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We all know that fresh herbs are where it’s at when cooking, but aside from being superior flavor-wise, our common cooking herbs have a surprising number of health benefits when regularly included in our diets. All of the following are easy to grow in a home garden of any size and add interest to our meals and are one of the many things we can consume to help keep us healthy.

If you are a new mom, or know one, I would not have been able to get through the early days without using herbs like Milk Thistle or Yew. I keep a bottle of liquid extractions such as Nettles, Milk Thistle and Reishi on hand as well.

I thought the picture was pretty, and representative of what is blooming in the garden this season.

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss! In honor of the man himself, today is National Read Across America Day and my daughter was beside herself with excitement because her kindergarten class had some very special activities planned. She got to bring a drink and snack, her favorite book and a stuffed animal to school, but she was most excited to be able to go dressed in her pajamas.

Cilantro is an herb that inspires strong feelings in people, rarely do people have lukewarm feelings about cilantro. There is a genetic link to a cilantro aversion, where a percentage of the population likens the taste of cilantro to a mouthful of soap. My old roommates and I had a running debate on the merits of cilantro: I would put it on most things and they would painstakingly pick specks of it out of every dish. My mom loved cilantro. She would happily add handfuls of it to everything, and for good reason.

A primary ingredient in Garam Masala, cardamom is a tropical spice that is considered one of the most valuable spices in the world because of its therapeutic properties and decadent aroma.

Recently, we have gotten a few questions about the dog food that my mom and dad fed their dog Zoe. She had a sensitive stomach and even the highest end dog food brands were not gentile on her digestion. The biggest problem with commercial dog food is that it in no way resembles the natural diet of dogs, and in most cases are made with inferior ingredients. A more natural diet for dogs would be high in protein and fats, with some carbohydrates, instead of the reverse formula that most dog foods are comprised of.

I’ve mentioned before that one of the projects my mom worked on off and on was a cookbook. Her idea was to create a book that was less individual recipes and more a way to put together building blocks of ingredients so that novice cooks would feel more comfortable experimenting in the kitchen. She thought that if she could help people understand what flavors complimented each other they might become more adventurous when cooking and eating.

Cinnamon is ubiquitous in any pantry, being a staple spice in baking. I use it in many of my mid-winter treats because its spicy taste warms from the inside. It is versatile and can be used in sweet and savory dishes with equal success and has a surprising number of health benefits. If it isn’t already frequently used in your cooking, here are a few suggestions for increasing your cinnamon consumption.

Happy New Year! As we get back into the swing of our normal daily life now that the holidays are past, I wanted to discuss a favorite New Year topic, resolutions. For so many of us our New Year resolutions are made in good faith and fall by the wayside when life gets complicated. Last year my resolution was to make sure I am in more photos with my family because even though I am present for my kids all the time, there isn’t much photographic evidence. Aside from phone pics, the grand total of photos I am in last year is one.