I wrote about chia seeds a few months ago, and ever since I’ve been having fun trying out new uses for them in the kitchen.  I saw a recipe in a recent issue of Food & Wine magazine for a chia “pudding”, and it seemed easy, interesting and healthy.  The magazine recipe called for almond [...]

When I was 8 years old my mom’s brother married a woman from Bangladesh.  Feryall was outgoing and chatty and so friendly – she dove right in to our big family and fit in seamlessly.  Growing up, I remember that she never spoke down to the kids in the family – she made a real [...]

My husband is striving to live a healthier lifestyle and lose a few pounds. He’s always been a very active and fitness-focused person, so his latest efforts are really a refinement of what he’s always been doing. I’m so proud of his willpower, dedication and focus.  He inspires me! Processed white sugar was one of [...]

Last week the Breast Cancer Fund released a report about concerning levels of BPA in many prepared Thanksgiving foods.  BPA, an estrogenic chemical linked to breast cancer, is most often found in plastics (one of many reasons I try to avoid plastic altogether).  However, BPA is also found in other surprising places like grocery store [...]

When it comes to baking, my skills pale in comparison to my sister Meghan’s.  She makes wonderful cookies, pies and pastries, all of which call for exact measurements and temperatures.  On the other hand, I love baking tarts and sweet breads that tend to be a little more forgiving when it comes to preciseness.  I [...]

My sister Colleen got married on Friday.  I can’t believe how fast the day came and went. She was such a beautiful bride, and I know she and her husband will have a happy life together. As a fun fall favor for guests to take home after the reception, my mom, sisters and I made [...]

My grandparents came over for dinner last night.  They had initially invited us out for dinner with them, but 18 month-old Mack H-A-T-E-S sitting still in restaurants, and since I wanted to actually enjoy the time with them I suggested we have a meal at our place.  It was nice to be hostess for an [...]

We returned late last night from a trip out east visiting my husband’s family.  After we put the kids to bed, Chris and I both wanted a little late night snack.  Unfortunately, because we had been out-of-town for the better part of a week we didn’t have much in the kitchen.  Time to improvise! Chris [...]

My sister Meghan forwarded me a banana recipe from the Food Network the other day.  It was for a banana “ice cream,” and the recipe called for nothing more than bananas, peanut butter and honey.  It reminded me of a recipe I saw in a recent issue of Whole Living Magazine for a vegan “ice [...]

After spending an afternoon canning homemade blueberry jam and blueberry syrup, I still had a few pints of organic blueberries remaining.  While I love snacking on blueberries in their natural state, I thought it would be fun to sweeten them up a bit.  We had a bag of leftover Easter chocolate hiding in the pantry, [...]