Veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs, even veggie breakfast sausage are all foods that are trying to be something they're not. 

The ingredients listed on many of these "mock meats" should be enough to scare you off.  Sometimes what they put in the product to make it taste something like meat is almost unbelievable.

The word vegetarian alone should indicate that a person eats vegetables and other plant-related foods.  Why eat "pretend meat" at all?

Vegetarians who are pregnant should be extremely cautious, because without meat in their diet they need to make sure to get enough protein.  Vitamin supplements should be considered as well.

Do you know which foods to avoid during pregnancy?

Chemical preservatives, bacteria in yogurt, even mercury in seafood are a concern for pregnant women.  Unpasteurized eggs and dairy products, Salmonella, and other things that could make you sick could actually be deadly to your unborn child.

There's a lot to consider when you're expecting.  Here are 10 Tips To Ensure You'll Have A Healthy Pregnancy. By following those tips, you will be helping your baby to get off to a good start right from day one.

Why not load up the picnic basket and head out this weekend and enjoy an outing before Old Man Winter comes rolling in?

Observe good food safety practices when you pack up your basket: 

• Keep the cold stuff cold and the hot stuff hot. 
• Don't let uncooked meat cross contaminate your fruits and vegetables. 
• A good plan is to use 2 coolers, so you can keep meat separate from the rest of your food.

If you find your picnic basket isn't big enough, the world's largest picnic basket might be what you need.  Like Yogi would say, be smarter than the average bear and pack a big picnic basket!

There are many good things in apples that help prevent a multitude of health conditions.  Some of the health benefits of apples are:

• Preventing cancer
• Controlling asthma
• Lowering cholesterol to protect the heart
• Preventing memory loss
• Improving bone density

Watch how the Queen of England's own apple orchard is managed in the following video.  This time of year they are very busy:

• Harvesting the crop
• Juicing and bottling
• Using the pulp for livestock feed
• Opening the orchard to the public for "pick your own apples" 

The bright orange pumpkin comes out for Halloween and stays out through Thanksgiving. 

All to often, beyond doing duty as a seasonal decoration, the pumpkin is ignored as a tasty food.  Sure you can make pumpkin pie, but that seems so unoriginal. 

The pumpkin is really a versatile ingredient. 

Pumpkin seeds make a darn healthy snack.  Seasoned in many different ways they are both satisfying and tasty. Plus pumpkin seeds are high protein and low fat, so when they're roasted and flavored you've got something really special.

There are lots of creative pumpkin recipes that will make use of the pumpkin meat, as well.  Pie is good, but you can also make pumpkin bars, cookies, even pumpkin pancakes.

Don't let that Jack-o-Lantern go to waste, there is a lot of good flavor just waiting to be made into something good for you to eat!

Wash your hands!  And do it often.

Hand washing should be standard practice in the kitchen as well.  Just make sure that you're washing your hands properly each time.

Everyone's rushing here, chasing there, grabbing a quick bite at the drive-thru and getting on with a very hectic life.

Even homecooked usually means out of a box with a few extra ingredients tossed in.  So where does the flavor come into the picture?

It's in the condiments.  

Selecting the right condiments to have on hand can make an otherwise bland  processed meal taste much better.  

Mustard and ketchup are a start, but gourmet condiments like soy sauce, teriyaki and salsa can add another flavor profile you may not have thought of.

Personally, I'd still rather have homecooked.  With a crock pot you can still make it from scratch and let it cook all day while you run around in circles doing everything else.

Throw everything in the pot and 10 hours later your meal is ready to eat!

My grandfather always cooked a good turkey with a simple process -- roasting with butter, salt, pepper and onion salt. It was always good, so I didn't mess with it.

Last year we tried a friend's deep fried Cajun turkey and it was really good!. The flavor was great, but not real juicy.

Still, the change got me thinking of trying something new this year for Thanksgiving and wondering, "How do you get the turkey juicy?"

The next thing I knew, a Martha Stewart Living magazine showed up in my mailbox. I didn't order it, but since I love to cook I thought I would check it out. Well, since it was her Thanksgiving edition I had found my answer: brine the turkey!

Sadly, no truer words were ever said.  A lifetime of overeating combined with my love of carbohydrates has not served me well.  Its not that I dislike good food.  The problem is I like all food and a little is never enough.

A good workout program would do me good. However, exercise isn't the total answer. 

Eating a diet designed to build muscle mass will also help keep the metabolism fired up.  Perking up your metabolism is what it takes to keep diabetes from ruining your health. 

Here are 5 foods to maximize your muscle power.

Low-carb diets can be another useful tool in your war against the waist line. Dropping some of those extra pounds will go a long way toward controlling diabetes too. 

How in the world is someone supposed to keep their diet under control when everywhere you turn the main focus is eating?

There are a few tricks you can use that will help you control your urge to try one of everything on the table. 

I'm not saying it will be easy, but here are 9 fail-proof tips for eating healthy at social gatherings.

One big thing to avoid is alcohol.  It's nothing but empty calories, and be honest you don't really need it to have fun anyway. 

If you must have a glass to sip from, make it wine -- at least there are health benefits to drinking wine. Just don't overdo it.

Eating celery burns more calories than what you take in, right? Sorry, it just isn't so.  As much as we'd like to believe it, there is no such thing as a negative calorie food item. 

The best we can hope for is high fiber products such as whole grain breads. 

Don't confuse whole wheat with whole grain.  Often whole wheat is nothing more than white bread with caramel coloring added!  Look for "whole grain" on the label to get all the health benefits you're after.

Unfortunately, getting my hands on a candy bar or snack cake would mean hopping in the car and driving to the nearest convenience store. It's almost more trouble than it's worth.

Here's a neat idea: microwave chocolate cake in a cup! 

Made from a few tablespoons of hot chocolate mix, flour, 1 egg, and a little oil, all you do is mix it up in a mug and microwave for 3 minutes. 

What better way to get instant satisfaction from the ingredients found in every pantry?

Of course, if you insist on eating healthy snacks you can still include chocolate on your list.  Just make sure that it's dark chocolate.

Homemade buttermilk pancakes are my favorite.  Forget the box of "just add water" pancake mix!  I like the real thing made from scratch.  It only takes a minute or two more, and the difference is very noticeable.

Admittedly, this isn't a diet breakfast for those watching their calorie intake.  You can modify the ingredients a bit to lighten up your pancakes.  Or better yet, top your pancake stack with fresh fruit and avoid the sugary toppings altogether!

First off, you want to store bananas properly so they don't get all bruised and mushy. 

As for fun things to do with bananas:

• Of course bananas make the best fruit smoothies. 
• And don't forget Elvis' favorite: the grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. 
• Another southern treat is grilled bananas, stuffed with brown sugar and cinnamon.
• If you let your bananas get a bit over ripe, you can still use them.  Homemade buttermilk pancakes taste great with a banana mixed into the batter!

Before you can prepare any of these tasty bananas treats, you need to peel the bananas properly.  Did you know we silly humans have been doing it all wrong for ages?! 

Here's the easy way to peel a banana, the same way the monkeys do it:

Better yet, surely there is someone in your neighborhood with an over-abundance of apples from a tree or two in their yard who is looking for someone to make use of their excess bounty.

Some fun ideas for all those apples:

• Homemade apple butter spread over a slice of warm from the oven homemade bread. 
• Making crock pot apple butter couldn't be easier.  
• While you're brewing a pot of apple butter, you can sip on some homemade apple cider. 
• Or you might want to tap into that jug of apple jack you made for special occasions. 

Just think how good your kitchen will smell with all those holiday spices simmering away!