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By: Mary Carver, P.H.Ec. Adapted from a previous OHEA media release for the Ask a Professional Home Economists (P.H.Ec.) series.  Many times the best parts of the holidays are in the kitchen. A familiar tune reminds us that “chestnuts are roasting on an open fire”, yet most don't experience such an event as we scramble to write cards, wrap gifts, host parties, prepare food, and create our own memories. Despite all the preparations we make for the “perfect” holiday season, many times the best part really does begin in the kitchen.
Foods served at this festive time can become family favourites, creating wonderful traditions and warm memories to pass along to other generations. If you don’t have seasonal food traditions at your house, it’s never too late to start some. And a gift from the kitchen comes from the heart and is always in good taste! Professional Home Economists (P.H.Ec.) were asked to share some of their favourite family recipes. Here are a few that we think you will enjoy, year after year. Much of the fun is sharing “family time” in the kitchen, so grab a partner and cook up some culinary memories this holiday season.
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By: Donna-Marie Pye, P.H.Ec. Adapted from a previous OHEA media release for the Ask a Professional Home Economists (P.H.Ec.) series. After many years of slow cooking, and two cookbooks later, I am even more convinced of the marvelous benefits of this appliance. Not only are slow cookers convenient and portable, but cooking foods at low heat produces flavorful, tender results.
Slow cooking tenderizes tougher cuts of meat by cooking them in their own juices and slowly breaking down the tough connective tissues. Stews and chilies don’t dry out our stick to the bottom of the pot and the even, low temperature ensures perfect results with more delicate dishes such as puddings and custards. Slow cooking is for everyone – families, couples, students and seniors. Whether you are on a tight budget or love leisurely cooking, slow cookers can provide good, healthy food without requiring you to spend hours over a hot stove.  The Ontario Home Economics Association (OHEA) is here to help during the holiday season with entertaining tips, recipes and healthy holiday eating advice. These media releases were submitted in previous years and have valuable advice as you prepare for the holiday season!
By: Wendi Hiebert, P.H.Ec.  Another great speaker has just been added to the agenda for the Food and Nutrition Forum at The Royal! Just one of many reasons why you should register for this event.
Pat Crocker has released a timely cookbook - Healing Cannabis Edibles: Exploring the Synergy of Power Herbs. She will present and answer questions about cooking and healing with cannabis. Her cookbook will be available for sale. This pertinent presentation is one more good reason to sign up for the Food and Nutrition Forum on Nov. 7th. Read below for seven more reasons for why you should attend the Forum at The Royal.  Looking to learn more about empowering families to thrive? Join Bonnie Chan as she interviews over 20 experts around the topic of family empowerment. Look for Cathy Ireland, P.H.Ec. and OHEA member being interviewed!
In these interviews, you’ll discover how to:
Each interview will only be available for 48 hours starting October 16. Click HERE to sign-up for this free webinar.  Recent studies show that the disease burden of mental illness in Ontario is an alarming 1.5 times higher than all cancers put together and more than 7 times that of all infectious diseases. Spanning from children to middle-aged adults, many are suffering from mental and emotional distress. Rates of anxiety and depression are occurring on a larger scale making it important to build emotional and mental strength.
Experts at Mental Health America (MHA) found that good feelings can boost one’s ability to deal with stress, solve problems, think flexibly, and even fight disease. Hence why creating a positive mindset by taking care of your body’s emotional and mental needs is an important part of self-care for both children and adults.  As Professional Home Economists and students we know the benefits of cooking at home. As Mary Carver, P.H.Ec., explained in a news release titled “A Call for Improved Food Literacy,” there is growing concern about a general lack of time, knowledge and skills to prepare healthful, affordable meals at home. Many families claim they do not have the time to prepare meals from scratch, while others complain that food is too expensive.
Priceonomics analyzed data from a customer, wellio, to compare the cost of cooking at home from scratch versus delivery from a restaurant or meal kit service. “Family work” has been broadly defined as a type of “social reproductive labour” (1) involving routine activities that maintain the health and well-being of family members, including housework, emotion work, and child care. As such, to round out my blog posts so far on housework and emotion work and to complete the “family work triad,” the following is a study I began during my undergraduate degree that focused on mothers’ experiences with navigating child care in Alberta, Canada. Enjoy! – Rebecca Horne, P.H.Ec. …… Canada does not have a national child care policy. As a result, the child care systems in the majority of Canadian provinces are characterized by a lack of regulated, affordable, and accessible spaces (2). For example, there is a shortfall of over 154,000 child care spaces in Alberta (3), and group child care centers cost between $800-900 per month (4), the third highest across all Canadian provinces. This leaves some mothers using up to 36% of their annual incomes to pay for child care fees (5)! Given that mothers continue to be primarily responsible for the care of children (6), such limited options may prompt them to make sacrifices—or give up their own desires and interests—to mitigate child care constraints. Yet, there is limited research on these types of sacrifices and even less from the perspectives of mothers themselves. Let’s hear from the mothers themselves! To better understand mothers’ lived realities within the Canadian child care context, Dr. Rhonda Breitkreuz and I asked the question: What messages of sacrifice are embedded in Canadian mothers’ stories about their experiences with navigating childcare? (7) Dr. Breitkreuz and her research team conducted thirteen focus groups in five locations across Alberta, Canada with 95 mothers who were using or looking for child care for their young children. They asked questions in the focus groups about how mothers integrated paid work and child care, the kinds of care arrangements they made, and the facilitators and barriers to accessing and maintaining child care. Thank you to the conference planning committee and all of the wonderful volunteers who helped to organize OHEA's 39th annual conference and thank you to all of our sponsors! We also would like to thank everyone who came out to the conference and showed their #PHEcPride. We truly appreciate it, and could not have had such a great event without your support!
By: Rebecca Horne, MSc., P.H.Ec. “A marriage does not exist merely because a ceremony has been performed, nor does a family arise merely through the birth of a child—there is work that goes into the achievement and maintenance of both.” – Rebecca Erickson (1)  |
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