MommyPR.com™ » Healthy Choices

Fruition by PROBAR Review & Giveaway

DawnS — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:31:27 +0000

I am always looking for healthy, tasty snacks that are easy to eat on the run. So when I was contacted by Probar about trying out their gluten-free Fruition bars, I was super excited!

It is not that easy to eat clean when you are a busy mom! Between work and taking care of the family, it can be difficult to find things that I can eat. Since I can not tolerate eating processed foods and stick to a mainly organic diet high in raw foods, my choices are very limited for on the go snacks. To come across something new to me that fits my strict criteria, really makes me happy!

About Fruition: Fruition™ is a fruit-dense, 150-calorie, superfood snack that delivers a serving of fruit in every bar. As with all PROBAR products, fruition™ bars are 100% vegan, certified organic, non-GMO, and rich in raw ingredients including organic dates, oats, chia seeds, and cashews. The new collection boasts all six original flavors (Cran-Raspberry, Cherry, Strawberry, Peach, Lemon, Blueberry) along with a newcomer: Chocolate Orange. PROBAR President, Jules Lambert, said: “Our mission has always been to provide healthy snacks and meal-replacements for people on-the-go. This change-over helps us reach many more people who live a gluten-free lifestyle.”*

My Thoughts: Fruition bar’s have all the major things I look for in a snack food: non-GMO (vital), organic ingredients, whole grains and seeds, and fresh healthy ingredients – all mixed together in a very tasty snack! I would even go so far as to say that these are the best tasting bars that I have found! The bars are well balanced, the texture is great and it is enough to satisfy me and hold me over until my next meal. These will be my new go to bars – the ones that I always keep on hand and carry in my purse. I even got my daughter to try them:

She said she rated them about the same as the fresh green juices that I make, which means that she wouldn’t choose them over a chocolate chip cookie – but if nothing else is available she would be willing to eat them. Too bad for her I don’t keep a supply of chocolate chip cookies on me, I will however be carrying my new favorite Fruition bars with me at all times (and I might try these too)! What can I say – she is a work in progress…

Overall I am so impressed with the Fruition bars and am pleased to add them as a regular part of my healthy diet!

Where to Buy: You should be able to find Fruition bars at your local Whole Foods Store, or you can check for a store near you by using this store finder. PROBAR is offering our readers and AMAZING deal! Shop online here at the PROBAR shop, enter the code “BLOGGER” at checkout and you will get 40% off of your first order!

Win It: I have more great news for you because one lucky MommyPR reader is going to win their own box of Fruition bars!

Win It!

Mandatory Entry (must be done first): Visit the PROBAR site and then come back here and leave a comment sharing which product/flavor you would most like to try.

Bonus Entries:

For a bonus entry, Like PROBAR’s Facebook Page.

Follow PROBAR on Twitter

**Remember to leave one comment for each thing you do – this is your actual entry!

Open to Continental US only

Contest ends 11:59 pm Central Time on 6/4

See Contest Rules for More Entries

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on out blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for our readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Some information may have been used from the sponsors website, PR, or other provided material. (Giveaways- Odds of winning depend on the number of entries vs prizes. No purchase is ever needed or endorsed for an entry) The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely my own and any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified by the above mentioned store, PR,or product designer. This post is not endorsed, sponsored or have any connection to Twitter, Facebook or any other network. This post is solely the property of Mommy PR and/or its above sponsor.

AdvoCare Product Review

DawnS — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:18:28 +0000

I received a great package of products from Autumn of Spark You Up. Autumn and her husband are independent distributors for the company called AdvoCare. Like many direct selling companies, you are able to purchase products directly through a local distributor or set up your own distributorship and buy through yourself.

AdvoCare provides products that promote health and wellness for the entire family. My first impression upon browsing through their site, it that there are so many products available. If you are looking to lose a few pounds, there are several options in weight loss products or if you are an an athlete you will find plenty here for you as well. Personally I am interested in supplements that help round out a healthy lifestyle. I would like to share a few of my favorites with you.

Since most people include way too many processed foods in their diet and many of us do not eat enough raw foods (raw foods are full of the vitamins, nutrients and enzymes that our bodies require to stay strong and healthy), it is vital to supplement our diets so that we are able to get all of the proper nutrients for a strong immune system and to keep our digestive system on track.

I am going to highlight a few products that I feel are essential to people that eat the average American diet.

CorePlex Chewable Multiple Vitamin and Mineral Supplement is a must if you have children that are not adventurous eaters. My youngest daughter would love to live on Ramon Noodles if I would let her and aside from the daily sip of green juice, she eats zero veggies! A multi-vitamin supplement is a must for her and a good tasting chewable one makes things so much easier! Click here to check out the product detail page. This chewable vitamin has everything I look for in a supplement for my kids.

A probiotic is another product that we use regularly and AdvoCare’s Probiotic Boost is a great fit for us. My oldest daughter has had stomach troubles since right after she was born. It took many years before I came up with something that would offer her long term relief. About a year and a half ago, I discovered probiotics and it has made a world of difference for her. She went from missing many days of school due to stomach issues, to having missed no days for this problem. AdvoCare’s Probiotic Boost is easy to use as an additive to any drink, sprinkled on food or just eat the powder right out of the package. It is great for my girl that can’t swallow pills!

I personally have been taking the Probiotic Restore Ultra. Since I have had so many digestive problems over the past couple of years, I am a definite advocate of including probiotics in your diet. Check out this article to find out more about how probiotics can increase your bacterial balance and help restore your digestive system to proper balance. Also remember that if you ever have to take and antibiotic, you should also take a probiotic. It will help keep the healthy bacteria in place and you will feel so much better (with less noticeable side effects)! Let me share from AdvoCare the key areas of benefit that ProBiotic Restore provides:

Aids in healthy intestinal function and digestion.* As the ingredients in ProBiotic Restore ULTRA help rebuild your body’s natural balance and wellness, you’ll benefit from added intestinal function and stability, leading to more productive bowel movements and improved digestion.* It also helps relieve symptoms of occasional constipation.* Furthermore, digestion become less inhibited, and the nutrients you consume through food and other AdvoCare products will be absorbed more efficiently.* Provides immune system support.* When it comes to optimal health, you must make every effort to keep your immune system in top shape. ProBiotic Restore ULTRA supports your immune system by helping it rid the body of harmful toxins and therefore decreasing the constant workload and threat to your immune system these agents present.*

Another important supplement is the OmegaPlex Omega-3 Fatty Acid Dietary Supplement. Omega-3′s are considered essential for optimal health, but have to be obtained from outside sources. When my daughter first came home from China, she had a lot of memory problems. When she started school it was very difficult for her. Not only did she have a hard time focusing but she also had difficulty comprehending much of what was being taught. I did a lot of research trying to find out how I could help her and I kept coming back to Omega-3′s. I spoke with her doctor about giving her the supplement and she said that it wouldn’t hurt her and might be worth a try. Interestingly enough, she told me that her doctor had just recommended that she take it herself to help with symptoms of menopause… So I started Rylee on an Omega 3 supplement and within two weeks started seeing a difference. She was calmer and her memory started improving. After about six weeks, her teacher noticed a difference. In a conference with me, she told me that Rylee was doing much better behavior wise, and that she seemed to be focusing better. When I told her that I had been giving her Omega 3 supplements, she was surprised that it was making such a difference. Now four years later, I still give her supplements and if we miss them for a while, I start to notice behaviors that we normally don’t see anymore. She calls them her “brain medicine” and will even tell me that she needs them if we have missed for a few days. If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or are at risk for heart disease, you should check into the benefits you could get from adding this supplement to your diet as well!

Final Thoughts: I am impressed with the extensive range of products offered through AdvoCare. The quality of the products that I reviewed seemed to be great with impressive ingredient lists and high quantities in each supplement (meaning you don’t have to take 6 to get the daily recommended dosages). The pricing seems to be right along with what I usually pay for these types of supplements (and sometimes less) and it is convenient to be able to find them all in one place. Autumn and Aric have a wonderful story with AdvoCare and it seems like a great opportunity for someone interested in health and wellness. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a great source of health and wellness products!

Connect With AdvoCare:
Visit Autumn and Aric’s AdvoCare Site to learn more about their story, search out their great products or learn more about the AdvoCare business opportunity.

Buy it: All of the products that I mentioned above, and so many more, can be purchased from Autumn’s site directly by following this link.

*Information from www.spark-you-up.net

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up: Budget-Friendly Recipe

Megan — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:01:49 +0000

Just a couple weeks ago I wrote about the Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up promo, if you haven’t seen it yet you can catch up here. As promised, I’m ready to bring you another delicious, simple and quick meal with a focus on changing up your boring ‘ol chicken dinner by incorporating Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Last time I had a little fiesta for dinner with the Chipotle-Lime Crusted Chicken breasts, which were so good I thought they would be difficult to top. But Hellmann’s managed to do it, in my opinion, with the Tuscan-Glazed Chicken breasts!

Before we get to the good stuff (the pics! Isn’t that what everyone always wants to see? The pics…) So before we get to the pics, let me tell you what you need in order to make this super delicious chicken.

Tuscan Glazed Chicken

6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

1/3 cup Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise…I used the regular version but you can also use the light version to cut back on a few calories
3 Tbsp. finely chopped roasted red pepper…I made my own instead of using jarred red peppers which saved me a little more $ and I have leftovers to use for another recipe
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs.)…I used 3 instead of 6 so my chicken breasts had a little extra topping than was intended

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine all ingredients except chicken in medium bowl. Arrange chicken on baking sheet, then evenly top with mayonnaise mixture.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

And just in case you’re getting caught up on the fact that you’re using mayonnaise and could be packing on unnecessary calories, let me assure you that you are not! Take a look at the nutritional breakout of the Tuscan Glazed Chicken recipe:

Nutrition Information per serving – Calories 240, Calories From Fat 70, Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 8g, Cholesterol 90mg, Sodium 270mg, Total Carbohydrate 2g, Sugars 0g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Protein 35g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 4%, Calcium 2%, Iron 8%

Now for the good stuff!

Here’s the line up of ingredients, most of which I’m betting you have on hand already! Remember, I roasted my own red pepper by charring it over the gas burner on my stove. If you do not have a gas oven, you can broil your pepper inside the oven until charred then take a paper towel and rub off the blackened char and there you have a roasted red pepper!

Combining all the ingredients except for the chicken together. Looks messy but it’ll taste delicious soon!

Chicken on the pan with their mayo mixture topping. Sorry for the dark picture…it didn’t look this dark when I took it otherwise I would have retaken it with better lighting. Sorry!

Chicken fresh out of the oven! Now remember, I used 3 chicken breasts instead of the 6 that the recipe called for so I had a little run off of topping onto the pan during cooking. Honestly, I thought it was great because I love the burnt crusties on the pan! But if you use 6 breasts I am sure you’ll have a lot less run off.

DINNER!

And here it is, my dinner! Without breaking the bank and without even breaking a sweat, here is my finished product: bagged salad mix lightly tossed with a bit of dressing, topped with a few roasted veggies (leftover from another meal earlier in the week), presented with the sliced Tuscan-Glazed Hellmann’s Mayonnaise on top, sprinkled with a touch of Parmesan cheese. Perfection? I do believe so. I tore through this meal and forced myself not to go back in the kitchen and devour the other chicken breasts immediately after finishing my salad. It was that good. And don’t worry, you don’t have to have a fancy white plate, little dots of dressing or what not….you can set this chicken next to simple rice and corn and I guarantee your family will devour it in just the same manner I devoured my own!

I will absolutely, positively, definitely be making this dish again! The chicken is juicy, tender and who can beat having such a delicious meal on the table in under 30 minutes?! The longest part of the process was waiting for the oven to preheat to 425 degrees. I had set my oven to preheat before I began prepping the ingredients and yet my chicken breasts were on the pan ready to go in the oven and the oven wasn’t up to temp yet. The most difficult part of this recipe was forcing myself not to eat the entire pan of chicken in one setting! Otherwise, if you can chop and measure then you can easily make this meal. And as I demonstrated above, you can make this a super simple weeknight dinner or spruce it up and make it a little fancier if you are trying to impress!

I’ll be back soon with another Hellmann’s Chicken Change-Up recipe that I think you should try out, but until then make sure you check out Hellmann’s Facebook page to join in all the fun! If you try out any of the Hellmann’s Chicken Change-Up recipes then you can go to their Facebook page, write about your experience, provide suggestions on how to avoid dinnertime dilemmas in your house and you will have the chance to enter to win a $5,000 grocery gift card and enter to win other daily prizes. [1] So get to cooking up some Hellmann’s chicken recipes this weekend!

[1] NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Hellmann’s Chicken Change-Up is sponsored by Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 or older. Begins 12:00 PM ET on 03/01/12 & ends 11:59 AM ET on 04/30/12. For official rules, visit the ‘Chicken Change-Up’ tab on the Hellmann’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hellmanns

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Disclosure: I did receive products or services to keep for my testing purposes.

Some information may have been used from the sponsors website, PR, or other provided material. (Giveaways- Odds of winning depend on the number of entries vs prizes. No purchase is ever needed or endorsed for an entry) The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely my own and any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified by the above mentioned store, PR,or product designer. This post is not endorsed, sponsored or has any connection to twitter, facebook or any other network. This post is solely the property of Mommy PR and/or its above sponsor. You can read more about Mommy PR’s Policy Disclosure here. See our Mission Statement for more on what we promise to uphold on every post.

Original & Hand Written
Plagiarism Will Be Detected
Monitored By CopyScape & Copy Gator
Megan@MommyPR.com

The Original Brat Hans – Organic Sausage Review

DawnS — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:06:47 +0000

When I was offered an opportunity to try some products from The Original Brat Hans, I was a bit skeptical about the taste. I have tried turkey brats before and have not been impressed. However, I do like some kinds of chicken sausages and after looking at the flavors that my local Whole Foods Market carries, I decided that it would be a good opportunity to try out a product that I may not otherwise have purchased.

The Original Brat Hans products are brought to you by Coleman Natural Foods. Something important to note about Coleman Natural is their commitment to NOT use antibiotics or growth hormones to force their animals to grow faster. They are also committed to not adding nitrates, chemical preservatives, MSG or fillers. I actively seek out products from companies that make these types of commitments. I feel confident that they are concerned enough to make conscious decisions to not be adding or including toxic influences into the products that I feed to my family. I am allergic or intolerant of many of the typical chemical preservatives and additives that are in most processed foods. While I may not be able to taste the additive, my body doesn’t lie to me about it and always reacts to unnatural additives. I did not have a single reaction to any of the flavors of sausages, so I know that Coleman Nautural Foods upholds their commitments!

About The Original Brat Hans: “The Original Brat Hans® is a part of the Coleman Natural Foods family of products which means that the meat used in our natural sausage are raised without using antibiotics-EVER and are fed an all-natural vegetarian diet with no animal by-products. There are NO artificial ingredients, nitrates, nitrites, or MSG added- so you can always be sure that you are giving the best to your family. We create our one-of-a-kind natural sausage by combining only the most simple, all natural ingredients and spices gathered from around the globe.”

We were able to try four different flavors:

Our Thoughts: I have never been a big bratwurst fan, but my husband is. It’s a rare treat for him to be able to get them in our home, since I usually cook things that I also like. We decided these would be best tried out on the grill. We also added some Sweet Italian Organic Chicken Sausages on the grill as well.

Nothing will get you in the mood for summer grilling more than the mouth watering aroma of these delicious sausages cooking on the grill! Every bite is a mouthful of bursting, fresh, juicy flavor! My husband absolutely loved the brats and since I feel confident about the contents of the brats (no junk added or fed to the animals), I will definitely be adding them to my shopping list again in the near future!

However, my all time favorite way to eat this delicious sausage is on pizza. Take a look at this:

I used fresh cilantro along with the Spicy Cilantro Chicken Sausage and I think it would not be stretching to say that this may just be the best tasting sausage I have ever had. I am seriously in love with this sausage! Your mouth will come alive with the first juicy, spicy bite and you will keep coming back for more! It has an amazingly fresh taste, full of flavor and seriously addicting. The Sweet Italian is also delicious and full of flavor.

We even made another trip out to Whole Foods already, to stock up on more chicken sausages! On the menu tonight are lettuce wraps made with the Spicy Cilantro and the Spinach & Feta flavors. I am 100% positive that dinner is going to be delicious!

There is much to love about this brand and the fact that there are so many tasty organic options, seals the deal for me. I have been completely won over and you will too! Just take a moment to read through their website and find out how committed they are to providing only the best options for your family. Then pick up a package or two on your next shopping trip – you will not be disappointed!

Connect With Coleman Natural Foods:
Visit the Coleman Natural Foods Website to learn more about The Original Brat Hans products.
Sign up for Coleman Natural Foods Newsletter.
Find Coleman Natural Foods on Facebook.
Find The Original Brat Hans on Facebook.

Buy it: We purchased the The Original Brat Hans products at our local Whole Foods store. You can find out where they are sold in your area by checking this store locator.

*Information from www.colemannatural.com

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Hellmann’s Chicken Change-Up: Time Saving Recipe

Megan — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:32:54 +0000

Recently Hellmann’s began a crusade against boring chicken recipes! They have created a whole list of Chicken Change-Up recipes to get you out of common chicken dilemmas like dealing with picky eaters, creating budget friendly chicken meals or coming up with time-saving meals. You can find all sorts of helpful Chicken Change-Up ideas, recipes and even enter to win fun daily prizes over on Hellmann’s Facebook page.

While you’re perusing through the fun things Hellmann’s has to offer on their Facebook page, allow me to suggest trying out the Chipotle-Lime-Crusted Chicken breasts! Mmmm, mmm, mmmm were they delicious! I had these grand plans to make this chicken for my family, but one thing lead to another and busy life got in the way. So in the end, it worked out that I got to hoard these chicken breasts all to myself all week long! In fact, I just snarfed down the last little bit and I’m looking forward to trying out another one of Hellmann’s Chicken Change-Up recipes.

But before I get too far ahead of myself, I have to tell you about these Chipotle-Lime-Crusted chicken breasts! You’ll find this recipe under the budget-friendly recipes and I have to agree. I wonder if some of you do not already have the chipotle pepper powder in your cupboard already. If you don’t and you do not feel inclined to go buy some, that’s okay! You can substitute cayenne powder, cumin or even chili powder for the chipotle powder to still get that kick of flavor in your chicken. Now, without further ado, here is the recipe:

CHIPOTLE-LIME-CRUSTED CHICKEN

4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

1/2 cup Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise (regular or light, both work well!)
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 1 oz.)
1-1/2 tsp. lime juice (about ½ a lime freshly squeezed)
1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chile pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
1/4 cup crushed plain tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise, cheese, lime juice and ground chipotle in medium bowl. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Evenly top with mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips.
Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

If you’re a visual learner, here was my Hellmann’s chicken adventure in pictures:

The ingredient line up ready for preparation.
Mixing the mayo, cheese, lime juice, and chipotle powder together.3. Here is where I mixed things up a little bit…instead of spooning the mayo mixture over the chicken breasts, I decided to dunk my chicken into the mixture completely.
4. And another minor change, I rolled the chicken into the crushed tortilla chips (and I had lime flavored tortilla chips in the cupboard and they were perfect! It kind of worked out better that I used the lime flavored chips!)

5. Lined up ready for toasty time!

6. The final juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside chicken breasts! I took a healthy path and decided to put my chicken on top of a big salad. Yummy, delicious!

After these came out of the oven, I devoured half a breast straight off the cutting board…the poor thing never even made it to a plate! It was so tasty, I just couldn’t stop myself. This is an easily prepared, quick and inexpensive meal that even the kiddos could help out with (though if the kids were involved I would definitely suggest spooning the mayo mixture on top and sprinkling the chips over top and not rolling the chicken in the mixtures so as to avoid raw chicken hands).

In addition to the minor changes I made (dunking and rolling my chicken directly in the mixtures, and using the lime flavored chips) the only other change I would make the next time I prepare this chicken is to zest some of the lime into the Hellmann’s mayo mixture along with the freshly squeezed lime juice. Can you tell I love lime?? If you’re not a lime fanatic lime me, you can obviously omit my suggestions but if you’re a lime-lover as well, you’d love the lime chips and the lime zest in your recipe. Other than that, I love this recipe and can’t wait to make it again for the rest of my family to enjoy with me as well!

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Disclosure: I did receive products or services to keep for my testing purposes.

Some information may have been used from the sponsors website, PR, or other provided material. (Giveaways- Odds of winning depend on the number of entries vs prizes. No purchase is ever needed or endorsed for an entry) The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely my own and any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified by the above mentioned store, PR,or product designer. This post is not endorsed, sponsored or has any connection to twitter, facebook or any other network. This post is solely the property of Mommy PR and/or its above sponsor. You can read more about Mommy PR’s Policy Disclosure here. See our Mission Statement for more on what we promise to uphold on every post.

Original & Hand Written
Plagiarism Will Be Detected
Monitored By CopyScape & Copy Gator
Megan@MommyPR.com

You Can Boost Your Energy With A Juice Fast!

DawnS — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:55:33 +0000

I recently watched a Joe Cross Film called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. Have you seen it? My brother recommended it to me as something he thought would be helpful for me to watch. My brother has been on his own fitness journey for the past couple of years and you can check out his results story here complete with before and after pictures, on the Beachbody Message Board – it is impressive and very inspiring. In fact let me just show you his before and after because I am just so very proud of him:

So getting back to the film… it’s a documentary that follows Joe through his journey to take control over his health and try to heal his body through raw juices. He spent 60 days eating nothing but raw juices with incredible results, not only losing over 100 lbs, but also completely healing his body. It’s very interesting and if you are looking to lose some weight, or are struggling with illness, high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc… you might find something here that will inspire you to take control of your life. You also meet Phil, who was inspired by Joe to change his own life as well. You will want to check out the film to see his amazing results too!

I decided to see what a 10 day juice fast could do for me. I had my doubts – I mean I have three other people that I need to fix meals for – how can a person have only juice and still be around other people that are eating??? But like my brother said – “It’s only 10 days, not a month, not a year – just 10 days.”

Okay – right it is only 10 days. I decided to do it.

I am now 20 days into my 10 day juice fast and I can’t believe how amazing I feel – Yes, that’s right, I felt so good that I decided to keep going. You might be wondering if I am hungry… yes, I am – but it’s not unbearable. I actually feel pretty satisfied, and unusually energetic! In fact the increase in energy was noticeable by the middle of day two! Even my kids are willing to have a taste of every drink I make, and have been surprised at how good they taste.

I have had one illness after another these past two years and this might be just the thing my immune system needs to get my body back on the right track. In fact – over the past twenty days, both of my kids have come home with colds and sore throats and for the first time in a long time – I didn’t catch it!

If you are feeling run down, keep catching everything that you come in contact with or suffer from diet related illnesses – maybe this could be the thing that will turn your heath around. It gives your body the time and energy to focus solely on healing. You can read amazing results stories by doing a search for raw juicing.

I have been doing a lot of research on what exactly is going into our foods these days, and let me tell you it is scary! Unless you are eating organic, you may not have any idea what is really in or on your food. Things that I think the human body probably isn’t equipped to digest, which could be the cause of the ever increasing diseases that are effecting our nation.

If you have a chance to watch the movie I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I would love to hear your thoughts! If you are looking for a coach to help you through your own health and fitness journey – here is my brothers link.

Understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome and What To Do About It

Angela — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:06:26 +0000

Guest Post By Ren’e Matheny-Spires

Do you have IBS and don’t know what to do about it? Is your IBS keeping you from living life?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome has many names. It can be called “Spastic colitis”, “nervous Indigestion”, “mucous colitis”, and “intestinal neurosis”, and finally in short we will address it as “IBS”.

IBS is not a disease it is a functional disorder. It is treatable by diet, lifestyle changes, stress reduction, nutrition, and movement. It affects 55 million Americans a year. It can affect you in different ways. Some report that any number of the following symptoms. Abdominal pain, bloating, more frequent bowel movements with pain, or bowel movements that relieves pain sensations, constipation, diarrhea, excessive production of mucus in the colon, indigestion, flatulence, nausea, anorexia, anxiety and or depression.

IBS is usually associated with a food allergy, stress, or a lack of fiber and water in the diet. I want to stress right here that just because you have symptoms of IBS does not mean that you have it. There are many things that mimic IBS. (cancer, antibiotic or antacid over usage, diverticular disease, infectious diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal candidiasis, lactose intolerance, laxative abuse, pancreatic deficiency, celiac disease, fecal impaction, adrenal insufficiency, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, reactions to coffee, teas or carbonated drinks and sugars). You see there could be many different things that could be wrong. Make sure you get your diagnosis from a doctor.

So, you have IBS and you’re wondering just what can I do about it. You should really consult a professional like a holistic health counselor. Why? Because, they will work with you and your doctor if you choose. They will guide you through a diet and lifestyle change gradually. It will take about 6 months to really put your IBS to rest.

We want to start by:

Drinking more water.
Increasing your fiber.
Keeping a daily diary. Keep track of what you ate or drank and how it affected you. You should also include and medication, vitamins & probiotics.
Eat more cooked greens
ELIMINATE the following items:

Coffee, caffeinated teas, carbonated drinks, alcohol, white flour, sugar, artificial sweeteners and if you have allergies to dairy and wheat eliminate them. You should consult with a doctor or health counselor to try an elimination diet to see if food allergies exist.
Eliminate eating fast. Chew your food at least 25 times. This helps aid in digesting your food better.

YOUR PLATE:

What your plate should look like is ½ the plate should be cooked greens. Then ¼ of the plate should be a complex carbohydrate (like brown rice or spelt noodles) the other ¼ should be a protein (beans, fish, meat, chicken) with a healthy fat like avocado, olive oil, or seeds.

The easy way to add fiber to your diet is ground up flax seeds. You can add these to your breakfast lunch or dinner. They will keep your system clean from top to bottom.

Eat more organic fruits and vegetables. Keep it balanced though.

BLOATING

For those of you who suffer from abdominal pain and or bloating. I want to give you some simple tricks that can help. The easiest one is lying down with a hot water bottle. You should try sleeping with a hot water bottle every night as well. This helps to aid in passing a bowel movement and or trapped gas. It does this by relaxing the muscles. The other one is if your able to do a few sit ups you might dislodge the gas pocket. Most of the time the pain is gas. You can also by a anti-gas supplement from your local health food store. You can also take a probiotoc everyday as it helps in creating good intestinal balance.

LIFE STYLE CHANGES

You definitely need to implement some life style changes. Start by walking. You can start by just taking a leisure stroll for 20 minutes a day. Your movement will cause movement.

STRESSED? Then try mediation or yoga relaxation therapy or get a message.

Early childhood trauma or sexual abuse seek a mental health counselor. You need someone to talk to. You need to release this from inside of you. When you hold your thoughts or feelings in. It can cause digestive issues. They can show them shelves in many ways and one way is IBS.

I hope that you found this article helpful. If you should need any further assistance please contact me at ReneMatheny@yahoo.com. You can also visit our website New Seasons Health Counseling and join us in our webinars or talks on IBS.

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Receive a $25 Gift Certificate to the Good Bite Store!

Angela — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:51:16 +0000

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Sans Sucre Baking Mixes Review

Megan — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:53:28 +0000

Family, fun and food surround the holiday season. For those watching what they eat, this time of year can be stressful due to the number of parties with excessive amounts of sugary snacks and desserts. Sans Sucre Baking Mixes are flavored with Stevia, an all-natural sweetener so that desserts can be enjoyed without the extra calories. In addition to being sugar-free or no sugar added, they are low fat, no cholesterol, lower in calories and lower in sodium. However, there is a distinct difference in taste between Stevia and regular sugar. “Like soda and diet soda both Stevia and sugar have different flavor profiles,” says Steven Bernard, chief executive officer of Bernard Food Industries, the manufacturer of Sans Sucre mixes.

I’m not sure a baked good could get much better, especially during the holiday time! Instead of serving up those deliciously fattening and sugar-filled brownies, why not serve up some delicious sugar-FREE brownies? If you are someone who likes and enjoys Stevia, than these brownies are definitely for you!

Sans Sucre sent me one of all 4 of their baking mixes. Though it came down to a close call between the Classic Blondies and the Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake, I think the Blondies won out as my favorite mix! I made the Chocolate Fudge brownies first, and they were devoured in no time. My only comment about them is that I prefer a more fudgey brownie, and these were more on the cakey side than the fudgey side. That’s just my personal preference though – everyone is different when it comes to brownie preferences! Next I made the Classic Blondies, and to kick them up a notch I added chocolate chips. Sure, that doesn’t make them “sans sucre” anymore, but they were still delicious, especially since I sliced them up and served them still warm out of the oven! Next up was the Apple Cinnamon Cake mix which I added in a handful of chopped walnuts. I also really enjoyed these guys, which is why they are a close #2 behind the Classic Blondies. I finished up by making the Milk Chocolate brownies – but again, my preference is fudgey brownies so whereas there’s nothing wrong with the flavor or deliciousness of the chocolate brownie mixes, I just wanted a bit more “goo” from them!

Each mix was super easy to prepare – just add oa little water and a couple tablespoons of oil, mix, pour into lined baking pan and bake. Almost immediately, the entire kitchen and house begins to smell like cake or brownies you’ve been working on for much longer than a few minutes. Within a half an hour your brownies or cake is ready to come out of the oven. The hardest part of the process is waiting for them to cool before digging in right away!

If you can’t find these mixes in your local grocery store, you can definitely find them online at Amazon.com and eDietshop.com! Each mix retails bewteen $3.99 – $4.49.

A Guilty Pleasure, Sans the Guilt!

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New! Holiday Recipe Videos

Angela — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:08:35 +0000

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