Microwave ovens use short radio waves to affect the food’s water molecules to generate heat. This changes the chemical structure of the food or liquid. I’m no scientist, so that is my layman’s explanation. Dr. Mercola has a good article addressing concerns; http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspx . There are as many posts debunking the concerns as there are addressing them, but I’m not willing to take the risk.

Microwave ovens are convenient, energy-efficient and easy to clean, but in my opinion, they have much more downside. Besides the...

Not everyone is familiar with all these items and I'm often asked where I shop. Our groceries come from several different sources. My husband gardens some, with plans on much more next year! I get as much produce as possible, and sometimes chicken, cheese, coffee, and honey from the farmers market. There is also a co-op that has many of the same offerings that I buy from occasionally.

Once a year, we share a cow with another family. We get eggs from my kids’ ducks. Your pets may as well be productive, right? I get a Thrive Market delivery twice per month. Lastly, I go to the grocery store for things I cannot find elsewhere and usually only need a small...

You must always have a plan and you must always have healthy staples on hand. When those 2 things are in place, it's much easier to make good meal and snack choices.

Choose a specific day to do your planning and shopping. For us, that is Sunday and everyone is involved with the choosing and prepping. We choose a variety of recipes for meals. Each week we try to eat chicken, beef, seafood, and often times a breakfast-for-dinner meal. We always cook more than needed, then have leftovers as is or made into soup or salad on the other nights. If I cook a stew, casserole, spaghetti sauce or soup, I double up and freeze half for another...

Even on vacation, we’ll either take our camper or stay at a place with at least a kitchenette, then scope out when and where the local Farmers Markets are. That saves us money to spend on other excursions and ensures we have what we need to prepare healthy meals.

There is often live music, crafts for kids, and cooking or product demonstrations. Offerings vary from market to market. In addition to vegetables and fruits, I see meat, jerky, chicken, eggs, cheese, nuts, honey, preserves, ferments, pickles, oils &...

I'm not done yet. Next, I...