Category Archives: Self-Health Survival Guides

Guys, Want to Know How Healthy You Are?
Try These Simple Physical Fitness Tests

Many of you guys out there walk around assuming you’re fairly healthy. You eat mostly nutritious food, and you get some exercise more days than not. That’s good enough, yes? Wouldn’t it be cool if there were some simple physical fitness tests you could perform—in the comfort of your own home—to confirm this? Read on. […]

Turkish-Style Livers with Crisp Sumac Onions:
Getting More Organ Meats onto Your Plate

Thanks to a heightened interest in eating for health, and mainstream acceptance of making use of the whole animal, organ meats have made a bit of a comeback lately. Yet, while this resurgence in popularity is certainly creating more interest for the average home cook, few people know ways to integrate them into their diet […]

Self-Health Habit #6: Move. Every. Day.

I was recently listening to an excerpt from Dr. Keith Kimberlin’s seminar, “How We Get Sick: The Human Stress Response,” and was struck by his practical approach. In very pragmatic terms, Dr. Kimberlin explained how a person’s unmanaged stress response triggers a spiral of all sorts of disease—heart disease, acid reflux, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and […]

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus with
Apricot and Creamy Bleu Cheese:
A Simple, Swanky Side Dish

So, hopefully, by the time this post is released, the summer season will finally be upon us. Presently, it is snowing outside as I write this; my animals are confused, and my poor lilacs took a serious beating—ahhhh, nothin’ like a good old Colorado seasonal slip-up…. Now, where was I? Oh yes, dreams of warmth […]

Leeks Vinaigrette with Grainy Mustard and Grana Padano:
A Company-Worthy, Timeless, French Classic

Poor leeks—more often than not, these overlooked veggies get passed over for their cousin, the onion, or wind up as background notes to more familiar specimens, like potatoes. Despite being incredibly versatile and downright delicious, they really don’t get enough top billing, at least in this neck of the woods. Adding to the trials the […]

How to Win at Lifestyle Changes

Making changes to your lifestyle can seem downright impossible in the beginning. Whether you’ve made the decision on your own or with a healthcare professional, in order to win and see the affects you’re hoping for, you have to follow through—maybe even longer than a week or two. Let’s look at a few strategies for […]

What Makes Someone Who Cooks a Good Cook?

Ask Chef Phyllis A friend and I were talking about this the other day. My oh my—we had the same recipe for a church function, and we both followed it precisely. But mine was a disaster while hers was so good. I don’t enjoy cooking, and perhaps I fail at it because for me it’s […]

Luscious Lemon Curd Cheesecake

I’ve written many times about my years as a pastry chef, my first dip into the professional culinary world, and how those years molded the chef I am today. This was an incredibly formative time, provoking in me a profound love of food in general, and allowing me an ideal outlet to feed both my […]

Should a Woman’s Workout Routine Be Cyclical?

I was recently reminded of an aspect of women’s health you don’t often hear discussed, a concept shared by Maria Emmerich in her book Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism. I read the book some time ago and hadn’t thought about it again until brainstorming post ideas for Women’s Health Month. Emmerich is a nutritionist who […]

Shredded Vegetable Fritters with Pecorino and Parmesan:
Quick, Crispy, and Garden-Fresh

I am crazy for vegetables. Seriously. I mean, I would never expect to subsist on them alone (and have literally no desire to), but I love all things vegetable so much that if you asked me for a last-meal request, it would likely be a well-designed salad. At home, on a day-to-day basis, I tend […]

Self-Health Habit #5: Grow At Least Some of Your Food

May is a splendid time to bring this self-health habit into your world, and I encourage you to make it a priority. Nurseries are bursting at the seams with plants to get you started. Whether you till up a section of your yard, put in some garden boxes, or stick with a container garden, you […]

Citrus-Scented Rillettes:
Protein-Packed Snacking

A traditional French concoction of shredded meat, fat, spices, and herbs, rillettes are similar to pâté, but with a more rustic texture and appearance. If you are familiar, then you likely know your food; if not, prepare to be amazed at the beauty a simple preparation, of seemingly humble ingredients, can create. Traditionally made with […]

What Everyone Ought to Know About Women’s Health

May is Women’s Health Month, so let’s take a look at what everyone ought to know about it. (Don’t worry, guys, your month is coming.) With men and women having so many of the same organs, systems, and processes, are there really all that many differences in how each of us achieves optimal health? Good […]

The Long and Short on Noodles

Ask Chef Phyllis I’m confused about noodles—egg noodles, no-yolk noodles, soba noodles, udon, ramen, rice noodles? There are even restaurants called “Noodles” to further confuse me. Are there any noodles that are wheat-free or gluten-free for sure? It seems to me that cooking noodles at home should be easy. Mine don’t taste as good as […]

Asparagus-Ricotta Flan with Pecan-Parmesan Crust:
Simplicity Meets Style in a Make-Ahead Mother’s Day Brunch

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and that means a time to demonstrate our appreciation for all the special mothers and mother surrogates in our lives. I’ll be frank; I have never much enjoyed huge displays of excess on Mother’s Day (or any holiday, for that matter), but it is nice to have a […]

Confessions of a CBD Oil Advocate

It isn’t hard to find information about cannabidiol (CBD) oil these days, even if you aren’t looking for it. Heck, even Martha Stewart is jumping on the CBD bandwagon (and she’s a rather savvy businesswoman, in case you hadn’t noticed). We’ve started the conversation here at SRP, too, with articles like Joy Smith’s “15 Ways […]

Chapter Two: A Widow’s Time of Adjustment (and a Quiche Lorraine)

This may sound cliched, but there are some journeys you have to go on alone. Widowhood is one of them. And if you think widowhood isn’t easy, neither is chapter two: the Time of Adjustment. In my personal life experience, there’s never been a time when I’ve learned so much. What if I told you […]