If you have ever spent any extended amount of time 'back east', you know that diners are omnipresent eating institutions. While California knock-offs do their best with burgers, fries, and shakes, East Coast diners - be they in old train cars or the random building on the corner - have a special something. Ever since a young age I was suspicious of mystery meat, so my favorite diner meal was always a grilled cheese with … [Read more...] about Poutine: The Best French Fries With Gravy You’ll Ever Meet
Do You Have A Stressed Or Nourished Metabolism?
If you're anything like me, you may have times in your life when you wonder if your metabolism is broken. You may have thought, "What's with that odd collection of weight around my middle [or another area of the body] that I never had before and won't seem to go away regardless of what I do?" You cut out grains (or fat or meat or sugar), which worked for a while...until your jeans got tight again. You took up spinning … [Read more...] about Do You Have A Stressed Or Nourished Metabolism?
How To Stock Your Holistic Travel Remedy Kit
In my last post, we talked about travel vaccines and whether they're a smart precaution, or more harm than good.Whether or not you choose to immunize yourself, it's a good idea to also carry your own arsenal when you travel - just in case. When I pack up my family (or myself) for a trip, I always include a little holistic travel remedy kit in case we start to feel under the weather. The last thing you need while traveling - … [Read more...] about How To Stock Your Holistic Travel Remedy Kit
Grandma’s Blueberry Muffins
Whenever I think of grandma's blueberry muffins, I get the warm and fuzzies. During the hot and humid Pennsylvania summers we used to spend a day picking blueberries, filling huge buckets with tiny berries while eating probably just as many. We'd come home happy with inky fingers, and my mom would freeze bags and bags of our bounty, so that mid-winter she could whip up a batch of grandma's blueberry muffins on a whim. I … [Read more...] about Grandma’s Blueberry Muffins
Travel Vaccines: A Smart Precaution or More Harm Than Good?
Recently my family and I traveled the world for nine months. Because of this, you can bet I have done my research when it comes to travel vaccines, and here's what you need to consider... If you've been reading Holistic Squid for a while, you may be surprised to learn that I don't live in the anti-vaccine camp. I do, however, feel that we need more information and consciousness before we just nod our heads to a battery of … [Read more...] about Travel Vaccines: A Smart Precaution or More Harm Than Good?
All-Purpose Citrus Splash Spray For DIY Cleaning
When I was a pre-teen, my best friend, Jes, and I figured out the way to my mom's heart (and how to get her to agree to just about anything). We would go gang-busters cleaning the house. We'd start with the kitchen, and dumped Soft-Scrub with bleach on every surface, wiping until they came up glowing and free of juice stains. We'd use Scrubbing Bubbles on the showers and toilets. We'd Windex the windows until they shone … [Read more...] about All-Purpose Citrus Splash Spray For DIY Cleaning
Flexibility in Yoga – A Potential Liability for Women
When I started doing yoga in Philadelphia in the 90's there were no special outfits and way fewer gurus. We got together in converted garages and living rooms wearing old clothes to sweat, breathe, and find some inner peace. It was during this time I learned how to stand up straight and quiet my mind by simply focusing on breath - two skills that have transformed my life for the better. I also discovered that I was super … [Read more...] about Flexibility in Yoga – A Potential Liability for Women
Chocolate Whoopie Pies With (Honey-Sweetened!) Raspberry Buttercream Filling
Here are two facts: 1) Holistic Squid will never be a site devoted to baked goods. 2) If you find a sweet treat here, it's because it's really, really good. I don't know how bakers do it. I nearly killed myself perfecting these chocolate whoopie pies - or more specifically, the honey-sweetened raspberry buttercream filling. I figured I would substitute powdered sugar with a homemade version using mineral-rich sucanat, … [Read more...] about Chocolate Whoopie Pies With (Honey-Sweetened!) Raspberry Buttercream Filling
7 Surprising Foods to Balance Your Hormones
As a grown up, I've become somewhat of an expert in hormones, but I really wish I understood more about women's health growing up. Those sex-ed classes were pointless. And as a teen, my hormones were a hot mess. Dermatologists assured me there were no specific foods to balance hormones to improve my awful acne so I was prescribed antibiotics and retin-A instead. I had mood swings like hurricanes, and my monthly periods … [Read more...] about 7 Surprising Foods to Balance Your Hormones
Savory Fish Pie with Cauliflower Crust
Being married to my very own Bloke for almost a decade, I've learned quite a bit about British culture. Don't tell my relatives, but some of it I just don't get. Fawlty Towers, mincemeat pie, and pathological politeness (if you know what I mean, you know what I mean) all cause me to raise an eyebrow in complete confusion. After a few less-than-impressive pub lunches, I wasn't too keen on English cuisine, either. But the … [Read more...] about Savory Fish Pie with Cauliflower Crust
Protect Yourself from Radiation Exposure With One Commonsense Step
Worried about radiation exposure? Accidents at nuclear powder plants – like the one in Fukushima – might have you avoiding seafood from the West coast. But before you put on your radiation suit, it’s important to understand what radiation is and how it affects you. Nuclear Radiation 101 Before you put on your radiation suit, it's important to understand what radiation is and how it affects you. The most common radioactive … [Read more...] about Protect Yourself from Radiation Exposure With One Commonsense Step
Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
I don't know about you, but I think homemade ranch dressing is one of those good ol' American comfort foods that makes everything twice as good. It's a lovely dressing for a simple mixed green salad, and, of course, ranch makes an awesome dip for veggie slices, indulgent fried foods, and even sandwiches. I worked for many years in the restaurant industry, and I've read labels on every ranch dressing I could find in … [Read more...] about Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing