I was making out a grocery list the other day and realized we were almost out of peanut butter. We don't make many peanut butter sandwiches around here, but celery with peanut butter is one of my son's favorite snacks. Even though I know most major brands of peanut butter aren't on the growing list of recalled peanut products, I have to admit that I paused. The whole salmonella scare is enough to put a person off peanut butter entirely.

Planet Green has a great solution; make your own peanut butter. Not only does DIY peanut butter eliminate any worries about salmonella, it also means you control the ingredients -- there's no partially hydrogenated oil in sight! All you'll need is shelled and skinned roasted peanuts, honey, sea salt and peanut oil. Homemade peanut butter lasts about two months when sealed in an airtight container.

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I'm a big fan of Mexican food, but not a fan of all the fat that usually goes along with it. That doesn't hold me back from enjoying it whenever I want, though. I just order or make each dish in a much smarter and healthier way.

Homemade Tortilla Chips are a staple item and the great news is, they're painfully easy to make. I whip up a batch quickly and serve them with salsa (which is naturally nonfat) or my Fat Free Mexican O-Layered Dip.

Both recipes are available in my online recipe book at Fitzness.com, and I hope you'll give them a try. Other fun toppings to add to your chips are lean grilled meat, veggies, low fat or nonfat cheeses and sour cream.

Just like any other style of cooking, whenever you ditch the oil, butter and fatty sauces ... you'll end up with a much healthier meal. Ole!

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The littlest ones in our lives need good nutrition, too. And if you're trying to save money at the grocery store, those expensive little jars of baby food can really bust your budget. You can reduce the cost dramatically by making your own baby food. Some suggestions:

• Steam, microwave, or boil vegetables or fruits and then puree into pastes. Some nutritious foods that work well include carrots, peas, squash, parsnips, sweet potatoes, apples, and pears.
  
• Mash softer raw fruits or veggies such as avocados, bananas, and papaya.
  
  

If you're breast feeding, add some breast milk to your mashed or pureed produce to bump up the nutrition. Then, store your homemade baby foods in individual containers. Or, you can freeze them in ice cube trays.

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According to General Mills, sales are up significantly on some popular brands, including baking goods, yogurt, soups, cereal and snack products. Some experts think this is a strong indicator that people are eating out less and opting to enjoy their meals at home instead.

Why do you think this is? If you ask me, there are a couple of factors at play:

• A drop in the economy coupled with rising fuel costs leaves less money in the bank for luxuries like eating out, OR
  
• Perhaps people are wising up and realizing that picking up their meals from a fast food restaurant is doing them no favours health-wise.

I have nothing against the occasional meal out with family or friends, but let's be honest -- cooking your meals at home is the only way to ensure that you're getting the healthiest, most nutritious meals possible. Your thoughts?

(via Diet Blog)

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A couple months ago, Martha was debating whether or not she should invest in a juicer. A valid question. After all, when you prepare your own juice you have complete control over the ingredients. You choose what fruits and veggies you include and you're guaranteed to have no preservatives, no artificial colors, and no sweeteners.

When you juice fruits and vegetables you keep all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in the fresh produce. You do, however, sacrifice much of the fiber. So while juicing is a healthy practice, it shouldn't take the place of all of your fruits and vegetable intake.

Natural Health lists the top 7 fruits and veggies for juicing. Check out the gallery for the complete list.

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As a family, we like to get outdoors and enjoy natural surroundings. But there's one part of nature that we don't enjoy -- bugs. Whether buzzing in your ear or nibbling at your ankles, bugs can quickly ruin an outdoor activity. There are plenty of bug repellents out there -- effective ones at that -- but if spraying yourself or your family down with chemicals isn't your style, consider this homemade insect repellent bar instead.

You'll need to gather a few items, some likely from a health food store, but after that, putting the bar together is fairly quick. I'd make several at once, I think, then store them in handy places like the car, my backpack, the beach bag, etc. Though I'm certain a homemade bar won't repel bugs as well as a chemical spray, the peace of mind you'll get from using something natural and non-toxic might be worth a bite or two.

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I am not a picky eater. But I'm picky about the quality of the food I eat. I try to stick with whole foods, avoiding pre-made or processed foods as much as possible. But I'm also time-pressed like everyone else, so I like the idea of having a frozen meal I can microwave in a pinch.

Sure, there's several such options that are supposedly healthy from such makers as Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, and Weight Watchers in the frozen section at grocery stores. But the sodium content, additives and preservatives don't appeal to me. And I consume as much organic meat, dairy and produce as much as possible.

I've found ways to adhere to my food foibles without making meal time more work than it should or needs to be at stressful times.

I'm all about helping my family follow a healthy diet, and by family, I mean everyone, including my dogs. I make an effort to buy a high quality dog food, do the vet visits as needed, and keep them free from fleas and heartworms. I like to treat them as well, and I often bring home treats from the neighborhood doggy bakery, and have been known to bake up some doggy biscuits for special occasions.

However, when it comes to my dogs' daily meals, I think I have to draw the line at preparing it myself. I came across a section in All Recipes where they list a number of different recipes for homemade pet food, such as Doggy Meatloaf with Vegetables and Poochie Meat Cakes (both of which take longer to prepare and bake than many of the things I make for the humans in my family).

What do you think? Does homemade dog food cross the line, or is it a great option for pet owners who wish to have more input in their dogs nutrition?

(If you do opt to make a change in your pet's diet, please discuss it with your vet to ensure your furry friend will receive the proper nutrition!)

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Halloween is one occasion where we can get away with wearing bizarre items that have been sitting in the back of the closet for the past few decades. In fact, come to think of it, halloween is a great time for recycling any old thing you don't wear any more -- you can incorporate it into your kids' costume, or even your own! The DIY Diva at the Green Guide has some great suggestions:

• Paint yellow stripes on an old black turtle neck for a bumble bee costume.
• Stuff old newspaper in back stockings for spider legs.
  
• Cat ears can be made from a head band and some old material, or felt from the hobby store.
  
• For a mask, consider a paper mache one or one made from a paper plate.
  

In my house, we always had recycled costumes, and though I'm past my dressing up days, I'm at the point where I wouldn't consider buying one of those tacky department-store costumes. What do you think?

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First there was the whole foods diet. Then there was the low-carb craze. Then eating organic was all the rage. And I'm sure you've heard of cage-free, free range and grass fed. Now there's eating locally. Well, eating locally isn't exactly a new concept--after all, farmer's markets have existed probably as long as farms, but it finally seems to be catching on as a dieting trend.

So what exactly does it mean to eat locally, and what are the benefits? I mean, we've all seen farmer's markets, perused their offerings and even occasionally indulged in some of their maple syrup candy and apple cider but what does eating locally really translate to?

"Local" is defined as anything within a hundred miles. That makes for a lot of possibilities in terms of food options, depending on where you live.

To me, farmer's markets were always the opportunity to get a little something different than what you'd find at a local supermarket. I know the one in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn used to house a woman we referred to as the Cheese Lady who always had THE BEST cheeses anywhere. She had this one spicy white cheddar with horseradish in it that was TO DIE FOR. Sadly, at some point she took her wares elsewhere.

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Pizza is one of those things I have to avoid like the plague unless I'm really in the mood to blow some calories, because no matter how hard I try I can't eat just one or two slices. Pizza is one of those foods at the top of the "junk food" food chain, and for good reason -- most commercial and restaurant pizzas pack outrageous amounts of calories, fat, and salt.

But they're just so good!

They are, and as much as I love them I have found that homemade pizzas (personal sized for me, since I have no portion-control willpower whatsoever) can be just as good, if not even better in some cases. Try this recipe for a healthy personal pizza to satisfy your next craving, and feel free to play around with your own toppings and crust options for the perfect blend of flavors. Party on pizza people!

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Depending on what your needs are, you've probably got a slew of face and skin care products stashed in your bathroom right now. Some of them work, and some of them don't, but if you're like a lot of people then you're probably slowly getting more and more tired of all the artificial colors and preservatives, and even the dangerous chemicals, that come in most commercially manufactured skin care products. So have you ever tried making your own?

I admit I never have, although these recipes for skin care oils look easy enough that I just might give it a shot. And they have mixes to try for everything from general facial balancing to specific concerns like eczema -- and even a specialized hip and thigh formula. And I bet it would be such a nice time working with all those essential oils making the house smell all wonderful!

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Planning to redecorate? Many commercial paints contain toxic ingredients, or at the very least are energy-intensive to produce. Consider helping the environment in an unlikely way -- by making your own paint. Homemade paint is easier to create than you probably think. You don't need any special equipment and the recipe only takes four ingredients -- flour, water, clay, and powder filler.

Flour paint can be applied to almost any surface, and offers the flexibility to mix your own custom colors and create many unique finishes. There is a down side though, homemade paint is very thick so it's hard on brushes and doesn't work at all with rollers. It's also not easy to mix the same color time after time, and if you don't finish the job in one session it's difficult to store because the food ingredients start to break down.

It's definitely a more labor-intensive choice than buying paint in the store, but for most people re-painting doesn't happen that often so it might be worth the extra effort. There's got to be a lot of satisfaction in the completed project -- but I would have to start with something small, just to make sure I wasn't getting in over my head!

Associated Content has a great article on how to make your own lean trail mix with granola that can be used for just about anything. You're probably most familiar with those granola bars which make great snacks. Luckily, it can be used for breakfast, trail mix or just by itself as well. This high-energy combination is baked for a healthy consistency which makes it light enough to take on the go.

So how do you make your own anyway? If you arm yourself with a skillet, some baking sheets, and a plethora of nuts and dried fruits, you will find that it may be a lot easier than you think. Follow the directions carefully and it will give you enough mix to feed ten. Check out the full article here for the list of instructions on how to make your very own trail mix granola.

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