It’s an exciting day here at TOPS Headquarters. A number of our employees are anxiously awaiting our very first delivery of fresh veggies and herbs from a local farm as part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). With farmers’ markets in full swing and produce coming in abundance, we thought we’d share our top four strategies for getting more summer…
Spring is here and gardening season is in full bloom. It might seem like gardening and sticking to a weight-loss plan have very little to do with one another, but there are actually a number of parallels. Last spring, I was convinced that I was going to master my first garden and enjoy fresh vegetables all summer long. How hard…
If you’re watching calories, you may think that you have to go without some of your favorite foods. But, rather than feel deprived, I prefer to look at this as an opportunity to add, or experiment with, other foods like vegetables. One way to cut calories and carbohydrates is to swap regular rice for cauliflower “rice.” All you have to…
March is National Nutrition Month® and is a great time to take a look at your meal plan. Maybe your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier didn’t quite pan out as you hoped, or maybe you’re ready to spring clean your diet. If you’ve done even a little research you’ve likely found a plethora of nutrition advice available online, in…
Here at TOPS, we’ve made a veggie skeleton, we’ve made “candy corn” by layering yellow and orange peppers with cauliflower on toothpicks, and now we’re at it again. We bring you, the Halloween vegetable tray! If you’re planning on heading to, or hosting, Halloween festivities this year make your veggie tray anything but ordinary in just a few simple steps:…
Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin-spiced ice cream, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin frosting, pumpkin candy…if you’ve been in a grocery store lately you’ve probably seen one of these treats. We are officially in the season of pumpkin-spiced everything. According to Registered Dietitian and nutrition expert for TOPS, Dena McDowell, these foods have one thing in common…and it has nothing to do with actual…
If you’ve read some of my past postings, you may have noticed that I kind of have a thing for veggies. And I don’t mean that in an “I-always-choose-carrot-sticks-over-potato chips kind of way.” Far from it. I still enjoy foods like chips and the occasional cheeseburger; I just love the versatility of vegetables. I love the endless list of nutritional…
Have you ever pored over a recipe, carefully planning every ingredient, only for it to turn out to be a big dud? If you’ve ever cooked or baked, chances are you may have made a flavorless side dish or cookies that could pass for hockey pucks. It happens. Throughout our weight-loss journeys, TOPS encourages us to keep trying and to…
A major natural food store chain took some flak last week for having bottles of water containing asparagus stalks on one of their store’s shelves. The asparagus water turned out to be a mistake and a big “oops” moment for the chain, but not drinking enough water shouldn’t be an “oops” for you. I’ve been paying more attention to this…