6 Superfoods to Always Include in Your Grocery Cart

Hello, rockstar. You’re acing Dry January. You’re sticking to your workout routine (hey, even those household sweat sessions count!). And you’re nailing your resolution to make your accessorizing worthy of L. Conrad’s insta. That whole healthy eating thing though? Well, let’s just say it’s been a bit more of a struggle than your other new year’s goals. But taco cleanse, no more! Author and (vegan!) blogger Jessica Nadel’s new book, Superfoods 24/7: More Than 100 Easy and Inspired Recipes to Enjoy the World’s Most Nutritious Foods at Every Meal, Every Dayhas got you covered like UberPool has you for that penny-pinching friend of yours.

Indeed, superfoods make big splashes everywhere you look these days. Sometimes a simple walk to the health food store can feel like a fighting match of chia seeds, spirulina and açaí screaming for your attention. Much ado about maca, if you ask us. Between everyday heroes (almonds, we’re looking at you) and intergalactic-sounding finds like camu camu, there’s good reason to spend the extra time doing your due diligence on so-called superfoods (or, you know, whipping out your sleek iPhone and googling): They’re all exploding with antioxidants and vitamins that nourish our cells and flood our bodies with nutrients.

Nadel explains why she’s a superfoods obsessivore: “Not only do I love packing lots of delicious flavors into my meals, but it’s also kind of awesome to get as much nutrition into them as I can, so I love cooking with healthy, nutrient-dense ‘superfoods.’ And although I do really enjoy some of the more exotic superfood powders like maca and matcha, it’s those vibrant, accessible fruits, veggies, seeds and pulses that are really where it’s at.” Scroll on for Nadel’s top picks to always make sure you stock up on for your kitchen.

1. Sweet Potatoes: “Sweet potatoes are my one of my favorite go-to superfoods. They’re readily available, totally affordable and brimming with nutrition, full of vitamins A, C, potassium and iron,” Nadel comments. “They’re incredibly versatile too! Steamed sweet potato cubes can be transformed into the most amazing mac ‘n’ cheese sauce, added to a morning smoothie or whipped up into a fluffy orange-hued garlic mash. Even just baking them whole and then loading them up with your favourite toppings makes for an easy and super yummy dinner.” We’re thinking we might want to add those sweet potato casserole recipes from Thanksgiving to our regular rotation all year long.

2. Shelled Hemp Seeds (aka Hemp Hearts): “[They’re] everywhere these days, but you still may not have tried them. These small unsuspecting seeds are so wonderful, I literally put them on everything! I like to sprinkle them on smoothie bowls, oatmeal, soups, salads, pizza… seriously, you name it and I’ve put hemp on it! As a seed, they’re also a great nut-free alternative to use in place of cashews in creamy raw sauces and dressings,” offers Nadel.

3. Brussels Sprouts: “Don’t judge me here, but I love Brussels sprouts. Containing cancer-protecting glucosinolate compounds, folate and vitamins K and C, these tiny little green balls are worth their weight in gold,” quips Nadel. “Gone are the days of choking down mushy boiled sprouts — up your game by roasting them at 375 degrees with a bit of coconut oil and sea salt and prepare to be wowed. My other favorite way to eat them up is raw, shredded in a salad. The Vietnamese Brussels sprout and noodle salad from Superfoods 24/7 is my current obsession.”

4. Turmeric. All hail the knobby root! “Turmeric has been used and loved in parts of the world for thousands of years, and now it’s starting to really catch on in the western world,” offers Nadel. “You can find it in its dried, powdered form in any grocery store, but if you’re lucky you can also find it in its whole, root form. Look for it near the fresh ginger root. It’s renowned for its anti-inflammatory and heart-health promoting properties. It’s another ‘sprinkle in everything’ superfood, but I especially love curling up with a warm mug of [my] spiced golden turmeric (almond) milk.” Need more convincing? Here are more reasons you should add turmeric to your daily routine, along with creative ideas for the potent spice.

5. Lentils: We’re going mental for lentils too. “Lentils are readily available, come in several varieties and are quick to prepare. Best of all, they’re legumes that require no pre-soaking prior to cooking,” Nadel shares. “They’re a wonderful plant-based protein and an easy way to bulk up salads, soups, pastas and stews. I’ve even been known to pack them into cookies!” Ah, lentil cookies. Maybe that’s how we’ll finally slip some nutrition into our junk food lovin’ boo.

6. Avocados. “[These fruits] round out my favorite supermarket staples. Their creamy, green flesh is full of heart-healthy fats and dietary fiber,” comments Nadel. “From simple guacamole to just spreading it on toast, I could (and often do) literally eat an avocado every day.” And we don’t know about you, but we’re excited to try these 13 ways you never thought to eat an avocado.

So what superfood can’t you live without? Tweet us @BritandCo!

(Photos via Getty)

I truly feel like I’ve been living under a rock when it comes to what’s good at Whole Foods. Turns out, they’ve been hiding some really impressive deals on groceries in the shadows, but I’m here to shed some light on ‘em. Whole Foods offers savings every week, and I’m fully convinced that my local Whole Foods will be seeing a whole lot more of me from now on.

Scroll on for details on Whole Foods’ top deals to shop starting today!

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1. BOGO 50% off packaged soups (Tuesdays)

Tuesdays and Fridays are the main days of the week that Whole Foods offers savings on their groceries. The first amazing deal for Tuesdays is BOGO 50% off packaged soups – perfect for this time of year!

They’ve got every kind of flavor from minestrone and chicken noodle to Italian wedding and broccoli cheddar. Their packaged soups average out at about $9 per 24-ounce tub, so saving 50% on one when you buy one is pretty good, especially for meal prep purposes.

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2. $2 off classic and organic rotisserie chickens (Tuesdays)

You can take $2 off two kinds of Whole Foods’ rotisserie chickens every Tuesday. Their classic rotisserie chicken goes for $9 while the organic version sells for $13. I love using rotisserie chicken for soups, sandwiches, wraps, and pastas, so getting a whole chicken to use for recipes all week long for just $7 is so nice!

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3. $8 large cheese pizzas (Friday)

Sometimes you just do not feel like cooking on a Friday evening after work – that’s where this Whole Foods savings hack comes in! Every Friday, you can get a large cheese pizza for $8. While there’s nothing wrong with a plain cheese pizza (nostalgia galore!), I’d take advantage of this deal then bulk up my slices with various toppings like peppers, pepperoni, and olives.

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4. 12 for $12 wild caught oysters (Friday)

Ooh, fancy! Every Friday, Whole Foods’ wild caught oysters go for $1 a pop. Buy a dozen for just $12, and you’re golden. This deal would be perfect for a bougie at-home date night.

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5. BOGO 50% off packaged sushi rolls (Friday)

This is another great date night pick! Buy one packaged sushi roll, and get another 50% off on Fridays only. From rainbow rolls to California rolls, this Whole Foods savings hack has my cravings going crazy.

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6. $10 family-sized tiramisu (Friday)

Got a hankering for a sweet treat? Don’t fret – you can shop a whole family-sized serving of tiramisu at Whole Foods for just $10 every Friday.

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7. $12 bottles of prosecco (Friday)

The death of the work week and start of the weekend is obviously a cause for celebration, and Whole Foods has you covered with $12 bottles of Presto prosecco every Friday. Cheers!

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As much as I love celebrity couples, I love celebrity sibling relationships even more. And Elle and Dakota Fanning are two sisters I've grown up watching since I first saw Dreamer in 2005. Considering Elle Fanning is only five months older than me, and I have a sister of my own, this is one relationship that feels particularly familiar. And while Elle has also watched Dakota Fanning act since we were kids, Dakota just revealed seeing Elle onscreen is just as special for her.

Here's why Dakota & Elle Fanning get emotional seeing each other onscreen.

Elle remembers "sobbing" during one particularly emotional Dakota Fanning movie.

“When Elle’s in anything, it makes me feel it deeper,” Dakota Fanning said at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit on December 3. “She never can fully disappear into a character totally for me as her sister. She obviously does an amazing job, but I’m always gonna see my little sister a little bit.”

And Elle is just as touched by Dakota's roles, and remembers "uncontrollably sobbing" after seeing Now Is Good, a movie where Dakota's character was dying of cancer. “Because it was my sister, I had a real traumatic reaction after that premiere and the screening,” Elle says. “Obviously the acting, but it was something felt on a deeper level.”

“I’m doing this job, I’m an actor because my sister started before me and I watched her,” Elle continues. “I wanted to do exactly what my big sister wanted to do.”

And their movies have also made an impact on everyone who watches them.

When Brit + Co caught up with Dakota Fanning at the world premiere of The Watchers, I had to ask about one of her most iconic movies: Uptown Girls. "I love it," she says of TikTok memes and edits giving the movie new life. "It's nostalgic for people who are kind of around my age, who grew up watching that movie, I think it's like a comfort movie for people. And so I love that people are still revisiting it and loving it. And maybe now that everyone's older [they're] understanding different things about it."

Dakota starred opposite Brittany Murphy, who also had roles in movies like Clueless, 8 Mile, and Girl, Interrupted. Brittany passed away in 2009 when Dakota was 15. "I loved Brittany so much and I still miss her," she says. "So anytime that she has, you know, a moment where people think about her is also nice."

You can see Elle Fanning in A Complete Unknown, in theaters December 25, and you can also stream Dakota Fanning's new show The Perfect Couple on Netflix now.

If there’s one recipe you 100 percent need to crank out some seriously festive Christmas dessert ideas, it’s the classic, basic sugar cookie. Some of the most intricately ordained, masterpiece cookies (like pink Christmas decorations, jolly reindeer, and llamas) begin with a simple foundation. Let’s start with this recipe we love for a vanilla-bean-speckled version that’s sure to hold its own under all that royal icing.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter (room temperature + cubed)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups flour

Directions

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add vanilla bean and egg. Mix until just incorporated. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Gradually add flour (you may not need the full three cups), and mix until dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Divide dough into two even discs and wrap in cling wrap, then refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

When ready to roll dough, pre-heat oven to 350°F and line baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Using a rolling pin, roll cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4-inch in thickness, and use cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes.

Transfer cookies to a baking tray using a lightly floured spatula. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes before baking.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or when edges begin to brown. The time will be dependent on size and thickness of cookies.

Allow to cool on tray until warm to touch, then transfer onto a wire cooling rackbefore decorating.

Decorate your easy Christmas cookies to you and your family's liking!

Check out our baking and cooking classes for more recipes to make at home!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

See our ‘Grammable Holiday Cookie Guide.

Recipe via Vickie Liu; photos via Brittany Griffin/Brit + Co