We are so proud to be from Oregon. There are a plethora of great companies here that focus on being healthy and active, including some large, well-known international brands like Columbia Sportswear as well as small, family-owned artisan food and beverage companies like Minto Island Tea Company. If you're in need of some great gifts for the holidays, we have listed some of our Oregon favorites below.
Congratulations! You made it through Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday in one piece! I don't know about you, but it always seems like this time of year just shows up without warning, and all of the sudden, I'm deep into shopping for gifts and writing out lists and planning meals and figuring out last minute holiday travel plans. Compound that with a lot of family time (in an election year... eeek) and the pressure to have your house decorated *just so* and it's no surprise that we can often feel a bit stressed out around the holiday season.
The "queen of greens" is nutritious and delicious. It is low in calories and has zero fat. It is high in fiber, iron (kale has more iron than beef), vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, folate and magnesium. It is a strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detox food.
Today, we bring you a delicious raw kale salad that is easy to put together. We're not sure where it came from (it was a handwritten copy in one of our recipe books at home), but it has been around a while and we can personally attest to its great taste!
It's true -- Halloween gets us a little spooked, and not just because of the zombies, vampires and ghosts! No, it's because of the S-word (Sugar!) and what it does to our little monsters. Cookies, cupcakes, candy corn, peanut butter cups, malted milk balls, and jolly ranchers... oh my! It's enough to make any parent squirm. So, how can you make Halloween healthier for your family, or for the trick-or-treaters coming to your door?
'Tis the season for carving pumpkins and you know what that means? No, we weren't thinking of trick-or-treating and getting candy (although, let's be honest - candy is delicious and there's a time and place for it). We were thinking of roasted pumpkin seeds!
Sometimes you just have to say 'No' for the sake of your sanity. Find time to get away to do something for yourself and don't feel guilty about it. It's called self-care and here's why it's important:
It can be a bit of a struggle to make a quick meal that is also healthy. One of the go-to meals in our household is homemade pizza. And not just your everyday pepperoni and cheese homemade pizza.
The first week of fall has come and gone and the temperatures are cooling down (at least here in the Pacific Northwest). It's time to get out the long pants, the boots, and the sweaters (ooh, and scarves... they are the best!). It's also time to start making soups, specifically the best soup on the planet (we're not biased or anything): Curried Butternut Squash. We would even suggest lighting a fire in the fireplace before making this soup because fire in the fireplace + curried butternut squash soup = cozy bliss.
For those who work outside the home and/or have kids, you know the evening routine can get a little stressful. Everybody gets home – hungry and tired – and one of the responsible adults has to get dinner on the table in the midst of all the chaos. The first thing you do is look in the fridge to see what's in there and what you can throw together.
With school back in session, mornings can be a little crazy - rushing around, giving some gentle prodding (or let's be honest - yelling), trying to find lost objects (keys! shoes!)... Sometimes when you get to work, you feel like you've already had a full day's work! So, here are some tips to get everyone out the door with less stress: