Secret Ingredient Healthy Queso Recipe This time of year, everything is pumpkin; pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pasta and yes, of course, the pumpkin spice latte. But there’s no rule that pumpkin can’t be savory. Healthy queso made with pumpkin is the perfect balance of nutrition and crowd pleasing flavor.   The pumpkin lends the perfect color and texture to the queso so even the pickiest of eaters won’t know the secret ingredient. Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin A which is good for your eyes and for thyroid health.  This healthy queso gives you all the ..read more

23 Healthy Snacks for 2023 Snacking! I have to admit I do love good healthy snacks, and it’s something people ask the dietitians at the Kansas City Dietitian Collective daily!  However, if I don’t have a healthy snack that is balanced and readily available, snacking can very easily become, me, standing in front of the pantry or fridge, grabbing random things, or grabbing a candy bar at the check out.  This may give you or me energy for a short period after eating it, but this will quickly lead to a crash in energy and the cycle will go on. Prepared balanced healthy snacks are a l ..read more

If you invite me to a party, it’s pretty likely that I’m going to show up with black bean hummus. Black bean hummus is the perfect snack or appetizer for the adventurous and not-so-adventurous. The subtle smokiness from the chipotle peppers provides just the right amount of flare. I love to dip veggies and chips into black bean hummus. I am even known to toss it into my salads or spread black bean hummus onto my wraps. It is great for lunch, dinner, appetizers and snacks!  Smoky Black Bean Hummus 1 clove garlic 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained, and liquid reserved 1 1/2 tablespoons ..read more

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup 2 sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed) ½ butternut squash (cubed) 3 cups low sodium chicken broth ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon black pepper Combine all ingredients in large soup pot and place on stove. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree in blender. To make it a meal add some cooked diced chicken after blending. The post Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Soup appeared first on The Kansas City Dietitian ..read more

Cardiovascular disease. Obesity. Diabetes. Cancer. Autoimmune diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases. Psychiatric illnesses. What do all of these chronic diseases seem to have in common? Inflammation! Let’s discuss how an anti inflammatory diet can play a big role in managing inflammation. What is inflammation? Inflammation is an important bodily process in the short term. Acute inflammation can help us fight off infections, heal from an injury, or recover from a burn. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is what contributes to the chronic diseases mentioned above. Our modern environment ex ..read more

Cardiovascular disease. Obesity. Diabetes. Cancer. Autoimmune diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases. Psychiatric illnesses. What do all of these chronic diseases seem to have in common? Inflammation! Let’s discuss how an anti inflammatory diet can play a big role in managing inflammation. What is inflammation? Inflammation is an important bodily process in the short term. Acute inflammation can help us fight off infections, heal from an injury, or recover from a burn. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is what contributes to the chronic diseases mentioned above. Our modern environment ..read more

Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep? Painful menstrual cramps? Eye or Muscle Twitching? Diarrhea? Constipation? Headaches? Any of these sounds like you? You may be one of the 70% of Americans who have less than optimal magnesium status. Let’s talk about how magnesium can help your health and in particular magnesium for digestion.   Why you should care about magnesium?   Magnesium is a mineral that is used in over 300 processes in our body most importantly to combat stress in our system. As stress happens we pull calcium in to contract our muscles and without magnesium the ..read more

Loving veggies in the summer is easy, anyone can do it.  But helping you love veggies in the dreary winter is an art and needs bold flavors and colors. In the winter I love to turn to recipes like my sweet potato and butternut squash soup and  roasted Brussels sprouts. February is heart health month and the color of the month is pink and red. The best way to celebrate is with some vibrant beet recipes. We are thinking beyond the basic beet recipes with this roasted beet hummus. The vibrant color is so irresistible that even my littles love to dip.     ​ Easiest Way ..read more

This Protein Waffles recipe was developed in partnership with Midwest Dairy. Farm to Plate I love cooking and always want to get my kids busy in the kitchen, but so far their love for cooking is not quite as enthusiastic as mine.  That doesn’t mean that I stop trying, it just means that I have to get more creative.   I want my children to build their love of cooking and food from the ground up; to have a true farm to plate understanding. We had a great opportunity to do this during our recent visit to Wonderscope.  If you haven’t been to Wonderscope, it is an inter ..read more

We’ve all been there. You buy cilantro for one recipe, then you are stuck with an entire bunch. Or maybe you got the itch to grow a basil plant this summer, and now you’ve tried everything to use it up. Don’t throw the extra out! I’ve definitely made the mistake before of thinking that I can skip out on using fresh herbs in a recipe. The end product always seems to be missing something. It might be missing something more than just flavor.  These little plants are packed with antioxidants and essential nutrients!  One tablespoon of Oregano has 4x more antioxidants than bluebe ..read more