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

Vegetables such as eggplant can be grilled, roasted, fried, steamed and sautéed.

I’m keeping my day job

I learned there’s a lot to being a chef, and it’s mostly in the details

“Zucchini are easier to slice if you cut them from top to bottom,” the student chef said to me. I cut the zucchini as described. I was enjoying a culinary workshop on Spanish and Mediterranean-inspired foods one afternoon at a conference out of state. “You were supposed to cut the zucchini on the bias,” the


Put a lid on food waste to help the environment and your bank account.

Food waste in Canada and our role at home

Just how much food is thrown away in Canada? Probably far more than you think

In Canada, as much as 40 per cent of our food is wasted. This waste happens at every step of the food chain, from fields to processing plants, to retail outlets to our homes. A study by Gooch et al in 2010 for Value Chain Management Report, showed consumers are the worst contributors of all,

Pulse foods are healthy, economical and readily available from local producers.

Do you include pulse foods on your menu?

You should, these foods are high in both protein and fibre

Mom, I made lentil soup and it’s pretty good,” read the text message from my son. I smiled as I read the message from my formerly finicky 23-year-old son. “I made a ton by accident, though,” he added. I chuckled as I visualized my tall son stirring a giant pot of soup with a huge


Beans of any type are a healthy dietary choice and they can be used in many versatile recipes.

Spilling the beans

Dry edible beans are nutritious and have several health benefits

Have you ever been to a food festival? Every state has at least one food festival, and they often showcase the foods grown or caught in the region. Sometimes festivals also highlight the ethnic heritage of people in the area. Supporting your community and everything that makes it unique is a memorable way to connect.

Garden-fresh carrots can be stored a long time if precautions are taken.

Harvesting, storing and enjoying carrots

All carrots, in any form, are an excellent addition to any diet

Delicious, affordable and versatile, carrots are everything we could want in a vegetable. It’s no wonder this nutritious, subtly sweet root vegetable is loved by young and old and is one of the most popular root vegetables in the world, second only to potatoes. Carrots, whether red, purple, yellow or orange, are rich in fibre,


Any food consumed is part of a ‘diet.’ Choosing the right foods can, over time, ensure a healthy diet.

What is a healthful diet?

Try to meet the recommendations for fruits and vegetables, the food groups most often lacking in the diets of adults and children

Do you know anyone on a diet? Have you ever been on a diet? The answer to both of those questions for everyone is “yes.” Technically, we all are “on a diet.” According to the first definition in most dictionaries, a “diet” consists of the “kinds of food that a person, animal or community eats.”

Tomatoes are rich in nutrients and low in calories.

Tomato time

Enjoy your bountiful harvest — tomatoes are both tasty and nutritious

What does Jake have in his mouth?” my husband asked. I looked out the window to see the latest thing our dog had found. He was shaking something bright red. Oh, no! I hope he doesn’t have Carl the Cardinal, I thought to myself. A vividly coloured bird and his mate have been singing songs


No matter the season make sure exercise remains a regular occurrence in your life.

Health goals can come step by step

Set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed

There are plenty of reasons to want to take steps to become healthier. Maybe we want to save more money, get fit or wear a smaller clothing size. Improving our health and having more wealth are great motivators, but unfortunately, such resolve often falls by the wayside. This year, I decided to get more exercise.

When the sun beats down and the mercury spikes, take precautions no matter the season.

Avoid falling to the heat

An unseasonably warm later summer and early fall means you’ll need to stay vigilant

I can’t handle hot weather. While some people are basking in the heat, my face turns bright red almost immediately. My kids pretend they don’t know me. Then I wilt in the shade and retreat indoors. Recently, we had a heat wave that sent temperatures soaring near or above 100 F (38 C) in some