Glorious Winter Greens
In the midst of winter, we are lucky to have some hearty veggies to stave off scurvy. Kale, cabbages, collard greens are the emerald gems…
April Showers Bring May Flowers
Hydration ‘Tis that glorious time of year here in the Pacific Northwest in western Washington, where the rain is constant and everything is oh-so-sopping wet. This is the point of the year where I start to…
Pass the Butter
Saturated Fat Is Better Than You Think. Happy Holidays! Some good news: Despite what we have been told for the last 50-odd years, fat that is normally found in the food we eat (think beef, chicken, pork, cheese, butter, cream, whole milk, olive oil, avocados, etc.) does not actually make us fat. How is…
Nourishing Roots
It was my first Hopewell Farm carrot that hooked me. I had moved to Bellingham that fall, and bought a two-pound bag of carrots at the farmers market. Sure, they have carrots in Texas — the Lone Star State I hail from — but not carrots like…
Road Trip Yields Dinnertime Discovery
A couple of things are true about me: 1. Being a mother and a partner has been one of the greatest privileges…
Butter Chicken Smooths, Soothes Transition to Autumn
With the days getting shorter and the temperatures cooler, this familiar Indian dish will bring just enough heat to take the chill off. It’s also sure to satisfy your palate and leave you feeling full. Although it may seem a little labor intensive, the end result is well worth the effort. So,…
Celebrating Summer: Self-Care through Seasonal Eating
In the height of the sunshine season — family vacations, downtown concerts, summer festivities, early sun rises and late sunsets — it can be easy to feel a bit drained by the time fall rolls around. Luckily for us, it’s also…
Radishes: The Crown Jewel of Spring
Spring has officially sprung in the Pacific Northwest and that makes local food geeks like me giddy for several reasons: Spring Is My Favorite Season For Local Vegetables Fresh, spicy greens, beautiful French breakfast radishes, the cutest baby veggies (beets, carrots), sweet, succulent sprouts and peas; it’s heaven. What better way to pull us out of the winter than…
Food Thoughts: the Art of Mindful Eating
The other day someone asked me, “Do you eat salad every day?” To which I replied “I do. Don’t you?” I sometimes forget that most people don’t eat a pound of vegetables…
Eating in Season
Local Food Boxes make for a Healthy You and a Healthy Community When spring comes in northwest Washington, there seems to be a communal sigh exhaled across the land. More rain ahead, yes, but the occasional sunny and almost-warm day gives us the glimmer of hope to keep forging ahead. Spring to me means thinking about all of the seasonal food that’s on its way. First in April and May with the tender shoots,…
Winter Abundance Bowls: Local Cooking from the Heart
It’s the dead of winter in northwest Washington, but local food can still be found. A brief journey through the whipping winds will lead you to a few meccas of local bounty that are well worth the effort. What better way to celebrate the month of love than with a from-scratch dinner you’ll keep coming back to. It’s healthy, it’s delicious,…
Warm Up from the Inside Out
Have you ever wondered why most raw food retreats are in sunny, tropical locations? Or why we crave a bowl of hot oatmeal on a brisk morning instead of fresh fruit? When it is wintry outside, our bodies gravitate toward foods that are naturally warming. In Traditional Chinese…
Grief Cuisine: Nutrition-Packed Easy Meals
When my mother died, the very last thing I ever wanted to do again was cook. The task of conceiving of a meal, shopping for it, preparing it, and cleaning up was a mountain between me and the need to sit with my sorrow. For people with depression, suffering from anxiety, and other difficulties, cooking and…
The Vegetable that Changed My Life
The end of summer and journey into fall is a bittersweet time in Northwest Washington. It’s easy to yearn nostalgic for long…
Get Fresh with Spring Veggies
The earlier mornings, the not-so-occasional warm breeze, flower buds popping up, blossoms on trees, it’s spring! The time of year when all of us Pacific Northwesterners breathe a tiny sigh of relief; we made it through another winter. But what’s the best part about spring?…
The Key to Eating Well: Meal Planning
The New Year can be a time of fresh beginnings for dietary changes and is a great place to start, but just how do you start eating healthy?
Tis’ The Season, It’s Party Time
It’s that wonderful time of year when party invitations pour in. What does that mean? There will be rivers of mulled hard cider, eggnog and champagne abundantly flowing. Over-indulging in holiday libations may take a toll on your health. The familiar holiday bulge and other health problems may appear. Research indicates that on average we gain approximately five pounds over the holidays. Alcohol may be a star culprit. However, knowledge is power. Educating…
Tasteful Beauty
The Intricate Art of Edible Landscaping Western Washington is a gardener’s haven. With a mild climate, known as Zone 8 to fruit and vegetable growers, many plants thrive, often beyond our wildest expectations. Talk to those with a passion for edibles, and you start hearing things like, “Does kale ever die?” and “Do food banks take fresh garden donations?” Neither is a drawback….
On Failing Better in the Kitchen
Attempts, tries, uncertainty. Cooking and baking are full of risk. Risk of time and precious ingredients—the milk of a mother cow, eggs from an over-worked, over-laying chicken, beautiful produce that takes so much time to plant and grow, farmers’ energy and precious natural resources. The monetary value, the purchasing of the ingredients, as well as the research and time. The shopping. Oy, the shopping. No wonder I…
Small Space Growing: Beautiful Edible Containers
One of the most revelatory moments to be had as a home gardener is realizing the incredible volume of food that can be grown in a small space. A large container or two on your front or back porch, window boxes, and narrow…
Nutrition Goals for the New Year
It’s here again, the beginning of a new year. As much as we try to maintain that we’re not interested in New Year’s resolutions, there is still a lingering voice in the back of our minds reminding us that with a new year comes new opportunities to do things right; to be better.
Set Goals, Focus on Change and Get Results
As a personal trainer here in Bellingham for the past ten years, I have seen and experienced what does — and does not — work for clients who want to improve their health. Most people come to me with a goal in mind, but have no idea on how to achieve it. Any health-related goal can be achieved by making a few small changes, planning ahead and accepting the fact that there are…
Latkes: Grated Goodness
As fall turns into winter, the scent in the air that tells me it’s holiday time isn’t pine needles, but the hunger-inducing fragrance of potato latkes frying in oil. Hot, crispy, onion-y, this savory potato pancake is the featured item at Hanukkah dinners and parties, and the focus of latke-eating contests. Before the New World potato made its way across the Atlantic a few hundred years ago, cheese or buckwheat…
American Pie on the Fly
Autumn This is it, the time of year in which all that is cozy and good comes out to stay a while. Autumn, fall, the holiday season, harvest, whatever. There is a real security in leaning into these comforts: food, sweaters, books, wood-burning stoves, puzzles, and Vitamin D. I have become aware that I am submitting to a rhythm that is occurring without my permission. Growing…
Recipe For Health & Good Fortune
Down-home Southern favorite makes perfect New Year’s meal!
Mediterranean Lifestyle: A Delicious Recipe For Healthy, Happy Living
In Northwest Washington, we have an environment in which we can follow this lifestyle. We have access to a variety of fresh, local foods and farmers who raise animals in healthy environments to provide us with good quality milk, eggs and meat.