Category Reviews

Though we've started looking at Black Friday as a day to be feared, we can't help but admit the deals are too good to miss out on. Still, the stress of racing our (physical or virtual) shopping carts to check out is too much for us, so deals we can score now-before the chaos begins-are exactly the kind we need.

Squash is an undeniable fall favorite. Full of fiber, flavor, and comforting as can be, it's one of those ingredients that complements almost every dish. But there's a lot more to squash than slicing, roasting, puréeing, and serving as a soup or oil-drenched side. In fact, one of the best ways to serve squash is stuffed.

Even though there are endless ways to jazz up your morning oatmeal, sometimes it's hard to stomach the thought of boiling up and forcing down yet another bowl of the stuff. But don't abandon the giant bag you've got sitting in the pantry just yet. There are so many other ways to use the whole-grain powerhouse: Use them as a base for burgers, bake 'em into granola bars, hide them in chocolate truffles.

There's something special about rotisserie chicken. Perhaps it's the fact that it's always perfectly moist. Or perhaps it's the fact that obtaining it is as simple as walking into a store and safely shuttling it home. We're not sure anything is quite as easy and delicious as a plain ol' chicken. But rotisserie chicken's best feature isn't its flavor or ease, it's actually the many ways you can slice, dice, mix, and mold it.

In our opinion, cupcakes are the perfect dessert. Where cakes and pies can look too complicated, and cookies don't seem formal enough, healthy cupcakes are appropriate for any occasion, from office parties to weddings. These 25 cupcake recipes don't just satisfy everyone from the chocoholic to the fruit fanatic; they're also much healthier than most bakery varieties.

You know the importance of weight training, cardio workouts, and stretching, but how often do you think about improving your agility? Agility is the ability to move quickly on your feet, and incorporating this kind of training into your workout routine can help improve your speed, strengthen your lower body, and reduce your risk of injury.

Sweet potato casserole may not be a fan-favorite (or is that just us?), but ya gotta have it at Thanksgiving despite the mixed reviews you'll be getting from your guests/family/in-laws: Why are their marshmallows on top of vegetables? You used pecans instead of the fluff…? I'm confused, this is sweet enough to be a pie, but we are having it with the turkey?

Grandma, we love you, but we're sick of the goopy, gross canned mushrooms you use to make the green bean casserole every single Thanksgiving. Why don't you sit back and relax and let us cook for you this year? We're not sure if we want to make the classic to show you how simple it is to make the casserole sans canned food, or maybe go gluten-free since we know we'll have bloated bellies if we don't.

If you've ever considered (or tried) the Paleo diet, your first thought was probably, “ugh, another one with no bread?!” We feel you, it's a tough moment when you hear your beloved carbs must go. ICYMI, the Paleo diet cuts out grains and legumes in favor of a protein- and veggie-rich diet. Sure, Wonder Bread wasn't part of a caveman's diet, but that doesn't mean modern-day humans haven't found a way around the rules.

When you need to feed a lot of people at once, omelets, smoothies, or any of your other single-serving go-to breakfasts just don't cut it. These breakfast recipes will make any a.m. gathering you're hosting way easier on the host (that's you). Some dishes can be made the night before so they're ready to go when everyone shows up hungry.

If you're not already on the TRX bandwagon, now's the time to hop on board-it's a total-body workout that relies on gravity and body weight to turn regular exercises into next-level multitasking moves, and you can literally do them anywhere you have a good place to secure those familiar black and yellow straps to (a rafter, a door frame, even a tree).

Grab your sustainable grocery bags, because we're going shopping for vegan-friendly foods. When you decide to commit to a vegan diet (whether for good or for a select period of time), a key component to your success is setting up your kitchen with all things vegan. The good news is that you'll still be shopping for the vegetables, fruits, and grains you've already been purchasing, but you need to leave the yogurt, eggs, and chicken sausage at the store.

When it comes to eating healthyish, we can't say gravy falls into that category…not even the ish part. But how often are you really eating the fat-and-flour sauce unless it's Thanksgiving? We're going to guess not very often, but we also won't judge you if we're wrong. Since we can't imagine not pouring gravy over turkey (hey, it can help moisten dry meat if Mom overcooked the bird) and mashed potatoes, we threw together three different gravy recipes: Decide if you want the original recipe with the turkey drippings and butter, to go dairy-free using olive oil instead of buttah, or better yet, to please all the vegetarians with a mushroom-based recipe.

News flash: There are plenty of ways to cook up juicy and flavorful food without adding tons of unnecessary extras. While most people know to ditch the fryer when cooking up healthy meals, many don't think about how their cooking method affects the nutritional makeup of their entrée. Heat can break down and destroy 15 to 20 percent of some vitamins in vegetables-especially vitamin C, folate, and potassium.

There's nothing like a sugar hangover to slow you down…big time. Whether you rounded up the Reese's or savored the Skittles, the post-Halloween-sugar-crash struggle is real. Luckily, this week's featured foodie, Tasha Meys of Tastefully Tash, knows how to help us get back on track. From fritters to fruity spring rolls, these seven healthy recipes are exactly what we all need to slowly transition back to our healthy habits while enjoying every.

If you don't live under a rock, then you're probably well aware that cutting back your sugar intake is good for your health. The World Health Organization recommends reducing our free or added sugar intake to 10 percent of our calories per day. This means significantly limiting sources of added sugars like refined sugar, honey, brown sugar, agave, maple syrup, and the like.

If you're like us, just thinking about HIIT makes you sweat. HIIT, short for high-intensity interval training, is quick-usually 10 minutes or less-but painful. Still, we do it because we've been told HIIT is the best way to burn calories, lose weight, and get a healthier heart.Metabolic Adaptations to Short-term High-Intensity Interval Training: A Little Pain for a Lot of Gain?

I'm a recovering people-pleaser and I know the recovery will take a lifetime. Why do we care about pleasing other people so much? In short, we want to be liked. We wanted to be accepted. And we don't want other people to think badly of us. It's a vicious, never-ending way of life, because people are always going to ask things of us.

You may notice that many recipes, packaged products, and restaurant menu items proudly advertise themselves to be “vegan and gluten-free!” But take note, those two terms aren't one and the same. In fact, they refer to two totally different diets. A gluten-free diet excludes all sources of, well, you guessed it, gluten.

Once upon a time, a titan named quinoa swept across the globe and started dominating all kinds of recipes. We understand why: It's full of protein, fiber, and nine essential amino acids. But there's a new supergrain in town, and it's here to stay. Farro has actually been (subtly) on the scene for ages.