BUTTER GIRL GOES ORGANIC

Written for the River Current Publication, November 23, 2012 These thoughts may be coming to you a little late, but I wanted to share one more of the Thanksgiving recipes that I enjoyed last weekend with my sister’s family in sunny California.    The recipe is for a Whole-Wheat Dressing with Wild Rice .   I know we all have our own personal preference when it comes to holiday dressing (or does your family call it stuffing)?    Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, this one is a little different than the others and I think well worth trying….and even better yet, it has lots of nutritional rewards as well!   Whole-Wheat Dressing with Wild Rice 1/3 cup wild rice 2 Tbsp. olive oil ½ onion, finely chopped 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1 carrot, coarsely shredded 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves 1 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper 12 cups whole-wheat bread, cut into ½ inch cubes 2 ½   cups low-sodium org

(Written for the River Current Publication Nov. 15, 2012) Today I share my thoughts with you from sunny Pasadena, California.  My sister’s daughter, who is a sophomore at OSU was flying home to be with her family over the long Veteran’s Day holiday weekend.   When we were chatting about her journey; she said, “Aunt Con, you should come with me!”  To which I responded, “You know what, I think I will!”  This was the perfect weekend for me to get out of town.  This weekend was one of those milestones that I have been dreading.   Rick and I were married last year on November 12 and this would have been our first anniversary.  It is a date that I have admittedly approached with fear.  I have to hold on to the wonderful memories that we shared on that very special weekend, just one year ago.  As the saying goes; ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened’.   The last year seems to have gone by so quickly… half of it spent in a blur as we engaged in the battle against canc

Written for the River Current publication November 8, 2012                                                 THE DIRTY DOZEN In the year 1967, The Dirty Dozen referred to a World War II film starring Ernest Borgnine and Donald Sutherland.   Today, “The Dirty Dozen” now has a completely different meaning. I guess you could say it is still a war, but now it is a war-of-sorts, commonly referred to as, The Wellness Revolution. In a recent article, I discussed the need for eating clean and fresh. As easy as that may sound; it does present itself with some difficulties, due to residual pesticides now commonly found on our fruits and vegetables. A new report issued by the President’s Cancer Panel recommends eating produce without pesticides to reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases.   Further, research by the Environmental Working Group, has also found that eating certain types of organic produce can reduce the amount of toxins you consume on a daily basis