frozen vegetable mix (peas, carrots, green beans, & corn)  - 2-3 Celery Ribs  - 1/2 Yellow Onion  - 2 Tbsp unsalted butter  - Chicken based Bullion (Below are two of my favorites l

 It's CHILI time!!!!! I don't know about y'all, but I love me a good bowl of chili topped with sour cream and paired with cornbread on the side. I have vivid memories of eating my mom's chili as a child.  I feel like you can eat chili all year long, but it's better in the colder seasons. Chili is a great source of protein, fiber, Vitamin C and super easy to make.  It is packed with beans, and you can even put quinoa or other plant-based proteins in it to add more protein! Here are 2 vegetarian chili recipes that I love. Quinoa Chili - 2 Tbsp vegetable oil - 1 onion, chopped - red bell pepper, chopped - 1 large carrot, diced - 1 stalk celery, diced - 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped  - 1 Tbsp minced garlic - 3 Tbsp chili powder - 2 tsp ground cumin - 1 tsp salt - 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes  - 1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained  - 1 cup water - 1 cup of corn - 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well in fine-mesh strainer Optional toppings: diced a

  Pumpkin Season is Finally Here! Did you know October is National Pumpkin Month? I don't know about you, but fall is my favorite time of the year! Bring on all things pumpkin! Whether that's a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin flavored treats, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin scented candles, or pumpkin carving.   EAT THE WHOLE PUMPKIN! Did you know you can eat the WHOLE pumpkin and utilize ALL parts? Peel the skin off to make dehydrated pumpkin chips! Puree the flesh to make soup or pumpkin bread! Roast the seeds! Season and top on salads or to snack on!  WHAT DOES PUMPKIN PROVIDE NUTRITIONALLY? The peel contains Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and beta-carotene The elements Zn, P, Mg, K, and Se are found in the seeds The flesh contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and fiber  If you love pumpkin and looking for a nutritious and delicious fall treat for on-the-go or as a snack, then this recipe is for you! For this recipe, we will be using pumpkin puree, but feel free to use a whole pumpkin to u

It’s that time of the year again when all of us fall lovers get to finally do all of our favorite fall activities we’ve been looking forward to, apple picking being one of them. If you're passing up on apple picking this season or leaving out apples from your cart during your trip to the grocery store, you may want to think twice.  The amount of health benefits apples provides is the reason why we all say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Apples are jam-packed with nutrients and will be most nutritious when they are eaten raw with the peel. Depending on the type of apple, the nutrient content will vary. Red delicious apples are considered one of the most nutritious options because their skin contains a load of antioxidants. Not only are apples a good source of antioxidants, but they have many other health benefits such as:  -they are a good source of fiber -they can improve digestion -they can aid in gut health -they can support weight management -they can boost heart healt

Food waste is a problem that often goes unnoticed in our daily lives. I was completely unaware of how much waste I was creating until I started composting. Separating my food waste into the countertop bin allowed me to actually see how much waste I was producing each week. Food waste is often invisible. We toss it & we forget it! We may not realize it, but the food we throw away has far-reaching consequences for our environment, our economy, and our society. A shocking ⅓ of all food produced around the world is wasted! My favorite way to visualize this waste is with a quote from the amazing Dana Gunders: “Imagine walking out of a grocery store with four bags of groceries, dropping one in the parking lot, and just not bothering to pick it up. That's essentially what we're doing.” When we think about it like this, it seems ridiculous! And that's because it is! When we waste food, we waste all of the resources that went into making it. This negatively impacts our wallets

I Scream, You Scream, We ALL Scream for Pumpkin Seeds!  The first Saturday of every October, my family has a tradition of carving pumpkins together next to a fire on the living room floor and then baking the yummy seeds. We travel to the pumpkin patch early on Saturday morning together, spend WAY too much time trying to find the perfect pumpkins to carve, then attempt to navigate through a corn maize together. Then, we head back home to spend the rest of the evening choosing a design that we want to carve and begin carving away, making sure every single seed (or as many seeds as possible) are salvaged in a bowl for mom to bake. It wasn't until carving pumpkins this year that I started wondering about the pumpkin seeds that were so safely housed inside the perfectly round, bright orange pumpkins. How many seeds are in an average pumpkin? Are they all the same size? What is the nutritional benefit of eating pumpkin seeds? After I was done carving, I did some research and this is what

Just like with any nutrition topic, the facts about milk can become convoluted pretty quickly. Whether you drink milk for the protein, the nutrients, the flavor, or just like to switch it up, there are pros and cons to every kind. Here are some quick nutritional facts about each type to help you decide which is best for you. Animal-Based Milks  Whole Milk: The original diary drink. It gets a bad rap, but what whole milk has going for it, is that it’s in its proper nutritional form. Whole milk contains all of its original fat-soluble vitamins, A, E, D, & K, along with the fat to help you absorb them all. It also has the proper concentrations and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or your omega-3s and omega-6s, so that they are metabolized as they should be. The downside is that whole milk is calorically dense, meaning that a little goes a long way. You don’t need much to get what you need, so just don’t overdo it!  2% Milk: The fat content of 2% milk is about half of that in who