If you're trying to save same some cash but still want yummy pre- or post-workout treat options, these no-bake protein snacks will save your butt (and help your butt with those squats!). Or if you're not so into working out, they're still rad as hell just for snacking and breakfast. And right now!

Let's grab the nearest mixing bowl and get to making these super easy no-bake little treats full o' goodness.

No-bake cherry chocolate protein cookies

These cookies can actually come in bar form, cookie form, truffle form… all kinds of forms. I love a good no-bake recipe for obvious reasons: they’re EASY! These take almost no time and taste really rich. Plus, they pack a nice protein punch to supplement when you need it.

Get the recipe here.

Apple pecan pie protein bites

These apple pecan pie protein bites have an apple pie quality that I like. But this version is a little less splurge-y. And less baking. And more portable. Win!

Get the recipe here.

Peanut butter cup protein truffles

These babies look potentially naughty, but trust me, they are not. Even if you ate the whole mini batch it wouldn’t be too bad. They're sweet little protein-packed nuggets.

Get the recipe here.

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• Nikita Ross: These look awesome. Those truffles may become holiday gifts for my gym buddies! [Link]

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Phthalates. We’ve all heard of them. We all know we should be avoiding them. But what are they, exactly?

“Phthalates are industrial compounds used to make vinyl plastic malleable, and are also used as fragrance solvents and fixatives in body care products. They’re potent hormone disruptors. They can alter the reproductive development of male infants and are associated with sperm damage in adult men. Children exposed to phthalates in early life can undergo behavioral changes and develop allergies.” explains the Environmental Working Group.

And despite a growing concern over these dangerous toxins, their presence is becoming more widespread–and difficult to avoid– than originally thought.

One of the most concerning places that these chemicals are hiding out is in our food, with the highest risk food groups being animal products, like meat and dairy.  

In a recent study of more than 8,000 Americans, conducted by George Washington University, researchers found that nearly every participant had some level of phthalates present in their body.

The same study found a notable link between recent fast food consumption and elevated levels of phthalates in the urine. Why? Researchers suggest that contamination occurred during storage and preparation, when foods are exposed to plastic packaging, tubing and gloves.

So, we can add that to our (growing) list of reasons to ditch the fast food. But what about everything else? Although many experts say it is almost impossible to completely avoid coming in contact phthalates, there are still many things you can do to reduce your family’s overall exposure to these harmful substances.

First, sign the EWG’s petition asking the FDA to ban phthalates in food packaging and handling equipment here.

Then check out these helpful tips for avoiding phthalates from gimmethegoodstuff, an excellent place devoted to helping parents avoid toxins in the home:

Stay away from fragrance. Unfortunately, you will very rarely see phthalates listed on a product label. Luckily, there are clues. When it comes to cosmetics, the word “fragrance” or “parfum” on a label almost always means phthalates. What you want to see are claims like: “no synthetic fragrance” or “scented with only essential oils” or “phthalate-free.” And always use only natural air fresheners.

Crack the code. Plastic products with recycling codes 3 and 7 may contain phthalates or BPA. Look for plastic with recycling codes 1, 2, or 5.

Ditch hand-me-down plastic toys. Happily, several types of phthalates are now banned from children’s toys, teething toys, bottles, and feeding products. But these laws only took place in 2009, so anything made of soft plastic that was manufactured before that probably contains phthalates (think rubber duckies, not Legos).

Avoid plastic whenever possible, and never heat your food in plastic. Foods that are higher in fat — meats and cheeses, for instance — are particularly prone to chemical leaching. Even BPA or phthalate-free plastic may contain harmful chemicals. Opt for glass food storage containers, and choose bottles and sippy and snack cups that are mostly stainless steel, silicone, or glass.

Eat organic produce, meat, and dairy. Phthalates are used in pesticides and are also found in sewage sludge that is used in conventional agriculture. Neither is permitted on certified organic produce, and pesticide-treated animal feeds are not allowed in organic meat and dairy production.

Invest in a water filter. Granular activated carbon filters should remove DEHP, which is the type of phthalate used in water pipes. Unfortunately, some sources claim that a percentage of water may pass through the carbon without filtration. A nano-filtration system is more expensive but possibly more reliable way to filter out phthalates.

The post Phthalates: Another Good Reason to Skip the Fast Food appeared first on Mothering.

Busy parents (read: all of us) are always looking for ways to streamline the 7,000 things we need to accomplish daily. If you haven’t yet added sheet pan dinners to your tool belt, now is your chance.

I was pretty skeptical about the whole “one pan” dinner craze, until I tried it myself with my za’atar chicken, cauliflower, and chickpeas recipe. And then I was sold! Dinner was all done, veggies and all, and I didn’t have any dishes to do.

Here’s that recipe and 10 more sheet-pan ideas to try out on your families. What to do with all that extra time you won’t be washing dishes? I mean, wine. The answer is always wine.

Za’atar chicken with cauliflower and chickpeas

Cauliflower tomato bake with parmesan and basil

Hearty ratatouille with goat cheese from Soni’s Food

Sheet pan chimichurri cod with potatoes and squash

Roast salmon and broccoli with chile caper vinaigrette from Bon Appétit

Maple glazed salmon with sweet potatoes and broccoli from The Seasoned Mom

Roast chicken and artichokes with cilantro caper sauce from Real Simple

One pan roast chicken with potatoes and carrots

One pan lemon chicken thighs from Girl Versus Dough

Sheet pan fajitas from The Wanderlust Kitchen

One pan honey roasted turkey and vegetables from Katie’s Cucina (substitute olive oil or margarine for butter if you keep kosher)

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More Recipes:

4 Shabbat Meals Perfect for Picky Eaters

The 5 Wine Slushies You Need to Survive Summer

24 Brunch Recipes

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Happening upon the summer farm stand is to experience the taste of a specific place and time. It is the farmer’s daily offering to the road-tripping traveler, to the loyal patron, to the impromptu cook in search of inspiration. It is the place to go for just-picked produce, the seasonal stop for visitors to thrill at the unexpected last hurrah of red kale, a daintily tied bouquet of fresh flowers, or a basket of warm eggs if their timing is right. Finding a farm stand almost always feels like good fortune.

Midsummer colors are about to burst onto a formerly leafy green scene; the kales and cabbages will start making room for tomatillos, lemon cucumbers, corn, apricots, and white donut peaches, to name a few. There are so many interesting farm stands across Upstate New York, all varied and wonderful as the areas where they can be found. We couldn’t think of a better way to share a few of our favorites than to introduce them by the very locals who live there.

Casey Scieszka of Spruceton Inn will take you to RSK Farm Stand in Prattsville for heirloom potatoes, potted marigolds, and fresh produce grown by a husband-and-wife farming team. If you are up near Bovina, Sara Elbert and Sohail Zandi of Brushland Eating House insist on a visit to Burnett Farm Stand, where organic greenery abounds in their greenhouses and fields, yielding lesser-known varieties like lambsquarter and mizuna. Sally Watkinson of Audrey’s Farmhouse encourages her guests to stop at Wright’s Farm Stand in Gardiner for their cider doughnuts and delicious preserves, while Sarah Suarez of Gaskins cannot get enough of the fresh berries and welcoming feel at Montgomery Place Orchards’ Wayside Stand.

These and others are a humming buzz of day-trippers, seasonal dwellers, and year-round locals. Each stand is bountiful and inviting in their variety, not to mention a great community resource connecting us with each other and with the land we love so dearly.

Featured image by Christian Harder of Burnett Farm Stand

The post 6 Locals Share their Favorite Upstate New York Farm Stands appeared first on And North.

For the latest installment of Why New Yorkers Can't Have Nice Things, step aboard the Staten Island Ferry, where riders have reportedly been fighting so viciously over power outlets that the Department of Transportation decided to shut them off. A basic refresher course on sharing apparently fell to the wayside after a ferry worker got punched to the ground while attempting to break up a power outlet-related dispute and had to be put on medical leave. Are all New Yorkers only-children? [ more › ]

The New York State DEC has done lots of work and spent around $450,000 to make the trails around the Kaaterskill Falls in Greene County more accessible and safe to the throngs of visitors that come there every year. That also means that some things have changed, if you haven’t been to the Falls in a while, but Hudson River Zeitgeist recently offered this brief guide to Kaaterskill Falls Amid Improvements so you can plan your next visit.

The stone staircase to connect the three tiers of the falls is under construction, but you can still take advantage of safer parking around the back of the Falls via Laurel House Road, which takes visitors to a viewing platform that looks out over the falls. Find out what other improvements are happening by clicking the Zeitgeist guide link above. And, as always, skip the flip-flops and wear proper hiking shoes.

The post Headed to Kaaterskill Falls This Weekend? Heed the Hudson River Zeitgeist’s Advice on Trail Improvements appeared first on Upstater.