5 Foods to Help Against Spring Allergies

Allergies can really put a damper on a beautiful Spring day. Runny/stuffy noses do not go well with sundresses. There is no real cure for allergies and it seems like Claritin works less and less the more you use it. So here are some foods to help stop inflammation and tame your allergy symptoms to get you through the rainy months.

1. Turmeric

Turmeric contains Curcumin which is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Turmeric is easiest absorbed when eaten with fats, so feel free to eat with coconut milk for a curry, sautéed with oil in a stir fry, or sprinkled into guacamole.

2. Red Fruits

Fruits like grapes, berries, tomatoes, and apples are all great anti-inflammatory fruits that are rich in antioxidants. The vitamin C in these fruits is also helpful in giving your immune system a boost and acts as a natural antihistamine. 

3. Red Tea (Rooibos)

Red tea is a smooth and mild caffeine-free tea that has been known to help with pollen allergies and rashes. Some say rooibos also helps control asthma and other respiratory ailments.

4. Nuts

Packed with Omega-3s and vitamin E, nuts help cut down on inflammation and relieve allergy symptoms.

5. Garlic and Onions

These stinky flavor boosters are packed full of Quercetin. This flavonoid also helps stop immune cells from releasing histamines, so get a breath mint and add a little extra garlic to your dinner! 

Summer to Fall Smoothie Guide

Smoothies are easy to make, efficient, raw, and packed with nutrients. In the summer fresh fruit is everywhere and you can find it for cheap on the $2 rack at the farmers market. 

With fall approaching the summer strawberries are turning in to apples and pumpkins. But fear not, you can still make great smoothies all year round for a reasonable price. 

Tips to Making Cheap Fall Smoothies

1. Use frozen fruit.
   Frozen fruit is frozen when it is perfectly ripe. This means it’s sometimes a little better than the produce you find shipped in from South America. You can also cut back on adding ice since the fruit is already frozen.
   Surprising Tip:You can sometimes find frozen fruit cheaper at Trader Joes
2. Buy in Bulk.  If you prefer fresh fruit, buy in bulk. (tips on fresh produce smoothies below*)
3. Add Veggies. While a lot of fruits are going out of season, a lot of new veggies are coming back. We got spinach, squash, pumpkin and lots of other great flavors to start experimenting with for your fall green smoothies. 
4. Swap Fruit to Fit the Season. Don’t worry you don’t have to have spinach smoothies til next June, switch to fruits that are in season. The fall means cranberries, melons, pears, plums, and apples are freshly available, experiment and see what’s ripe for you ;)

**BONUS TIPS FROM A CHEAP SMOOTHIE EXPERT

Jacob Sworeheath is a young professional living in Philadelphia on less than $100 a week. These are his tips for great smoothies all year long:

I like to get as many nutrients out of a smoothie as possible so I always use an orange juice base and usually only raw fresh fruit. Sometimes I put raw spinach leaves, or carrots. If you do that, you have to use soy milk instead of orange juice, because the combination is too strong if you use OJ with spinach.

Normally I buy 2 lb of strawberries a week. I drink one every day. If I miss a few days, I will cut the tops off the strawberries and put them in the freezer. Frozen fruit is a great option. If you have some fruit that is about to go bad. Just freeze it and try it in a smoothie. I’ve used plums, nectarines, peaches, cherries, and other weird fruits which were about to go bad. Sometimes you can find them for cheaper. Make sure to cut them before putting them in the freezer.

Flax seed is something that I WISH I put in every smoothie because it is so healthy …but cleaning it can be a pain, and I just forget to buy it usually, it might be expensive?
 (Flax seed is usually $1.50/lb and can be stored in the freezer-CV) 

Jacob’s go-to smoothie:

• 1 cup of OJ
• 5 strawberries
• 1 banana
• ice

Cheap, Fresh, Local.

The purpose of this blog is to help people figure out ways to incorporate whole foods in to their diet without spending too much money. There is a perception that eating a vegan diet is very expensive compared to an omnivorous diet. The fact is there are plenty of easy ways to go vegan and eat well on a budget. One of the best and healthiest ways to do this is to cut out the processed foods and start eating more whole foods. Farmers markets are a great place to nab deals on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Most farmers markets offer a table of food at a reduced price like the one shown in the picture above. These are foods that are just a little past their peak but haven’t quite gone bad yet. This is a great option for those of us who want fresh local foods but can’t always afford produce at full price.

These cheaper produce options aren’t always the ones we would have chosen regularly. Use this as an opportunity to get creative and try new foods. Find recipes using any ingredient at www.vegweb.com. Just search the name of the fruit or vegetable and dozens of recipes will pop up.
(To find out more tricks about using vegweb click here)

At this farmers market we ended up buying 2 eggplant, 1 red pepper, 5 zucchini, and a bag of 10-12 lemons and limes for only $6! Perfect for pasta primivera and lemon pellegrino.

How to Save Money on Your Next Beach Day

Going to the beach for the the weekend gets really expensive. Between tolls, gas, parking, and beer, you can rack up a hefty bill. Here are some tips on snacks you can bring to the beach to save some money on eating out.

1. PB&B - While a PB&J is one of my favorite foods, just 1 tbsp of grape jelly has 16 grams of sugar! On an average PB&J I would usually use between 2 & 3 tbsp of jelly, equaling out to 32 to 48 grams of sugar! Using a banana instead of jelly is a great option. It’s also super cheap. A banana costs about 54 cents a pound. Buy a big jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread, and you have about 10 meals. Plus, this is easy to tote in a cooler or backpack. AND best of all, it’s not sticky!
   Check out this quick PB&B “taco” recipe.
2. Hummus and Veggies - It’s easy to snack on the wrong stuff at the beach. When you’re just laying around in the sun, it’s hard to put down the pretzels. So bring out the garbanzo and veggies instead. This low mess snack food is filling and nutritious. Plus eating foods with a lot of water in them like cucumbers, bell pepper, or celery keeps you hydrated.
3. Frozen Grapes - Freeze your grapes for a cool refreshing snack. Grapes don’t turn rock hard when frozen. In fact, they are surprisingly easy to eat. Freezing grapes also helps them last longer making it a great way to save the grapes that are starting to soften. Grapes also help level out our pH/blood sugar levels and are full of water. Making them another hydrating summer snack.
4. Tomato Pie - This may be a regional snack, but it’s great on the go and you can buy it by the lice. Tomato pie (image here) is simply a Sicilian pizza without cheese served cool. You can buy a whole pie or a slice from the bakery, pizzeria, or make your own before coming.
5. 3 Bean Salad - combine 3 types of beans with chopped vegetables such as onions, bell pepper, and celery. Then add red wine vinegar and seasoning of choice. (suggested: parsley, oregano, garlic, etc)
   Put salad in a big tupperware and enjoy a hearty salad full of protein.

Gluten-free Quinoa Oatmeal Replacer

feeds 2-3

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 chopped bananas
• 1 diced red apple
• 3 tbsp Raisins
• 2 handful walnuts
• Brown sugar optional
• cinnamon to taste

1. Soak quinoa for 5 minutes. Then mix quinoa in a bowl of 1 and 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil and seal with tight lid for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let it steam until no longer hard.
Add splash of non-dairy milk if you want a creamier texture.
2. Once everything is cooked add the rest of your ingredients and eat!

I Never Know What’s in Season.
This is a fun info-graphic letting you know some of the foods that are in season around the US.

This website is also good for figuring out what’s in season is here at Eat The Seasons.

Why to Eat In Season

1. It’s Cheaper! It’s in season and it’s grown near you. This means it’s all around easier to get a hold of, which is good for your bank account.
2. It’s Good for the Earth. Choosing foods that are in season in your area means that some truckload of food doesn’t need to drive hundreds of miles to get to your plate.
3. In general seasonal foods will be fresher, taste better, and have better nutrients. There are also less chemicals involved in keeping the food looking fresh since it has less distance to travel and is actually in season.

TIP*: Be sure to use farmers markets! The people selling crops know their stuff if you aren’t sure what’s in season around you. Plus! If you go at the end of the day you can sometimes get produce for cheap or even free.