The first day of autumn is quickly approaching and the smell of pumpkin spice will soon be lingering in the air before you know it.

With this in mind it is a great time to tell you about my Pumpkin Pie Puree. I love pumpkin pie, cake, bread, cookies, pancakes, and many other pumpkin based treats of autumn. After harvesting what our garden’s pumpkin patch has to offer, I like to make bulk batches of this Pumpkin Pie Puree. When I am ready for baking, the puree is ready to go no matter what the treat I’m baking.

Plain Puree

As the days get cooler and the mornings get darker, I start to crave more warming and hearty breakfast foods. As a runner, fall is typically a time of peak preparation; many large races occur in the fall months, and my training season is no different. About 4 weeks ago I started training for my second big race of the year: the California International Marathon, affectionately called CIM. While the race is known for its world-class organization and net downhill course, it is anything but easy.

The other day I had an interesting experience. Coming home from the city, I stepped into Walgreens and noticed a couple in front of me, primarily because the man had a huge, green backpacking backpack. The couple left and I didn’t think much of it until about half an hour later when I exited my station and I saw the same man! This is surprising because there are many trains and many stations he could have taken, but we ended up at the same one. Keep in mind, my station is a residential one – it’s not a popular destination.

Driving through Dateland, Arizona, we had to stop at the travel center and get a date shake. With soaring summer temperatures and a long day’s drive, it was a much needed break from the road. The creamy, sweet shake got me thinking about the origin of dates and why an area would be so inclined to pride itself on a single crop. After investigating, I began to understand what makes this fruit so sought after and how its nutritional benefits have been enjoyed for thousands of year.

Pomegranate plants are prized for their blooms and fruits; here’s how to get the best out of them…

As humans, although many of us might feel ourselves to be alone or separate from others, we share this planet in coexistence with countless other creatures. And because of the very nature of our being, we are always constantly influencing all of those with which we coexist. In other words, we contribute to the creation of this earthly experience with our every breath. But, despite this inherent ‘power’, many of us do not know how to, or feel empowered to, make a real positive change in this world, fearing our efforts are meaningless in the larger scheme of things.

Goodbye, summer; hello, autumn. It really did sneak up on us, huh? I’m ready to be able to close my windows at night, and bundle up instead. I know it’s still September, but we’ll be carving pumpkins and drinking hot cocoa in no time. In the meantime, it’s time to think about all the warm and delicious foods that we tend to eat when the air becomes chilly. That’s right. I’m talkin’ about comfort food.

Roses may bloom in summer, but their rosehips will serve you well past the warm months. These little red gems contain 50% more vitamin C than an orange! Unfortunately, many people don’t seem to know their benefits (or even what a rosehip looks like). While I was out collecting rosehips from local rosebushes (they grow in a park in my neighborhood), people were looking at me like I had five heads. That didn’t stop me though, and it shouldn’t stop you! If you have your own rosebush, or know of local rose bushes, here are 3 ways to use their versatile fruit.

Popping pills at the behest of Big Pharma profits is a poor substitute for healthy dietary choices. Taking drugs for avoidable lifestyle diseases is hardly a path to good health. Cholesterol is a case in point.

Unhealthy diet and inadequate exercise usually lead to high cholesterol levels. Excessive cholesterol causes fatty deposits to accumulate on arteries and blood vessels, which restricts blood flow, leading to high blood pressure – a precursor to heart disease and strokes. Young adults and even children can have high cholesterol.

Imagine: sitting in class, about to take a final that will determine your grade for the overall class. You’ve been up all night studying and are now only fueled by four cups of coffee and the anxiety that is keeping you focused. The professor hands you your test packet and tells you to begin when you realize nothing you have studied is on the test. Your stomach begins to churn and before you can finish writing your name on the corner of your paper you bolt out of class to the nearest bathroom.