Healthy Recipes 4 The 21st Century

Recipes Then & Now

Growing up in the 40's and 50's, some of my more memorable moments were spent in my mother's kitchen. Everything was made from 'scratch' using cookbooks handed down thru several generations of my mother's family.

My favorite dishes began with ingredients grown on our family farm (which used no pesticides or chemical fertilizers), my mothers's tattered recipe book, and the skills she had been taught by her mother. Sadly, as I became older and the products of commercial kitchens became more available at our local grocery store and began to replace those tasty 'home-cooked' meals. In keeping with one of the more popular sayings of the times, "Time is money", the emphasis was shifting from tasty and nutritious to fast and easy.

The last time I sat down to a 'real' home-cooked meal was when I served in the U.S. Navy in the early 60's. Meals were prepared by a cook whose nickname was 'Tiny'. (all Navy cooks were nicknamed 'Tiny' in those days) Not unlike my mother, Tiny began with the basic ingredients and a recipe book -- which he guarded from prying eyes with the same zeal my mother had guarded her's. (most of Tiny's 'secrets' had been sent to him from his mother and her friends -- all of which were proud to have their favorite dishes being served up to the 'boys in the service'.)

Following my term of enlistment, I left the Navy and returned home to become a Trooper with the Colorado State Highway Patrol. My eating habits, by necessity, became horrible. How I longed for a good home-cooked meal born out of my mother's tattered old cookbook.

Today, eating trends are shifting from 'quick-and-easy' to 'healthy-and-nutritious', and finally to 'natural-and-organic', I realized that the standards and values I had grown up with are once again in vogue.

In keeping with the spirit of those 'gentler' times, I am offering this section to those who "remember-when", and seek sources from which to either rebuild, or add to their collection of recipes.

Cooking Tips

Much of the success the chef's (Mom's) of that time enjoyed came from little tips and techniques they had picked up along the way. Therefore, I will begin with one of my favorite Cooking Tips

The cooking practices of those by-gone days gave little consideration to such matters as fats, sweetners, starches and a number of other factors that we now know play a significant role in securing our health and wellness. The cooks of the 40's and 50's did not have to contend with herbicides, pesticides, preservatives, artificial colorings, or other additives in the foods -- placed there for the sole purpose of 'presentation'.

The foods we ate came from the products that were then in season in the region where we lived. Rarely did we expect fresh fruits in December, or other foods not native to our area, such as fresh sea food here on the high plains of Colorado.

All that has been changed by the technology of our times, and paying attention to our diets has become even more critical...

Healthy Recipes

I've spent many hours seeking out a collection of tasty dishes for your consideration. Listed below are the categories of meal types that I hope inspires and enables you to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

1.) Vegetarian Recipes

2.) Entrees

3.) Dessert Recipes