Pull up a chair. Let’s jump straight in with an epic example of lifestyle contrast:

National Cheeseburger Day is celebrated every year on September 18. No doubt, plenty of cheeseburgers will be eaten on that day when restaurants offer discounts on one of America's favorite foods. Even when the delicious sandwich is not discounted, the price is affordable and consumers end up eating them often.

From meatless meatballs to crispy tenders, Gardein blesses vegans with some of the tastiest meatless meats around. Their products have become a staple in my house, especially when I want to make my version of vegan Puerto Rican Pastelillos!

At the foot of the Sandia mountains in the American Southwest lies the small urban community of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

There is so much about Boston that I love, and there are so many reasons as to why I would visit Boston again. The city is rich in history and full of culture. For just a quick trip, like a weekend getaway, Bean Town is perfect! My last trip was for the weekend, and it was a blast. I loved visiting the historic landmarks. My favorite part about the visit, however, was all the great Boston food.

After a long search, I finally have a new job! With this new opportunity comes the challenge of figuring out a strategic way to get the right fuel I need every day. With a new schedule and always being on the move, I need easy, healthy food to nourish my body. That’s why I’m so excited to try Daily Harvest, a weekly or monthly plan that incorporates healthy and organic fruits and vegetables.

In my kitchen, Elvira is starting to stretch herself, expand herself, push herself up against the confines of her jar and reach toward the lid settled lightly above her. A few hours ago I took her out of the fridge, added rye flour and water, gave her a gentle stir, and set her on my counter. Now, I peek under her lid to see how she’s getting on. Hey, Elvira, I say. Looks like we’re nearly good to go.

A few weeks ago, I brought a few bags of Bohana into the office to share with coworkers. Needless to say, everyone was intrigued by these funny-looking, little, round, puff balls.

Wave Soda boasts few ingredients, but the ones they use pack a punch. Before I read more about the flavors and beverage, I expected this one to be more like a natural soda (similar to Hansens), but it’s different, in a good way. For me, the definition of this drink sits between being a sparkling juice and being a soda. If I were to parallel it to another (excellent) brand on the market I’d say it’s closest to Spindrift. Sparkling juices don’t seem to have harnessed the right carbonation to juice ratio, and the fizz sparks a little more than the fruit juice does... sparkling juices haven’t been perfected yet. I’m willing to argue about this, but the facts (my opinions) remain. Across the board, in a universal sense, sparkling juices haven’t gotten the formula right. Soda has that perfect ratio, usually in part due to the devil ingredient high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is probably one of the most controversial food ingredients, and concern about it has only increased over decades. While some soda brands (like Hansens and Wave) are proud not to use it, other beverage brands (like Snapple), sneakily put it in their beverages and include it under the tricky umbrella of “natural ingredients.” Though around 2013, Snapple claims to have removed high fructose corn syrup from its beverages, there’s no way to know for sure—because of that “natural ingredient” listing. I could talk about this more, and will in a later post, but for now I’ll stick to the matter at hand.

It is amazing how many popular foods and drinks are available for consumption today that were created by accident. Little do most people know that many of those items were not invented by deliberate design but by an accident that caught the inventor by surprise.

We all have those thoughts that make us feel a little bit guilty. Starting to realise you don't like your children as people? Confused as to why you daydream about tax evasion and why it turns you on? Contemplating arson as a hobby? I mean, who doesn't!

Anthony Bourdain lived many lives in his too-brief 61 years on this planet.

Like Florine Mark before her, Valerie Bertinelli is on my list. It's an exclusive list of two people—well, it used to be three but Kesha has redeemed herself in my eyes. Also like Florine, Valerie has no idea who I am and doesn't care that I'm unhappy with her.

There are certain foods that people don't like after tasting them. There are some foods people don't like because of the way they look. There are some foods people don't like because of the way they smell. Then there are some foods people refuse to eat because they were forced to eat so much of it when they were young. They vowed to never eat that food again when they grew up and left their childhood home. They said when they make their own money, they would eat what they wanted and not be forced to eat what they didn't like. Many of those people have kept the promise they made to themselves long ago and still refuse to eat certain foods today.

National Cheeseburger Day is celebrated every year on September 18. No doubt, plenty of cheeseburgers will be eaten on that day when restaurants offer discounts on one of America's favorite foods. Even when the delicious sandwich is not discounted, the price is affordable and consumers end up eating them often.

There's a town that sits up the coast from Santa Barbara, CA, called Santa Maria. It's where I grew up. Known mostly for its agriculture and touted as a retirement community, there wasn't much to hold a young and restless girl here at the time of graduation... except family, friends, and the great tradition of Santa Maria Style BBQ.

Society has made it hard for anyone with dietary issues to easily make the changes needed for them to manage their dietary problems, and to live a normal life. The FODMAP diet is a perfect example of this because of the fact that many of the foods on the list being acceptable are either too expensive, or too hard to find because of where they come from. It is hard for anyone to make a healthy change to their diet, because it is cheaper to find processed and unhealthy foods than it is to get healthy foods. I speak from personal experience.

This tale starts with a word of caution, when your good friend who will likely be skipping through fields of self-cultivated weed well into his late years gives you a plant, expect it to grow.

Today we are going to tackle a tricky question of snacks for weak wine. Whether you are having a hen party, stag party, or you are a birthday girl or boy, you need a lot of beverages and, of course, snacks to go well with them with no messy clean up to worry about afterwards. Also, they are meant to need no fancy ingredients. So, our top priority is something store-bought or easily whipped up. Pairing food with drinks can be a lot of fun for your party and there are a lot of amazing snacks to serve with wine. First off, your snack should only be about 100-200 calories. Snacks aren’t meant to satisfy every wave of crave, or keep your company while lonely, or make you feel better about your most recent break-up. They are to keep your metabolism running, and hold you over until your next meal. Store-bought variants to gulp down are great in number: buffalo wings, chips, pizza, but all of them can tell sadly on your health. As we poison our body with wine, our snacks are expected to provide some health benefits! And here come chicken-based meals! A must have for people keeping fit or losing weight! So perfect texture, rich flavor, low calories and, not the least, a real bargain in a shop! It's absolutely everyone’s all time favorite, matches almost any beverage, and is quick to cook! Among my personal choices, I can advise stuffed chicken breast, grilled chicken breast recipes, and pan fried chicken breast. They are most likely to fight off your hunger without giving a feeling of overeating and at the same time enrich the flavor of the wine. And these are the easy skills to master! Weak wine is a natural match for chicken snacks, playing against the salty heat of the breast and the crunch of the skin!

Some people confuse baked beans with pork and beans. However, it is hard to believe anyone can get them mixed up, considering there are some major differences between the two dishes. They both contain navy beans, but there are some major differences between them, mainly because they do not include the same ingredients, and they are not prepared the same way.

Many people like muffins and cupcakes. Some people like cupcakes better than muffins. Some people like muffins better than cupcakes. Then there is another group who says they don't care, as long as they have something sweet to eat. Even though muffins and are cupcakes are delicious desserts, they are different.

Some people think Swiss cheese is produced only in Switzerland because of its name. In spite of the name, the Swiss cheese that Americans eat is produced primarily in the United States and Canada. Over 297.8 million pounds are produced in the United States every year.

Skinny Bitch Diets. Supermodel Diets. Cabbage Soup Diets. Soup And Salad Diets. What do they all have in common? Less food, right?

In the pursuit of convenience, it is important not to sacrifice safety when choosing your cookware. Favored for their convenience, nonstick cookware is easy to use and clean; however, how safe are they? Recently, the safety of cookware has been called into question, because of the materials used to make them. In regards to nonstick cookware, there is reason to be concerned about how safe they are to use for cooking. Nonstick cookware is made with various metals and chemicals that can potentially pose a risk to your health. In small amounts these materials are safe to ingest, but for your safety it is important to know the proper maintenance of nonstick cookware to use them for as long as possible, and to know when to replace them.

Foods rich in essential nutrients like minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants keep your immune system healthy. Medical experts suggest loading up your plate with fresh vegetables and colorful fruits during flu season. Did you know that deeply colored veggies and fruits are rich in antioxidants as well as nutrients to guard and increase healthy human cells responsible for fighting infections?

It is amazing how many popular foods and drinks are available for consumption today that were created by accident. Little do most people know that many of those items were not invented by deliberate design but by an accident that caught the inventor by surprise.

I love coffee almost as much as I love chocolate. Now, I drink about two cups of coffee a day, whereas chocolate is more of holiday thing. I buy chocolate for Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. Then again, when it's on sale after the holidays, too. I know I can't survive without either of my favorite vices for any length of time.

What food your family should have on hand for an emergency depends on the tools you have. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that you have a manual can opener and serving utensils but no other items, such as a propane burner. Check out these items for cheap and easy hurricane—or other disaster—prep.

I used to dabble in gardening just enough to appear to be good at it. Then, I stopped. I'm starting up again with green, leafy goodies.

Almost all consumers have had fruits go bad between the time they take them home from the grocery store, and the time their family consumes them. Here are some tips to help you prevent your fruits from going bad. In fact, the tips will help you keep them fresh until your next purchase.

For the pizzeria industry, every day is a special day to eat pizza. It is a popular food for kids and adults. However, there are about a dozen national days throughout the year to celebrate certain types of pizza. You might want to mark the following days on your calendar because some restaurants and pizza parlors give away free or discounted pizzas on national pizza days.

As the autumn season comes this way, we wouldn't miss seeing apple trees in bloom. Once again, it is this time of the year when the perfectly sweet scent of apples in the air tickles our senses. Apples are considered one of the most favourited fruits of people from all over the world. Why don't we learn some interesting facts about this naturally healthy and delicious fruit?

When people think about lemons, it is usually in connection with making lemonade. There are so many other uses for lemons that some cooks might not have thought about. Lemons are sour, but still delicious. They add a powerful kick to many foods and drink other than just lemonade.

The question of whether organic food has any merit as a healthier alternative is a controversial one. The reason for this is because it should be healthier in theory, but you should be keenly aware of the fact that produce is defined as organic within certain parameters, and a willing grower of these groceries can find holes in these parameters in order to save money, and still retain the required stamp of approval. Still, the bottom line is that the organic variety truly is healthier most of the time, so it really ends up being a question of whether the quality corresponds fairly to the increase in pricing. In order to be certain about this conundrum, you should just take a look at seven benefits of switching to organic food.

What do you know about Sap!? Before trying these drinks, I knew little to nothing about it. In my head, I always confused it with maple syrup. I’m aware that these two things are in fact, different, but I never had a reason to seek out any answers. I guess it was just one of those things I was comfortable in my confusion of. I knew it was sticky and came from trees. That’s as far as my knowledge went. So when I saw the Sap! variety pack of maple seltzer, maple soda and sparkling birch, I thought I could use this as a learning experience.

Recently, I was thinking about alcohol. I don’t drink, and the main purpose of my beverage blog is to introduce products and recipes that are not alcohol-focused. I don’t enjoy drinking, because I don’t like the feeling of being hungover, and I don’t enjoy the post-drinking haze that sets into my brain. I feel foggy, uncoordinated and like every motion I make through the day is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Alcohol effects different people in different ways, but I actively choose not to have it as part of my life. What other people do is none of my business, and I have no opinion on what other people choose to do with their bodies. That being said, I’ve noticed an influx of drinks lately that tout having relaxing effects. I’ve tried a couple of them (reviews to come later), and my overall experience with them is that they simply make me sleepy. Tired and relaxed are different feelings for me, and I like to keep them separate. I’d yet to discover a drink that made me feel effectively calm without loopy side effects where I felt too tired to even walk across the room in a straight line. I think those beverages have a time and place, but that feeling isn’t “relaxation” for me. If I wanted to feel like that, I could just take two melatonin and watch cartoons until I rolled over and passed out face-down in bed. I wanted to explore something different.

I love Halloween. When else can adults have a legit excuse to play dress up and indulge in candy and face painting without people thinking we're crazy. It allows us to have fun with our children and enjoy the beautiful colors of the changing season. It also gives us the excuse to watch more scary movies (not that I need one).

At the foot of the Sandia mountains in the American Southwest lies the small urban community of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

There is so much about Boston that I love, and there are so many reasons as to why I would visit Boston again. The city is rich in history and full of culture. For just a quick trip, like a weekend getaway, Bean Town is perfect! My last trip was for the weekend, and it was a blast. I loved visiting the historic landmarks. My favorite part about the visit, however, was all the great Boston food.

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. We start our journey here because this is where I lived until fairly recently and, after six years, I got to know the place. I know, it gets a bad name, and it was certainly not my favorite place of residence, even if I technically lived across the river in Kingston; but there are silver linings in all situations and my six years did not defy the pattern. I had the great fortune of living near my best friends and, more importantly for the subject of today’s post, I ate lots of food. Mmmmm. There are some delicious places to stop by if you're in the area.

Japan is vibrant country full of amazing sights and celebrations but I want to share with you a meal so amazing I came back for it twice. In Shibuya, Hachiko square is a small resteant called Cona.

Nashville isn't known for its burgers, but there is no shortage of unique burger options on the menus of local restaurants. These 10 are setting the bar mighty high with their original recipes and flavors.

Pull up a chair. Let’s jump straight in with an epic example of lifestyle contrast:

From meatless meatballs to crispy tenders, Gardein blesses vegans with some of the tastiest meatless meats around. Their products have become a staple in my house, especially when I want to make my version of vegan Puerto Rican Pastelillos!

So, you are thinking of going totally vegan. You've been having second thoughts about the environment, saving our planet, your health, feeling sorry for the animals, your weight, etc.