Red Beans and Rice: Look out Popeyes!

As some of you who read my blog regularly may know, I’m a big fan of Popeyes restaurant’s red beans and rice. There is something about the creamy, smoky, spicy flavor that just hits the spot, and makes going into a fast-food place worth it every once in a while. But of course I’m also very into organic and healthy food, so I set out to find a recipe I could make at home with my own ingredients.

I found a… more

Diabetes and Endocrine Disruption: Connecting the Dots

I consider myself fairly well-read, and educated about health. I’ve researched the endocrine disruption effects of chemicals—that is, the ways that certain chemicals interfere with the production function of various hormones in our bodies. So I was shocked and surprised last week when I had an endocrine disruptor epiphany in the burn center at the hospital.

Neither diabetes nor endocrine disruption were top of mind for me that day. I was… more

Tags: Fitness and Health, Organic Manifesto

The Power of an Organic Hot Dog

This weekend I grilled approximately 450 organic hot dogs in the rain. It wasn’t easy, standing in the mud from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm (ow!) trying to keep a giant grill evenly hot (impossible), and catering to people’s varying desires for burnt or unburntness. But I now know most people do prefer a bit of burn to their dog (or as one volunteer at the end of the day said, “a hot dog needs a bit of crunch to it.”)

The scene was the first annual more

Come on Down to Our Organic Apple Festival!

On Saturday, September 12, the Rodale Institute will be holding its first annual Organic Apple Festival at the farm in Maxatawny, Pennsylvania. We have beautiful orchards of organic apples just waiting to be picked by you! Admission is free. Rain date is the next day.

The fun starts at 10 am and goes till 5 pm. And I will be there, cooking up organic hotdogs (generously donated by Applegate Farms) and dishing out… more

Health Care Debate: “Death Panels,” Health Insurance Reform, and the Truth

Amidst all the hysteria surrounding the health care debate, there is a shameless lack of clear thinking. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of seeing our healthcare system up close twice this past year, and let me explain what’s really going on. I think I found the smoking gun on the death panel accusation, and it’s not the doctors or the hospitals…and it’s… more

Tags: Fitness and Health, politics