Articles written by Julie Garden-robinson


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  • Prairie Fare: Try These Tips To Avoid Winter Dehydration

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Feb 2, 2022

    I was getting a little worried. I could not hear the grumbling sound of the snow blower. Our driveway and sidewalks were covered with a mountain of snow that drifted in after the latest blizzard. I poked my head out the front door to check on my husband. He had been outside for more than two hours clearing snow in subzero temperatures. "Are you OK?" I asked. "I am almost done out here," he replied as he leaned on a shovel. His scarf, stocking hat and hair were frozen, and his clothes were...

  • Prairie Fare: Be Inspired by Fall Colors and Add Veggies to Your Plate or Bowl

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Sep 29, 2021

    My husband pointed out some yellow and orange leaves the other day as we drove down the street. I knew exactly what he was going to say. I turned and looked at him. I could have mouthed the words. "In a couple months, this will all be covered by snow," he said. He probably knew what I was going to say. "It's not snowing yet. Let's just enjoy the season," I responded. We both enjoy fall and the changing colors. Neither of us is a huge fan of the long, cold month of January in particular. I did...

  • Prairie Fare: Gift Ideas That Are Easy on the Budget and Positive for Your Health

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Dec 4, 2019

    "I've bought and wrapped gifts for myself," one of the meeting attendees said. Most people in the room nodded, especially parents. I was among the people nodding my head. Yes, I've wrapped a lot of holiday gifts for myself. I tend to go a little overboard in the gift-giving department for my family. As we take turns opening gifts, I quickly run out of gifts to open. Even our dogs give me gifts. My family has labeled me "hard to buy gifts for." Who, me? Yes, I have a lot of stuff already. Maybe...

  • Prairie Fare: Weeds: If You Can't Beat Them, Can You Eat Them?

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Jul 4, 2018

    My flowers and vegetables are growing nicely with the regular rain. The weeds are doing well, too, so I needed to clean up my gardens recently. I pulled weed after weed that had sprouted in my planters, raised garden beds and ground-level garden patch. These opportunistic green invaders were hiding under flowers and foliage and in the crevices by the raised beds. Why didn't all my plants grow as well as the weeds? I tried to make it fun by playing "name that weed." No, that wasn't a fun game at...

  • Prairie Fare: Make Good Use of Leftovers This Holiday Season

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Dec 13, 2017

    As I peered in our refrigerator the other day, I noticed some small containers with dabs of leftovers that had just reached their "time to toss" phase. I always feel guilty when we throw away food in our home. To help use any extra servings, I eat leftovers almost every day at work. Unfortunately, sometimes a few odds and ends of food hide behind the milk carton and eventually need to be discarded. Illness-causing microorganisms such as bacteria and mold can grow and/or produce toxins in...

  • Prairie Fare: Do a Snack Checkup During March, National Nutrition Month

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Mar 22, 2017

    How many times do you encounter food in some form on a daily basis? As I drive to and from work, I see several restaurants, convenience stores and billboards. I'm glad I have breakfast before I leave for work or I might not be able to resist temptation. If I happen to be listening to the radio, I might hear an ad for a food or beverage. If I am hungry after work, I could be tempted to call off cooking duty and buy take-out food. While I peruse websites looking for information, food ads pop up...

  • Prairie Fare: Does Being Healthy Make Us Happy?

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Mar 1, 2017

    Have you ever thought about what makes people, including you, happy? What role does happiness play in our overall health? The other night, I was at a meeting at a women's group called P.E.O. Chapter V, which is a philanthropic educational organization. We work to expand educational opportunities for women. We also teach each other things. As a bonus, we have tasty snacks at the end of the meetings. Our recent topic, happiness, was led by a psychiatrist member of the group. The happiness topic pe...

  • Prairie Fare: Stay Active and Healthy in the New Year

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Jan 4, 2017

    "I found a supreme parking spot!" my husband noted as he arrived at the mall with our younger daughter. She nodded and grinned. Then she began eyeing the food court for a snack. Parking a distance from your destination is a common recommendation for increasing your physical activity. Winter tends to push that recommendation out of people's thoughts, and my family was no exception. I was drinking coffee with our older daughter after an afternoon of last-minute holiday shopping. The mall was swarm...

  • Prairie Fare: Don't Let a Buffet Promote a 'Food Coma'

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Feb 24, 2016

    "Are you in a food coma, Julie?" my friend asked. I wasn't feeling too well. I felt as though I had eaten two Thanksgiving-sized meals in one sitting. While at a conference, we tried a buffet restaurant that featured skewers of 14 kinds of meat and seafood served at your table. It also had an enormous buffet with dozens of salads and side dishes. I started by tasting about 15 kinds of food from the buffet, then I had at least 10 kinds of meat. I think the plate of oysters nearly did me in. I...

  • Prairie Fare: 4-H Foods Projects Teach Lifelong Lessons

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Oct 21, 2015

    "I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country and my world." If you recognize this pledge, chances are you have been in 4-H, or perhaps your child and/or other relative has been in 4-H. Maybe you are or have been a 4-H volunteer leader. Growing up as a "town kid," I was not in a 4-H club. Typically, kids who lived on farms were in 4-H. However, I liked doing all the sorts of...

  • Prairie Fare: Put on Your Baking Scientist Hat

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Dec 3, 2014

    I pushed my cart around the mountains of baking ingredients on pallets in the grocery store aisles the other day. Many of the store shelves were empty, especially the shelves that noted a coupon was needed. The store had just gotten a large shipment of bags of flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar and chocolate chips. Yes, holiday baking season is upon us and cookies often top the list of holiday food traditions. Of course, you can buy cookies readily in grocery stores, but they usually do not...

  • Prairie Fare: Snooze Your Way to Better Health

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Mar 5, 2014

    Sleep is critical for functioning in daily life. “Daylight savings time is almost here. We can’t forget to move the clocks forward,” my husband commented the other day. “Oh, no. I have a hard time with losing an hour of sleep when we ‘spring ahead’,” I replied. Although I appreciate the extended daylight hours, I feel jet lag for a few days. That one hour of lost snoozing time has some major repercussions, according to a survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the Better Sleep Council in 2013 and 2014. About 61 percent of survey...

  • Prairie Fare: Try These Tips, Resources for a Healthier New Year

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Jan 1, 2014

    The other day I stumbled upon a piece of food-related literature my husband bought for me several years ago. It caught his eye on a newsstand. In an article that included compelling pictures, an eyewitness reported the furry and ferocious Bigfoot’s amazing weight loss. The creature apparently dropped from 800 pounds to 650 pounds by eating more berries, getting more physical activity, log rolling on a swamp and consequently, wrestling alligators. Did I mention that my husband has a unique sense of humor? Unfortunately, there was not an...

  • Prairie Fare: Buffet Food Order Affects Your Food Choices

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Dec 4, 2013

    Recently, I ate lunch with my 18-year-old son at the campus food service. I hadn’t eaten in the student cafeteria in quite a long time, and I was pleasantly surprised by the vast number of choices. We each grabbed a plate and proceeded to make our choices. They no longer use trays at the food service, which trims food waste, labor and water use. We stopped at the hot food line first. “Do you want red sauce or Alfredo sauce on your spaghetti?” the pleasant young worker asked me. “Could I have some of each?” I replied. “You sure...

  • Prairie Fare: Try Protein-rich Quinoa on Your Menu

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Oct 2, 2013

    Often called the “mother grain,” quinoa has been used for food for at least 5,000 years. While at a nutrition conference, I tasted a delicious salad made with a grainlike food called quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) mixed with fresh vegetables. I decided to make a similar salad at home. Making the recipe, however, required a bit of a scavenger hunt at the grocery store, and the ingredients became a conversation piece. “Where do you suppose I’d find the quinoa?” I asked my husband as we meandered around a grocery store on our weekly...

  • Prairie Fare: Try Protein-rich Quinoa on Your Menu

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Sep 4, 2013

    Often called the “mother grain,” quinoa has been used for food for at least 5,000 years. While at a nutrition conference, I tasted a delicious salad made with a grainlike food called quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) mixed with fresh vegetables. I decided to make a similar salad at home. Making the recipe, however, required a bit of a scavenger hunt at the grocery store, and the ingredients became a conversation piece. “Where do you suppose I’d find the quinoa?” I asked my husband as we meandered around a grocery store on our weekly...

  • Prairie Fare: Historical Canning Recipes Not Necessarily Safe

    Julie Garden-Robinson|Aug 7, 2013

    The other day, I stopped at a convenience store to fill my vehicle with gas. A nationally produced canning book with a colorful, attractive cover beckoned me. I plucked a book from the shelf and quickly paged through it as I awaited my turn in line. The author talked about “great-grandma’s recipes” and provided recommendations for canning based on yesteryear. I am interested in food history, so that aspect caught my attention. Unfortunately, the processing times for several foods would not be considered safe by today’s standards. If my...

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