Flax Seeds: Benefits and Risks (yes, risks!)

Benefits and Risks of Flax Seed

There are no “magic bullets,” but there are healthy ingredients that make a difference in your diet.  Flax seed is one such ingredient in my pantry, as well as flax seed oil. I love the flavor of the oil and it gives a twist to the old stand-by recipes, like in this Flax Oil Pesto!  The seeds are a staple in my breads and sometimes my casserole dishes too.  I always put it in my granola, crackers and have even experimented with it in cookies.  It’s versatility and health benefits can be found on practically any and every website touting nutrition or baking.  Since I tout both, this is my contribution.

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Couscous: An Ancient Food in Modern Times

Couscous

I ask a lot of questions about my food—oh, not the food on the plate in front of me.  I have eaten in too many foreign countries and permaculture events to stop and question that.  No.  I just eat, smile, and hope no one tells me until I have properly digested. 

I ask questions about food like this…where does it come from?  What are the traditional ways to prepare it?  Who has altered it and how?  What do they do with this over in India, Russia, or South America?  And how will this food nourish my family?

Couscous.  Have you ever thought of it? What is Couscous?

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Leftover Safety

Leftover Safety

Perhaps the contents of your fridge look a bit like mine.  It’s Summer BBQ Season!  You have some leftover meat, some veggie or chip dip, a paper plate full of random dessert-bits and cookie crumbs, and whatever else left over from, well, who knows… But here is both our tribute to–and a solution for–the leftovers filling the fridge.  Let’s make sure they’re getting used, but safely. 

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To the Point: Knife Sharpening

knife sharpening-how knives sharpen and how to make yours last

Knife Sharpening

& How to Make Your Knives Last

 

I am frugal, and I cannot afford to replace the knives we have Knife on breadwhen they start to go dull.  I am also clumsy and I run a much greater risk of losing an appendage if my knives are dull.  It is true that sharp knives are safer than dull ones. 

Every knife dulls.  It does not matter what they say about it; some will keep the original edge longer than others, but the fact remains that every knife dulls.

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Preserve Your Eyesight with These Superfoods

Preserve Your Eyesight with These Superfoods

As the leading cause of blindness in the west, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects 3 in 10 people over the age of 75. With odds like these it makes sense to want to find ways to protect ourselves against it. A study from Harvard university has shown just how we can do that. The study shows that one of the best ways to prevent AMD is through diet and here we’ll explain exactly what foods are your key to helping preserve your eyesight long into old age.

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Easing Your Storm in a Teacup

Easing Your Storm in a Cup of Tea

Back in the day, if you were upset or anxious, the go-to remedy was a cuppa. Carrying out the slow, age-old ritual of boiling water and brewing a pot of tea, then pouring and doctoring it with cream and sugar was a sure-fire way to calm and fortify yourself. The ritual restored a sense of order and control to the world.

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What is BTHQ, BHT & BHA? –Food-Safe (Just Ask the FDA)

What is BTHQ, BHT, & BHA?

Everyone must make their own decisions about the allowable level of toxins permitted into their home and I am not one to preach.  The Toxin Police coming into my home will see a scented candle, a small container of coffee, and even a bottle of carpet cleaner.  The journey to a fully healthy and sustainable home is far from complete for me, as I am sure it is still a work in progress for most of my readers.  So no judgments here. 

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Pressure Cooking: Controversy & Science

Pressure Cooking: Controversy & Science

(originally published on Pantry Paratus in 2012, this piece has circulated quite a few times! We’ve made some updates…enjoy!)

Some swear by pressure cooking because of high altitude living constraints, meat tenderizing, energy reduction, nutrient preservation, or convenience.  Other advise against pressure cooking because it leaches antioxidants, makes meat stringy and dry, or because they believe it to be a dangerous procedure.  So which is it?

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