A word to the wise, this post is part story, part recipe, and you can quickly find everything you need to prepare a perfect pozole if you skip to the bottom of the page. But for those of you who are interested in the story of my introduction into the twisted past of this central-american soup, read on, and I hope you enjoy!

Now that the bulk of the holidays are over, you might be noticing some bulking of the waistband. If you're like me and you've been indulging in some things you wouldn't normally eat, a healthy detox smoothie might be just the thing to jump you back into healthy eating.

Ah, the holiday appetizer table. Filled with all sorts of goodies that have been passed down for generations - or at least since the 70's. Sausage balls, pigs in a blanket, lil' smokie franks in bbq sauce, crudites, and the ever popular shrimp cocktail. While a vegetable/dip platter and shrimp cocktail might very well be the healthiest thing you eat all season, I've got a serious beef with what people do to shrimp in shrimp cocktail. It's usually overcooked, rubbery, and flavorless. Who knows how long it's been sitting out since it was probably bought preassembled at the grocery store. Don't deny it, I know you've eaten it. I have too, I'm ashamed to say.

Over the holiday season I've been trying to reinforce the fact that festive food doesn't have to be unhealthy to be delicious. Even casseroles and stuffing can be done in ways that we cut out the unnecessary fat, calories, and preservatives and retain even more flavor than the unhealthy originals.

Simple, easy, fresh. Over the years I've learned the best dishes I make and want to eat on a regular basis involve those 3 factors. Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite things to do since carmelizing them in a bit of healthy oil brings out the flavor of your food while still retaining the health benefits.

Your grocery store carries all types of fresh veggies that are great for roasting however you always get the best flavor from vegetables that are in season and grown locally instead of shipped from across the world. Wintertime in the U.S. means that alot of vegetables aren't being grown nearby since the cold weather keeps that from happening so it can be challenging to find the freshest foods.

The big turkey day is over and I'm worn out. I cooked on and off for 3 days, I'm bloated from too much great food, and cleaned till my fingers are nubbins. Lining up at midnight for Black Friday? Hah! I'll leave that for the masses.

Next week is Thanksgiving and officially kicks off eating season. The average American consumes 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat at Thanksgiving dinner alone - more than twice what you should be eating daily. That doesn't include any other meals you'll eat that day and all the leftovers consumed several days after.

I'm personally not one who wants to count calories during Thanksgiving as the holiday is more about enjoying time with your family and eating dishes you wouldn't normally indulge in. Holiday food brings back fond memories of family tradition and good times so I automatically shut off when I hear people preaching non-traditional dishes to replace normal fair. I don't find anything celebratory about eating seeds, raw kale, fat free processed foods, and meat substitutes. There may be a time for that, but in my opinion that time is NOT Thanksgiving dinner.

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.