We change our wardrobes with the seasons, we should be changing our salad ingredients as well. Eating seasonally not only tastes better, but it requires a lot less energy to create.

In wintertime, instead of basing your salad on something light like a butter lettuce, consider something that weathers the cold climate, like endive, escarole or a more common spinach.

Once you’ve chosen your base leaf, move on to the add-ons. New York City-based chef Carlin Greenstein recommends building the salad around the green and in fall and winter, she likes to add a cooked element for those cold days.

Here is her recipe for a winter spinach salad complete with seasonal fruits (pomegranate, persimmon and pear). …read more of Winter Spinach Salad here

Banana bread is a great way to use up those bananas going soft on your counter. Bananas are also a great way alternative to refined sugar.

The ideal bananas for making banana bread are actually those that you may be less interested in eating. So the next time some of your bananas get overripe instead of tossing them, either consider making a loaf of banana bread or simply freeze them for when you are ready to bake.

By simply putting bananas in the freezer, you will stop the ripening process. The skins will turn black, but once you’re ready to use them simply defrost them with their peels on and once they’re thawed peel them and they’re ready to be cooked. …read more of Naturally-Sweetened Banana Bread here

Obesity is a health problem of epidemic proportions and the high fat cholesterol laden Western diet has increasingly come under fire in recent years. Home cooks are choosing vegetarian alternatives more often than ever before and the market for soymilk, burgers, breakfast sausages, snack bars and even tofu has exploded.¹

Soy protein is a complete high quality protein, comparable to meat, milk and eggs, but without the unhealthy baggage.² It is very good news that consumers have been buying vegetarian products in record numbers because of the health benefits and environmental concerns. …read more of Soy: The Complete Protein! here

There are several true and fast ways to preserve your fruits and vegetables. One of the easiest methods is water-bath canning, which anyone can do at home.

Having an enormous bounty this year, I needed to preserve my excess. You can also use local produce or a pick-your-own if you do not have a garden. After looking through my favorite and family recipes for the garden items I had, I decided to water-bath can my abundance.

Since I haven’t done this process in about ten years, I called experts and reread several ancient cookbooks that have been passed down for generations. I also went to the library to research any time-savers or updated tips, and to my surprise, there was hardly any information on water bath canning! So, I decided to write this series for anyone interested. …read more of Water-Bath Canning Simplified: Methods, Recipes and Tools for the Newbie or Pro here

You might ask why you would spend a weekend preserving food, it seems so time consuming and difficult. Well, the perks are unbeatable; Save money, eat healthier, impress your guests when entertaining while being less stressed to do so because you have pre-made gourmet items at hand, have great gifts to give, create memories and extend traditions to your children and grandchildren, shorten your preparation time for holiday meals and what’s best is that you made it yourself. You can even have a get together or canning party to make or swap items. The choices we make can change the world.

This article will give you an overall understanding of both methods; pressure cooker canning and water-bath canning.

For people with memories of Grandma’s pantry it is heartwarming seeing rows of homemade piccalilli, tomato sauce, soups and spreads in your cupboard. …read more of Canning Preservation Methods Expanded: Two Ways To Use At Home here