Healthy Tips

Dorm Room Snack Hacks

August 16, 2018August 16, 2018 by Garrick Brown

In most minds, dorm room dining does not evoke Instagram-worthy images of nutritious foods. Students typically do not have access to a kitchen and can feel resigned to warming up easy mac or ramen noodles in a microwave or splurging on a fast food delivery order. Yet, with some ingenuity, it’s possible to eat healthy and on a budget from a dorm room. Here are a few simple strategies and recipes from Guiding Stars to help college students eat healthy dorm room meals and snacks without spending all their cash.

10 Tips for Sensational Summer Salads

July 25, 2018 by Allison Stowell & Kit Broihier

Couscous, Lentil & Arugula Salad with Garlic-Dijon Vinaigrette

When outdoor temperatures rise, cool crisp salads can take center stage. Construct your salad right and it can be the star of the show, with little need for anything else. On the other hand, build it without some essential components, and you will likely be looking for another option. Use these 10 strategies for smarter summer salads to ensure your salad is built to satisfy.

Getting in Tip-Top Nutritional Shape

February 29, 2016October 4, 2016 by Recipes

Scientific Advisor Kitty Broihier talks with Maine’s WCSH6 about eating for heart health.

Snack Healthy: Mini-Meal Chart

June 9, 2015June 9, 2015 by Recipes

The days of three square meals may be a thing of the past. Busy daily schedules, limited time for cooking and the ever increasing popularity of smoothies, juices, protein bars, power bowls and the like are packing many nutrients into quick, on-the-go options. Bigger than snacks, these “mini meals” nourish us throughout the day and have the potential to work together to satisfy our nutrient needs.

School Nutrition Standards: Where are We Now?

October 16, 2014 by Allison Stowell

On July 1, 2012, schools and programs that utilize the National School Lunch program began the process of adopting the changes required under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA). Though challenging to implement, the strong need for better nutrition for the over 30 million children who rely on the National School Lunch program and the opportunity for greater reimbursement per meal (an extra 6 cents), encouraged schools to comply. The transformation to come was so monumental and innovative for a program that hadn’t seen change in fifteen years, that Guiding Stars devoted a webinar on the topic. Now, two years later, we can see how the changes are being implemented and where we are on our journey toward feeding the next generation.

Top 10 Healthy Recipe Swaps

March 27, 2014March 26, 2014 by Recipes

Making Banana Pancakes

March 13, 2014March 11, 2014 by Guiding Stars Kitchen

I love pancakes. They’re such a cozy way to start the weekend, and having extras on hand to heat in the toaster makes the work week easier to manage. The problem is that I prefer pancakes covered in butter and syrup, which is not the most nutritious way to start the day, especially given that pancakes are typically not what you could call nutritionally dense to begin with.

I’ve been learning a lot about improving the nutrition of my favorite recipes while working with Guiding Stars, so I decided to try modifying the buttermilk pancake recipe in my favorite cookbook. The result was completely delicious (without syrup!) and earns 3 Guiding Stars…this is the process I used to get there:

Beautiful Pomegranate

November 7, 2013 by Guiding Stars Kitchen

November is Pomegranate Month! If you’ve never tried pomegranate before, the fruit can look a bit intimidating. Don’t let the newness scare you off, though. Beyond being rich in antioxidants, pomegranates are a wonderful source of vitamin K, which is beneficial for healthy clotting, preventing calcification of your arteries and improving bone loss. They’re also a strong source of vitamin C, folate, potassium and dietary fiber, offering a multitude of other important nutrients into the bargain.