Featured Health and Wellness Stories!

Here are the top three submissions from our Share Your Health and Wellness Story contest! Read more to hear about these amazing journey's!

Carrie's Health and Wellness Story

 Two years ago, my life was completely different. An extreme day consisted of Tim Horton's for breakfast, Taco Bell for lunch and pizza for dinner. I'm not afraid to admit that my personal eating habits were a free-for-all and some days there was no stopping. I'm also not afraid to tell you that I love food. However, I wasn't conscious of my consumption nor was I particularly motivated enough to make a change. That was the problem. Since I was a child, both my grandmother and mother struggled to maintain their weight. Ultimately they both had passed away due to complications of their obesity. Obesity had consumed their life, and I saw myself continuing down a path very similar to theirs.

Guilt Free Gameday

 Hosting a Super Bowl party is fun- unless you're worried about how you're going to maintain your healthy habits while satisfying a group of hungry sports fans. Check out my list of suggestions for healthy party snacks. I bet your guests won't even notice they're at a healthy Super Bowl party.

What's Your 2015 Resolution?

So you want to get fit and stay healthy this year. And this year you mean- for real this time. If you're like a lot of people, you start by making a New Year's resolution to lose weight. This year, I propose we all avoid that tired cliché of a resolution and instead, resolve to make 2015 a year of small changes that will lead to long lasting health and wellness.

The Whole Truth About Whole Grain Bread

When it comes to processed grain products like breads, cereals, and crackers, it's difficult to know what the healthiest choice is. A whole grain is a grain that has not been stripped of its bran or germ before processing. We know whole grains are important, but are we really getting whole grains when we buy a loaf of wheat bread? If you had to choose between 3 products, one labeled "Made with Whole Grain", another labeled "Multigrain", and the third labeled "12-Grain", which bread would you believe is healthiest?

Don't Gobble Until You Wobble!

Now that Halloween is over, it's time for Christmas! Oh wait...first it's time for Thanksgiving. With all the Christmas marketing and preparations, Thanksgiving gets treated like a dinner party to welcome the Christmas season, instead of a holiday to commemorate the Pilgrims' arduous beginnings in the New World. 

Pear With This or Pear With That?

I don't know what it is, but I keep buying pears. Green ones, red ones, brown ones...I don't even really like them all that much, but week after week, they fill my basket. It must be my desire for a little variety after the summer berries and stone fruits are gone. More often than not, I let those pears get overripe on my counter, which leads me to eat the entire bunch in the span of two days before they're too far gone. 

Pumpkin Pie Spice Is For More Than Just Pies!

Traditionally a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and sometimes cloves, this once outmoded spice blend has exploded in popularity over the last couple years. It's a great beginner spice blend because it adds sweet and spiced taste without adding heat. Despite its name, pumpkin pie spice can add fall flavor to just about anything, not just pumpkin. Check out five of my favorite things to do with pumpkin pie spice blend that don't include baking pie.

Happy and Healthy Halloween

Halloween is a wonderful, whimsical, and playful holiday that can bring out the kid in all of us. Unfortunately, it can also bring out the sweet tooth in all of us. The act of sharing sweet treats around the end of October is ancient. Nowadays Halloween brings with it more than just a treat or two- it brings a giant pillowcase full of candy, office and school parties with endless delights, and an invitation to indulge in all things seasonal (candy corn flavored Oreos, anyone?).

Serving Up Success and Fun!

Serving up Success is a community event that brings some of the area's Healthy Options Restaurants, local breweries and wineries together for a night of good food and drinks for a great cause. 

Back to School Lunches

Now that kids are heading back to school, it's time to think about how you're going to provide your children with nutritious meals when they're on the go. While you can't control what your kids eat when you're not there, you can set them on the right track to make healthy choices on their own.

Just Roll With It

In my little city yard, I do not have space to do much gardening, but I always have pots of fresh herbs. Happily, my herb garden is exploding this summer. Due to the decent rains and mild temperatures, I have more mint, basil, and chives than I know what to do with. It appears to be a great year for many other summer favorites as well, much to the boon of the food lover. 

Healthy Hydration

Sugar is All Around Us

Sugar is all around us. It's in our snacks, drinks, medications, and meals. We are so accustomed to how sweet our foods are that most times we don't even notice it. There are a few problems with eating so much sugar.

Using Your Willpower in a Healthy Way

People tend to think eating a healthy diet is all about willpower. When someone tells me they're having trouble cleaning up their diet because they "just don't have the willpower..." I want to yell "It's not your fault!" 

The Start of Something Good

I grew up a garden kid. Like most garden kids, the bulk of my summer chores involved weeding and helping to process the veggies that grew. The best part of garden work for me was that I got first dibs on the most coveted bites of the harvest - sun-warmed strawberries. Juicy and sweet, they just tasted like summer to me. They still do, and as much as I love late summer watermelon and nectarines, strawberries are still my favorite fruit.

Do the Dip

As I stand on the doorstep to summer, waiting ever so patiently for the trees and flowers to bloom again, my thoughts turn to upcoming outdoor occasions... Whether for graduations, weddings, or just to celebrate the weekend weather, it's time to party! We all survived the winter and thawed out just in time to fire up the grill and start the festivities. The official outdoor party season is set to kickoff on Memorial Day, so the time is ripe to develop a party dish repertoire.

Bunny Food

Easter was a really big deal when I was growing up. I always had to wear a fancy, frilly dress — I hated that part — but to make up for it, there was a huge table laden with goodies to consume in the midst of family and conversation. 

Kid Cabbage

When I teach cooking classes, I am always curious the background of the participants, so I tend to ask a lot of food-related questions.  One of my favorite (and most telling!) questions is this:

"What is your most hated food?"

Unfortunately, the most common answer I get in these classes is Brussels sprouts. 

The Main Squeeze

February has powerful connection with rich and decadent foods that are supposed to represent great love. When you think of foods that symbolize this time of year, it's pretty hard not to conjure up ideas of chocolate candy, mousse, pie, or some equally decadent treat. How quickly most people forget about those eat-healthy resolutions when love (of dessert!) is in the air...