Maine Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

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Maine Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

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University of Maine Cooperative Extension EFNEP
🍎🏃Food & Nutrition Education
🍽️ Recipes & Resources
✏️ FREE 1-on-1 or group classes, sign-up below!

https://linktr.ee/umaine_efnep Both adults and youth learn new skills in food preparation, choosing healthy foods on a budget, and starting an active lifestyle. Contact your county Cooperative Extension office for more information. Cooperative Extension county directory: http://extension.umaine.edu/county-offices/.

10/27/2026

⭐️ Can I join this class? Yes, if:
- You’re an adult with children in the household
- You’re pregnant
- You’re a young adult (ages 19 to 25)
- You live in Somerset County

Time: 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Dates: Tuesdays, 11/10, 11/17, 11/24, 12/1, 12/8, and 12/15
Attendance at all six classes is required.
Location: Somerset County Extension Office, 7 County Drive, Skowhegan, Maine 04976

⭐️ Class Topics Include:
- Making healthy choices
- Planning meals and shopping tips
- Cooking tips and tricks
- And hands on cooking at each class

⭐️ Interested? Register today using one of these methods:
- Fill out the registration form on our website here: https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/efnep/classes/
- To register or request a reasonable accommodation, contact Melony Hull: [email protected] or 207.474.9622

[Image description: Promotional graphic titled "Free Nutrition and Cooking Classes" featuring logos for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and EFNEP. Two people are in a kitchen preparing food, highlights "Free cooking tools and cookbook!" showing items including measuring cups and spoons, waterbottle, scrub brush, meat thermometer, and fridge thermometer, and cookbook.]

10/22/2026

Hearing feedback like this makes our work so rewarding! From healthy food choices to understanding the value of our local farmers. 🧑‍🌾

A quote from a school teacher: "Students developed a greater awareness of healthy food choices, the value of farmers and homegrown food, and the benefits of eating a variety of foods. The lessons were enriching, and the children were always excited!"

[Image description: Large quotation marks frame a teacher quote. Illustrations of an orange pumpkin and an autumn leaf decorate the corners.]

10/16/2026

The ingredients and instructions are listed below, so enjoy the warm, comforting flavors of fall with these Pumpkin Muffins, a perfect balance of pumpkin spice!

⭐️ Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
4 large eggs
½ cup milk (non-fat, unsweetened milk alternative, or reconstituted dry milk)
1 (15-ounce) can 100% pumpkin purée
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup oil (canola or vegetable)
nonstick cooking spray

⭐️ Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Clean the kitchen area and wash hands with soap and water.
3. In a large bowl, mix both flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, crack and beat the eggs.
5. Clean the kitchen area where the eggs were cracked and wash hands with soap and water after handling raw eggs.
6. Add milk, pumpkin, applesauce, and oil to the mixing bowl with eggs. Mix together until blended.
7. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Do not overmix.
8. Grease or line a muffin tin and fill each muffin cup about ¾ full with batter. For medium-sized muffins, bake for about 20 minutes. For mini muffins, bake for about 12 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick or butter knife is inserted and comes out clean. If they are not done, continue baking in 2 to 3 minute increments.
9. Once done, remove the muffins from the pans and let them cool on a cooling rack.

[Image description: Graphic titled Pumpkin Muffins featuring a notebook paper style layout with the ingredients list on the right. On the left are two rounded photos: top photo shows a tray of baked muffins cooling next to a small pumpkin, and bottom photo shows two people pulling a red wagon carrying pumpkins.]

10/14/2026

🍳 Emily teaches Alex how to use a stainless steel pan to cook eggs two different ways! Watch the video and save to follow along later!

Here are some key tips you will learn in the video:
➡️ Stainless steel pans do not contain the forever chemical known as PFAS.
➡️ When water beads on a pan, it is hot enough to be nonstick.
➡️ Do not crack your eggs on the edge of the bowl or pan, tiny shards or bacteria from the egg shell could make its way into your food. Wash and sanitize the counter after cracking eggs, and wash your hands.
➡️ Food releases slowly from a hot stainless steel pan. Shake the pan or slide a spatula underneath to flip.
➡️ Soak the pan in cool water after cooking for easy cleanup.

Do you want to read about Alex’s dramatic pan journey? Read about it in the UMaine Extension Spoonful Blog “Stainless Steel vs. Cast Iron: My Journey to Finding a PFAS-Free Egg Pan”, link in bio.

[Video description: A video demonstrates how to cook scrambled and fried eggs in stainless steel pans. Two stainless steel pans are placed on gas stove burners over open flames. Water is sprinkled into one pan to test its temperature, where the water beads and glides across the surface. After heating and cooling slightly, oil is poured into both pans and swirled around. Whisked eggs are poured into one pan for scrambled eggs, while two whole eggs are cracked directly into the second pan for fried eggs. The fried eggs are seasoned with paprika and flipped using a metal spatula. The scrambled eggs are gently stirred with a silcone spatula until cooked. Afterwards, water is added to the warm pans to soak and loosen stuck-on egg pieces. ]

10/09/2026

Connecting with students on campus is one of our favorite parts of what we do! We had a great time meeting everyone at the Student Services Fair on August 25th, the Student Involvement Fair on September 2nd, and the Commuter Cookout on September 9th. 💙

[Image Description: Graphic featuring two photos inside magnifying glass frames. In the upper-left photo, Grace, our Penobscot Community Education Assistant, stands behind a table with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension banner and program materials. In the lower-right photo, Alex and Grace stand behind a table displaying a poll with bowls labeled "pumpkin vs. apple," food samples, and a banner. Additional graphic elements include an illustration of a person thinking with a speech bubble that asks, "What has the EFNEP staff been up to??", an icon of a person with a megaphone, a calendar icon labeled "events," and logos for UMaine Extension and EFNEP.]

10/03/2026

Looking for quick, reliable nutrition and food tips? Check out the Spoonful blog! We share bite-sized, science-based food and nutrition information that you can actually use in your daily life.

Here are a few recent blog posts you can read on Spoonful https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/spoonful/

➡️ How Carbohydrates Fuel Your Exercise (And Why You Shouldn't Cut Them)
➡️ Using Natural Sweeteners in Jam
➡️ Poured Straight from the Source: Is Raw Milk Really Worth the Gamble?
➡️ Do Soy Foods Cause Cancer?

[Image Description: Graphic promoting the Spoonful blog. On the left is a list of four blog post titles with matching pictures about exercise fuel, jam sweeteners, raw milk, and soy foods. On the right, a callout box displays text about providing science-based nutrition advice.]

09/29/2026

Creating a grocery list is a great way to stay organized, not spend extra money, and remember all the items you need. Let’s hear what our coworkers have to say about their strategies to navigating a grocery list!

[Video description: A video shows an EFNEP staff person walking down an office hallway, carrying a notepad and holding a blue wire whisk up like a microphone. They walk to several office doors and knock. Inside different offices, they sit across from three separate coworkers at their desks, gesturing with the whisk as if conducting interviews.The video ends with the host waving the whisk to make the shape of an apple and a small apple graphic appearing on screen.]

09/24/2026

Try out this Pasta with Garlic Spinach and White Beans! Recipe below.

Makes 8, 1- cup serivngs, only 8 ingredients!

Ingredients:
- 1 pound whole wheat pasta
- 1/4 cup oil, canola or olive
- 4 to 6 cloves garlic (2 to 3 teaspoons), minced
- 5 cups baby spinach
- 1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- (optional) 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well, and transfer back into the pot.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, heat the oil and add the minced garlic.
3. Cook the garlic for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant, stirring a few times.
4. Add spinach and stir until wilted.
5. Add drained and rinsed cannellini beans, salt, and pepper. Stir together.
6. Add drained pasta to the pan and stir.
7. (Optional) Turn the heat off, add parmesan cheese, and stir together.

Go to the UMaine Extension's recipe website: https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/recipes/pasta-with-garlic-spinach-and-white-beans/

[Image Description: A promotional graphic featuring three photos: a bowl of pasta mixed with spinach, white beans, and parmesan cheese served with a small bowl of extra grated cheese; a bowl filled with baby spinach leaves; and a measuring cup surrounded by various dried beans. A notepad graphic on the right lists key dish information, and decorative food illustrations border the bottom edge.]

Address

168 College Ave
Orono, ME
04469

Website

https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/efnep/

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