FitKids360, a free seven-week program, helps educate families about nutrition, exercise and living a healthy lifestyle. Developed in Grand Rapids in 2010, the program is now expanding across the state of Michigan. Thanks to a partnership between Health Net of West Michigan and the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA, the YMCA has hosted the FitKids360 program in Traverse City. […]
Up North Love – Cooking for Community
We recently met a young man who is making a difference in his community, one meal at a time. Nathan Russell is ten years old and a fifth grader at Willow Hill Elementary School in Traverse City, and he’s already dreaming of a life combining two growing passions: cooking and helping others. Once or twice […]
4 Hearty Recipes for Autumn’s Root Vegetables
Truly, root veggies are the essence of comfort food. And perhaps that’s why we have grown too casual with them—relegated many of them to bland, secondary roles in our cuisine—if we remember to eat them at all. What a shame. Under the skin of every root vegetable lurks an exotic ingredient. The very fiber of […]
3 Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes from Northern Michigan Chefs
Local chefs share their favorite Thanksgiving dessert recipes, including a healthy cake (yes, it exists) and a sugar-free scone. Plus, a crowd-favorite chocolate cake recipe. Thanks to Munson Healthcare, Shetler’s Family Dairy and Planted Cuisine. Red Grape, Polenta & Olive Oil Cake Chef Laura McCain, RD, and Munson Outpatient Nutritionist loves this rustic Italian-style cake, excerpted […]
How to Avoid Overeating During the Holidays
As a nutritionist, Laura McCain is accustomed to all eyes on her while she strolls the Thanksgiving buffet line. “What is she going to eat?” everyone wonders, as they watch the chef and Munson outpatient nutritionist cruise through the assortment of traditional treats on the table. No, she doesn’t start at the beginning of the table and fill […]
The Great Pumpkin
With a stellar nutritional resume and fine flavor, the pumpkin deserves an honored place at your table. Poor pumpkin. Long ago, the ancients of North America gave the pumpkin a regular spot on the menu. But at some point between the early colonials and our embrace of Halloween, America relegated one of nature’s most nutritious […]
Candy Drop-Off Program Helps Parents Promote Healthier Habits
Munson Healthcare and the Northern Michigan Diabetes Initiative(NDMI) are partnering for the sixth consecutive year to promote healthier Halloween habits while providing the sweet satisfaction of giving back. Trick-or-treaters, parents and candy givers are encouraged to donate a portion of their stash or leftover candy to their community locations November 1–5. The collected candy will be donated […]
Tricia Phelps, CEO of Taste the Local Difference, Shares her Venison Chili Recipe
If you are familiar with the Sara Hardy Farmers Market or Village at Grand Traverse Commons food events, you’re probably also familiar with the name Tricia Phelps. Get to know the Traverse City foodie and CEO of Taste the Local Difference, Michigan’s local food marketing agency. Tell us what brought you to the area, and ultimately, to your role […]
Visit Kilcherman’s Christmas Cove Farm for Antique Apples
A trip to Kilcherman’s Christmas Cove Farm is a fall tradition in Northern Michigan. Located north of Northport in Leelanau County, Kilcherman’s is home to 200-plus varieties of antique apples. And while the Kilchermans have long been fascinated by heirloom varieties, they now find themselves on the leading edge of a much broader food movement. […]
A Success Story: Benefits of the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program
It only took one cooking demonstration and 10-year-old Nathan Russell was hooked. “He didn’t want to go at first,” says his mother, Martha. “But when he saw them roast peppers, and after I explained to him that we could do it at home—that’s what we did!” Now Nathan cooks dinner at home a couple […]