blog

  • sarah britton’s sorrel hummus

    Hummus is one of those things that’s super easy to make but I think most people just tend to buy it instead. It takes about 5 minutes to blend up a nice batch of hummus and there are so many options for variety! The hummus recipe I’m sharing today is made with chickpeas but you can also use any type of bean or legume like mung beans, white beans or lentils. Adding vegetables or different spices can completely change the flavor as well so you won’t get bored of dipping your vegetables in the same old stuff.

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  • spring quinoa salad

    As I’ve mentioned before, quinoa salads are one of my favorite dishes to bring to family gatherings or parties because they are easy, filling, healthy and delicious! If you are unfamiliar with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), it is a gluten free grain-like seed that originated from South America. I love that it is versatile, easy to prepare and best of all is a complete protein; meaning it contains all nine of the essential amino-acids that our bodies need to thrive. Quinoa is also considered a valuable source of heart-healthy fats as well as packed full of vitamins, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

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  • my clean make-up routine

    What would you think if I told you that skincare products are not regulated and all of the ingredients don’t even have to be listed on the label? Not only that, but that most of these common ingredients are scientifically proven as hormone disruptors and can even increase your risk for cancer? It is in fact, true. When I first discovered how many toxic chemicals were lurking in my skincare products I was alarmed! The average woman uses 12 products containing 168 different ingredients daily and the average man uses 6 products daily with 85 ingredients. Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies and absorbs up to 64% of what we apply on it. The purpose of this post is to educate other women and men about the dangers of some common skincare ingredients that can damage sperm, interfere with normal child development and increase risk for breast cancer as well as other cancers.

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  • shaved asparagus salad

    One of the very first spring vegetables to emerge on the east coast is one of my favorites, asparagus! One cup of asparagus provides you with 100% DV of vitamin K and 67% DV of folate, both super important for women who want to become pregnant or are pregnant. It’s also an excellent source of copper, vitamin B1, selenium, vitamin B2, vitamin C and vitamin E. Asparagus is sensitive to heat so to get the most nutrition out of it, it’s best to eat it raw or steam it only for a few minutes. The first time I heard of shaving asparagus and eating it raw was probably six years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since!

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  • not sad desk (or sahm) lunch

    One of the things I love most about traveling is being inspired by the food! On my recent trip to Hawaii one of my friends told me about a great take-away place in Kona called Laulima Food Patch. If you are visiting the Big Island you must go there – they have awesome whole food bowls for breakfast and lunch. We stopped there as much as possible on our trip. I ordered their “wholey protein” bowl twice because the green goddess dressing was amazing! They used a buttermilk base so I decided to recreate a vegan version at home. This dressing will make any salad taste better!

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  • tropical green smoothie

    Aloha! I just got back on the mainland after two amazing weeks in Hawaii. Before leaving for Hawaii, I dreamed of the freshest and cheapest pineapples imaginable. Come to find out, pineapples are even more expensive in Hawaii than here on the east coast! I grabbed what I thought was a .99 cent Dole pineapple at a local grocery store on Oahu but my husband later pointed out to me it was actually .99 cents per pound! We did however score lots of free papayas and avocados which are basically considered weeds over there. Since I’m still in an island state of mind, I’d like to share one of my all time favorite tropical green smoothies with you which if you haven’t guessed, contains pineapple!

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  • roasted spring vegetables & brown rice

    I like the motto “cook once, eat twice.” Making a large batch of roasted vegetables and quinoa or brown rice and using it for multiple meals makes eating healthfully a whole lot easier. We are all busy people and if there’s not something healthy easily available, we’re much more prone to go without eating or buy something unhealthy on the go. Eating whole foods is as simple as chopping up a variety of seasonal vegetables, sticking them in the oven while your whole grain of choice simmers away on the stove, and there you have a handful of meals all ready to go!

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  • why buy organic?

    Why buy organic? What’s the point? Is it just a fad? Why pay extra? These might be some questions that have gone through your head when you hear the word “organic”. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t even need the word “organic” because everything just would be. Farms would work with nature instead of against it, creating symbiotic relationships between different types of animals and crops and the land. Unfortunately, the majority of farming in the United States is a monoculture, only producing a single crop or type of livestock and by doing so destroying the land and environment. So let’s dive into what this means in terms of our food and health.

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  • blender sweet pea pancakes

    I’m not one to celebrate holidays with kitschy decorations and such but I thought you all would appreciate a special post for St. Patrick’s Day. These green pancakes are a fun way to sneak vegetables into your kid’s breakfast (and yours). They’re mostly made of peas which are probably overlooked for their nutritional value. Did you know one cup has 15% of your daily value of protein? They are also a very good source of fiber, vitamin K, manganese, vitamin B1, vitamin C, copper, phosphorus and folate among others! Recent studies also show their unique phytonutrient content helps protect against stomach cancer.

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  • anti-inflammatory banana muffins

    I recently realized I haven’t shared any baking recipes with you here on ‘hello wholefoods’ so today I will change that! My family pretty much always has a steady stock of either a version of these banana muffins or breakfast bars (which I will share another time). These are easy to make and happen to be gluten free, dairy free, egg free, can easily be made nut free for those with allergies, and are kid approved by my 17 month old and by my 2 and 5 year old nieces! I mean, who doesn’t want muffins for breakfast?

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