Fashion, television and nutritional thinking have all changed in the past 40 years.

Looking back on nutrition trends

Though nutrition recommendations have changed over the years, moderation is still key

Where were you in 1979? I know some of my readers were adults at the time. Others were teens or children. Still others weren’t born yet. I was recently at the 40th anniversary meeting of a nutrition group that featured a keynote speaker who walked us through decades of changes in nutrition recommendations. Trust me:

While higher in sugar, brown bananas are a little easier to digest and offer slightly more antioxidants.

Going bananas for brown bananas

Even the ripeness of bananas is a valuable resource in the kitchen

Does the sight of brown spots on bananas make you uneasy or do you enjoy that intense, sweet flavour that comes from brown bananas? If eating freckled bananas right out of the fruit basket isn’t your thing, perhaps some tasty recipes using overripe bananas might pique your interest. Let’s put any fear to rest; brown


Parts of the trail are marked with good information.

The Great Trail: hike, bike or paddle it

Previously known as the Trans Canada Trail it is more than 24,000 km long

Have you explored any of “the Great Trail?” Known as the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) until a name change in 2016, it is more than 24,000 km long, and seeks to connect the east, west and north coasts of Canada. A not-for-profit organization, the Trans Canada Trail was created in 1992 as part of Canada’s

Only a kitchen thermometer can tell you for sure if a food item has been cooked safely without overcooking.

Where’s your food thermometer?

If you don’t have this essential piece of kitchen equipment, you need to get one

Hi, I’m Julie. What’s your name?” I asked the woman sitting at the table at a food safety conference. She responded with her name and place of work, and asked me where I work. “I work at North Dakota State University,” I replied. “I went to college there,” she said enthusiastically. “What was your major?”

Skiers enjoying a day out on the trails.

Try a ‘Big Ski Day’ on the Louis Riel long weekend

Bittersweet Ski Club is holding this event on February 17 and all are welcome

Do you enjoy cross-country skiing? If so, check out the “Big Ski Day” at Bittersweet Ski Club on February 17 (the Sunday of Louis Riel long weekend). The Big Ski Day will be a chance for skiers to test themselves to see how far they can ski in a single day. It is not a


Jicama with avocado and
cilantro dip.

Beautiful vegetable platters for the holidays

Add a delicious, attractive and healthy option to your holiday season fare

Happy holidays! If your holiday season is like ours, food will be a common theme in your festivities. And rightly so. Sharing good food with loved ones is a way of celebrating our good fortune and passing on our traditions, culture, religion and family rituals. In our family, big, beautiful vegetable platters have become part

This heart-leafed philodendron is trained onto a trellis in addition to sitting on a small plant stand
to give it a bit of extra height.

Displaying trailing plants indoors

This can be a challenge as they take up a lot of space but there are ways to do it

It can be difficult to display trailing plants indoors as they can take up a lot of space and are hard to position so that they look like they are part of the interior landscape. There are many attractive trailing plants that are ideal for use indoors because they demand relatively low light levels. Heart-leafed

Canned fruits and vegetables can help boost their consumption and
the numbers prove that.

Can it

Canned goods can help you meet your daily fruit and vegetable requirements

We don’t need any more canned green beans,” my husband announced from the kitchen. I was sitting on the couch in the living room writing a grocery list for a holiday meal. I was wondering what had inspired his comment, so I walked into the kitchen. He had lined up 10 cans of green beans


Pumpkins are delicious as well as decorative and shouldn’t be confined to a single holiday.

Put pumpkin on your fall menu

This autumn favourite is low in calories and high in fibre

What’s your favourite dessert?” I asked my daughter. She was a preschooler at the time. “Pumpkin pie!” she exclaimed. Her answer surprised me. I was expecting to hear brownies or chocolate ice cream. “Really, pumpkin pie?” I asked. “Yes, but we can’t have pumpkin pie now,” she said. “It’s only for Thanksgiving.” I guess our

Curving lines can be emphasized for greater effect.

Using curves in your garden landscape

Now’s the time to assess the yard and see where you could add some curves


This is a good time of year to assess the state of the landscape because the “bones” of the garden are fully exposed. Gone is all the colour provided by flowers and foliage, as is the texture provided by all plant material except evergreens and the bare trunks and branches of deciduous trees. The real