HCE Blog

Mashed potatoes are a staple at many Thanksgiving dinner tables. But, unfortunately, so are many other dishes. Odds are, your stovetop is in full use on Thanksgiving Day and you don’t have enough room to cook everything you want. Bust out that crockpot and get prepared to make some silky-smooth mashed potatoes.   Butter up your slow cooker and pour in some heavy cream and spoon in the potatoe...

Thanksgiving is the holiday of pies! Cherry pie. Pumpkin pie. Pecan pie. Chocolate pie. So many pies! No pie is created equal, though. Some require a little pre-baking. You may need to completely pre-bake a crust if your pie filling requires no baking, or partially pre-bake it if the filling requires a short cooking time. But if you’re like most people, pre-baking can be a bit of a problem. How...

It’s really easy to pack on the pounds during the holiday season. There is so much food to eat, and much of it isn’t exactly the healthiest. It’s hard to work off those holiday pounds, especially if you don’t know how many calories you need to burn. Here are a few holiday staples and their caloric values, as well the amount of exercise it would take to burn off those calories.   Thanksgiving ...

Want to do some food prep before the house gets crowded when the family starts gathering together for Thanksgiving? Don’t worry about the food getting cold when you try this quick and easy Turkey Day hack! All you need is some aluminum foil, some folded towels, and an ice chest.   You read that right… an ice chest!   Ice chests are insulated containers, so they can keep their contents hot o...

Pomegranates might not be the first fruit that pops into your head when thinking of the top 10 healthiest fruits, but believe us when we say that this fruit is basically an all around health-enhancing lookin’ onion. Thankfully pomegranates don’t taste anything like onions, but instead the sweet and tart flavors of them make them extremely versatile. If you’re not obsessed with pomegranates yet,...

When you think of fruit rich in vitamin C, we’re sure you think of oranges. But, did you know pomegranates are rich in vitamin C, too? Pomegranates contain 48% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C!  Vitamin C is important for a variety of functions in your body, including your immune system. Fresh pomegranate juice is your best source of this powerful vitamin. Drink a cup of pomegranat...

The past few days we’ve been discussing the benefits pomegranate has on the inside of your body, but it has some great benefits for the outside, too!    The antioxidants in pomegranate are as good for your hair as they are for your immune system! Antioxidants make hair follicles stronger and improve blood circulation, both factors that stimulate hair growth. Add pomegranate juice to your hair...

We keep mentioning drinking pomegranate juice in our blogs. It can be a little on the pricey side buying a bottle of pomegranate juice on its own. Did you know it’s easy to make pomegranate juice yourself? All you need is a sharp knife, a bowl of water, a sieve, a blender, a clean bowl, and pomegranates of course!  Cut the pomegranates in half and gently break those halves into smaller section...

Say cheese! It turns out, pomegranate is good for your teeth! (It also pairs well with cheese, but that’s beside the point…) Even simply chewing pomegranate seeds can help scrub your teeth of plaque buildup due to the seeds’ high fiber content. Drinking pomegranate juice adds even more of a plaque-fighting advantage to your arsenal! Pomegranates are alkaline, so their juices don’t erode the en...

Pomegranates are immunity boosters! They are packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. In fact, studies show pomegranate juice has a higher concentration of antioxidants per cup than wine or green tea, which are also high in antioxidants.    Pomegranates contain three types of antioxidants: tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid. These antioxidants are important in keeping your bo...