Des Moines is a great place to be this weekend. Whether it’s your first weekend here, or you’ve been here all summer, there are plenty of things to keep you busy.

Here are 5 things to check out:

1. Clive After Five This outdoor event features bands from 5-8 p.m. $5 gets you in with three $1 drink tickets.

2.National Balloon Classic in Indianola. $3 for adults or $10 per car. If you’re there on Sunday night look for Courtney and Barb, they’ll be helping with the balloons!

3. Downtown Farmer’s Market If you’re up before noon on Saturday the farmer’s market is not to be missed. Try a breakfast buritto (a local favorite), get local sweeet corn and enjoy great people watching.

4. Festa Italiana Get in touch with the Italian in you and head to the south side of Des Moines. The festival includes bocce ball tournaments, Italian folk dancers and plenty of pasta.

5. Lakeside Live! Jazz in July ends Saturday night at Village of Ponderosa in West Des Moines. Check out Lakeside Artfest and enjoy Gateway Market Concessions. The event is free to attend.

Posted in Current Students, Des Moines Events, Life in Des Moines, New Students, Prospective Students, Student Life | Leave a Comment

I don’t always feel like cooking dinner in the summer. If we’re not grilling out, I’m all about making meals that are light and fresh and don’t involve turning on the oven for long periods of time.

This pasta salad is perfect whether you have a load of veggies from your garden or the farmer’s market or just don’t feel like heating up the house.

The recipe calls for Canadian bacon, but you can substitute chicken breast. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the veggies this calls for. Substitute what you have in your kitchen. You can’t go wrong!

DMU students and staff, find more healthy recipes from Weight Watchers on the Portal. Go to Wellness Central and look for Healthy Recipes on the left-hand side.

Posted in Healthy Cooking | 3 Comments

The 2009 Summer Podiatry Preview group with their DMU advisors and Cubbie Bear!

Last spring we invited interested students to apply for 6 available spots in the Summer Podiatry Preview, and imagine how impressed we were to receive nearly 60 applications!

This new program is a 2-day preview for college students interested in learning more about podiatric medicine as a possible career choice.

We welcomed our 6 students to Des Moines last week for the first session and gave them an in-depth look at DMU. The students experienced all of our labs – Simulation, Anatomy, Surgery, HPL, SPAL and Research. They also learned how to suture, shadowed in the Foot and Ankle Institute, met current students and faculty, explored downtown Des Moines, cheered on our Iowa Cubs at a baseball game, dined at Jordan Creek Town Center, and on and on.

I certainly kept them busy during their visit, and their level of enthusiasm was impressive.We were pleased to offer an experience of this kind to prospective students, and hope to make it an annual event. If you’re intersted in getting info about this program for next year, leave a comment below!

Posted in Life in Des Moines, Podiatric Medicine, Prospective Students | 2 Comments

Kendall in the kitchen

I like to cook.

When I say I like to cook, really I mean cater because I don’t like to cook for myself and I don’t really like to cook for two… I like cooking for parties of 10 or more. I recently set a record and cooked a three-course meal for thirty people.

My apartment was cramped but I finally solved the question, “How many people can I fit in my living room?” Something that had really been weighing on me and obviously a way more important question than anything like “How long should I leave a TENS unit on a patient?”

Nothing makes me happier than filling my house and feeding people. So stop me in the hall and let me know when I can cook for you. My only request is you bring twenty friends.

Posted in Life in Des Moines, Student Bloggers, Student Life | 5 Comments

If I’m actually going to take time to cook, I like to make something that has plenty of leftovers. These enchiladas last me and my husband for several meals–and they only get better with time! My goal is to make them Sunday so we can eat them during the week.

To make the enchiladas even healthier, I like to use whole-wheat tortillas and limit the cheese and sour cream.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the long list of the ingredients. Most of the items you should have on hand. If you use a roasted chicken the enchiladas only take about 15 minutes to get ready.

Posted in Current Students, Healthy Cooking, Life in Des Moines, New Students, Prospective Students | Leave a Comment

This license plate says they're proud to be a D.O. I saw the car turn into the DMU Clinic but would like to find out whose it is so I can take a nicer photo! Is it your car?

There’s some great stuff going on at DMU, as usual, but I’m spread a bit thin getting ready for orientation so here’s a bunch of random things I’ve had floating in my brain….

Read about the new Memory Clinic at DMU. To see more about the Clinic and its offerings, visit dmuclinic.org.

Des Moines was recently voted the #12 place to live & work for young professionals! Also, Des Moines-area suburbs, Urbandale and Ankeny, made Money magazine’s List of Top 100 Small Towns! This isn’t Urbandale’s first time on the list but Ankeny is a new addition this year. Way to go! (I’m a proud Urbandale resident.)

Check out this site where you can find out cool info about DMU and also connect to us on various social media platforms: www.dmu.edu/connect. The newest offerings enable you to  become a fan of Gov. Branstad, DMU’s president or become a fan of Des Moines University Clinic or follow DMU on Twitter. Is there anything else you’d like to see on there?

Posted in Current Students, DMU News, Des Moines University Clinic, Governor Branstad, Life in Des Moines, New Students | Leave a Comment