The Best Acai Bowls in Boston

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I love acai bowls! They're fruity, sweet, refreshing, creamy, and have some yummy crunch from the granola.

I love the combination of different textures and flavors from the blended fruits, chopped fruits, and granola. I love that they make a perfect breakfast, snack, or light lunch. I love that they're portable and delicious and satisfying without weighing me down or making me sleepy (the opposite of what a lunch should do, especially on a work day).



NYC is an acai bowl heaven, but I've been in Boston all summer and am making the move here (or, rather, Cambridge) full time in just a few short weeks. Luckily for me, moving to Boston might mean that I give up some of my NYC favorites (at least unless I move back some day) like Juice Generation, Magic Mix Juicery, and Juice Press. But I don't have to give up acai bowls!

There are several places in Boston where you can get an acai bowl. Here are my two favorites!

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Top Seven Tips for Taking 'Me' Time This Holiday Season!

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The holiday season is my absolute favorite time of the year and the absolute best time to make special memories with friends and family and all your loved ones. I have family Christmas memories from over a decade ago that I still treasure more than anything else!

Being reunited with loved ones is such an amazing feeling!

That said, many of us can find that the holidays can get a bit hectic. That's no fun! It's all about striking the ideal balance between participating in the festivities and taking some much needed, and equally enjoyable.

Read on for my top seven tips for taking some precious 'me' time this holiday season!

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Healthy Holiday Hacks: Top 5 Tips to Handle Never-Ending Days + A GIVEAWAY!

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I love the holidays! Everything sparkles, people smile more, and there's a general sense of happiness, community, and togetherness that is (sadly) not as pronounced during the rest of the year.

Also, decorations!

I know people like to whine about Christmas decorations going up too early and Christmas carols playing on repeat everywhere from the day after Thanksgiving on, but I love all of that!

What I don't love is the hectic that can sometimes be associated with the holidays. No one likes feeling stressed out, but sometimes the happiness of the holiday season can be tainted by hectic back-to-back scheduling.

Read on for my top five tips to survive those inevitable never-ending days without turning into a stressed-out Grinch!

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Review: Bella Viva Orchards Gift Boxes

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The holidays are just around the bend and with the holidays comes the gifting season. While many of us think of the December holidays (in particular Christmas) as the main gifting days, and I'm among those who feel that way, Thanksgiving is also a gifting holiday if you're attending someone else's holiday dinner!

Throwing a Thanksgiving dinner takes a lot of time and effort. Showing your appreciation for your host's efforts by bringing along a thoughtful gift is not only a nice thing to do, but also encourages your host to continue hosting future Thanksgivings. 

My favorite thoughtful host/hostess gifts for Thanksgiving are gifts that are relevant to the dinner. Bringing a healthy, delicious, and prettily packaged option for pre-dinner munchies is thoughtful and helps your hosts out. I really like the Bella Viva Orchards Organic Gift Crate as that perfect present!

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Recipe: County Fair Apple Pie

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Before I get to today's dessert recipe, I have exciting news to share.

The Princess Games was released today! 

King Winkle and Queen Periwinkle have a problem. They need a princess, and they need her fast. With the upcoming peace-keeping marriage between Prince Linus of Branninia and the princess of the fair Kingdom of Hoggenbottom, it's a bit risky to admit they don't have a princess.

Instead, they decide to host The Princess Games. Soon enough, the fairest maidens of the land are gathered in front of the castle, fairy-godmothers in tow! With a goofy king, an obsessive compulsive advisor, and a fairy godmother whose spells do whatever they want, these games are about to get interesting.

Even if Emma and her clumsy Fairy Louise can manage to do well in the competition, she'll have to get past the expert spells of Fairy Faye and the beauty of Laralyn, who is intent on pleasing her ambitious mother at any cost.

Check it out on Amazon!

Okay, back to the food - I may be a city girl now, but that doesn't change that I grew up in North Carolina. Carolina girls love pie!

Whether you're a southerner, a northerner, a mid-westerner, or something else entirely (I realize I didn't mention most of the planet), I am sure you can enjoy a good pie. And if you can't you just haven't had really good pie yet!

Whether you need a recipe for a dessert for a dinner party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just because, this apple pie recipe is a simple and delicious way to convert your friends and family to the pie side of life! 



It's sweeter over here.

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Healthy Snacking with Go Raw

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I love snacks. Yes, I'm 22 years old but no, there is no such thing as too old for snacks. Crunch-munch, munch-crunch.

In addition to being a yummy way to lift your energy levels, snacking provides an excellent opportunity to pack a little extra nutrition into your day. Don't waste the opportunity!

One of my favorite healthy snack brands at the moment is Go Raw. As the name suggests, their products are raw vegan and focus on whole food ingredients with healthy fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins, etc. They're also delicious!

Let's start with their dark chocolate, because it's delicious and because what's better than healthy chocolate?

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5 Exotic Apple Variants

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Apples are The. Best.

Think I'm wrong?

                                                   

I have a very real obsession with apples. My favorite varieties include Crispin, Pink Lady, Envy, Fiji, and Jazz apples, more or less in that order.

But here are some exotic apple variants you may not have heard of yet! I haven't even tried all of them yet, but hopefully some day.

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Recipe: Spiced Mango Jam

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Breakfast foods are, hands-down, my favorite kinds of foods. Breakfast for dinner is de rigueur for me and I love it!

With summer just around the bend, and the hot, sunny days in NYC making it feel like summer is already here, here's a spiced mango jam recipe that summery and fun! 

I'm going on a Eurotrip this July (whoot) and even though I'm not going to Finland, I decided to make this snack/breakfast Finland-inspired.

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The Best Acai Bowls in Hawaii!

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Summer, and summer break for those on an academic calendar, is rapidly approaching. It's the perfect time for a cyber getaway - to Hawaii! I had the most amazing vacation of my life this past fall. I went to Hawaii (a split stay between Oahu and Kauai) for ten days with my (then) boyfriend!

It was expensive, but so worth it. Hawaii is the frickin' BEST.

Hawaii is stunning, fun, peaceful, relaxing, multicultural, rich in biodiversity, and also incredibly delicious! I highly recommend saving up and going some day, even as a once in a lifetime trip (it's a perfect, and popular, honeymoon spot).

Anyway, if you do manage to go, here's a ranked list of the best acai bowls in Oahu, Hawaii!

Hey, researching this was tough work. But someone has to do it ;) 

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My (Food Processor) To-Do List!

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I got a food processor for Christmas from my parents! It's red, mini, and adorable.

D'awwwwwww.

Now that I'm thoroughly versed in the art of food processing nuts into plain nut butters and frozen bananas into creamilicious nice cream, it's time to branch out with some more involved recipes!

Aka things that can actually be called recipes.

Here's my food processor to-do list!

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Review: Nakd Bars

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I love bars. They're convenient, (often) yummy, shelf-stable, backpack-friendly, TSA-approved, safe for sharing, and perfect for donation if you come upon a surprise food drive or a hungry person in need of help. 

For those who follow non-traditional diets like the raw vegan diet or a gluten-free diet, however, it can be hard to find a yummy bar that fits into your diet! You'd be surprised by how many protein bars are not vegan (I was surprised) and if you're raw vegan it's a real rarity to stumble upon a bar that you can eat.

Nakd bars are a great bar option that are vegan, raw vegan, gluten-free, healthy, and well portioned for snacking.

Even those of us who don't follow those special diets will enjoy them! I did.

Nakd bars are from the UK, but readily available to healthy snackers in other countries, too, through an easy-to-use online ordering site.

The bars ship quickly and arrive in a cardboard box (within a larger mailing package with padding that perfectly protects the bars from breaking or getting smushed in shipping). 

You can order an assortment of bars, like I tried, if you're new to Nakd bars and haven't chosen flavors yet. 

First, your snack compliments you. Then you eat your snack and it's delicious. Then you have the energy from the healthy, natural snack and, in the long run, become more gorgeous (setting you up for the cycle of snack box compliments to continue) from the healthy fats of the nuts in the bars. Those healthy fats are great for your skin and your hair!

The cycle of happy Nakd bar snacking is the perfect snacking experience, really.

The bars come in a large assortment of scrumptious flavors, each more delicious than the next.

The bars all look more or less the same, except for different coloring between the flavors, but the flavors are diverse. The Caffe Mocha was one of my favorites - it was lightly chocolatey with a strong coffee flavor. Yum! It tasted like a candy bar.

Unlike a candy bar, however,  Nakd bars are made of just nuts, dried fruits, soy crunchies, fruit juice, and spices. 

There's no added sugar, it's just solid plant-based nutrition!

Bars made of nuts and dried fruit bars are, by nature, rich and dense. A lot of fruit-and-nut bars are thus quite heavy for a light snack, especially for children. Nakd bars are portioned well for that little peckishness or for an on-the-go snack for kids. If you're hungrier, you can pack two!

Have you tried  Nakd Bars?

What are your favorite snack bars?

Do you prefer chocolate-y or fruity bars?

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The Perfect Mother's Day Gift!

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St. Patrick's Day and the official start of spring have come and gone. Easter is right around the bend and, before you know it, that will have passed as well.

And then, just like every other year, you'll wake up one morning in a panicked frenzy and a cold sweat - it's the day before Mother's Day and you don't have the perfect gift for the best mom ever yet!

Don't worry. This post serves as a reminder to get your Mother's Day gift squared away early, so that you can prevent that.

I recently got to try a month's delivery from ClubsGalore and I'm convinced that a lot of moms would be beyond thrilled to receive a subscription to a monthly club this year! 

I received a March delivery from the Fruit of the Month Club and this is what awaited me when I opened my cute Fruit of the Month box.

Be still, my heart.

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Koochikoo - the Cutest Cookies Review

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I would choose sweet over savory any day, but sweet tends to be less healthy than savory.

After all, sugar isn't known for being stomach-friendly in large amounts, nor is it particularly good for your skin, energy levels, or even long-term mood.

Koochikoo Cookies are all the sweet of normal cookies, but without sugar. They're also free of artificial sweeteners and thus actually healthy, as well as free of weird aftertastes (unlike most other sugar-free cookies).



Instead of weird chemicals, they're sweetened with monk fruit and organic agave inulin!

They come in small bags of about four servings each and each serving is multiple cookies, because the cookies are small rounds.

They're nice crunchy cookies and perfectly sweet and rich!

My favorite are definitely the Blissfully Chocolate Brownie Cookies, because they're just soooo chocolatey (they're way more intensely chocolatey than they look). I love chocolate!



Another added nutrition bonus (since the taste alone will more than sell these with kids and really anyone) is that the cookies are made with whole wheat flour!

They're certified vegan, made with organic ingredients, non-GMO, verified kosher, and an excellent source of fiber. YUM.

I'm their new biggest fan, because they're really making healthy delicious. As it should be!

Which flavor sounds best to you?

Do you prefer chewy or crunchy cookies?

Do you like all chocolate cookies or chocolate chip cookies better? All chocolate, but with chocolate chips too (like these), are the best IMO.

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Tips For Healthy Hydration With Hint

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Hydration is a huge topic in the hot summer months and it's really no wonder, since the scorching temperatures can make thirst really apparent and the effects of dehydration even more extreme.

Now that the weather is cooling off, people think less about hydration and reminders to drink regularly are no longer posted all over the subway and the internet.

But it's still important to hydrate! Especially with back to school and schedules picking up, it can be easy to forget to drink as much as you need to. But proper hydration is important for organ function, overall health, skin health, sleep, mood, and general well-being!

Here are some trips for staying hydrated this fall!

Drink a smoothie in the morning.

Some people have trouble drinking water first thing in the morning, but something sweet and with a thicker consistency can be easier to stomach.

A large mixed berry smoothie is a great way to get hydration, nutrition, fiber, and more. It's delicious, easy to drink, and a great option for those who aren't big fans of water in the morning.

Don't forget a banana or two for creaminess and a potassium punch - potassium is also important for maintaining a healthy water balance in your body!

Eat more fruits and veggies.

Did you know that apes barely ever drink anything? It's because they eat such water-rich foods that they really don't need to!

Okay, they're probably not enjoying vegan ice cream piled with fruit (see the yumminess above) or delicious Whole Foods salad bar hodgepodges (see below), but the point is that everyone's water needs vary. and a large part of that is how much water is in your food and how much you sweat.

If you sweat a ton and rarely eat any fruits or veggies, you probably need more water - if you barely sweat and/or you eat a lot of produce, you might not need as much.

Listen to your body, but don't wait until you're parched!

Flavored water.

I recently got to try Hint Fizz, a carbonated flavored water from Hint Water, and really enjoyed it!

There are many different delicious flavors, but they are all all-natural and unsweetened.

They're not sweet, but they have a hint of fruit flavor and are carbonated.

Ultimately, drinking water is a wonderful way to hydrate and even those who don't enjoy plain water can enjoy water - without the unnatural sweeteners or loads of sugar that make it unhealthy.

I can't decide which one is my favorite, but watermelon tastes like a bit of summer and strawberry kiwi is delightful. I bet it would be my little sister's favorite, I have to give her a bottle to try!

What's your favorite way to hydrate?

Do you prefer Hint or Hint Fizz?

What's your favorite Hint water?

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Kid-Friendly Nutrition: Fruigees Review

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Guys, I have exciting (food) news - Fruigees now has a shelf-stable product that's available across the USA!

While this is pleasant news for everyone, it's particularly awesome news for parents and babysitters of kids who won't poke a stalk of broccoli without breaking into a wailing tantrum. 

Fruigees are a sweet, creamy fruit snack...with veggies hidden in there! You honestly can't taste the veggies at all, all three varieties are very fruity and sweet and taste just like their hallmark fruits. 

I expected to love the Cherry, followed by the grape, and not be too wild for the carrot orange, but I really couldn't rank them. All three were delicious, so naturally sweet, and creamy! 

I loved them chilled from the fridge, especially on hot days, but they're even a great snack at room temperature. That's perfect, because it makes keeping one or two in your handbag as an emergency snack really convenient.

Did I mention that they're really good for you? Here's a close up of how good:

Fruits and veggies and vitamins...and an awesome taste! These are perfect for back-to-school, any kid who finds one in their lunch bag or snack pack is a lucky kid.

Oh, and they're totally vegan, certified kosher, non-GMO, certified organic, gluten-free, have no added sugar, contain nothing artificial, and provide 100% of your daily vitamin C content. Happy snacking!

Do you like fruit snacks?

Are you into spiced applesauce or do you prefer original?

What's your favorite shelf-stable snack?

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Smart Snackin' - The Chia Co. Chia Pods Review

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Chia seeds absolutely exploded in the healthy living blogosphere a few years ago and have since seeped out into the real world, with chia seed snack bars now lining standard supermarket shelves and chia seeds appearing on (healthy focus) cafes and restaurants in everything from the standard chia pudding to cookies and even salads and breads.

While the takeover was certainly sudden, it's not much of a surprise. Flaxseeds have been popular since at least the '70s, especially among healthy eaters, vegetarians, and those follow heart-healthy diets, and chia seeds offer many of the same benefits, along with a host of their own.

Image from SFB

They're definitely good for more than growing chia pets with!

Chia seeds:

   - May naturally treat type 2 diabetes by slowing down digestion and thus preventing blood sugar spikes.

   - Pack a mean fiber punch! About 1/3 of an adult's recommended daily intake in one serving.

   - Support brain health with their 5g of omega 3 fatty acids per serving.

   - Provide 18% of the recommended daily calcium intake to prevent osteoporosis.

   - Great source of manganese, an essential mineral that supports bone health and helps with utilization of biotin, thiamin, etc.

   - Also a great source of phosphorous, which is important for cell tissue growth and repair.

   - Loaded with protein, which is important for your muscles and keeping you satisfied!

   - Stabilize blood sugar, which may help improve fat distribution by decreasing belly fat accumulation (which, in excess, isn't good for your heart).

   - Sleep soundly, because chia also packs in the tryptophan!

   - Improve heart health by lowering bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol
Source: Huffington Post

Image from WFNF

After seeing them on the shelves, I recently got the chance to try The Chia Co's Chia Pod snack!

Though the company is Australia-based, their Chia Pods are readily available in four flavors in US grocery stores (check your local Whole Foods if your usual supermarket doesn't sell them yet).

The four flavors are: vanilla, mango, blueberry, and banana.

Spoiler alert: they were all delicious! I started with the blueberry chia pod.



The consistency is hard to explain - it's less thick than a traditional pudding and pearly. I think chia pudding is a bit of an acquired taste in general, but these are nice and sweet, so it's easy to acquire!

I love the convenient packaging! They're perfect for a brown bag lunch or a snack for the train. The spoon is under the plastic cap and it's an adorable spoon. The lid also makes it resealable if you get called away from your snack - which makes it great for busy work days!

The mango and vanilla were both great, too - the fruity flavors were quite fruity and all of the snacks were sweet, filling, and nutritious. They're great for summer, because they're healthy and don't make you feel weighed down.



I was surprised to find that the banana was my favorite, though - it really reminded me of banana bread! I ate it with walnuts and a crumbled banana nut muffin and it was fantastic!

They also have coffee bean, dark cocoa (sounds awesome), strawberry, and lemon & date, but I'm not sure if those are in the US. Hopefully soon, if not!

Why? Because the ones that are already here are yummy. And good for you!

Have you tried Chia Pods?

Which flavor sounds best to you? 

What did you do over July 4 weekend?

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Getting Revved On Juice!

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Want to try some juices that are actually just pure vegetables? Curious, or you really have no sweet tooth?

On Juice has juices that are the truest to the idea of a pure vegetable green juice that I have seen in all of my juice sampling.



They have a variety of juices that you can order individually or as part of their juice cleanses (as well as several cleanse packages that are designed to allow you to combine solid food and their juices - perfect for busy people, pregnant women, etc.) and there's something for everyone.

If you're into milder, sweeter juices, you'll enjoy juices like their Sublime (a mild green juice lightly sweetened with apples) or their Lemon Aid.

The Lemon Aid is pretty amazing, it's a sweet and spicy lemonade where the kick of the cayenne pepper and natural sourness of the lemon combine delightfully with the sweetness of the agave nectar to  create an energizing, refreshing mid-afternoon pick-me-up. This one is great to add as a daily drink, even outside of a cleansing routine!



The Unbeetable is a beet, carrot, and celery juice that, unlike other root juices, isn't mixed with fruit juice. It's more intense because of that, but quickly becomes an acquired taste with the interesting flavors of the ginger and lime!

The Upskale, on the other hand, takes quite a bit of adjusting. I am not at all a routine sweet juice drinker and prefer vegetable juices to fruit juices, as I find that fruit juice can become kind of cloyingly sweet when you're drinking a lot of it. But this one, along with the Deep Green, were even a bit much for me!



I ended up sweetening both of those with agave nectar myself and then found that they were quite taste. I think the addition of the chlorella to the Deep Green is what made it have such an unusual, and intensely green, flavor - but it's a drink where you feel yourself getting healthier as you drink it!

Placebo effect? Perhaps a bit, but there's no doubt that you're flooding your body with nutrients and that's never a bad thing. Ordering some juices to keep in the fridge and drink here and there is a great option.



Unlike a lot of other natural juice companies, these juices don't expire after just three days and it's thus not necessary to drink them back-to-back, as in a cleanse. There's no pressure to finish your juices fast with this, so you can drink them as you please!

I love that self-determination. After all, I like having things my way.

It's recommended that you drink the juices within 6 days for optimal nutrient content, but they stay good for three weeks. That's great news to me, because it means you can order an assortment of your favorite juices and keep them in the fridge so that you can have a juice here and there, whenever you notice that you're feeling a little bleh or haven't had much produce in your diet lately.



Each juice is about 200-300 calories of powerful nutrition (the label is only for half a bottle, but you're intended to drink the whole thing at once).

It's perfect for this time of year for that very reason!

How often do you drink juice?

What's your favorite kind of juice?

What drinks are in your fridge right now?

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A Natural Energizer Review

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Vega makes all sorts of delicious vegan bars, (ridiculously delicious) SaviSeeds, and shake mixes. But they also make great vegan sport mixes, including energizing drink mixes for any kind of athlete.

A lot of those gummies and shakes and special sport formulations are designed for crazy intense athletes who run 6+ miles a day, or bike for over an hour, or lift two hundred pound weights. But what about those who'd just like a light extra boost before a long walk around the park or a quick bike ride?

What about all the normal people?

When I'm busy and could use a little extra energy to get everything done, but don't need a marathoner's gummies and don't want a chemical-filled, half-toxic energy drink, there's a bit of a void in the market.

SPOILER ALERT: It doesn't taste good.

Vega's new Vega Sport Sugar-Free Energizer drink mixes seek to fill that void with plant-based energy (no chemicals: they're sweetened with stevia, not some chemical sweetener).



They're low in carbs and calories (5 per mix) so they're not a substantial snack or anything like that, but just designed as a quick pick-me-up. Mix one packet into a glass of water 20 minutes before the start of your short workout and enjoy a little extra energy! Or just have one at the start of a busy day and they'll make running errands a bit easier.



The mixes are designed with women in mind and intended for light workouts, like a yoga or pilates class that's under 60 minutes in length, where you don't need to pre-fuel with lots of extra calories or carbs but would still like some extra energy.



There aren't harmful ingredients with unpleasant side effects, since the mixes are all natural and plant-based. You can drink one a day before a little yoga or before your errands without worry. The drink emphasizes natural anti-inflammatory support from ginger, turmeric, and devils claw, as well as electrolytes for muscle function and mobility.

The natural stimulants and herbs, like green tea, yerba mate, ginseng, and rhodiola, have adaptogenic properties for mental clarity and focus during coordination based activity.

Sounds like it would be handy for yoga to me!

Dear goodness.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the taste very much. I know it's all natural and has all the great benefits listed above, but it just didn't taste good to me - it tasted artificial and not bitter, but just...strange.

I had a bit of a tough time finishing my glass.

Would you use a product that's great for your energy but tastes bad?

What do you have before a workout?

Do you tend to work out or live actively without organized exercise?

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