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 [...]

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 [...]

By Natalie Greggain, Contributing Raw Food Editor
Note: The Succulent Wife is thrilled to welcome Natalie Greggain of Purely Juicers as a raw food expert & contributing editor. Yeah!  Natalie’s upcoming articles will certainly demystify raw food and juicing practices while providing all the essential tips & tricks on how to easily introduce raw foodism into our complicated lives. Stay tuned for more how-to articles on raw food and juicing along with some pretty fantastic (and easy) recipes.
Raw Foodism has been around for centuries but it has become increasingly popular over the last 5 years. I find that whenever the [...]

I ain’t no researcher, but the results of this new study sure sound like something I want to hear: “Study suggest probiotics may affect metabolism” …
TORRANCE, Calif. (Jun. 3) Results of a new study published in the journal Molecular Systems Biology showed probiotics have a tangible effect on metabolism — suggesting that the digestive flora may provide weight loss benefits in addition to helping to maintain digestive health.
Researchers from Imperial College London and Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, fed mice two different strains of probiotics, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Each strain showed a range of biochemical effects [...]

I discovered the now-my-favorite-spice when visiting Turkey last year. We were served some variation of “tomato and cucumber salad” with sumac at every meal. I loved it. I knew I had tasted the spice before in Lebanese cooking but had never bothered to find out what it was. That is, until I got addicted on day 4 of the trip and then just had to know. Sumac is an essential spice in Arabic cooking, greatly enjoyed for its tangy, sour and astringent taste. The Sumac berries are dried and crushed into a coarse dark purple-ish-red powder. Evidently, I bought a [...]

I discovered this product, haphazardly, by surfing the infinite web and reading an article about the  Miracle Noodle® on NaturalNews.com.  A noodle with ZERO calories, ZERO fat and less than one gram of carbs per serving? Just rinse and eat? Are you kidding?

The too-good-to-be-true alarm went off for a second, but knowing the natural advocacy zeal that burdens NaturalNews, I was pretty sure there was no BS here. Indeed not.
Turns out that the “miracle noodle”, aka Shirataki, has been around in Asia for quite some time.

Just in time for Easter (April 12), these almost-too-pretty-to-eat cookies embody the gentle feel and sweetness of spring. What a great gift to send to a faraway loved one or to offer to your Easter Brunch hostess. The four elegant sugar cookies come individually wrapped and are set in a gift box, ready for gift-giving. You can order these until April 6th.
After that, you might want to continue referring to the Jewels of New York site simply to explore their marvelous seasonal, classic and *free* recipes. Gorgeously captured foods that reflect all the comforts and sweetness of home.

I ran into Chris Sack’s Great Lakes Tea & Spice booth at a recent trade show. I was immediately stopped in my tracks as all my senses came alive as I neared his booth. It was scented of all the marvelous teas and spices that were on display in their elegant and colorful packaging. I’m a little crazed when it comes to exotic spices, finishing salts, fancy sugars and chichi imported teas. And I could tell that Chris was too.  I felt right at home.
For Chris and his wife, Heather, it all started with a love for foreign travel and [...]

Seriously. Best. Chocolate. Cake Mix. Ever. And, as if anyone would ever know the difference, it’s gluten-free. No one in my family has celiac disease, but I do try to stay away from gluten whenever possible. In my case, it just makes me swell (ankles disappear) and for the kids, my homeopath trained me years ago to limit gluten products whenever any of us was sick or had a cold. Gluten is glue and makes everything in our insides stick.
So, all that to say that I’m always on the lookout for – tasty – gluten-free alternatives. I was shopping at [...]