Dani Spies

The once touted "newest" health food on the planet, soy, seems to be getting more and more negative press these days. 

Whenever I can find a tool that helps make "nutritional science" a little easier, I'm all over it!

This is definitely a time of year where the occasional sweet treat tends to show up more than occasionally!  So other than practicing moderation and portion size, how else can we avoid the highs and lows that can be the end result of those oh-so-seductive sugary sweets?  We can try cutting back on white, refined sugars and start experimenting with some more natural alternatives!

Here are a few examples of natural alternatives to white sugar:

Like many of you, I have become a big fan of the White Whole Wheat.  It’s basically a lighter (in both taste and color) type of whole wheat flour, so it’s a great choice when you are looking for the health benefits that whole wheat flour has to offer but are not looking for the heavier taste and hearty texture. 

When it comes to health and nutrition, I am a strong believer that we need to pick and choose our battles!  There are a lot of options, a lot of contradicting theories, and a lot of facts to sort through.  At the end of the day we all need to do the best we can and make the choices that help us to FEEL the best.

So it’s true…kale (and all other dark leafy greens) is the number one ingredient missing in the average American’s diet!! Kind of hard to believe knowing just how yummy kale is and knowing all of the benefits it has to offer!

Other than the fact that they are absolutely delicious, what else makes these gorgeous potatoes so darn good?!

Every time I eat a sweet potato I can’t help but be SO surprised at just how sweet they really are.  They are unbelievably sweet, which is how I suppose they earned their name;).

I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but every now and then I’m just “in the mood”.  I usually opt for a leaner cut of steak; ground beef wasn’t even an option in my mind.  I had kind of written it off as a super high fat, not so good choice.  

So you guys are probably familiar with raisins, cranberries, and dried cherries...but what about these guys??  Goji berries (aka wolfberries) aren't "new" per se, but they sure do seem to be the "newest" rage these days.

Basil is the herb of summer.  Some of its best buddies are; tomatoes, corn, and peaches.  And I don't think I need to remind anyone how well it pairs with pasta, garlic, and olive oil, hence it's well known role in pesto.