I love to barbecue and try to cook as many meals on the grill as I can during the warm months. Whether I’m grilling chicken, steaks, veggies or burgers this grilling spice blend is always on hand to add to our food.

Creating your own spice blend using Wild Oats Organic Spices is super easy. It’s also the best way to get a mean tailored flavor to your taste buds. While we love the ratios in this mix and hope you will, too, if you like more garlic in your dinner then you might want to add another 1/2 teaspoon to the blend. Once you have the flavor combination that works best for you, make a large batch and store it in a jar. We like to use a Wild Oats Spice Jar so we can add it to the food while we are grilling.

Making blends like this is a great way to save money. Single spices are usually less expensive than blends – especially when they are organic like the Wild Oats spices are – and creating your own blend costs less.

You can mix the spice blend into the meat as you are forming the patties or sprinkle it on top as you are cooking. Once you have them cooked to perfection, top with some delicious cheese (I love sharp cheddar on mine!), a little onion, lettuce, tomato and the condiment of our choice – ketchup is a must, if you ask me. Serve on a whole grain toasted bun and you are celebrating the warm weather in perfect style.

Grilling Spice Blend Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Wild Oats Organic Paprika

2 1/4 teaspoons Wild Oats Organic Cayenne Pepper

3 3/4 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

4 1/2 teaspoons Wild Oats Organic Garlic Powder

2 1/4 teaspoons Wild Oats Organic Onion Powder

1 3/4 teaspoons Wild Oats Organic Dried Oregano

1 3/4 teaspoons Wild Oats Organic Thyme

Instructions

1. Blend all the ingredients together.
2. Store in an air-tight container for up to 30 days.

Fathers….they are strong and stoic yet somehow wonderfully soft; protective and strict, yet they find the courage to let us go on our first date or hold our hand super tight hiding tears as they walk us down the aisle.   They make unimaginably selfless sacrifices we are not able to appreciate or understand until we are parents ourselves…  Some may never utter the words “I love you”, but somehow we know how deeply they actually do.    They show love in many unconventional ways and probably don’t get enough credit.

My father, a chef by profession, is one of those strong Russian men that never shows any sign of weakness or vulnerability; verbal affection was never his forte (his hugs are the best, though) and I have never heard him say “I love you” to any of us kids.  Yet somehow he won the hearts, minds and undying affection and respect of all of his children – 5 daughters and 4 sons.   Food is, in so many ways, a universal “language of love” and my father personified it.  To him, love was always a verb…something he worked so hard to instill in all of us.

We were a big, loud family and our gatherings around the kitchen table over a meal were some of the happiest moments I remember from my childhood.  Naturally, my father did most of the cooking.  I can’t tell you how many times I woke up in the morning with him standing in front of my bed with a full plate of food for a lovely breakfast in bed or smelling wonderful aroma coming out of the kitchen and him telling all nine of us to get up and come to breakfast.  If one of us was sick, our favorite meal was promptly on the way.  Our birthday parties were legendary, with menus carefully planned and executed with so much love and affection that we couldn’t have felt any more special…. and holidays…no one makes turkey more tender or lamb more delicious.

Preparing wholesome, healthy and delicious food for his family and friends was and still is my father’s preferred way to communicate love.  His favorite thing to hear is “Dad, I am hungry“.  Clean plates, seconds and rave reviews are really the only compliment or sign of appreciation he ever wants.

With his art and passion for food and cooking, he broke all the language barriers and touched the hearts of his family and the people around him in a way so much deeper and more special than words ever could.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!  You make everyone around you feel loved beyond measure without ever uttering the words.

A sustainable food is not something that can last in your pantry for what seems like forever, like say, perhaps a Twinkie or a jar of trans-fat laden peanut butter. A sustainable food sustains life.

Sustainable agriculture is “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term.” It is a way of protecting the local environment and natural biological systems. This is key to the preservation and protection of natural food diversity and variety. Through sustainable agriculture, there is more choice in what is available for us to eat locally.

An organic food is a sustainable food. And, studies shows that organic foods are higher in antioxidants, and lower in pesticide residue than conventionally farmed foods. So, not only does sustainable agriculture protect the environment, sustainable foods most likely benefit to our health. To me, healthier food equals healthier people.

And, with more and more farms converting back to organic farming practices from conventional methods, global sustainability may be our not so distance future. This makes me very happy. Imagine a world in which we can have peace of mind about what’s on our plate! I’m tired of being so anxious about what I eat. Let’s change this and all engage in sustainable eating practices.

What is the dirtiest place in your home?  I bet you said the toilet, didn’t you.  But you’re wrong.  The dirtiest place in your home is your kitchen sink. Keeping your kitchen sink clean is an important part of a healthy home.

It’s true.  Your sink is brimming with all kinds of bacteria, just looking for an opportunity to make your family sick.

Think about what you put in that sink all day.  Not just dirty dishes and souring milk, but bacteria from washing fruits and veggies, juice from raw poultry, paints from your kid’s craft project and gross slime from the dog’s water bowl.  Ewwwww, right?!

Think I’m exaggerating? According to a 2008 study, 46% of kitchen sinks tested had a total bacteria count of more than 100,000 per square centimeter, that included E. coli, campylobacter, and salmonella. The average toilet seat?  50 bacteria per square inch, according to Dr Chuck Gerba, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona.

The good news?  You can learn how to keep your kitchen sink clean.  It’s not hard.  I’ll help you.

How To Keep Your Kitchen Sink Clean

• Make cleaning your sink a part of your regular cleaning routine.  Every day.  I repeat, every day.
• Keep your sink clean each day by adding a squirt of dishwashing liquid to a bowl of warm water. Dip a clean sponge, cloth or paper towel in the mixture and scrub the sink gently to remove food and stains. Rinse with running water. Discard the paper towel or sponge or immediately put the cloth in the laundry.  Don’t use it to wipe your counter tops!  If you do, your putting the bacteria you just washed off the sink onto your counter tops.
• Sanitize your sink 2 times per week by first drying the sink with a clean paper towel, then lining the sink with paper towels.  Soak the paper towels with an anti-bacterial kitchen cleaning solution or make you own solution of 1 tablespoon bleach to 1 quart of water.  Let the towels sit for 30 minutes, then discard them and rinse the sink with running water.
• Dry your sink with a paper towel after each use. Keeping your sink dry will help cut down on bacteria build-up.  Bacteria breed better in a warm, wet environment.
• If you want to clean and sanitize, but avoid using bleach, check out this tutorial at apartment therapy. 
• Cut down on bacteria by sanitizing your kitchen sponge. Rinse it throughly and then zap it in the microwave for 1 minute after each use.  Allow to air dry before the next use.  Or you can run your sponge through the dishwashing cycle.  I find this convenient.  I throw the sponge into the dishwasher with the rest of the dirty dishes and next morning —Boom! — clean sponge to start the day.  Even doing this, change your sponge several times per week because sponges break down after a few times through the dishwasher.  If you use a cloth to wash dishes, change it daily.  Wash it in hot water and dry throughly.
• Remember to wipe the faucet, faucet handle and drain stopper down with anti-bacterial solution, too. Look for natural cleaning options without the chemicals!

So, now you know how to keep your kitchen sink clean.  Your family, and everyone who comes into your kitchen from now on, thanks you.

Beans are one of the world’s healthiest and most versatile foods and make for a great dip that is even more scrumptious when made into a quesadilla! Beans are an inexpensive vegetarian protein source that is high in fiber and rich in antioxidants and iron. They have served as a nutritious food source for people all over the planet for nearly 7,000 years!

Here are a couple of quick and easy bean dip quesadilla recipes using Wild Oats ingredients that you and your family will love!

White Bean Dip Quesadilla

Start-to-Finish: 5 minutes Makes: 2 quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 14.5 oz can White Beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup Wild Oats Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Garlic Powder

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated

1 teaspoon Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Italian Seasoning

2 teaspoons Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Basil Leaves

Sea salt to taste

Ground pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
2. Place into two soft tortilla, add a sharp Italian cheese like parmesan, fold in half and then bake until cheese is melted and quesadilla is lightly browned.
3. Serve with extra olive oil for dipping. Delish!

Zesty Bean Dip Quesadilla

Start-to-Finish: 5 minutes Makes: 2 quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 14.5 oz can Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Chili Beans in Sauce, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup Wild Oats Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Garlic Powder

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Cumin

1 teaspoon Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Ground Coriander

¼ cup Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Chipotle Hot Sauce

1/3 cup Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Medium Salsa

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
2. Place into soft tortilla, add cheddar cheese, fold in half and then bake until cheese is melted and quesadilla is lightly browned.
3. Serve with guac, salsa, sour cream, olives and/or jalapenos. Yum!