FREE Movie Rental From Redbox - October

 Hooray!  Another Free Movie Night courtesy of our friends at Redbox!  The code below is good for one night free!

Free, one-night DVD rental with code 9MXW2LPC at a Redbox Kiosk.

~Bridget

A Healthier Halloween Candy Substitute That's Better For You and GMO-FREE! (And no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils either!)

 

UNREAL started with a simple question from a kid:
"Why do the foods we love the most have to be so bad for us?" 

IT TOOK A QUESTION FROM A 13 YEAR OLD
The morning after a night of trick-or-treating, Nicky woke up to find that his dad had confiscated most of candy. Angry, Nicky set out to do some research and prove to his dad that candy isn’t so bad for you. Nicky knew, of course, that candy wasn’t good for you, but he didn’t know just how bad most candy is. Nicky learned that the worst parts of candy, stuff like partially hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors, chemical preservatives and loads of sugar (“the junk”) aren’t there to make it taste better. They’re there to make candy cheaper to produce and last longer on shelves.
Nicky had a hunch that, without the junk and so much sugar, candy could taste even better. And if he could show that candy could be unjunked, maybe other companies would pay attention and unjunk their candy. With the help of his dad and his older brother, Kris, he set out to prove his idea right. 

PROVING CANDY CAN BE UNJUNKED™
Nicky started calling chefs, hoping to find one to take up the challenge of creating a candy that tasted as good as his favorites without the junk, but no one believed it could be done. Finally, Kris’ research led Nicky to a well-known professor of food science at the University of Bristol, in England, who referred him to Adam, a master chef in Spain. After hearing Nicky’s idea, Adam was so inspired that he brought together a team of chefs from across Europe to try to recreate America’s most popular candies—without the junk. It was during this time that Nicky and Adam developed UNREAL’s mission to “unjunk the world.

Adam and Nicky began their journey by deciding what they’d leave out of the reinvented candy: corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and GMOs. They also set a goal to reduce sugar by 50% per serving (so far, they have achieved a reduction of 40-48% per serving, but are continuing to innovate until they achieve their goal). They decided that the key ingredients had to be responsibly sourced, thereby supporting farming communities and preventing the destruction of rainforests. Dairy needed to come from pasture-raised cows that were antibiotic-free, with no added hormones. Why? Just because it’s the right thing to do for people and the planet.

This wasn’t easy. To recreate the taste of Nicky’s favorite candies, the team had to test nearly 1,000 recipes to generate just five reinvented candies. The team also had to come up with a way to keep candy fresh on store shelves without the use of chemical preservatives.

They have done the "impossible!"  In place of the junk, they’ve added more of the good stuff, like more cacao, real caramel, and peanuts. They've also added more protein and fiber from real food, so that each candy has a low glycemic index.


To find a retailer near you, click this link:  http://getunreal.com/find-unreal
You'll be surprised to find it at places like Target, Wegmans andAmazon.com!

I hope you consider buying a "better" candy this year for your Halloween treats and giving your kids a healthier option.  They have imitated almost every popular known "favorite" candy out there, so there's sure to be some your family will love!  This Halloween, give out real "Treats!"

Boo!
~Bridget

A Twist on Alton Brown's Healthy Pumpkin Bread... Just in Time for Fall

 It's not always that easy!  I found a recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network and changed out a few things from another "Healthy" Pumpkin Bread recipe I got off of Good Housekeeping to come up with an actual healthy and yummy version! 

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown  
Show: Good EatsEpisode: Squash Court

This recipe was rated 5 stars out of 5 so it began a winner and ended a skinnier version of the same winning recipe!


Total Time: 1 hr 35 min 
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 15 min

Yield: 1 loaf or 1 1/2 dozen small muffins

Level: Easy

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute out for a gulten-free kind too)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil (lo-fat version: substitute applesauce for the oil)
3 large eggs  (or 6 egg whites)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

                                                    Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 205

(Lo-fat version 105 Calories)

Fat: 11 grams

(Lo-fat version: 5 grams Fat)

Saturated Fat: 1 gram

(Lo-fat version .05 grams Sat Fat)

Protein: 3 grams

Carbohydrates: 26 grams

(Lo-fat version: 12 grams)

Sugar: 12 grams

Fiber: 1 gram

Cholesterol: 35 milligrams

(Lo-fat version: 15 milligrams)

Sodium: 154 milligrams

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-bread-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

~Bridget

POND'S® Luminous Finish BB+ Cream PRODUCT REVIEW

 

A friend of mine received this product from Influenster for review purposes. The shades she received did not match her skin tone so she gave the medium shade to me to try!  Yay Me!  It  matched me perfectly. This was a first for me, I've never tried a BB cream before.  For those who don't know what it is, it's a lightweight face lotion and a tinted moisturizer in one. This brand claims that it evens skin tone in two weeks while concealing imperfections for natural-looking coverage.I gave it a shot and found that it did do a good job of evening out the reddish-patches we all seem to have somewhere on our face, and it kept the shine down.  It was lightweight and blended very well. My fave part about it is that it has SPF 15 in it.  Very smart!  I would give it a solid "A" rating!

ABOUT THIS PRODUCT

This multi-tasking beauty benefit cream provides flawless coverage in seconds PLUS more even skin tone in two weeks.
Unlike other BB Creams, has a that visibly fades dark spots.
It provides both coverage and a wide range of skincare benefits including superior* coverage of imperfections and visible dark spot correction.

Unique pigment system is designed to immediately conceal imperfections for natural-looking coverage

• Visibly reduces the appearance of dark spots to even skin tone in two weeks
• Superior* coverage of imperfections
• Superior* visible dark spot reduction
• Superior* non-greasy feel with a matte finish
• Tone Perfecting Complex formulated with:
  • Vitamin E Acetate – an antioxidant known to protect and repair skin
  • Glycerin – helps increase hydration
• Brightens and hydrates with lightweight moisture
• SPF 15 protects against harmful UVA/UVB rays
• Hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic
• Reduces the number of beauty and skin care products required during a daily beauty regimen

~Bridget

Free2Work App....(And shame on Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, DC and Kindle)

Have you heard the buzz lately getting louder and louder concerning the child labor in other countries, and the importance to be socially responsible (and become more aware of what other people may go through so that we can walk into a store and pick a pair of shoes, pants or a sweater off a rack and take it home)?  

Lately I've really been trying to be a more conscious consumer and buy USA made items, from decor in my home to clothing in the store, I am now really paying attention.  

I just discovered a great FREE app called Free2Work that allows you to scan bar codes and look up products to learn how they relate to trafficking and other labor abuses.  Free2Work provides consumers like us with information on forced and child labor for the brands and products we buy and love.  

HOW IT WORKS:

Free2Work grades companies on a scale of "A" to "F" based on their efforts to prevent and to address forced and child labor.  It is categorized into different industries, like Apparel, Chocolate, Electronics, Jewelry, Toys and Sports Equipment.   Below, you can see that one of the more popular brands, "Lululemon," does NOT fall into a very attractive category, (making me secretly feel happy that I no longer need to feel compelled to throw $115 at a jacket that most likely cost less than $5 to manufacture using horrendous conditions somewhere in a third-world country that exploits children

to make money)....  

 The same logic applies to the faves of my 'tweens, and this mama will no longer be purchasing clothing from any store that is supporting child trafficking AND assaults my senses with overly loud music, obscene amounts of toxic-smelling cologne wafting through the vents and overly-perky sales associates who appear as if I am interrupting them when I ask to have my kids let into a dressing room to try something on....no mas.  For realz.

                           

I am NOT surprised to see Walmart on the list....is anyone else?  They have long been slowly poisoning us with their store brands full of toxic chemicals, cheap and harmful fillers and carcinogens. No surprise to find their clothing is also disgracefully made... Frankly, I'm a little shocked that they didn't receive an "F."

I encourage you to download this app for FREE and take it along with you.  If something doesn't come up, it will usually identify it and the information is recorded and sent to be reviewed and possibly added.

I received an education about many other industries I was unaware of, like "Jewelery"and "Electronics"  for example.  Look at the intro information they provide:

 

 Suddenly....I am not that excited to use my Kindle.  I know Apple isn't on this, so perhaps an iPad Mini is a better option....

                                        This education about Jewelery sure woke me up....

 

 ....and I appreciate the links to even MORE information if you want it.  Clearly a lot of work went into this app.

 

Let me just say, "Shame on you Disney," a company FOR kids that EXPLOITS them.  Disgraceful.  If anyone should get an "A" it's Disney.

You may be wondering who actually scored high grades? 

Well in the grand scheme of things, I think I'll be walking through the doors of the Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy/Piperlime conglomerate a lot more, and also good old affordable H & M.  

To find the "A's" you're just going to have to go download this for yourself!  You'll be glad you did.

~Bridget

Sweet Potato & Lentil Chili

 This is a current favorite of mine, from the snack box I receive every month from Nature Box.  I love that they send me recipes and give healthy ideas for uses of thei snacks they send.  This is Sweet Potato and Lentil Chili topped with the Masa Crisps that arrived last week!  I'm on it today....it looks amazing!

Sweet Potato & Lentil Chili

Recipe from the NatureBox kitchen
Photos by Chung-Ah of Damn DeliciousThis Sweet Potato and Lentil Chili is a NatureBox favorite- we love to serve it at our office potlucks as it’s a winner for both vegetarians and omnivores alike. It can be made vegan by omitting the cheese and Greek yogurt and our Masa Crisps are the perfect topper! We promise this chili will be a hit at your next potluck or family meal!

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 2 cups cooked lentils (you can make them in advance and store in the fridge)
• 2 TBSP chili powder
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Shredded cheese, for serving
• NatureBox Masa Crisps, for serving
• Greek yogurt, for serving

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and bell peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, cooked lentils, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. You can continue to simmer if you prefer a thicker chili.
Serve immediately, garnished with cheese, Masa Crisps and Greek yogurt, if desired. Refrigerate leftovers- it’s delicious the next day for lunch too, though it does thicken up quite a bit in the fridge.

Get more healthy ideas and delicious snacks by joining NatureBox. Enter coupon code NATURE for 25% off your first month subscription!

~Bridget

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