Bit O' Crunchy, August 10th: WHOLE FOODS AND GOOD EATS

It's summertime and not only is the livin' easy, but it's also that time of year when your local farmers' market is brimming with all kinds of fresh-from-the-earth goodness. But if you grew up in a family like mine where a salad consists of a head of iceburg lettuce hacked into sorta bite-sized pieces, then it might be a little overwhelming to know what to do with foods that you know are good for you, but you don't know how to prepare.

For today's Bit O' Crunchy, I wanted to spotlight a few of my favorite go-to sites for all things whole food.

One of the most useful sites I have come across is The World's Healthiest Foods. This non-profit organization has collected an immense amount of information on choosing, preparing, and enjoying whole foods. The Healthiest Foods List is an exhaustive listing of "health-promoting foods" that allows you to discover in just one click the growing season, health benefits, shopping tips, recipes, and preparation ideas for 130 whole foods. Amazing! They also have recipes of the week, food of the week, and condition-specific health-promoting menu plans.

Another SortaCrunchy fave is VegWeb. I have been using this website for recipe ideas for over a year. Tons and tons of recipes with helpful reviews! Perfect for anyone who wants to dabble in vegetarian meal planning but isn't quite ready to invest in a new library of cookbooks.

Finally, I wanted to introduce you to Carrien at the real food revolution. This bloggin' mom has just started her real foods blog and it promises to have lots of practical, budget-friendly, and kid-approved ideas on how to get healthy, whole foods into the tummies you love best.

I would love to hear from you on what your favorite whole foods and healthy eating resources are! What whole and healthy foods have you been enjoying this summer?