Blueberries are available in many forms: fresh, frozen, juice, puree, concentrate and dried. Fresh blueberries should be firm, dry, plump and smooth-skinned. Ripe berries are deep purple blue to blue-black. Stay away from containers of berries with juice stains, or that contain moldy, soft, watery or wrinkled fruit.

Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for five to seven days. Don’t wash blueberries until to you are ready to use them.

Preparation: Wash fresh or frozen berries before using them.

Freezing fresh blueberries: While blueberries are available year round, they are least expensive when they are in season in your area. Take advantage of your local crop year round by freezing blueberries. That’s right, blueberries freeze very well. To freeze blueberries: Do not wash them. Lay a single layer of blueberries on a cookie sheet (or flat pan) and freeze them. Once frozen, packed the berries into containers or freezer storage bags. This method makes it is easy to grab a handful of berries from the freezer for pancakes, smoothies, etc. Wash them before using. Read the rest »

Step #1: Place all the condiments from your refrigerator and pantry onto your countertop. Wipe down the shelves.

Step #2: Toss out the items that have expired

Step #3: Place the dressings and sauces that you enjoy into the refrigerator and pantry, consolidating like items together.

Step #4: Chances are you may be left with some dressings on the counter that after tasting you don’t like much. These dressings can often make the best marinades for meats, potatoes and/or veggies, even though you are not crazy about the taste on your salad. I love marinating my meat before I freeze it, but you can actually pour these dressings into individual freezer bags and pop into the freezer. Make sure to mark the contents and the date. Read the rest »

When I say “Inflammation,” thoughts of painful joints, muscles, swelling and loss of mobility probably comes to mind. But did you know that recent research shows that chronic inflammation in your body can lead to serious disease such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and Alzheimer’s disease, to name just a few?

The amount of inflammation in our body varies and is dependent on may circumstances like activity level, amount of sleep or stress in our lives and even the foods we eat. Now what you have to realize is that these factors are all accumulative and as the levels increase, the risk for disease increases.

Now, early in life these levels can be so low that you would not even know that you have any inflammation in your body and that is because our bodies do a fair job at controlling the inflammation at least for a while. Then, one day you wake up and you are in your 40s and something is just not right. The fear sets in and you think to yourself what did I do, what did I do wrong or what can I do right now to help myself. Read the rest »

Believe it or not, today’s mothers spend more hours focused on their children than the mothers of the 1960s did. While we like to hark back to the Leave It To Beaver halcyon days of mothers greeting kids after school with milk and cookies as an ideal for raising happy children, the reality, according to a University of Maryland study, actually looks better these days.

Based on detailed time diaries kept by thousands of Americans, mothers in 1965 spent 10.2 hours a week focused on their children in activities such as reading with them, feeding them or playing games. While the number of hours dropped in the 1970s and 80s, it began rising in the 90s and is now higher than ever at almost 14.1 hours each week.

But ask those same moms how they feel about it, and at least half will say they don’t have enough time with their kids. Read the rest »

Playing outside in the hot days of summer will work up a thirst. While water is the best quencher of thirst and should be the first choice you offer your children, sometimes it’s nice to have a sweeter treat to enjoy. Choosing 100 percent real fruit juice for your children is the best choice and diluting it 50 percent with water is recommended.

When shopping for juices, you may notice that high quality, 100 percent juice is expensive. Many companies offer cheaper juices that taste like the real thing, with as much as 95 percent less of the real stuff. They mimic the taste of real juice by adding artificial flavors and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a potent sweetener and an unhealthy ingredient. In fact, in the past few years, a mountain of studies provide evidence of a significant link between HFCS and the increases in obesity. Read the rest »

Parents are often looking for a healthy alternative to the standard, sugary, preservative-filled birthday cake for their baby’s introduction to the wonderful traditions of birthdays. We’ve heard from parents looking for ways to buy an egg-free cake, to those seeking recipes for “healthy” cakes, or even whether to make/buy two cakes (one for Baby, one for adults).

To answer the last question first – there is no reason to create extra work for yourself, make or buy one cake, relax and congratulate yourself for making it through the first year! Most people will be gracious guests and enjoy whatever is served. And let’s not lose sight of the real reason for the birthday cake - THE PHOTO. We do it all for the precious scrapbook shot of your cake-faced little one delighting in being the life of the party! Read the rest »

Love to indulge your children with popsicles or ice cream on hot summer days, but hate the end result of sticky hands and drips all over the place? Thanks to Mecinna Price, mother of five and creator of the Dripstik, kids can keep their hands clean and enjoy their treats, too.

After growing frustrated by the drippy popsicle mess and extra laundry resulting from her five children, Mecinna, a self proclaimed neat freak, decided to solve the problem herself and the Dripstik was born. Read the rest »