Salad

What do you think of when you hear the words “Fourth of July”? Most people think of fireworks, picnics, family, and, of course, food. Dishes like potato and pasta salads, burgers and hotdogs, fried chicken and corn-on-the-cob, and even strawberry shortcake can be a fun way to celebrate a once-a-year occasion, but most traditional dishes are full of processed grains, high in sugar, and saturated with dangerous hydrogenated oils and trans fats.

Nothing beats a nice summer BBQ with fresh, seasonal foods and good company. Even when you're not at a BBQ or special occasion, you can still bring in the bounty of summer with these four recipes. All of them incorporate in-season produce. I highly recommend going to the local farmers market and picking up the ingredients for these recipes from there, as it will enhance your dishes greatly.

We've all heard how good it is to eat seasonally, but sometimes it can be hard to know what to do with seasonal produce. After all, once you find out what's in season, how do you concoct that into a healthy meal? Well, thankfully, I'm here to help. I do my best to eat seasonally, so I wanted to share with you some of my go-to recipes for the spring. These four spring dishes will make your mouth water and bring a new appreciation to seasonal foods. After all, plants that are in season taste so much fresher and tastier than in other seasons.

For centuries, the people of Mexico have used the flat leaves (or pads) of the prickly pear cactus as a food staple. The pads, called nopales, come from the family of cactus known as Opuntia ficus-indica and are an economically important source of income throughout Mexico. 

Nightshades contain some of the world's most poisonous and beloved plants all at once. Potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers are all related to belladonna (deadly nightshade), jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), and mandrake, yet we love eating them!

Sprouting seeds is a smart and healthy way to use up any leftover seeds you may have from your garden. Sprouted seeds have been recorded as being consumed and grown over many centuries. Not only does sprouting seeds provide a quick way to grow and provide fresh vegetables, but it also allows for a way for food to be grown indoors during the cold weather.

In this New Year, a lot of people plan to become a healthier bunch, and the best way to do that is through the food they eat. Exercise is incredibly important, but diet may play an even larger role in determining how healthy you are and can be. With a little help from some inspirational tips, you can easily trick yourself into becoming accustomed to leading and loving a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

While others curse its arrival in spring, I applaud it. The spunky little dandelion is a first flower for nectar-hunting honeybees. It pains me to see homeowners yank it from their yards, not only because they are eradicating an important food source for pollinating insects, but because the little plants can offer so much before their fluffy seeds are scattered to the wind!

The agave plant ranges from the southwestern United States down through Central America to the northern regions of South America. It is the same plant that is used to make tequila. For centuries, the native peoples gathered the plants and removed the leaves to extract the sap from the core. They boiled the sap to form a thick nectar. Agave nectar did not find its way into modern America until the 1990’s when the process of hydrolysis could be applied to the agave. This process heats the extracted agave juice in a mass production, making it a viable commercial product.

October is, without a doubt, the best month out of all 12 of them. The weather is pure perfection because I greatly appreciate a slight chill. Even just looking outside of my window right now is picturesque. I mean seriously—is it a life-size painting or my front yard? I could be biased because I’m such a Halloween fanatic, but it truly is the best 31 days of the year. If the cozy-up weather, fall foliage, and ghosts, ghouls, and goblins haven’t convinced you that nothing beats October, let the produce do the talkin’.