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Iowa Concern is Here for You

We’re taking a pause from our usual food and cooking content today to share a valuable resource with our readers. We all have days when stress feels like it is weighing us down. Whether it is stress related to work, relationships or money, sometimes we need help to manage it all. This is why the Iowa Concern hotline exists. Iowa Concern is a service of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach designed to help callers navigate challenges and help to find solutions.

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Get Help Buying Healthy Foods

For many of us, money is tight right now. The cost of groceries and gas are extremely high and additional SNAP benefits provided during the pandemic have ended in many states.

Home Questions? – Call AnswerLine

When I was a student at Iowa State University, I worked in a job where I shared an office with an amazing resource. That resource was AnswerLine – a hotline that answers your questions about home, food, and family. As a young adult starting a home of her own, the AnswerLine folks gave me tips on food safety, food preservation, and cleaning. A few years later, I found myself working at Iowa State University again. Throughout my career, AnswerLine has been there to help me when I have tough questions about food and nutrition. As a mom, I rely on AnswerLine for tips on getting stains out of laundry. If you cannot tell already, I love AnswerLine and I want to share this resource with you today!

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

What’s Cooking at Christine’s House

On Monday, I shared my approach to planning meals. The strategy I use allows me to make good use of what I have and minimize trips out for groceries. I maintain a list of what I have on hand and I arrange it by food group so that I can make improvised meals and recipes by pulling from each part of the list. I also create some detail within the lists like separating out fresh vegetables from frozen or canned ones. This allows me to spot which items I should eat first to prevent waste.