Lately I’ve been pining for autumn. It’s more than just being sick and tired of these sweltering 90° days. I mean, it’s mostly that. (Can I get an amen!?) But autumn is also my favorite season. It’s filled with some of life’s loveliest goodies including but not limited to: my birthday (YAY!), cozy sweaters (so soft and warm!), sunset-hued leaves…
Smoothies are a quick and easy way to get more nutrients into your diet. Just throw everything in a blender, then down the hatch. Perfect for a rushed morning or after a long day. But there are a few rules you need to follow when making and drinking smoothies. 3 Smoothie Rules To Live By: 1) Chew your smoothie. Yes, smoothies are drinkable. But…
At the cocoa, cocoa banana… Yummy satisfaction was always the fashion. At the cocoooooa, cocoa banaaanaaaaa!! (Please tell me you know the classic Barry Manilow song Copacabana so I’m not over here looking like a fool singing all by my lonesome.) OK OK, so that’s NOT how the song goes. But this foodified version is the unofficial little theme song to…
I started popping fish oil pills in high school. *Nerd alert* This is back when I religiously followed the silly nutrition dogma that I now give the stink eye (fat is your enemy, soy is your BFF, and so on). Now don’t get me wrong, fish oil is very healthy (more on this below) — but most of the commonly…
This homemade and healthy electrolyte drink keeps you hydrated while out in the sun or exercising. Plus, it’s so easy to make and tastes great! It’s getting hot hot hot. … to put things simply. If you wanted a little more detail, I could tell you that it’s now so hot that I leave a little sweat mark on any…
Smoothie season is in full effect. With the heat rising, I just want to shove more and more fresh fruits and veggies in my face à la Hungry Hungry Hippos. The thought of a hot chili or shepherd’s pie makes me want to immediately jump in an ice cold pool… and then be served a delicious and refreshing smoothie to wash that horrifyingly hot…
Much like slap bracelets and Tamagotchis, counting calories is so 1995. Calories ruled the nutrition and weight loss world back when it was believed calories in = calories out. But we now know this concept is incorrect — people do not become overweight simply by eating too much and moving too little. Our bodies, health, weight loss, weight gain, and nutrition…
Does eating organic food have to break the bank? Heck no! Now I’m not going to deny it: generally speaking, eating real, organic food is more expensive because it costs more to produce and organic farmers don’t receive the generous subsidies granted to large agribusinesses. I started eating a real food, organic diet just after I graduated college. Bad timing,…
Some words are just fun to say. Zoodles is without a doubt one of them. Say it with me now… Zoodles. OK OK so it’s not a real word per say (I mean, you won’t find it in Webster’s dictionary) but here’s a quick definition for you: Zoo·dle |zo͞odl| Noun. Plural noun: zoodles. A strip, ring, or tube of zucchini….
When you think of dandelions, you likely think of those straggly yellow flowers that speckle your lacky neighbors’ unkempt lawn. It certainly makes me think of my most hated summertime childhood chore: weeding. But it turns out one of the most common weeds, the bane of idyllic suburbia landscaping — the dandelion — is actually an herb that greatly assists…
It’s the simple pleasures in life… Like digging into a subtly sweet, smooth and creamy pudding after a long day. Or, even better: starting your day this way. Ooh OK wait, I can top that one: starting your day with a delicious pudding and knowing that you’re filling your body with nutritional goodies. This homemade and healthy vanilla and coconut…
Once upon a time, I ate a virtually fat-free diet. And I had so many newfangled “food-like products” to help me maintain this diet: Fat-free “cheese product” (what a sin) Fat-free hotdogs (no words) Fat-free potato chips (the bag warned that a main ingredient may cause the runs… yummy!) Fat-free nutrition shakes (“nutrition”… oh, sweet irony) And of course, diet…
FAT. Ooh, it feels like such a naughty word, doesn’t it? It’s as if just saying it aloud will automatically add inches to our waistlines. And animal fats like butter or lard? Instant cardiac arrest. At least this is what we’ve been wrongly led to believe for decades. It’s time we set the record straight when it comes to fat….
My sweet tooth, it’s been a-callin’. Actually, scratch that. It’s been SCREAMING AT ME. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been training to become a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and it’s been great. I’ve been learning a ton and putting it all to good use… on myself, of course! So since we recently finished a module on detoxification, I decided to…
In the perfect world, we’d all be able to buy EVERYTHING organic ALL THE TIME. Or really, in the perfect world, there wouldn’t be any need for “organic” — food would be food and that would be that. But the world is not perfect. And as much as many of us wish we could buy all of the food on our…
Rainbow sprinkles make everyone happy. It’s a verifiable fact. Don’t believe me? Just go ahead and give the grumpiest person you know a bowl of (organic) ice cream covered in rainbow sprinkles. You’ll get a GIANT smile in response. So like I said, verifiable. 🙂 BUT WAIT! Those typical rainbow sprinkles that you buy at the store are chock-full-o’-nasties. Here…
On Thanksgiving, it’s all about the side dishes, baby. And while cranberry sauce is my main squeeze, stuffing is a close second. But like cranberry sauce, most store-bought boxed stuffings are filled with some very very questionable ingredients. Exhibit A: Ingredients: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), HIGH FRUCTOSE…
Everyone has their Thanksgiving favorite, and mine is cranberry sauce. Hands-down, without a doubt, no ifs, ands, or buts… cranberry sauce. The day just wouldn’t be complete without it. Now I grew up eating the jellied cranberry sauce that pops out of the can with the ripples on the sides and slides around the plate when you try to slice…
Halloween is a frightening day… for real foodies, especially. All of those GMO ingredients and artificial colors and refined sugars!? Just the thought makes me want to crawl under my bed and hide until it’s over! But in all seriousness… this day does pose quite the dilemma for the health-conscious. Healthier Halloween Candy Guide to the rescue! Are these candies…
It’s PUMPKIN SEASON! (That is meant to be read in an Oprah voice. Check out this video montage if you have no idea what I mean so you can get the full effect of my excitement for this season.) Now pumpkin shouldn’t just be relegated to jack-o’-lantern making, seasonal lattes and craft beers, and pie. Because this veggie is not…
Fall is officially upon us, my friends. The kiddos are back at school, the days are getting shorter, and the leaves are starting to turn. And with the fall comes cold and flu season. Stuffy noses, scratchy throats, achy bodies… ugh. In the words of the YouTube-famous fire-escapee Sweet Brown, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.” Now we’ve already talked…
I’m something of a mason jar enthusiast. Remember my DIY foaming mason jar soap dispenser? I mean, mason jars are just so versatile! It’s a vase, it’s a drinking glass, it’s a leftover food container… no, it’s a mason jar! Plus they’ve got that whole classic-vintage-chic appeal going on which really no one can resist. And of course, the best…
I’m not a coffee drinker but someone who I love very much and live with is. Big time. One of those “I DESPERATELY NEED THIS BROWN LIQUID, GIVE IT TO ME NOW” types, in fact. Now for a while, I was able to turn a blind eye to the coffee creamer housed in our fridge (after all, I don’t use…
Every superhero deserves a super cool name. And why should superhero status be relegated to just buff dudes in tights? What about all of the unsung heroes out there? Don’t they deserve superhero status and a super cool name to boot? And I’m not just talking about the cat that saved the kid from the dog or your local Fire…