Looking for ways to keep cool this summer? The Times Herald-Record, a paper in New York State’s Hudson Valley, has this low-tech list of suggestions that includes using a damp bed sheet as a “blanket” at night and practicing a Yoga breathing method to rid the body of heat.

But my favorite tip is this nugget from the West Indies:

“Spicy foods make you perspire more, which cools the body. Spices also help stop foods from spoiling as quickly, and give you an endorphin rush that feels good in any temperature.”

Wow! Who can say no to food that cools you off, tastes great, improves your mood, and also may help you avoid Alzheimer’s?

It’s time to whip up a bowl of fresh, homemade salsa.

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or…. what happens when you pick a pound of basil leaves and dry them?

Home-dried herbs are less expensive than the commercial variety and taste better too. Fresh-dried herbs have a more intense flavor, brighter color, and are less likely to have been irradiated.

Most herbs are extremely easy to grow and hard to kill – kind of like weeds. They grow well in the garden or in a group of pots arranged on a sunny windowsill. Delicious fresh, herbs are also easy to dry and store. Homegrown and dried herbs also make great gifts.

Learn the basics of sun-drying or air-drying as we follow an entire pound of fresh basil leaves through the picking, washing, and drying process.

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Condemned by some as an “unsightly, pervasive weed,” purslane is also a free backyard source of protein, vitamin E, vitamin C, and the best source of Omega 3 fatty acids of any leafy plant. There’s no reason to spend money on fish oil supplements if you have this tasty food source growing in your backyard or vegetable garden.

Whether you eat it raw in salads, stir-fried, or added to soups and sauces, purslane is a delicious addition to many recipes. It’s easy to grow, tastes great, and - best of all to anyone struggling with rising food prices - it’s free.

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How to make, use, and freeze fresh pesto

Basil pesto is delicious, but the price of prepared pesto is alarming: expect to pay $5 or more for as little as half a cup! It’s amazing how something so expensive is so easy to make.

Fresh basil is easy to grow in the garden or on your windowsill. Take a pile of leaves, add some garlic, olive oil, and turn a cup of homemade pesto into three delicious meals - some left over to freeze for later. If you grow your own basil, ingredients for all three meals won’t cost much more than that measly little jar of pesto from the supermarket.
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Use Herbs and Spices to Get a Smoky Taste Without Smoked Meat

Southern cooking, also called “country cooking” or “soul food,” often describes foods loaded with fat, salt, and pork – sometimes all three in the same dish! Traditional dishes include fried chicken, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and fried squash. See a pattern? Fried, fried, fried. What’s not fried is likely to be cooked with bacon or a chunk of fatback as “seasoning.”

That “seasoned” taste is so common that many people can’t imagine cooking beans without side meat. As Scarlett O’Hara notes in Gone With the Wind: “Black-eyed peas are no good without bacon. There’s no strength to them.”

Here, as in so many areas, Scarlett was wrong.
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Healthy eating doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be doing something as simple as adding vegetables or fruits to an existing recipe. For example, my husband and I like to make our own lasagna. Almost all the lasagna recipes we saw had meat in them. When we stated thinking about eating healthier and eating lower on the food chain, we took a lasagna recipe we liked and experimented with replacing the meat with different vegetables.

Spinach, minced carrots, zucchini were some of the vegetables we tried. We decided we liked them all and we didn’t miss the meat. Now vegetables are standard ingredients in our lasagna recipe and our family loves it.

Want ideas on eating more healthy? Here are some things we do in our home.

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