Pesto sauce, made with basil and parsley lends a fresh, herbal flavor to scallops. I keep a bag of frozen sea scallops on hand for quick dinners. They take only a few minutes to defrost in a bowl of cold water. This dish takes only 5 minutes to make using prepared pesto sauce. Read more

Easter and eggs … I get it. Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus’ coming back to life after his death on a cross. Easter eggs represent new life. Very fitting. Read more

It had been festering for a long time … an infection that didn’t show up on routine tests. But we knew sometime was not right. Cal was not eating as enthusiastically as he usually does. And he was steadily losing weight. Read more

Hello Barbara; I've been trying to loose weight. I do good during the day but in the evening and into the night I feel like I have to eat, and sometimes I do not make good choices. I'm diabetic. I would like to know if there is a way to curb these late-night eatings. — Carolyn Read more

I’ve been called a lot of names in my day. “Nutri-bird” “The Diet lady” “Dr. Quinn, Nutrition woman” (I’m not a doctor but that didn’t matter to one of my clients.) Read more

For many reasons, I’m always glad when I can bid February goodbye and welcome the march toward spring. March is also National Nutrition Month️ when the experts at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics walk us toward a diet that can help put spring in our steps. Read more

I just love the science of nutrition. It constantly changes as we learn more about how food and nutrients work in the body. And as we gather more information, experts tweak the recommendations for how we should eat. Read more

It’s only about the size of your fist. Yet every day your heart pumps the amount of blood that could fill a 2,000 gallon tank. Its job? To keep a constant supply of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood flowing through 60,000 miles of blood vessels to feed every cell and tissue in your body. Read more

Reader Pat L. From Mt. Vernon, Washington, writes: “In today's paper there were two nutrition columns, yours included, that both said babies should receive nothing but breast milk for their first 6 months. But yours went on to say, ‘Studies show that gradually introducing (potentially allerg… Read more

Stroganoff is an old Russian classic. The mixture of mushrooms, tomato paste and mustard gives the stroganoff sauce a tangy blend of flavors and a creamy texture. Read more

Even before we are born, we need key nutrients found in fish and seafood. That’s according to the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 (DGA), which advises pregnant women to consume 8 to 12 ounces of a variety of seafood each week. Besides being an excellent source of baby-buil… Read more

When I was a young nutrition professional, I would regularly critique my mom on how she cooked for us when we were kids. Read more

Stir-fried chicken, walnuts and vegetables in lettuce puffs is one of my favorite dishes. Crisp, cool lettuce topped with warm chicken and vegetables combine to create a taste and texture sensation. Read more

After helping me put away Christmas decorations for another year, my younger daughter and I decided to have a tea party … just because. I retrieved my treasured china tea pot that my mom hand-painted many years ago and pulled two of my favorite teacups out of the cabinet. Read more

They’re here … the long awaited and debated 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). What’s the big deal? This document — updated every five years by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) — represents the most current science-based advice on what … Read more

This pork and bean chili can be made in 20 minutes. The great thing I find about chili is that some like it hot, some like it mild, but almost everyone likes it. The degree of heat is up to you. Add more chili powder or fresh chili peppers to suit your taste. Read more

Yay! It’s a brand new year. A chance to begin anew. I’m especially excited about getting this weak body back in shape after recovering from foot surgery. Whatever your goals this year, here are some new ideas that can help us get going in the right direction: Read more

I was pleasantly intrigued over recent headlines: “Study: Wine and Cheese May Protect Against Cognitive Decline.” “Study says wine and cheese may boost brain health.” Read more

Garlic, wine and steak – a great combination. A crust of rosemary and garlic coat the steak and then flavors the rice and vegetables. Read more

Reader B.M. writes: “I was recently diagnosed with severe osteoporosis. I've tried to eat well and stay active my whole life (I'm 73 now). Is there anything I can do to slow or reverse this?” Read more

A column after my recent foot surgery that described the nutrients involved in healing brought some interesting responses. One was from S.F. in Wilmington, North Carolina, who actually sent me a photo of her toes peeking out from her holiday-red cast as she, too, recovers from foot surgery. Read more

I'm a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas. The tree doesn't go up until after Thanksgiving. And I consider the day after turkey day a time for leftovers and football, not holiday shopping. Read more

I've spent the past week in a recliner, staring at my toes peeking out from a giant bandage on my foot. Surgery was a success, my surgeon assures me. Now the real healing begins. Read more

My recent series on the ABC's of good foods generated some interesting responses. Here are a couple from readers in New Jersey: Read more

An editor who publishes this column in Australia called me out after my recent three part series on the ABC's of good foods. He pointed out that, after P for peas and Q for quinoa, I ended the second of three columns with "R we out of space again? To be continued..." I then began the last in… Read more

Five years ago this month, I moved to the small town where my oldest daughter and family live. And because my grandkids are ranch kids, coming to Grammy's house in town for Halloween has become a special tradition. Even before they were old enough to go door to door, we would dress up and I'… Read more

When I am stumped to remember a person's name, I try to kick it into my brain by going down the alphabet. Ann? Bonnie? Cathy? And so on. Sometimes it works... Read more

Last week we started an alphabetical list of good-for-you foods. Today we continue with some tricky letters, starting with I. Read more

I recently got together with a group of friends (at a socially accepted distance). One of them suggested we go through the alphabet and name all the things for which we are thankful. It did my heart good to hear the array of answers from "apple pie" to "Zoom meetings." Read more

Dear Barbara, Read more

“My cholesterol is too high,” a patient explained. “But I can’t help it. It’s hereditary.” She was right. Her type of high cholesterol is called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). It’s an inherited genetic defect that causes an abnormal amount of dangerous LDL cholesterol to accumulate in t… Read more

My readers keep me on my toes, for sure. Here are some questions that merit more attention. Read more

Juicing is not any healthier than eating whole fruits and vegetables. Read more

It’s beet season in our neighbor’s garden. (Hint, hint…yes, I love homegrown beets!) Read more

My heart was heavy with fear and disbelief at the news of fires advancing on the California community I called home for 27 years. Text messages and hour-to-hour alerts on Facebook painted a grim picture of friends being evacuated from their homes, scrambling to find safety for their families… Read more

Two recent columns prompted these questions from readers: Read more

Some of our very best friends this time of year are neighbors who have gardens. About once a week, I’ll get a text messages from Ginny and Bob who live across the street. Read more

A reader writes: I live in Monterey, California. I’m 77 and my husband is 82. I’m wondering, with the large number of COVID-positive farm workers in our area, how safe it is for us to be eating local produce such as romaine lettuce which could have been picked by an infected ag worker? Also,… Read more