If you think all cookware is the same, then you’ve never used a cast iron Dutch oven. Traditionally loved for long, slow cooking of roasts and stews, Dutch ovens are flexible enough to bake cakes and breads, boil sauces, braise meats and even flash-cook entire meals in record time.

Humans have a long history of cooking in Dutch oven-type vessels as cast metal pots have been used for cooking in Europe since at least as early as the late eighth century. Read the rest »

Healthy weight is just one part of an overall healthy lifestyle. The conclusion of all the research conducted by so many respected organizations is that people are overweight because not only do they intake more calories than they burn, but overweight people also tend to eat too many rich foods high in fat and sugar and devoid of nutritional value. I’ll bet this sounds familiar. The most surefire way to lose weight is the one that people in our immediate-gratification society hate most to hear: eat less and exercise more. Read the rest »

January is always a good month to consider changes, and if one of your resolutions is to eat healthier and/or lose weight then you’re like millions of other Americans with the same goals.

The hard part is actually following through.

Here are five easy tips to guide your eating decisions toward a healthy body. Read the rest »

A holiday meal is typically an occasion for breaking bread and sharing the hearth with our family, friends and community.

While not everyone wants to cook for an army during the holidays, there is still something about having a traditional holiday meal that evokes a feeling of celebration and custom. It’s not only the combination of foods particular to that holiday ritual that feeds the senses, but also the likelihood that the event offered an opportunity to share the workload increases the bonds of kinship and friendship.

For those passing a holiday alone or with one other rather than a crowd, there can be a sense of deprivation with the loss of the opportunity to partake in the traditional feast of the season of turkey, cranberries and sweet potatoes. Read the rest »

The abundance of end-of-summer vegetables should be in the markets by now. Zucchinis and other summer squashes, carrots, potatoes… they all come into their own in the early fall.

Celebrate the season with hearty, nutritious meals brimming with veggies. Try this infused one-pot meal that includes summer squash, bell peppers and tomatoes in a savory Italian recipe. It’s a quick and easy way to throw a weeknight meal together that even works if you use frozen boneless chicken pieces instead of fresh, as long as the pieces aren’t frozen together.

Feel free to substitute different vegetables into the mix; just try to exchange a green veggie for another green veggie, a yellow for a yellow, etc. to ensure a variety of nutrients in your meal. Read the rest »

It seems as if the school year begins earlier and earlier each year. Politicians would have you believe that as long as kids are in the classroom, they are learning. In truth, there is so much more to learning than simply showing up: eating the right foods helps, too.

Studies have shown that malnourished children have a harder time staying focused in the classroom. Many of the foods that make up a Standard American Diet –fast food, packaged snack foods, and refined grains – are low in nutritional value per calorie. They are literally designed simply to fill us up in the least expensive way possible, using the cheapest or even completely synthetic ingredients. The brain just doesn’t function as well without the nutrients it needs. Read the rest »

“Mom, is that real food?” my son asked, pointing at the sugary, highly-commercialized cereal advertised on TV. “Can I have it?”

At 4, he knows that we only allow “real” food in our house; that is food that is either directly from the earth or animal, or minimally-processed with quality ingredients. If it’s locally-sourced and organic, even better.

Personally, I like to be able to identify every item on a label before deciding if it is safe enough to feed my family.

The recent tainted pet food scandal should have alerted us to the fact that not everything in our processed foods may be safe for consumption. Not only are many of our food additives imported from overseas, but they are largely unregulated and may have mysterious origins. We fool ourselves if we believe that this is only a concern in pet food

Trans fats, artificial sweeteners and petroleum products are just some of the health-jeopardizing ingredients found in our most familiar packaged foods. Read the rest »