We are so much more “aware” consumers nowadays and we want to know what – exactly what – we are putting in our mouths, on our skin, in our homes. Is it healthy? Is it safe? Is it sustainable? Thanks to the GoodGuide, we can now verify this information on over 70,000 food, toy, personal care and household items.
While still in beta mode, the GoodGuide already “provides the world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home.” It analyzes and rates food, personal care products, household cleaners and [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
Before Christmas I went to visit my BFF Anne-Marie in Chicago and she treated me to a chocolate tour she found on Groupon (she loves Groupon and wrote all about it here). It was a walking tour of downtown Chicago and it was a wonderful way to see the city while sampling some amazing chocolate treats. One such treat was a delightfully and creatively delicious chocolate bar from Chocri, a German company that customizes chocolate bar(s), each made-to-order. At the time, the company had not yet launched in the U.S., but Chocri is here now, [...]

As if my schedule was not crazy enough already these days before Christmas, I’ve also been planning a wine & cheese event for 40 in January. Then, I remembered that our dearly beloved (being entirely facetious here) movers lost the box (among many others in this highly frustrating experience, the only stain on an otherwise very happy move to Chicago) which held my ClinQs, my favorite way to help my guests keep track of their drink glasses. ClinQs are reusable “sticky plastic” drink stickers that come on a peel-off sheet. Just place them back on the sheet when you’re done. [...]

For all the crazy running around caused by our “obligations” to the season, there are many rewards. One of them would be the abundance of the bubbly stuff, Champagne if you’re a purist, or some much more affordable sparkling wine like a Prosecco (which Audrey wrote about here).
It’s when I saw our son attempt to pop our Champagne for a party last week that I realized that some of us need some training in the art of uncorking and pouring the bubbly. It’s not supposed to happen as it does in the movies. No, the cork should not fly across [...]

I love kitchen gadgets. Almost as much as I love shoes. And isn’t this foodpod by fusionbrands the most adorable thing? I love fusionbrands products: the sleek look, cool silicone, fun image… and they make kitchen gadgets (love the foodloop). But this latest arrival, the foodpod, a rubbery yellow sea urchin like contraption, is something that you never knew you really needed… It’s great for boiling, blanching steaming anything that needs draining. No more fishing around the pot trying to get out the eggs unbroken and your fingers intact… Here’s the video. Not because you don’t understand the concept, but [...]

By BR Thomas, Guest Contributor
Sports Drinks for Hydration and for Taste.
Most sports drinks in the stores are just empty calories, chemical additives, disposable plastic bottles and unnecessary costs. Some of us are drinking bottled water, but that still has the problems of disposable bottles and costs per gallon greater than that of gasoline! We all need to be well hydrated to keep our bodies functioning properly, but what should we drink to achieve that goal?
Sports drinks provide water, sugar, salt and flavor. Sugar and salt in sports drinks are needed only for intense workouts longer than 1 hour to [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
When I was a kid, my favorite salad dressing was Thousand Island. It was the only dressing that I would put on my salad.  As I grew older, my taste evolved and I also became more health conscious. Every once in a while, however, I crave the taste of my childhood favorite. During a recent visit to Whole Foods, I saw a whole line of yogurt based salad dressings by Bolthouse Farms in the refrigerated section. Including Thousand Island! After putting on my reading glasses to check the tiny print of the nutritional information, I [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
This summer, my mother-in-law, Betty, came to visit us and brought a package of  Salba® with her for me to try. She knows that I put wheat germ and ground flax seeds in everything – from muffins to meatballs – and thought Salba has even more health benefits than those two combined. Hmmmmm… could that be possible?
Not that I don’t trust my mother-in-law’s judgment, but I had to check this out myself. So this is what I found out. According to the website, Salba is the richest whole food source of Omega 3 fatty [...]

I love it. The Whole Foods Market Recipe iPhone app is not exactly new (it’s been out since June of this year), but if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s a great one. Not just because it’s free. But mostly because now, I’ll probably never again find myself wondering what’s for dinner. I love that a highly visible brand such as Whole Foods expands its brand’s goodwill by providing useful “toys” such as this one.

This application provides recipes through some pretty smart filters: I can search for recipes by course (I’m always stuck for good ideas for appetizers), category (”Quick [...]

I know, it doesn’t take much to get me excited, but I do love kitchen gadgets. And take a look at these … For anyone who has spilled the beans, literally, when trying to pour out of plastic bags, you know how useful these bag caps will be. I’m really thinking of bulk or raw foodist shoppers who know that trying to pour anything from the flimsy bulk-foods-department plastic bags is an accident waiting to happen. These are also fun for the kids who might now have incentive to actually close the darned chip or cookie bags.
Here is a list [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
I went to Italy with a girlfriend of mine last spring.  Lori was there to do research for her book and I gladly tagged along as her, ahem, “research assistant”. Lori has traveled to Italy on many occasions and is quite familiar with the Italian fare. She introduced me to the Italians’ answer to sparkling wine: Prosecco is dry, lemony and frizzante! I was hooked on my first sip. It was a perfect drink after a full day of walking around Rome. Italians consider it the ideal apperitivo. It is also, of course, used to [...]

By Natalie Greggain, Contributing Raw Food Editor
If you read my last article on Raw Foodism (here), you are well aware that I am a firm believer of balance in your life. In my opinion, you will only ever be able to truly enjoy the succulent things in life once you have your health figured out. You need to get to a place where you can feel good about yourself every single day and develop a lifestyle that does that for you; that would be one where you’re not constantly counting calories or constantly feeling hungry.
Getting there can take a lot [...]