DMU Blog http://www.dmu.edu/blog News & tidbits about Des Moines University Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:27:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Funny Bone http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/funny-bone/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/funny-bone/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:27:35 +0000 Tea Nguyen http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2653 If you like standup comedy, and don’t mind a little adult humor, check out The Funny Bone in West Des Moines. I was just there on Saturday evening with some friends and I had a good time just hanging out and getting my funny bone tickled all night long. If you sign up for their mailing list, you have a great chance at winning some free tickets, which was how I ended up there (of course!).

Where’s your fave place to catch a comedy act?

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/funny-bone/feed/ 0 It’s countdown time! http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/its-countdown-time/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/its-countdown-time/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:00:18 +0000 Courtney Tompkins http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2614 Less than 2 months away….May 1. It’s the Saturday we wait all winter for.It’s the first downtown farmers’ market!!!

From 7 a.m. until noon each Saturday until the snow flies again, we’ll all wander around eating delectable goodies & loading our bags with produce, flowers & crafts.

What fresh Iowa fruit or veggie are you craving most?

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/its-countdown-time/feed/ 1 Kidsfest! http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/kidsfest/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/kidsfest/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:56:19 +0000 Courtney Tompkins http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2650 If your kids like Spiderman, Princess Leia, Veggie Tales or Diego, you should know… Today (March 5) through Sunday at 4 p.m. is KIDSFEST! in the Iowa State Fairgrounds Varied Industries Building. There’s snacks, entertainment, crafts, competitions, scavenger hunt and more! What fun!

It’s a fun way to let kids run around & blow off steam indoors. AND the ticket price ($7 each, or free for ages 2 and younger) goes to Children & Families of Iowa to help at-risk families! (You can get $2 off coupons at Fareway or Veridian Credit Union.)

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/kidsfest/feed/ 1 Friday recipe: sour cream coffee cake http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/friday-recipe-sour-cream-coffee-cake/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/friday-recipe-sour-cream-coffee-cake/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:06:01 +0000 Andrea Cooley http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2624 I will be the first to admit that I am addicted to coffee (you don’t want to be around me if I haven’t had my daily cup o’ joe). And what better to go with my morning coffee than coffee cake? Unfortunately coffee cake (and most delicious pastries) are high in fat and sugar–that’s why they taste so good! This recipe from Cooking Light cuts calories and fat by using light sour cream instead of oil.

What are your favorite healthy recipe substitutions?

Sour cream coffee cake
Ingredients
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream
2  tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spread oats in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until oats are barely fragrant and light brown.
3. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray; set aside.
4. Reserve 1/4 cup oats; set aside. Place remaining oats in a food processor; process 4 seconds or until finely ground. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine processed oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk.
5. Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. (Batter will be slightly lumpy because of oats.) Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly.
6. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oats, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until well blended. Sprinkle top of batter evenly with nut mixture. Bake at 350° for 38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, top is golden, and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan.

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/friday-recipe-sour-cream-coffee-cake/feed/ 1 Grab some popcorn & a soda, it’s movie time! http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/grab-some-popcorn-a-soda-its-movie-time/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/grab-some-popcorn-a-soda-its-movie-time/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:10:25 +0000 Courtney Tompkins http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2620 Today Metromix Des Moines picked their favorite movie theaters in the area which makes a nifty lil guide for next time you wanna catch a flick.

I happen to know DMU students are fond of the Cobblestone 9 theatre on Tuesdays when they have $1 popcorn, $1 drinks & $2.50 candy. Or, if you go between 4 & 6 p.m. any day, it’s $4 for a ticket which is a steal!  (also, FYI, Carmike’s website has $3 off the Alice in Wonderland 3d movie for this weekend!)

Of course, it’s probably cheaper most days to rent a movie & pop your own corn. Netflix has a free trial period & so does Blockbuster if you’re into getting movies delivered to your door!

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/grab-some-popcorn-a-soda-its-movie-time/feed/ 3 That’s my classmate! http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/thats-my-classmate/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/thats-my-classmate/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:27:51 +0000 Tea Nguyen http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2616 Adam Lang, a third-year CPMS student, wrote this article on diabetes! So if you see him around campus, give him a high-five for representing our profession and our college. You can also find more podiatric articles at this website so surf around at your leisure and learn about the profession.

(Picture: And yes, he loves to eat too!)

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/thats-my-classmate/feed/ 1 Fresh produce sold locally? http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/fresh-produce-sold-locally/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/fresh-produce-sold-locally/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:43:18 +0000 Tea Nguyen http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2612 I encourage you to take a look at this website and  learn more about locally grown produce provided by farmers who just want you to eat fresh and healthy foods. By purchasing from this website, you are investing in your local community and reducing your carbon footprints. Now that is something to chew on.

Once you’ve tasted the sweetness a freshly picked tomato, you may never want to pick one up at a grocery store ever again.

Share your local harvest story with us!

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/fresh-produce-sold-locally/feed/ 2 Vote for the worthy couple!
 http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/vote-for-the-worthy-couple%e2%80%a8/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/vote-for-the-worthy-couple%e2%80%a8/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:53:53 +0000 Tea Nguyen http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2609 Remember my older post on my friend Matthew who was going through some tough times with leukemia?

Well I have good news to share! He’s back on his feet and is moving forward with his own wedding planning. More details can be found here.

(Please don’t hesitate to vote for them too while you’re there!)

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/03/vote-for-the-worthy-couple%e2%80%a8/feed/ 0 Gluten-free? Peanut-free? http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/02/gluten-free-peanut-free/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/02/gluten-free-peanut-free/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:51:12 +0000 Courtney Tompkins http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2604 If you have food allergies, traveling to a new city, like say to Des Moines for a school interview, may be daunting.

How do you scope out a safe place to eat? I saw a cool new site recently started, called allergyeats.com, but it still needs info for our area. Are there other sites like that you’d recommend? Or… is there a place or two in the area you’d recommend for someone with food allergies?

]]> http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/02/gluten-free-peanut-free/feed/ 2 Friday recipe: vanilla coconut granola http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/02/friday-recipe-vanilla-coconut-granola/ http://www.dmu.edu/blog/2010/02/friday-recipe-vanilla-coconut-granola/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:59:18 +0000 Andrea Cooley http://www.dmu.edu/blog/?p=2519 I love granola. I munch on it for a mid-morning snack, stir it into yogurt and put it on ice cream. It’s the perfect combination of crunchy, sweet and depending on your recipe, salty. So I was excited to come across this recipe for vanilla coconut granola on the ReadyMade magazine food blog. Doesn’t the name make your mouth start to water a little?

Vanilla Coconut Granola
4 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned)
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I like walnuts)
1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
pinch of salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp (or so) of vanilla
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup, depending on your preference
1/2-1 cup dried fruit, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add your wet ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over low heat; or add to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 20 seconds or so. This step is just to make sure that the wet will evenly coat the dry.
3. Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir together until evenly distributed.
4. Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so to encourage even browning.
5. Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit (I sometimes add raisins) if desired. Allow to cool completely then eat!

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