Wednesday, December 14, 2016

New Schwartz Bioresearch Holiday Giveaway for Moms - With Over $2,000 In Prizes!

Schwartz Bioresearch launched a huge December Giveaway for moms, who deserve a great holiday because of all they do for their families.

This health-focused giveaway is worth over $2000, with the following prizes:

1st prize:  A Vitamix and a 1-year supply of their choice of our vitamins for wellness or beauty. (1 winner)

2nd prize:  1 year supply of winner’s choice of our vitamins for wellness or beauty (5 winners)

3rd prize:  3 months supply of winner’s choice of our vitamins for wellness or beauty (5 winners)



Good luck!


Tuesday, November 10, 2015

#MIKidsCan Turkey Day VIP Sweepstakes and Staying Active in Michigan


Attention Detroit Lions fans! Your kids could be a “Turkey Day VIP” just for sharing what motivates them to stay active for 60 minutes a day! The #MIKidsCan Turkey Day VIP Sweepstakes is an exciting contest for Lions fans and the winning child will receive a once-in-a-lifetime prize package which includes a ride on the Blue Cross float in America’s Thanksgiving Parade, delivering the game ball to Ford Field for the Lions’ Thanksgiving game, taking home cool souvenirs after a delicious Thanksgiving dinner AND watching the Lions game from club-level seats! The contest is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Detroit Lions.



Parents can enter children between the ages of 10-18 in the #MIKidsCan Turkey Day VIP Sweepstakes by visiting http://www.detroitlions.com/mikidscan.html through November 13th. 

Learn more about the contest here: http://miblues.co/1GW84e9

The #MIKidsCan Turkey Day VIP Sweepstakes supports Blue Cross’s ongoing commitment to children’s health and its #MIKidsCan campaign – an initiative focused on encouraging kids to adopt healthy habits early in life that are more likely to be carried into adulthood. Over the last 10 years, Blue Cross has given more than $6 million in support of kids’ health and wellness initiatives across the state, reaching more than 100,000 children. For more information on the sweepstakes or Blue Cross’s ongoing efforts to help improve childhood health, visit AHealthierMichigan.org/mikidscan or follow #MIKidsCan on Twitter.

How I Stay Active in Michigan  

Let's face it – fitness and nutrition go hand in hand! I often find that it’s easier for me to follow a healthy diet plan than get enough exercise. I have to remind myself to stay active on a daily basis. Thankfully I have a fitness tracker that helps me stay accountable and motivated.

My husband and I try exercise for at least 60 minutes a day. When the weather is cooperating in Michigan, we go for walks in our neighborhood or head to the local park. We also enjoy taking my dad’s Standard Poodle for a walk at the park or around the block. She has a lot of energy for a 12 year old dog and keeps us on our toes! When it gets cooler outside, we use the treadmill, stream yoga shows or play fun games on our Nintendo Wii and Xbox One! Digital fitness games make exercising more interactive and fun! It’s especially helpful when there’s 5 feet of snow outside. We also have free weights and exercise bands in the family room that we use while watching our favorite shows. Additionally, we find it important to keep our 3 spoiled cats active. We play with them for at least 30 minutes a day. They love chasing toy mice on strings around the house and jumping in the air. Running around with the cats burns a few extra calories and tires me out a bit! 

How do you and your kids stay active for 60 minutes a day? Feel free to comment below!



Thursday, July 23, 2015

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market opens 3 locations in Metro Detroit


Fresh Thyme Farmers Market opened 3 stores in Northville, Troy and Rochester Hills on Wednesday, July 22nd. I went to the Northville Grand Opening and had a very healthy shopping experience! 



About Fresh Thyme Farmers Market: 
“At Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets we believe you shouldn’t have to give away the farm to feed your body nutritious food. We’re on a mission to improve the way our communities eat by offering fresh and healthy food at amazing values -all in a vibrant and fun shopping environment, with smiling friendly faces. Our stores don’t follow traditional grocery store design, nor do they have tall aisles or glitzy fixtures. In fact, our stores are so simple and easy to navigate that we don’t number our aisles or hand out store maps. We believe shopping for fresh and healthy food should be easy and enjoyable.”


I was greeted by friendly employees who handed me a Fresh Thyme circular ad with outstanding deals!



When you arrive at Fresh Thyme, you’ll see their produce department and it’s impressive! Fresh Thyme believes that fresh fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet, so their stores are always overflowing with colorful produce.








I was excited to see that Fresh Thyme Farmers Market offers high quality produce from local farms and a large selection of quality organic items! Check out all the healthy values!





There are over 400 bins of natural and organic self-serve bulk items at Fresh Thyme. You'll also find locally roasted coffee and bulk oils! Buying bulk is earth friendly and economical. It just makes cents!







There are over 450 local items in every Fresh Thyme Michigan store! I love the local wine and craft beer selections. You can also find wine and beer from all over the world in the Hops & Grapes department.

 




There are over 7000 varieties of high quality products available in the Vitamins & Body Care Department. I especially love the all natural cosmetics!





Artisan bread, rolls and delicious treats are baked every day in the Fresh Thyme Bakery! You can also build your own pizzas, order fresh salads and enjoy made to order healthy sandwiches.






The Fresh Thyme Kitchen offers a variety of healthy meals on the go like pot pies, pasta dishes, tamales, healthy wraps and pizza. Everything looks delicious!




There is an extensive selection of products available at Fresh Thyme for those who have special dietary needs. There are over 1,600 Gluten Free products in every store!





You can order natural custom-cut meats & hand made sausage that's made fresh daily at Fresh Thyme.



You can find a wide variety of fresh seafood at great values in Fish Market.


Check out the aisles of nutritious and delicious groceries at Fresh Thyme. You can find many familiar brands in the refrigerated and frozen sections. The prices are affordable, so you'll leave with a little extra money in your bank.






The soup and salad bar offers many healthy options. It would be perfect for a quick lunch. There is also an olive and antipasti bar.








"Healthy Food. Healthy Values."

The majority of the store is dedicated to fresh, organic and natural foods. What I love most about Fresh Thyme is the affordable prices. I try my best to buy healthy food, but it can be expensive. I'm very happy that I found Fresh Thyme because I can now buy food that's pure, simple, nutritious and delicious without emptying my entire wallet!





Website: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market
Follow on Twitter: @FreshThymeFM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshThymeFarmersMarkets


New Store Locations: 
Open 7 am - 10pm daily  

Fresh Thyme Market Northville 
15480 Sheldon Road Northville, MI 48168

Fresh Thyme Market Troy 
901 E. Big Beaver Road Troy, MI 48083

Fresh Thyme Market Rochester Hills 
2025 S. Rochester Road 
Rochester Hills, MI 48037


*This is a sponsored post and I have been compensated.



Sunday, July 19, 2015

Join the Fresh Thyme Twitter Party to Celebrate the Grand Opening of Their 3 Stores in Metro Detroit on Thursday, July 23rd from 8-9pm EST



I'm excited to announce the Grand Opening of 3 Fresh Thyme Farmers Market stores in the Metro Detroit area on July 22nd. To celebrate the Grand Openings in Northville, Troy and Rochester Hills, there will be a Twitter Party on Thursday, July 23th from 8:00-9:00pm EST. The party will be hosted by @HireInfluence along with panelists @KendallRayburn @TheHungryDudes and @dadofdivas

They will be giving away 3-$50 gift cards, 2-$100 gift cards, and 1-$250 gift card! Please join the party so you can learn more about Fresh Thyme Farmers Market and make sure to use the hashtag #FreshThymeMI.


Fresh Thyme Grand Opening Celebration Details:  

On Wednesday, July 22nd at 7 am, each location will have a grand opening celebration with grocery giveaways, samplings, kids' activities, live entertainment and more! The first 250 customers will receive a FREE bag of groceries valued at $50 or more. Be sure to get in line early! 

Fresh Thyme will also donate $15,000 to local non-profit organizations with check presentations and ribbon cutting ceremonies prior to the 7 am door openings.


About Fresh Thyme Farmers Market: 

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market is a specialty grocery store that features fresh, healthy and organic food at amazing values. Fresh Thyme is especially passionate about fresh produce, so they made it the nucleus of the store. Their bounty of fruits and vegetables will always be visible from all other departments! You’ll find locally grown produce fresh from the farm and much of it will be organic.

Fresh Thyme will offer over 450 local items, from fresh produce to grocery products in every Michigan location. There will be a natural meat department, healthy prepared foods to go, a full salad bar, natural and organic bulk foods, locally roasted organic coffee beans, bakery items, wine and local craft beers, over 7000 varieties of health supplements and more.

Website: Fresh Thyme Farmers Market
Follow on Twitter: @FreshThymeFM
Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshThymeFarmersMarkets


New Store Locations: 
Open 7 am - 10pm daily 

Fresh Thyme Market Northville 
15480 Sheldon Road Northville, MI 48168

Fresh Thyme Market Troy 
901 E. Big Beaver Road Troy, MI 48083

Fresh Thyme Market Rochester Hills 
2025 S. Rochester Road Rochester Hills, MI 48037



This is a sponsored post and I have been compensated.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Tropical Chia Pudding with DOLE Frozen Fruit


As a Team Dole advocate, I have the opportunity to test products and help spread the word about my favorite delicious Dole frozen treats!
You can learn more about being a top Team Dole advocate here: Team Dole consumer advocate program





Dole has a wide variety of frozen fruit products that are perfect for smoothies, recipes, desserts and snacking. I love to defrost my Dole Frozen Fruit at room temperature for 30 minutes and add some to my yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast. It adds an extra boost of nutrients and fiber, plus it tastes great!

Find more Dole products here: DOLE



Tropical Chia Pudding with DOLE Frozen Fruit


I wanted to come up with a simple, yet unique recipe using DOLE Frozen Fruit. I love making chia pudding and the addition of fruit makes it a very healthy dessert full of fiber and disease fighting antioxidants.



What are chia seeds?

Yes, they are the same seeds used to grow greens on the terracotta Chia plant! The chia seed is very tiny, but it's a nutritional powerhouse. Chia seeds are rich in plant omega 3-fatty acids, high in fiber (about 10 grams of fiber in 2 tablespoons) and are an excellent source of protein. They are easily digested, so they don't need to be ground like flaxseed. 

Chia seeds absorb 10 times their weight in water! When you mix the seeds in liquid, they swell and form a gel. It not only makes a great pudding, but it also helps you feel full!

Preparation 

Chia pudding is so simple to prepare. You can use regular milk, almond or other nut milk, rice milk or coconut milk. Add chia seeds to the milk and add some honey, maple syrup, agave or sugar. Vanilla extract adds an extra dose of flavor. You can mix it all with a spoon or even put the pudding in a mason jar and shake it up. 


Quick and easy ingredients! 

The mixture will be thin at first, but the chia seeds will expand after a few hours in the refrigerator.


The chia mixture before refrigeration. 


Chill the chia pudding for at least 4 hours or overnight. Your chia "pudding" should be thick and creamy. The chia seeds will look like tapioca. Spoon the pudding into serving dishes and add a layer of DOLE Frozen Fruit in the middle and top it off with more fruit! I added some shredded coconut as a garnish.

Dole sells Wildly Nutritious Tropical Fruit with a colorful mix of pineapple, mango, golden kiwi, papaya and strawberries. I went to 2 stores, but they were both sold out. I improvised with DOLE Wildly Nutritious Mandarin Sunshine Blend and DOLE Mango Chunks.




Tropical Chia Pudding with DOLE Frozen Fruit

Yield: 2 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

DOLE Frozen Fruit (I used DOLE Wildly Nutritious Mandarin Sunshine Blend and DOLE Mango Chunks)
12 oz light coconut milk, almond milk or other nut milk. (I used canned light coconut milk)
1/3 cup chia seeds (you can use white or black chia seeds)
1-2 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup (I used honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together the light coconut milk, chia seeds, honey and vanilla in a bowl or mason jar. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. The chia seeds will swell up and make a thick and creamy pudding.

Once your chia pudding is thickened, spoon into a serving dish and layer with DOLE Frozen Fruit. Garnish with shredded coconut flakes.


This post was created in partnership with Dole. I have received compensation for this post.