We have a sleepwalker in our house, folks. The first time it happened was unnerving, to put it mildly. Our sweet little eight-year-old boy wandered into the living room, blankly stared at my hubby and I, and began relieving himself onto the wood floors with a maniacal laugh. What the what?! After getting him changed […]
Category Archives: Self-Health Survival Guides
Summer is in full swing now, and the days are filled with activity. We often have guests around this time of year, which presents us with lots of opportunities for last-minute entertaining. Easy yet classy dishes that can be whipped up on short notice are always welcome. With that said, I like to keep discs […]
Summer is the time to pick, prepare, grill, and/or just gobble up raw all kinds of luscious, fresh foods. And we’re right in the thick of it, my friends. This is the perfect time to make some simple changes to your nutrition routine—and love every bite of it—with a few uncomplicated sauces of summer that […]
I have a confession to make: I have a hard time truly relaxing without feeling guilty about it. I’m ambitious, and I have many shoes to fill as a single mother with a household and business to attend to (not to mention my own personal hobbies and needs). Frequently, I feel like I just don’t […]
Independence Day—the day we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress back on July 4, 1776. My challenge to you is to make July 4, 2017, be the day you declare your health independence. Health independence simply means taking personal responsibility for your health. We’re not talking about the […]
Many moons ago, back at the turn of the century (man, that sounds totally weird!), I spent a few years in Calgary managing a cake shop in a trendy neighborhood. My boss had lots of friends in high places, which opened doors to some interesting connections for me. One opportunity that stands out from the […]
Garlic. It’s pungent, robust, and even a little sweet when prepared a certain way. It lends itself to every cuisine on the planet and gives recipes that little extra something that makes all the difference in the final product. And on top of its many culinary qualities, garlic offers natural medicinal benefits as well. Garlic […]
Many years ago, I worked at a small, family-owned bakery since childhood, and I remember a very interesting coworker named Alan. Whenever someone would claim that summer solstice was the first day of summer, Alan would correct them with a theory of his. To this day, I’ve never heard it discussed outside of those bakery […]
As our world advances, so too do the issues we deal with on a regular basis. Most of us are aware of the health concerns associated with sitting for too long. After so many years of the Standard American Diet (SAD), we know how important it is to get (and keep) our blood sugar levels […]
I love a nice, fresh ham roast, with its addictive crackling skin and succulent, briny flavor. For some reason, ham seems mostly reserved for holidays and special occasions. Yet I could easily eat them more often. And I would, if the small size of my family could support the sheer size of such a meal […]
Something about lazy summer days makes me think of attacking my reading list. A few of the titles are fiction, and a few are nonfiction. Some suggested, some self-discovered. Some opened up and partially read, others brand new and inviting me in. They all have two things in common: they’ve been piling up next to […]
Here in Colorado, we often say that “the weather is made up and the seasons don’t matter.” In practice, that means we can easily go from tank tops and flip flops one day to snow boots and mittens the next. I’d be lying if I said I was used to it by now. But each […]
There are almost as many excuses for not exercising as there are people who make them. Not enough time, you might say to yourself. Can’t find the perfect activity, you lament. And so on. We all know how it goes. But have you ever considered that it might be easier to throw in the metaphorical […]
Last week, I was given a bag of fragrant, native, yellow stone-ground cornmeal from Anson Mills with the request that I “please make something out of it.” Well, of course the first thing that came to mind was cornbread. But anyone who knows me knows that I like to take the road less traveled and […]
With the passing of Memorial Day comes the swift arrival of swimsuit season (or, for us non-swimmers, short- and tank top-season). Some of us are excited by the promise of showing more skin as the days of summer approach. But others of us feel nothing but unease and dread about what’s hidden under our sleeves […]
Hey there, folks! After a bit of a hiatus, I’m happy to announce that I’m finally getting back to writing. I’ll be tempting your taste buds with new, wholesome, delicious recipes, and also offering lots of tips for nourishing yourself and your loved ones with real food. Along the way, I’ll be sharing the occasional […]
If you’ve been on your self-health adventure for any length of time, you already know that one of the most frustrating conversations you can have with people who simply follow the status quo is about fat. More specifically, the need to avoid it when we’re trying to lose weight. Lately, I’ve given up pointing out […]
When I was looking in the mirror the other day, a few questions popped in my head: Why do we have eyebrows? What exactly is the purpose of those two swaths of hair? And what would happen if we didn’t have them? It was time for a little digging. Hooray! Before we humans evolved to […]
Vitamin D deficient? You are not alone. In 2004, the Scientific American reported that more than 75 percent of Americans were deficient in vitamin D. And in 2005, the Journal of Nutrition reported that vitamin D deficiency “is now recognized as an epidemic in the United States.” Really? Why? How? Taking a vitamin D3 supplement? […]
My mom was diagnosed with Lyme disease a couple of summers ago. I happened to be home for a visit at the time, and seeing how she suffered before she found out the cause stuck in my head and really ticked me off. My parents’ dog ended up with Lyme disease that summer as well. […]