Pantry Stocking: Coconut Milk, Catch 22s . . .

Caught between wanting more variety at mealtimes, but afraid of buying exotic pantry ingredients that will never get used up? Check out this for escaping this Catch 22 and having the best of both worlds.

How About a Quick, “White-Free” Snack

Feel yourself getting sucked into a 4:00 p.m. “White Snack” attack? The best defense is a good offense. In this case, that means having a ready, handy, really tasty substitute for pretzels, crackers, cookies and Goldfish. Try Jicima Sticks with Black Bean Hummus instead.

Using Herbs and Spices: More on Flavor Families

Here’s the great thing about herb and spice flavor families. Find one you like and you’ve got an easy springboard to creative fun, as in this recipe for Eggplant and Garbanzo Stew with Spicy Coriander Flavors.

Wheat-Free and Gluten-Free Living—Beyond Recipes and Cookbooks

What do you do if you’ve been told to stop eating wheat or gluten? Cookbooks and recipes aren’t a bad starting point. But they are only part—and a relatively small part of the solution. What’s more, they’re the easy part. Find out the deeper fundamentals that will lead to more lasting–and enjoyable–success.

Stress-Reducing Secret No. 4: Go Casual—with Diamonds

Women know all about this strategy. You don’t feel like getting all dressed up for a party so you throw on a tried and true comfort outfit and add some razzle and dazzle with a great necklace, scarf, belt or shoes—or one of each. Good news: You can do the same thing with a recipe. Here are three basic techniques:

Using Herbs and Spices–Outside the Comfort Zone

If you want to begin using more and/or more interesting herbs and spices, the most important step is taking the plunge. Don’t get persuaded to hunker down in your comfort zone by a possibility of un-success that’s really pretty small and hardly disastrous.