Food Blog Posts

If your income has been affected by the new coronavirus situation, you may be looking at ways to stretch your budget. 

Cooking at home can help.

As cases of COVID-19 increase around the country, many families are practicing social distancing to protect themselves and others. This likely means you are cooking at home more and are trying to limit your trips to the grocery store. 

So, if you are cooking with more frozen items, check out these tasty recipes that have been featured on the Extension for Real Life blog!

Looking for a fun recipe that you can make with your kids? These no-bake treats are loaded with fiber, use ingredients you probably have on hand in your pantry, and are a terrific homemade snack.  

The Food Factor crew loves quick and easy weeknight recipes, especially if they have a little kick. This Quick Taco-Mac is a one-skillet meal that you can adjust to suit your own taste preferences.

Meal planning and prepping is all the craze these days. It’s one of the easiest ways to be intentional about what you eat and helps you stick to a healthy diet. It’s also a great way for you to save time and moneyMeal planning and prepping is all the craze these days. It’s one of the easiest ways to be intentional about what you eat and helps you stick to a healthy diet. 

Who says soup takes a long time to cook? When it’s cold outside and you want a quick, satisfying soup for supper, try this Ten-Minute Corn Chowder. I love the combination of sweet and savory flavors, and it features ingredients I usually have on hand. I like to stock up on frozen corn kernels when they’re on sale and toss them in a variety of wintery stews and soups.

Most of us think of using the slow cooker for soups, stews, or budget-friendly cuts of meat, but the slow cooker can also make desserts!

Fruit-based desserts help keep your sweet treats on the healthier side through fiber, vitamins, and natural sugars. This recipe comes together very quickly and if you buy berries on sale, you’ll typically have the ingredients on hand for last-minute get-togethers. And it makes your house smell wonderful!

Has anyone heard about the ‘freshman fifteen’? During my first semester of college, I gained more than fifteen pounds. The main culprit was added sugar in soda drinks and desserts

Freezer meals are all the rage as everyone looks for ways to save time in the kitchen. This recipe is a simple, marinated chicken recipe that you could easily double or triple.

Video by Jonathan Parrish

You may not know that our “set” for The Food Factor is a real kitchen in the home of one of our team members. Her husband loves to hunt and share food, so while we are working on the show we often get to sample a variety of venison dishes.

We found this flavorful recipe for Spicy Venison Burgers in a venison recipe booklet from Cornell University Cooperative Extension and thought it would be perfect for The Food Factor!

Kale is a healthy leafy green vegetable that you’ll find year-round in the grocery store but grows abundantly in winter. While it’s great chopped up in soups and stews, it can also be delicious as the base of a tasty salad.

I've discovered two tricks that help make kale better as a salad green. Let’s be honest: kale can be tough to chew and bitter in taste. The first trick is to remove the kale leaves from the stems and massage them. The stems are typically stringy and crunchy, so that helps with the chewiness. Massaging the kale leaves gives them a softer, more silky texture and also reduces the bitter flavor.

The holiday season is finally over and life is slowing down a bit.  Everyone has made their New Year’s resolutions to be the best versions of themselves for 2020. 

To wrap up 2019, we wanted to share with you our most popular posts this year.

It's always fun to see what resonates with our food-loving friends. We strive to share recipes we think are healthy, fun, and realistic -- no 25-ingredient recipes here! 

Photo by Jonathan Parrish.

Sweet potatoes are healthy, delicious, and grown right here in Mississippi. What’s not to love? Well, I don’t love all the fat that most people add to them, whether making casseroles, baking pies, or deep-frying sweet potato fries.

These muffins are a healthy breakfast food you can enjoy at home or on the go. The recipe pairs the rich flavor of sweet potatoes with a bright splash of citrus. The golden color hides the grated carrot, and whole wheat flour boosts your fiber intake even more. With a mere 120 calories per serving and 50 percent of your vitamin A for the day, you’ll start the day off right! You could add chopped pecans for a little extra protein, or dried cranberries for extra flavor, but know they’ll both add more calories. (In my opinion, it’s worth it!)

Our Facebook fans have asked for healthier holiday recipes and slow cooker recipes, so The Food Factor team has combined both requests into one new video: Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork Roast!

Nothing says fall like the scent of homemade applesauce simmering on the stove. One of the best things about making your own food is the ability to control the spices, amount of sugar, and texture of whatever you’re making. We found small bags of apples on sale for 99 cents each in the produce department of our local grocery store. Imperfect or slightly bruised apples make great applesauce! (Photo by MSU Extension)

Eating seasonal vegetables helps you get the most nutritional bang for your buck. Brussels sprouts are wildly popular right now and are easy to prepare. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/MSU Extension)

Sweet potatoes and yams. They’re the same thing, right?

Not really. They look and taste different. Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are sweeter with a smooth, thin skin. (Photo by Kevin Hudson)

When you need a boost of protein before you dash out the door, try this quick smoothie. You can experiment with different fruits, add ice if you prefer a frozen drink, and swap out peanut butter for an alternative like sunflower seed butter if you have allergies.

Fans of The Food Factor know I love rotisserie chicken. I’ve added this quick recipe to my repertoire for using a store-bought rotisserie chicken. You could also use canned chicken breast or even sliced chicken or turkey from the deli.