Hi, all. I was pretty quiet last week—sorry about that. I was catching up on work in order to prepare for this week, when I’m on vacation. A quiet week last week will hopefully mean a chattier week this week since I’ve got the time now to spend more time cooking and eating. Yum!
How Things [...]

This weekend, after bundling up the entire family to head outside and finish clearing the snow off driveway and sidewalks, we returned into the house where my husband mixed up a batch of homemade hot cocoa.
As my girls helped him measure and stir in sugar, cocoa, a dash of hot pepper, a cinnamon stick, and [...]

I’m satisfied with my progress, and I expect that I won’t have this keeping-it-real thing figured out entirely during this month-long exercise, but I’m on my way.
Lots of folks around the office keep asking me how it’s going. It’s funny to have my eating habits be so public and the subject of impromptu hallway conversations. [...]

Many of you have mentioned Michael Pollan’s influence on your real-food pursuits, as well as Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I’ve read bits of Pollan’s books, so I have an idea of what he’s about, but all your other suggestions have really started me thinking.
So I figured: If the recommendations are this helpful to me, [...]

When I changed the calendar hanging on the side of my refrigerator last Friday, I also started changing out the contents of the inside of the fridge, too. Feeling so motivated by all of the encouraging comments I received last week, I dove in.
Here’s What’s Working: Since I had some time off for New Year’s, [...]

The Challenge: No more fish sticks and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for me! I’ll be steering clear of processed foods and ingredients few people can pronounce in favor of the sorts of essential ingredients normally found around the perimeter of the supermarket: fresh produce, meats and fish, and dairy.
Why It’s Going to Be Tough: My [...]