Holiday Relief Massage Blend

Take a quick break this holiday season for a self-care massage! Using aromas of the season, this blend of essential oils is the perfect pick-me-up after a long day.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) carrier oil of choice
  • 6 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 4 drops orange essential oil
  • 3 drops ginger essential oil
  • 2 drops cypress essential oil

Directions

  1. In your clean, empty glass container, pour in the carrier oil of choice (such as jojoba or sweet almond)
  2. Add in your essential oils
  3. Tightly adhere lid and swirl ingredients together
  4. Before each use, shake bottle well. Drop oil blend on any sore areas needing attention, and massage area as desired

CELEBRATE MOMS: 7 Ways to Add Meaning to Mother’s Day

As with most holidays in the U.S., the original meaning tends to fade, replaced by a more modern interpretation. Mother’s Day is no different. In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis started “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” to teach women how to care for their children. Following Ann’s death in 1905, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, conceived of “Mother’s Day” to honor the myriad sacrifices mothers made for their children.  She wanted it to be an intimate day of celebration between mothers and families; she envisioned children wearing white carnations and visiting their mothers or going to church with them in honor of the special day.

Anna successfully campaigned to make Mother’s Day a national holiday but once she saw the commercialization of the holiday, she grew to regret it. She later spent much of her time and resources actively lobbying the government to get it removed from the U.S. calendar.

Quite a sordid past for what should be a lovely holiday! Let’s take Mother’s Day back, making it a day to share with the moms in your life in the way that will mean the most to them. Check out these options, something for every kind of mom:

1. Be of service. What can you do to help? Clean for mom, or help her with some techy project she can’t get a handle on—or hire a professional to do either one. Fix something that needs mending, or bring along a handyman to do the job. Wash and fold her laundry. Cook her a meal, or better yet, come stocked with multiple meals that she can freeze and parse out over time.

2. Quality time with mom. Schedule brunch or High Tea with mom. Take a walk in a beautiful place, or enjoy a little pampering together at a local spa. Visit the Nassau County Museum of Art, home to indoor art exhibits and interesting outdoor installations.

3. Alone time. Maybe Mom would love a little time to herself to do whatever it is she likes to do best. Let her off the hook for the traditional Mother’s Day meal, and let her do her thing. Spend the time without her to tackle a project she doesn’t have time to get to, shop for a little something you know she’ll love, create a piece of art in her honor, or make a simple but thoughtful dinner for her return.

4. Plant a garden. Due to the good weather and generally warm temps, Mother’s Day is  the unofficial start of planting season. Take mom to pick out some veggie, fruit or flower seeds, then break ground on her 2019 garden. In addition to the beautiful organic plants from Long Island’s own Marion Gardens, Rising Tide also carries dozens of organic seeds from High Mowing Seeds, including handy collections of seeds like “Summer of Sunflowers”, a “Bee’s Garden”, “Three Sisters”, “Easy Salad Greens”, and “Kid’s Garden” (a fun collection of “easy to succeed” seeds!). If a full-scale garden is too ambitious, purchase a beautiful pot and help her plant some lavender, rosemary, mint or other herbs she can use all summer long.

5. Eat (or drink) outdoors. Nothing cues the shift in seasons like a picnic. Head to the beach, or the park, or lay out a blanket in your backyard. Source some healthy, delicious salads and sandwiches from Rising Tide or another favorite spot. Or how about a sunset cocktail on the water? This area offers many opportunities for sipping something tasty alfresco. Take it one step further and take a bottle of rosé in a water taxi for a cruise around Hempstead Harbor.

6. Buy a green gift. You want Mom to be healthy and to make choices that lead to a long, happy life; this year, choose a gift that reflects that desire. We’ve got something for every kind of mama.

  • HydroFlasks: Hydration is so important, especially as we head into summer. We’ve got stainless steel HydroFlask water/coffee bottles in all shapes and sizes, and in beautiful spring colors.
  • Women’s Supplements: No matter what Mom’s age, there are hormones to contend with; Womensense supplements are there for every stage of a woman’s life, and can help her through things like adrenal fatigue, menopause, thyroid issues, and balancing estrogen.
  • Organic & Fair Trade Sweets: If she’s going to indulge on Mother’s Day, it might has well be with the good stuff! (Plus…so many studies lately point to the merits of having dark chocolate in your life. If chocolate equals health, we are ON BOARD.) Choose from an array of healthier alternatives, including Chocolove Chocolate Bars, Bark Thins snacking chocolateSkinny Dipped Almonds, Alter Eco Chocolates and Dark-Chocolate Covered nuts & fruits from Tierra Farm.
  • Mama Care: We’ve got all kinds of clean, toxin- and cruelty-free goodies to make Mama feel good and look her best. (Check out the Mother’s Day display at the front of the store..there is something for every mom!) Among our favorites are the CBD Bath Bombs by CBD Living. Aromatic and healing and made with 60mg of nano-CBD, these make bath time oh so special. Available in Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Coconut Lime. And for clean facial care for mom, there’s the Sweet Treats git set from one of our favorite natural skin care co.’s, MyChelle Dermaceuticals. This lovely little gift set contains the Refining Sugar Cleanser and the Lip Hints™ Conditioning Lip Balm.

7. Give the Gift of Charity. You and Mom will both feel good when you donate to a great cause in her name. The International Rescue Committee offers many ways to do this, including helping to pay for health pregnancies for woman in Kenya ($52); funding emergency food for malnourished children in places like Nigeria and Yemen ($68 gives three meals each to 50 children), and providing a year of school for children in crisis in war-torn countries like Syria ($58). If there is a local nonprofit that means a great deal to your mom, make your donation there instead.

Of course this is just a quick guide; only you know your favorite moms and what would mean the most to them on Mother’s Day. Reflect on this, and it will be a holiday to remember for all!

FEATURED PRODUCT: ColorKitchen Plant-Based Egg Coloring Kit

Color your Easter the natural way with Easter egg dyes made from herbs and plant colors. This fun kit from ColorKitchen comes with three colors (yellow/orange, purple, and blue) made from cabbage, radish and annatto extract; use to make an endless rainbow of color combos. BONUS: the box makes an egg drying tray. Kit includes a mixing brush and enough dye to make 1-2 dozen Easter eggs.

This kit is Earth-friendly in every way:

* Naturally sourced
* Artificial dye free
* Plant colors
* Vegan
* Gluten-free
* Non-GMO

Stumped for creative egg designs? Click here for inspiration.

RECIPES: Vegan Easter Desserts

Adjusting to a vegan diet for yourself or a loved one can be a challenge any day of the week, but particularly at the holidays when traditional, family-tested dishes often play a starring role. This Easter, make everyone at your table feel at home with these healthy and delicious treats made for vegans, but beloved by all.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcakes

Vegan Key-Lime Cheesecake

Vegan Carrot Cake

Easy Vegan Macaroons

Vegan Lemon Pound Cake

Vegan Coconut Cream Pie

And of course there is always Rosie’s Vegan Blackout Cake, available by the slice in the grab-and-go case in the Rising Tide Deli. Call a week ahead to custom order a full cake.

Rounding Up for the Holidays

It’s the giving season, and this year we’re asking our customers to support the neediest in our community by helping provide for basic needs such as food and hygiene.

For every purchase you make, we will give you the option of rounding up to the nearest dollar. All “round up” proceeds will be sent to two charities that target hunger on Long Island: Island Harvest and The INN. The two charities will use the donated monies to purchase their most-needed items at their optimum cost.  (Island Harvest is also our December Charity of the Month for the second year running…we choose them for the relentless energy they devote to making the holiday season bearable for so many! Read here about their Kids Weekend Backpack Feeding Program, ensuring kids don’t go hungry when they are out on school vacations.)

*Rising Tide will MATCH all Round Up monies collected between December 10 and December 31, 2018*

Thank you as always for your generosity!

Note: if you’re planning holiday donations outside of your rounding up at Rising Tide, do your due diligence first by vetting your favorite cause through this Charity Navigator. In addition to Island Harvest and the INN, some of our favorites are our former Charity of the Month recipients:

The Glen Cove Boys & Girls Club
Harbor Child Care
Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor
Community Solidarity
Glen Cove Youth Bureau
Cove Animal Rescue
Orkestai Farm
Healing Headbands
S.A.F.E.
All Our Energy
The North Shore Sheltering Program (Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to: NSSP, P.O. Box 415,
Glen Cove, NY 11542
The Finley Middle School Food Pantry (email Kirsten Kenney at kkenney@glencove.k12.ny.us to make a donation)

 

LOCAL FLAVOR: Coastal Craft Kombucha

Like all good things, Coastal Craft Kombucha’s humble beginnings were driven by a passion for creativity and a love for food and health. Rachel Rappa (along with co-owner Daryn Stoger) founded Coastal Craft after falling in love with the health benefits of kombucha and deciding it was something that could fuel her entrepreneurial dreams. After an hour-long “DIY Kombucha” class, Rachel went home to brew up her first batches in her parents’ home kitchen.

Co-owner Daryn Stoger parlayed a background in cocktail bartending and an I-can-fix-it mentality into his current career as Coastal Craft Kombucha’s Head Brewer; if you’re already enjoying Coastal Craft, it’s him you can thank for your healthy gut and happy taste buds.

Rachel and Daryn share the belief that health and enjoyment can—and more importantly, should—go hand in hand.  Using only the highest quality and freshest ingredients and honoring authentic brewing methods, they set out to produce a handcrafted kombucha that’s good for you and incredibly delicious. We were lucky enough to chat with these local booch makers to find out what inspires them and why kombucha makes a great holiday gift.

RT: What sets Coastal Craft Kombucha  products apart from other kombucha on the market?
CCK: At Coastal Craft we focus on quality and flavor from start to finish.  Instead of using a standard base of teas and just adding juices for flavor, we utilize multiple different teas, herbs, flowers, spices, whole fruits and fresh-pressed juices throughout different stages of the process in order to craft flavors that are distinctly different from one another.  As a result, our line of Kombucha offers a unique and highly enjoyable set of flavors.

RT: How would you describe the role kombucha can play for those pursuing a clean, healthy lifestyle?
CCK: Kombucha is first and foremost a real food that contains naturally occurring probiotics, B and C vitamins, organic acids and antioxidants. Some of the reasons to drink Coastal Craft Kombucha include its ability to aid digestion, boost immunity and metabolism, naturally energize, detoxify the body, and fight off free radicals.

RT: When you’re not sipping on booch… what are you loving to eat/drink right now? What are your go-to’s?
CCK: We’re both food and beverage enthusiasts and health nuts. These days, we’re loving Bulletproof Coffee roasted, brewed and served by our neighbors at ByGood Coffee in Oceanside; TONIC Bare CBD (we’ve experienced and fallen in love with the benefits of CBD!);  hydrating with Harmless Harvest Coconut Water; and, for a sweet treat, Unreal Almond Butter Cups.

RT: What’s one FUN thing most people don’t know about Coastal Craft Kombucha? 
CCK: Our first batch was brewed in a one-gallon jar in Rachel’s bedroom.  Rachel named it “Behind the Bed Booch”.

RT: What’s the latest from Coastal Craft? Anything new and exciting in the pipeline? 
CCK: Our Winter Seasonal Flavor is in the works and it’s unlike any other flavor we have done before…stay tuned!

RT: What’s your favorite way to use Coastal Craft Kombucha during the holidays? And does it make a good gift? 
CCK: We love to bring Coastal Craft Kombucha into the holiday season because of how it helps us stay naturally energized, ward off seasonal colds, and detoxify our bodies after some unavoidable and well-deserved indulgence!  Whether you drink it on its own or use it as a cocktail mixer, you can’t go wrong.  Coastal Craft Kombucha makes a great gift because it’s brewed with the intention for everyone to enjoy it. What better gift than one that offers health and enjoyment?

RECIPES: Not (Only) Your Grandmother’s Latke

Hanukkah’s best-known food—the beloved potato latke (a.k.a. fried potato pancake)—is also a relatively recent addition to the festival-of-light festivities. Potatoes actually became part of the recipe in the mid-19th century, replacing pancakes made of cheese (usually from goats or sheep). We’ve included a cheese latke recipe here, along with other tempting latke varieties (some are vegan-friendly and some are just plain fun). HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Best Traditional Latkes

5 Vegan Latkes

21 NY Times Latkes

Best Sweet Potato Latkes 

Healthier Latkes

Cheese Latkes

RECIPES: How to Make an Amazing Vegan Thanksgiving

Vegans often get the short end of the Thanksgiving stick. Their hosts may forget that chicken stock and eggs aren’t vegan, and they’re almost always left without dessert, save some fruit.

This year, if we have our say, no vegan will be left behind! Follow a few simple swaps to create an amazing Thanksgiving that will please every one of your guests, no matter their eating style.

By the way…don’t feel like you need to make the entire menu vegan for a single guest. Most vegans will be happy to have a few options. For guests with dietary restrictions, it’s nice to make sure they have at least one salad and two side dish options. And if you’re still confused about serving a vegan at your Thanksgiving, just ask. Most will be happy to answer any questions, and even point you in the right direction with recipes.

Vegan Thanksgiving Ideas

Starters
Kick the festivities off right with a few options for your vegan friends. It doesn’t have to be fancy, or in the case of an easy-to-assemble vegan cheese plate…it can be!
* Vegan cheese plate: Bring together some Miyoko’s Creamery or Treeline tree nut cheeses, crackers from Simple Mills, a nice fig jam, a few grapes, and mixed organic nuts from our bulk department for a beautiful cheese plate. This is all about the presentation…look here for inspiration.
* Dips: We’ve got a whole selection of vegan spreads and dips:  Ithaca Hummus, Cedars Organic Hummus, Hope Hummus, or any of the fresh dips from our Deli case. Or try this vegan spinach & kale dip, a gorgeous, green, cheesy, melty dip that’s a real crowd pleaser.

Side Dishes
Many sides can be made vegan without missing a beat (and your guests won’t miss the eggs/dairy!). Check out our Catering Menu  for a nice selection (Lemon Cranberry Wild Rice Salad, Quinoa Walnut Butternut Squash Salad, Vegan Herb Stuffing/Vegan Gravy, to name just a few), and let us do the work. Or consider cooking these crowd-pleasing vegan sides:
Harvest-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Mark Bittman’s Green Mashed Potatoes
Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Vegan Stuffing

Entrees
Now that the side dishes are covered, let’s make sure none of your vegan friends are left out when it comes to the entree. You can opt for alternative entrees like stuffed squash, stuffed mushrooms, and vegan loaves (Chef John’s Mushroom Walnut Loaf, for example, is is one of the many delicious Thanksgiving options available on our Catering Menu. Or try this Vegan Mushroom Gravy Pie). Get close to the real deal with this array of festive meat alternatives (available in our freezer section) that will make every vegan feel part of the holiday. Choose from:

 Desserts
This is one area where you can definitely please all your guests simultaneously…no one even needs to know the care you’ve taken to make your desserts vegan. One bite of any of these treats and they will be beyond satisfied.

If you the have time/desire to prepare dessert yourself, check out the simple recipe for Chocolate Cranberry Nut Bark recipe in our Celebrate the Season Thanksgiving Brochure, available here or in the store. Or any of these vegan goodies will not let you down:

If you want to grab something quick and sweet for your own or someone else’s Thanksgiving feast, we’ve got some amazing sweets right here in the store:

Wishing you and all your friends and family an amazing Thanksgiving. With or without the turkey!

WELLNESS TOP 3: Ditch Digestive Blues This Thanksgiving

Try as we may to exercise self-control, Thanksgiving can be a day of excess for many. It’s hard to resist when we see some of our favorite foods only once a year! Do the best you can (don’t arrive starving, focus on healthy veggie dishes, take a walk before dessert), and arm yourself with some helpful digestive supplements that will keep you from having TOO many regrets.

1. 30 minutes before the meal. Let a great probiotic be your digestive insurance policy this Thanksgiving. We like Natren’s Healthy Trinity probiotic, with a minimum of 30 billion colony forming units (cfu) of three potent, super strains of beneficial bacteria in each capsule.

2. Right before the meal. When our tastebuds detect bitter, it’s a wake-up call for the digestive process. Take Herba Pharm’s Better Bitters 10 minutes before the big meal and let the body’s natural bitter response do the rest. Available in Classic, with the clean, pure taste of gentian; and Orange, featuring orange peel and ginger extract.

2. Right before the meal. A full-spectrum digestive enzyme will help to break down each of the foods you enjoyed for your holiday meal (carbs, fat, fiber and protein). Digest Gold Digestive Enzymes is a top-selling enzyme blend  that helps the body absorb nutrients and convert food into energy. It will help you avoid digestive discomforts like gas, bloating and indigestion. (It’s okay to take your enzymes at the same time as your digestive bitters.)

 

FEATURED PRODUCT: Aromatherapy Diffusers

**Make GREAT Valentine’s Day Gifts!**

Diffusing fragrant, high-quality oils makes any room smell amazing. Essential oil devotees may also diffuse their favorite oil or combo of oils with the hopes of alleviating stress or anxiety, depression and insomnia.
Using an ultrasonic aromatherapy diffuser like the ones we’re featuring from Spa Room makes adding aromatherapy to your life easy and convenient.

The Aroma Pod: GREAT FOR KIDS (available in pink and blue). This palm-sized ultrasonic diffuser is the perfect tool for the littlest oils lovers, or for any small space. Requires no heat or chemicals for worry-free diffusion in kid-friendly spaces. A USB plug makes it easy and convenient, and great for travel. $19.99

HerbalAir: PERFECT FOR ON THE ROAD. This aromatherapy diffuser has a natural wood finish…and fits in your car’s cup holder! USB plug for portability, wherever you’re off to. $29.99

Spirale: ELEGANCE MEETS AROMATHERAPY A sleek white corkscrew design is a chic addition to the most stylish rooms. A soft white light mixes with the aroma mist for ultimate relaxation. $29.99

Cascade: WITH COLOR-CHANGING LIGHTS. The modern outer shell embraces the inner textured accent piece providing serenity for your senses. The beautiful, flowing design of the Cascade™ will mesmerize as the color-changing lights filter through the step-ladder inlay. $49.99

RECIPES: Valentine’s Day Desserts…No Refined Sugar!

If you’ve been trying to cut down on added sugars (yet you have a serious sweet tooth, like us!), you might wonder how you’ll get through Valentine’s Day. There are chocolates, and restaurant desserts, and the artificially colored-and-flavored-and high fructose corn syrup-heart-shaped treats your kids bring home from school. Even recipes for most homemade desserts contain plenty of added sugars.

We don’t think Valentine’s Day has to leave you with a sugar hangover for the rest of the week. This year, treat those you love to naturally-sweetened, truly delicious desserts without any refined sugar (many rely on alternative sugars such as dates and maple syrup, which contain assorted nutrients and won’t spike your blood sugar like refined white sugar, or stevia, which doesn’t spike your blood sugar at all). It’s a healthy(er) kind of love!

Raw Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Bars
Paleo Brownies with Almond Butter
Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Fudgy Chocolate Tarts
Healthier Cookie Butter
Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups
Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups
Vegan Raw Salted Caramel Slices

 

 

Healthier Snacking for the Big Game

You’re working hard to right the diet wrongs of 2017…why throw it all away with a game day menu packed with less-than ingredients that would never make the cut any other day? Here are a bunch of healthier, but equally delicious, options to share with friends and family during the big game. Vegan noshes, too!

Chili
Ellie Krieger’s Three Been and Beef Chili
NY Times Turkey Chili
Rachael Ray Green and White Lightening Chicken Chili
Mole Chicken Chili

Snacks 
Cajun Shrimp Guacamole Bites
Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries
Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
Healthy Seven-Layer Dip

Vegan Goodies
Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
Pineapple Serrano Pico de Gallo
Roasted Carrot Hummus
Twice Baked Potato Bites
Sriracha Roasted Chickpeas

Dessert Bites
Chocolate Dipped Apricots
Apple Nachos
No-Bake Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

Come Celebrate with Us on Jan. 1…Everything is 20% Off!*

We’re kicking 2018 off the way we do each year, with our annual New Year’s Day party!

Enjoy yourself on New Year’s Eve, then come in and soak up the healthy New Year’s vibes with family and friends at Rising Tide Market. We can’t THINK of a better way to ring in the new year.

  • Everything in the store* will be 20% off, ALL DAY LONG!
  • RAFFLES: Enter to WIN more than 30 amazing raffles from many of our most popular vendors. From now until the end of the year, you will receive THREE raffle tickets for every transaction at Rising Tide Market. Put your ticket in the jar of the raffle(s) you most want to win. We’ll be awarding raffle prizes all day on Jan. 1, including some REALLY juicy ones (the Solgar raffle features a Fitbit Flex2, and the New Chapter raffle has a Nutri Ninja!
  • GRAND PRIZE: We are giving away an Apple iwatch! You must shop on Jan. 1 to enter to win the Grand Prize.
  • FREE 8 oz greens drink, bone broth tasting, and lots of free samples.
  • Music and more!

We’ll see you on Jan. 1!

* Except Everyday Low Prices.

 

Eco-Friendly Holidays: Tips for ‘Greening’ the Season

The holiday season is a magical time of the year—but can also be a wasteful one. The time period from Thanksgiving-New Year’s has a huge environmental impact in terms of water use, greenhouse gases and land disturbance caused by the production of some of our favorite holiday treats and staples. The good news? If we take even tiny steps toward reducing our footprint this holiday season, the results an go a very long way. (FUN FACT: If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 28,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the Earth!).

Here are some easy ‘green’ shifts to consider this year:

DIY Gifts. If you’ve been given a homemade gift lately, you know how special it feels to receive such a treat. Keep it simple, keep it healthy, and keep it from the heart this holiday season.
Gifts in a Jar
Edible Food Gifts
Gifts Kids Can Make

Or…buy eco-friendly gifts. Resist buying gifts that will end up in a landfill. Purchase Earth-forward gifts that will improve the life of the recipient without harming the planet. Some of our favorites:

Use recycled wrapping paper. Did you know traditional gift wrap is not always recyclable? Reusing and recycling materials you find around the house (paper grocery bags, magazines, newspapers, old bits of fabric) is a better (and free!) way to go—at least your wrap served a purpose at one time. Or purchase reusable wrap like this.

Make your own decorations. Most of these DIY decoration ideas—based on recycling and upcycling what you have at home and foraging for what you don’t—cost next to nothing to make and are fun family activities (with a subtle environmental message attached!).

Use LED holiday lights. A household with an extravagant Christmas light display will spend enough money to heat and power an average house for six weeks, and produce 882 pounds of carbon dioxide. Save energy and reduce harmful CO2 emissions by purchasing LED (light emitting diode) lights this holiday season. LED lights are pricier, but they last longer and use 80 percent less energy than conventional lights. Solar lights—charged on a sunny winter day and glowing by night—are also a better bet, and require no electricity source.

Buy an organic tree. Like conventionally grown produce, the pesticides used on conventionally grown Christmas trees have been associated with a range of health issues including cancer, birth defects, asthma and more. Find an organic Christmas tree farm on Long Island/NY State, then make sure you dispose of it the right way.

Don’t waste food. Americans throw away roughly $165 billion in uneaten food every year, according to government data. To help combat all this waste, the NRDC’s Save the Food Campaign has come up with a dinner party food calculator…just in time for the holidays. Make what you need, eat what you make.

Enjoy your holidays! And if you start a new holiday habit with an eye on the environment, post it on Instagram, and tag Rising Tide Market. We’d love to see what you’re up to! Little changes can go a long way…

Plant-Based Grilling for the Fourth

For omnivores, a traditional July 4th BBQ means burgers, hot dogs, and other meaty treats. Think out of the (butcher’s) box this summer, and you’ll be healthier for it.

You might have heard: grilling meat at high temps can cause nasty, carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to form. That char you love so much on your grilled chicken? Once your meat reaches that level of blackness, the protein has literally transformed into a whole different, cancer-causing chemical.

All You Need Is a Few Good Marinades
If meat IS on your summer grilling menu, there are ways to reduce its harmful byproducts. The simple act of marinating can reduce the concentration of HCAs by up to 99%! The trick is to choose a marinade without added sugars (store-bought commercial barbecue sauces are the worst), preferably one that’s thin and vinegar-based (beer and olive oil can also cut down on carcinogens). As an added bonus, add some herbs from the mint family (basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano and thyme); they’re rich in antioxidants that can counteract any carcinogens created by grilling. Check this out for more on safer meat grilling.

Or better still…go veggie this 4th! Grilling provides a smoky twist to seasonal produce (and man, is this season’s produce amazing).
And we’re not just talking veggies…grilling fruits is healthy way to soften, sweeten and bring out all their lovely juices. Having friends over? Provide a whole bunch of fruits (peaches, plums, pineapple, bananas and more) and let each person kabob and grill their own picks.

When deciding which fruits and veggies to throw on the grill, keep in mind the Dirty Dozen—those items plagued with the greatest amount of harmful pesticides.

NY Times Grilling Essentials

Tips for Grilling Veggies 

How to Avoid Mistakes When Grilling Veggies

Best Fruits to Grill

Amazing Grilled Fruit Recipes

 

 

It’s All About MOM!

May is all about the WOMEN. Women’s Health Week kicks off on May 14th, which is (not coincidentally!) also Mother’s Day. What a great time to show the moms in your life how much you care.

At Rising Tide, our whole mission is to nourish our community with the products we sell and the knowledge we share. Who better to nourish than the mamas in the community we love? Here are our Top Picks for Mother’s Day gifts this year, many of which we’ve put on sale just for the moms:

1. GIVE A PLANT. Fresh from L.I.’s North Fork, Marion Gardens organic plants are the perfect gift for anyone with a green thumb. (Get extra props for doing the actual planting with your mom…the gift of quality time!). We’ve got all kinds of herbs ($5.99-$7.99) and veggie/fruit plants ($3.99).

2. GIVE GOOD SOAK. We’ve got amaaaaaazing Himalayan Salt soaks (and a Coconut Salt Scrub) from Evolution Salt Co. (ON SALE $10.19-$12.79). Himalayan Salt is said to be the cleanest salt on the Earth, with the most health benefits (among them: promoting healthy pH balance in the cells, regulating sleep, preventing muscle cramps, and supporting respiratory health…all great stuff.) We’ve also got Evolution Salt Lamps (ON SALE $33.99), perfect for Mom’s bedroom or anyplace she could benefit from improved air quality (and a warm, orange glow!).

Equally delicious, EO Products makes an Epsom Soak (in lovely scents like Eucalyptus & Citrus, Geranium & Sweet Orange and Juniper & Cedarwood, all with the healing power of Epsom Salt to help mom relax and unwind. (ON SALE $10.59)

3. GIVE GOOD SCENTS. Diffusing essential oils will transform a mom’s very surroundings. The SpaRoom AromaMist aromatherapy diffusers (ON SALE $50.99) pair perfectly with and Body Care blends (Renew, Comfort, Freshen, Love Potion) by essential oil masters Aura Cacia (ON SALE $7.69-$9.39).

4. GIVE THE GIFT OF YOUTH. We all want to look as young as we feel, and to get there using the cleanest ingredients. The Age Defying Kit by Andalou Naturals–the first Non-GMO Project Verified beauty brand–is packed with super antioxidants to support skin wellbeing and give skin a softer, smoother appearance. Contains 5 skin essentials: Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk, Blossom + Leaf Toning Refresher, BioActive 8 Berry Fruit Enzyme Mask, Super Goji Peptide Perfecting Cream and Resveratrol Q10 Night Repair Cream. (ON SALE $16.99/kit)

5. GIVE A GIFT CARD. A Rising Tide gift card will gift your mom access to all the healthy foods, supplements, and clean personal care products she needs to look, feel and BE great. There’s no better gift for every mom in your life.

RECIPES for a Festive Cinco de Mayo

Margaritas, nachos, sombreros…here in the U.S. we make a big party out of this May holiday most of us know very little about.

Contrary to what a lot of us think, Cinco de Mayo does NOT celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain, but instead, Mexico’s unlikely victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla, 1862. Mexico’s actual Independence Day is on Sept. 16th and that IS a big party in Mexico. In fact, Mexico’s partying on May the 5th doesn’t hold a candle to the one in L.A., which hosts the biggest Cinco de Mayo bash on the globe. (If we’ve piqued your interest, click here for more facts about Cinco de Mayo.)

Taste of Mexico
History aside, we DO like an excuse to serve up great-tasting goodies, Mexican-style. Here at Rising Tide we’ll have all the organic avocados you’ll need to make a truly superb guacamole, along with tortilla chips on sale from Late July, Way Better Snacks, Lundberg Family Farms and more. If you don’t want to make your own guac, just pick up some from the Deli, along with homemade pico de gallo and more. And grab some of our freshly squeezed, organic Strawberry Lemonade; nothing is tastier when mixed with some good tequila!

RECIPES: A Vegan Passover

The egg-heavy holiday of Passover (not to mention that pesky lamb shank!) is an opportunity for Vegans to get creative. If you’re also avoiding rice, beans and corn, you have to improvise even more, but that shouldn’t stop you from having a deliciously festive holiday.

First, let’s get straight what’s allowed and not allowed, according to Jewish law. During their escape from Egypt, the Jews didn’t have time to let their bread rise and instead ate unleavened bread or matzoh, so leavened foods (chametz)  are off the menu. These include bread, pasta, and any foods made with yeast, wheat, rye, barley, spelt and oats.

In addition to these restrictions, Ashkenazi Jews also stay away from other foods known as kitniyot. As mentioned above, this includes rice, corn, millet, peas, beans, legumes (including soybeans), peanuts and sesame, poppy and mustard seeds.

Even with all of these no-no’s, there are lots of ways for Vegans to go when preparing a Passover menu. Quinoa, for example, is not considered a grain (it’s actually a very versatile berry!), and can make a wonderful pilaf. Traditional pasta is no good, but veggie noodles are; get that spiralizer out for a delicious “noodle” dish everyone will love. Do without chopped liver? Never, when you can improvise with this savory mushroom cashew dip.

Check out these Vegan Passover primers from the NY Times and onegreenplanet.com, and a whole bunch of other recipes we think you’ll love. A Zissen Pesach (Happy Passover!) to you and yours.  (Don’t forget your Passover staples! While you’re shopping for the ingredients to make your fabulous Vegan seder, pick up your organic Manischewitz Matzo and organic Kedem grape juice.)

Mushroom Cashew Dip (faux chopped liver)

Quinoa Veggie Pilaf

Noodles with Avocado Herb Pesto

Spinach Potato Matzah Gratin

No-Bake Chocolate Macaroons

Sweet Potato Kugel

This Year, Hack Your Easter Basket

To gift an Easter basket to someone who loves you is one of the holiday’s simple pleasures. And it doesn’t need to be stacked with all kinds of avoidableshigh fructose corn syrup, food dye, sugar, sugar, sugarto be something special. We’ve got everything you need to create a thoughtful Easter basket that’s plenty sweet, but with a healthy twist.

Chocolate
Start with the main event. When it comes to Easter chocolate, don’t settle for less than the best. We’ve got organic Lake Champlain Chocolates in every shape and form: chocolate bunnies, chocolate, peanut butter and caramel Easter eggs, chocolate carrots, and milk and dark chocolate truffles and more. Everything is beautifully wrapped and ready for its Easter close up.

Candies & Other Treats
Equally delicious (and still made without any preservatives or chemical food dyes) are organic lollipops and gummies from Yum Earth, and organic jelly beans from Surf Sweets. Mint and Red Velvet Snowballs (in the case near the Deli) by local baker Pleasant Petites are colorful (and tasty!) enough to grace the prettiest Easter basket, and are Vegan, gluten free and organic. Colorful candy coated chocolate peanut candies by Sunspire can be found in our Bulk section, as can organic trail mixthe crunchy nuts and seeds cut nicely through all the sweet treats. Go a little crazy and add a few pieces of fruit—oranges or small containers of organic pomegranate arils are bright and fresh and packed with disease-fighting antioxidants.

Colored Eggs
Add a rainbow of colors with hardboiled eggs decorated with a non-toxic dye kit by Color Kitchen; then get creative serving up the leftover eggs. We’ve also got colored frosting and rainbow sprinkle kits for beautiful Easter cakes cupcakes.

Surprise Items
Lastly, personalize the basket with some fun, non-edible items. For small children, stickers, erasers, stuffed bunnies, watercolor paints and coloring books, small puzzles and Play Doh (comes in an egg!) are always a hit. Treat tweens and teens to chemical-free Pogo Lip Balm from Eco Lips in fun, bright colors; colorful stainless steel water bottles from Hydro Flask and Life Factory, spring-themed candles from Big Dipper Wax Works, and our favorite Easter basket add-in: our top-selling flossing toothbrush from SoFresh.

Once you’ve assembled your healthier Easter basket, gift it to someone you love…and have a wonderful Easter!

Spring is in Bloom!

If Mother’s Day (May 14) is the best time to start planting outdoors, then April is when you lay the groundwork for all the growing that’ll happen in May. We’ve got everything you need to get started.

Organic Seeds: Rising Tide is proud to carry Certified Organic, non-GMO Project Verified seeds from Vermont’s own High Mowing Seeds.What started in 1996 as a one-man operation is now a thriving business making available to home gardeners over 600 heirloom, open-pollinated and hybrid varieties of vegetable, fruit, herb and flower seed. Each variety of seed has been evaluated for flavor, yield, resistance and uniqueness, and we’ve got some 140 varieties in the store.

Organic Plants: Each spring, we look forward to the arrival of our beautiful herb, vegetables, fruit and flower plants from Marion Gardens, family-owned growers located on the North Fork of Long Island. In business since 1987, Marion Gardens grows more than 250 varieties of plants, and sells to many of Long Island’s best garden centers. The best part? All Marion Gardens plants are locally grown, Certified Organic and non-GMO. Once we get the plants, we’ll be carrying receive a new selection each week…check Facebook and Instagram often for details!).

Beautiful Bulbs: For when you can’t wait for spring blossoms, we’ve got Tulips, Hyacinths and Daffodils in gorgeous shades of spring—the perfect gift when visiting friends and family for Easter/Passover.

RECIPES: Take the Food Dye Out of Saint Paddy’s Day

As St. Paddy’s Day approaches, you might be thinking about how you can get festive, bright green foods on your table (and in the kids’ lunchboxes, etc.) without toxic food dyes (linked to hyperactivity, allergic reactions and tumor growth—and banned in Europe). Here are some fun St. Paddy’s Day alternative snacks, desserts and entrees, using naturally green goodies like spinach, avocado, kale and more (your kids don’t need to know what’s in them!), plus a DIY food dye that can be used in a million creative ways.

Green Muffins

Avocado Frosting

Kale Chips with Chile and Lime

Great, Green Potato Skins Appetizer

Vegan Basil-Walnut Pesto

DIY Green food coloring

RECIPES: Irish Soda Bread

Traditional soda bread contains just flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Depending on the baker, you’ll find loads of variations on that theme including brown breads, dessert breads, and the classic Irish-American version with raisins and caraway seeds—the one you’ll find in most U.S. bakeries. If you’re a DIY bread maker (and this one is easy…no kneading!), play around with different recipes this St. Paddy’s Day, and see which one you like best. Or come into Rising Tide St. Paddy’s Day week and try ours (we make Irish Soda Bread scones, and they are FANTASTIC).

NY Times Skillet Soda Bread

Irish Brown Bread

Soda Bread with Dark Chocolate and Candied Orange Peel

Gluten-free Irish Soda bread