In the 1930s, J. I. Rodale started the first organic farm in the U.S. then founded Rodale Press Publishing Company as a vehicle to share his organic farming methods. Since the 1970s, I have had a subscription to Organic Gardening and also Prevention Magazine which are both published by Rodale Press. Jane Kinderlehrer held the position of Rodale Press senior editor then Prevention Magazine's food editor. However, her name would not become permanently embedded into my soul until I purchased two of her cookbooks titled Smart Cookies (copyright 1985) and Smart Muffins (copyright 1987).
The first recipe that I chose to make was Hearty Pear and Pecan Muffins. It has remained a favorite never-fail go-to over the years. My granddaughter O and I together made the muffins when she was a couple years old. (As a time passage frame of reference, she will begin her high school senior year at September's beginning...in the UK as a study abroad student.) One of my favorite framed collages is of Jane proudly smiling in my granddaughter O's direction as she scoops the pear muffin batter into a pan. She is/was a vocal proponent of encouraging a deeply rooted healthy eating foundation in children that would carry over into adulthood.
Over the years, I have collected all of Jane's cookbooks published from 1971 (Confessions of a Sneaky Cook) through 2002 (The Smart Baking Cookbook: Muffins, Cookies, Biscuits and Breads). One of the books titled The Antioxidant Save-Your-Life Cookbook is coauthored by her son Daniel A. Kinderlehrer, M.D. who is an "internist and expert in diet, nutrition, and holistic medicine." I have decided to more intently and purposefully traverse this book collection to glean knowledge and build my tried and true nutritional powerhouse recipes from those held within the books' pages. In doing so, I will honor the life of Jane Kinderlehrer and her dedication to promoting wellness.