Lipton got one thing right about iced tea – the golden beverage is definitely brisk. And while iced tea is undeniably tasty year-round, it’s especially refreshing and fun to brew in the summer.

This simple-to-make beverage is good for you (hello, antioxidants! Both green and black tea can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent cancer), and can be tweaked to take on almost any flavor.

There’s nothing better than a freshly cleaned home. The smell of, well, nothing, is absolutely outstanding! But don’t let that lovely, sparkling clean come at a totally-not-worth-it price. Conventional household cleaning products (as you probably already know) can harm our delicate bodies (think chlorine – it can irritate lungs, and respiratory systems). Moreover, many cleaning products harm the environment.

We've rounded up three household cleaning products we aren't fond of, and suggested a few substitutes. Rest assured – these DIY green solutions will get all that grimy grease up and won’t harm your loved ones.

Researchers have found that we can actually reduce our exposure to harmful carcinogens when we grill if we incorporate antioxidant-rich ingredients into the mix. A 2010 story in The Washington Times told us of a study where researchers looked at the power of spiced marinades in protecting us from cancer-causing compounds that can form in grilled foods. They found that marinades, along with other spices and antioxidant-boasting foods, are an effective way to help protect us from damage. Here are some useful cooking tips you can incorporate into your grilling this summer to boost the protective power of your foods.

Your sofa may slowly be poisoning you, your wallpaper could be making you cough, and your carpet might be the source of your sniffles. VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are polluting your indoor air quality, and it is likely that you have never even noticed, or known exactly what is going on in the air space inside your home.

You may be wary of fava beans, particularly if you saw The Silence of the Lambs, but also because of their price. In the States, most food that isn't local has to be priced by volume because of the cost of transportation, so fava beans may cost you a pretty penny, especially considering how little food you get inside the giant pods. However, there's a reason everyone's talking about fava beans, and you can enjoy them at home with a bit of time and effort. Just a bit.

Ready to imbibe in a summer cocktail that’s old-school, sophisticated and from the garden all at once? So are we. This recipe for Rosemary Rhubarb Cocktail is a throwback to the old-fashioned gin fizz cocktail, but without the egg. It’s one insanely crisp and refreshing drink to sip on while weeding the backyard or listening to jazz on the patio. Here’s how it’s done.

When it comes to summer sun, you know you should stick on a hat and cover your delicate skin as much as possible. Outdoor activities, fun in the water and the longing for a killer tan tend to hinder your good beauty intentions somewhat. One area where you don’t skimp, though, is on sunscreen. Hopefully.

Many people think food waste is the safest thing to throw in the garbage. It all rots, right? Wrong! For food waste to compost properly, it needs light and air—of which there is very little in a landfill. So just like those plastic gee-gaws you can't recycle, it's going to sit there for a long, long time. Follow these four easy steps to reduce your food waste.

It wasn’t until my 20s that I was first introduced to authentic strawberry shortcake. No pound cake, no fake whipped “topping,” no saccharine strawberry syrup. Instead, old-fashioned strawberry shortcake is made of crumbly, buttery biscuits, fresh whipped cream and whole strawberries. The real deal, needless to say, is a world apart from the stuff most of us had as a kid. Here’s my personal recipe for this dazzling, whole-food summer dessert that’s going to win over both kids and adults with its freshness and ripe berry flavor.

There is no more perfect exercise than to dance. The act of dancing can be the ideal combination of aerobic exertion, mental transcendence and social connection. Humans have been bouncing to drum beats around campfires for hundreds of thousands of years, and it has only been in recent centuries that we have taken dancing out of our lives. If you have relegated dancing to the realm of children or to the young and foolish, then you are missing out on one of life’s easiest paths to joy and an experience that helps to define humanity against the rest of the animal world.

There's no two ways about it: what you eat impacts the environment in a big way, especially when you eat meat and dairy. That also means that a few small, totally doable diet swaps (we're not saying you have to go vegan!) can also help protect the environment, big time.

Organic Authority is thrilled, honored and absolutely gushing to announce that we've been nominated for "Best Blog" in the first annual ALIVE health and environmental award!

Okay, so technically there is only one way to eat an apricot (we're presuming you all use your mouths, too), but there are many delectable ways to make that suspenseful moment between uneaten and eaten intensely more satisfying. Of course, it's all about the preparation, and if you weren't already aware, apricots are culinary masters, making them a most welcome seasonal fruit to experiment with. Here are our nine favorite ways to use apricots.

My grandfather enjoyed scoffing at my dinner plate and earnestly telling me that he simply would not eat anything that was green, save a juicy honeydew melon at the peak of summer. Nevertheless, we both agreed to just agree that the other person was completely insane, and left it at that. I watched him eat his steak and potatoes as if it were his patriotic duty, and he not-so-quietly left me to my salads and steamed kale. But beyond those important leafy greens, there are many delicious and healthy green foods we should be eating regularly, regardless of how we feel about their color. How many of these nine green foods are you eating everyday?

Hummus has been a staple throughout Mediterranean cultures for millennia. Light, creamy and full of flavor, this raw hummus recipe omits the chickpeas and focuses instead on the nutty and super rich flavor of the sesame seed tahini. It is perfect as a dip or spread, or as a dressing for making tangy, ranchy-flavored dehydrated kale chips.