Green bean casserole used to be something I tolerated, but never got super excited about. It was one of those recipes created by a food manufacturer (specifically Campbell's) to promote the sale of their products. When's the last time you thought to yourself, "I've got to have me some cream of mushroom soup for lunch?". Who the heck eats cream of mushroom soup unless it's added to casserole? Nobody.

After last week's recipe, you already know what I think about soup from a can. Green bean casserole is born of nothing but food from cans - green beans from a can, fried onions from a can, and a solid gelatinous mass that some call soup from a can. Loaded with preservatives and sucked dry of any nutritional value, it really is a culinary nightmare.

When there's a chill in the air I'm always craving something warm, hearty, and in a bowl. Soups and stews generally take the place of salads and sandwiches. Herein lies the problem, though - Time. You can throw together a salad and sandwich in a few minutes, but your only quick soup and stew options are from a can, right? Wrong.

Soup From A Can Sucks

Where do I begin with the suckage that is soup from a can? How do they pack so much sodium and preservatives in canned soup yet it still tastes like dishwater? Flavorless and containing few quality ingredients, you're lucky to get the amount of veggies and meat inside the whole can that are floating in the picture on the label.

With Fall upon us and a nice chill in the air it's time to get ready for holidays. Everyone is pulling out their decorations from storage, putting grocery lists together, and preparing for gatherings of friends and family. It also happens to be squash season and the king of all squash is our friend, the pumpkin. You are most likely going to be inundated with pumpkins this time of year - Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin ice cream are just a few things you might be surrounded by.

The cool days of Fall are now upon us and that means one thing to me - chili season. I love chili in all of it's traditional formats. Meat, beans, tomatoes, and strong flavors of cumin and dried chiles are what I consider to be key for a delicious bowl of red. Lately however, I've been leaving out the meat to make the dish lighter and I really haven't missed it.

The dog days of summer are officially over and I'm not missing the heat at all. I will, however, be missing all of the fresh local produce at our farmers market on Sundays. It's such a great experience to go buy locally grown and produced products from small farms and purveyers of goods and it's become a staple of our spring and summer. Aside from the excellent prices, quality, and sustainable methods, it's great to meet the actual people that are producing your food and who take pride in bringing you their best. To read further about our love of buying local, check out our recent blog post.

It's starting to get cold outside and that means one thing - rich, hearty soup season. There are few things better than sliding your chair up to a warm bowl of great soup when it's cold outside. I like all types of soups and creamy soups are some of my favorites. Chowders, broccoli cheese, potato, and cream of just about anything are always top of my list. These soups are certainly tasty but they're also incredibly fattening. Usually cream soups contain - you guessed it - heavy cream along with butter, cheese, bacon, and other thickeners such as flour and corn starch.

I'm always trying to find new ways to work healthy vegetables in my diet and recently I've grown to love brussel sprouts. When prepared right they have a complex flavor and are very hearty and filling. In fact, I've found myself choosing this high protein and low carb vegetable over potatoes, which are carb heavy and loaded with calories.

Despite research showing the importance of eating breakfast, many of us are still skipping the most important meal of the day. About 18 percent of males and 13 percent of females between the ages of 35 and 54 are breakfast skippers, according to a 2011 study by the market research company NPD group.

It can be easy to forget about the humble eggplant. You probably walk by it in the produce section and marvel at its shiny black-purple skin and large size. The next thing that pops into your mind is, "What the heck can I do with that?", and you move onto other vegetables.

What the heck are zoodles? Why, zucchini noodles of course! Zoodles are a great way to replace pasta noodles if you're trying to cut carbs, are gluten intolerent, or just want to include more healthy vegetables in your diet. Zucchini has already made a very tasty replacement for pasta in our Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna recipe and we also talked about all the health benefits of eating more of this versatile vegetable.