Food

Clean Snacks for Road Trips and Hikes That Actually Keep You Full

Aug-2-2026

The best road trip and hiking snacks have three things in common: they don’t require refrigeration, they hold up in a pack or glove box, and they actually keep you full and energized rather than producing a sugar spike followed by a crash two hours in. Here’s what actually works. The Energy Chemistry Snacks dominated by simple sugars (candy, most granola bars, fruit leather) produce a fast blood glucose spike and a corresponding fast drop. For hiking where you need sustained energy over hours, or for driving where staying alert matters, you want slower-digesting combinations: protein + fat + complex…

Located in: Food, Food Health, Travel By: Diana Rhea

How to Host a Low-Waste Potluck Your Friends Will Love

Jul-23-2026

A potluck is already one of the more sustainable ways to host—shared cooking reduces the load on any one person and naturally limits how much food gets prepared versus consumed. Adding a low-waste lens to the logistics doesn’t complicate things; it simplifies them, because you’re mostly substituting real dishware for disposables and asking guests to bring containers for leftovers. (more…)

Located in: Eco Home Life, Food, Food Health By: Brian Hean

How I Make Fermented Carrots at Home

Jun-20-2026

(And Why My First Batch Changed How I Think About Gut Health) The Story Before the Jar I’ll be honest: the first time someone handed me a jar of homemade fermented carrots and told me they made them for gut health, I was skeptical. Sounded complicated. Sounded like something could go wrong. I stuck with store-bought sauerkraut and called it a day. But after writing our guide on gut health and real fermented foods, something shifted. I stopped reading about fermentation and actually made it happen. I picked up the right equipment, got carrots from the farmers market (more on…

Located in: Food, Health By: Brian Hean

Simple Natural Gut Health Habits for Daily Wellness

Jun-15-2026

Think of your microbiome like a garden. You don’t control every seed, but you absolutely control the soil, water, and sunlight. I learned this the hard way. For a while, I followed the probiotic supplement trend—capsules, powders, the whole thing. But my gut got worse. More bloating, constipation, that heavy feeling after meals. It wasn’t until I shifted to real, whole foods that things changed. Turns out, my microbiome didn’t need a magic pill. It needed actual food. (more…)

Located in: Food, Health By: Happy Hippie

Beginner's Guide to Sustainable Seed Saving

Beginner’s Guide to Seed Saving: Grow Your Own Future Harvests

Jun-12-2026

A story about seeds and belief: My sister planted a peach pit as a kid. Everyone made fun of her—said it wouldn’t grow, that she was wasting her time. Years later, that peach tree was thriving in our family yard, blossoming every spring and producing amazing fruit. Sometimes the simplest things grow into something extraordinary. Seed saving is like that. It’s not complicated. It’s not for experts. It’s just giving seeds a chance to become the next generation of your garden. (more…)

Located in: Food, Gardening By: Cody Brown

Healthy Snack Ideas to Boost Afternoon Energy

Nov-7-2025

Beat the Afternoon Slump with Healthy Snack Ideas: Quick, Nutritious, and Delicious Options We’ve all been there – it’s 3 PM, and your eyelids are staging a rebellion against your good intentions. Welcome to the afternoon slump! That familiar feeling of fatigue and longing for a burst of energy can often lead us to make less-than-ideal snack choices. But fear not! Research shows that you can tackle the afternoon slump effectively with the right snacks. Let’s see how combining quick, nutritious, and delicious options can help you achieve sustained energy, mental clarity, and satisfaction—all while supporting your health and eco-friendly…

Located in: Food By: Dawn Ribiera

The Hidden Price Of Food Spoilage: How Waste Drains Our Economy, Planet, And Health

Nov-7-2025

Food spoilage is one of those quiet, invisible losses that society absorbs daily without realizing its full scale. From uneaten leftovers to unsold produce, millions of tons of food are discarded every year, leaving behind far more than empty plates. The consequences ripple across economies, ecosystems, and communities in ways few recognize. Economic Strain Beyond the Trash Bin Spoiled food represents a direct financial loss for producers, retailers, and households alike. Farmers lose revenue from crops that never make it to market, while grocers absorb costs from expired stock. Globally, food waste drains hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The…

Located in: Food By: Dawn Ribiera

Eco-Friendly Kitchen Cleaning with Non-Toxic Tips

Nov-1-2025

The Best Natural Ways to Clean Your Kitchen Without Chemicals If your kitchen could talk, it would probably scream, “Please don’t! That herts.” Today, we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting into natural kitchen cleaning that actually works. The kind that cuts grease, lifts stains, and leaves your space feeling fresh without the harsh fumes or unlabeled “bonus” ingredients. Here’s the big idea, right up front: The best natural ways to clean your kitchen without chemicals involve using ingredients like white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, unscented soap (such as castile soap), and herbs. These unsung heroes do the heavy…

Located in: Eco Home Life, Food By: Diana Rhea

Exploring Three Meals vs. Grazing for Better Health

Oct-15-2025

Three Square Meals vs. Grazing: What’s Healthier for You? The debate over whether it’s healthier to eat three square meals a day or to graze on six small meals has been a longstanding one—think of it as the Rockies vs. the Appalachians of dining strategies. And, like any good debate, there’s a wealth of research that brings interesting insights into both approaches. Let’s embark on a delightful journey through the land of meal timing, where we explore the latest science, expert opinions, and the all-important “you” factor in deciding what might work best for your lifestyle. (more…)

Located in: Food, Health By: Dawn Ribiera

Eco-Friendly Family Meal Planning to Cut Food Waste

Sep-15-2025

Families can significantly reduce weekly food waste by planning meals, using proper storage techniques, managing leftovers creatively, and involving the whole family in waste reduction efforts. You know that sinking feeling at the end of the week when you discover a slimy bag of forgotten spinach, half an onion turning weepy, and bread ends that have become toast’s sad ghost? Been there. More than once. Food waste doesn’t just smell funky. It stings our wallets, steals our time, and leaves a heavy mark on the planet. But the fix isn’t a guilt spiral. It’s a few easy shifts that stick.…

Located in: Eco Home Life, Food By: Cody Brown

Sustainable Beeswax Wraps for a Zero Waste Kitchen

Sep-6-2025

DIY Beeswax Wraps in 2025: Melt Beeswax, Resin, and Oil into Cotton Fabric to Make Reusable Food Wraps Open my kitchen drawer and you’ll find the evidence. A half-used roll of plastic wrap clinging to itself. A guilty tangle of spent baggies. Lids without containers. It used to stress me out, and not just because that clingfilm never actually clung to the bowl I needed. It was the waste. The slow drip of single-use items into the trash, then into the broader world. That drawer told the story of a habit I didn’t love. (more…)

Located in: Eco Home Life, Food By: Dawn Ribiera

Eco-Friendly Weekly Plan to Cut Family Food Waste Fast

Sep-5-2025

Families Can Reduce Food Waste Every Week in 2025—Here’s the HappyHippie Game Plan Picture this. It’s Sunday night. You’re doing the classic fridge shuffle. A half bag of spinach is doing its best impression of seaweed. A lemon you forgot to cut. Three rogue yogurts that somehow migrated to the back, as if they were planning a secret meeting. You sigh. You hate throwing food away. It feels like tossing money and good intentions right into the bin. (more…)

Located in: Eco Home Life, Food By: Diana Rhea