King-related stories
And the Smoothie King winner is ...
Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements
Thanks to all 29 of you who shared some pretty scrumptious smoothie creations. Some of my favorites:
- raspberries, strawberries, banana, apple juice, and cranberry nectar
- strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, vanilla yogurt, and flax seed
- strawberry, vanilla protein blend, chocolate whey, and almonds
- ice, mangoes, strawberries, bananas, fresh squeezed Orange Juice, a sprinkle of flax seeds for omega-3s, and a tsp of Agave Nectar as a natural sweetener
Smoothie King Giveaway: A reminder & a clarification
Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements
Here's a reminder: My Smoothie King post published on Tuesday, and I'm pleased to report we have 17 comments already -- that's 17 people who've put their name in the hat for a drawing that will take place today after 5 PM. You know what that means? You still have time to leave a confirmed comment here (if you have not already left one), which will enter you in the contest to win a $100 gift card. Just describe the tastiest and healthiest smoothie you'd create if you could. That simple. Oh, and by the way, we're not actually using a hat. The drawing will be done via a computer software program and in only the most random of ways.Here's a clarification: One reader was confused by the whole "skinny" smoothie thing. Here's what the Smoothie King experts have to say about their skinny offerings:
For those Smoothie King smoothies sweetened with turbinado (raw cane sugar), guests can choose to make them "skinny" by leaving out the turbinado and adding an alternative sweetener or the option of no added sugar at all. So, if a smoothie says it contains turbinado, it will only be made skinny once the turbinado is removed ... and that is when the 20-ounce smoothie will decrease by 99 calories and 23 carbs.
There you have it: The skinny on the smoothies you could be enjoying with that gift card you just might win.
Smoothie King Giveaway: $100 could be yours
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
You'd be hard pressed to find a Smoothie King smoothie that isn't both tasty and nutritious. Delicious flavors like Angel Food and Caribbean Way are packed with fresh fruit and nutrients, and you can actually make them even healthier. Simply ask for your smoothie to be "made skinny." "Skinny" smoothies have no turbinado (raw cane sugar) and contain 99 less calories and 23 less carbs than their counterparts. Smoothie King offers more than 30 smoothies under 300 calories after being rendered skinny. The Slim-N-Trim, for one, is a low-calorie treat used by many as part of an overall diet and training program geared toward slimming down.
Smoothie King also offers 50 smoothies with ingredients that meet customers' nutritional and dietary needs. There's The Hulk, with lots of calories and lots of nutrients, for chemotherapy patients who need a boost. There's The Gladiator for individuals who have undergone gastric bypass surgery and need essential vitamins and protein for recovery. And others can be formulated to jump-start energy and immunity; address stress relief, joint, and tissue repair; and build muscle.
Not all smoothies are created equal, say Smoothie King founders Steve and Cindy Kuhnau, who are proud to be the originators of the nutritional, fruit-based smoothie. Want to taste what they're talking about? Consider this:
Smoothie King will award one lucky reader with a $100 gift card, good for use in any one of their stores -- click here to find a location near you.
To enter to win, just leave a comment below before 5 PM Eastern on Thursday, June 12 describing the tastiest and healthiest smoothie you'd create if you could -- we want our mouths to water so make it good. Feel free to go to www.smoothieking.com for inspiration. Click on "Find Your Favorite" under the "On The Menu" category and you'll find bunches of possibilities. We'll randomly choose one winner amongst the eligible entries and announce the winner on Friday, June 13. Some other important details:
- To enter, leave a confirmed comment below describing the tastiest and healthiest smoothie you'd create if you could.
- The comment must be left and confirmed before 5 PM on Thursday, June 12.
- You may only enter once.
- One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
- One winner will receive a $100 gift card for the purchase of Smoothie King smoothies.
- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
8 ways to cook with basil
Basil is one royal herb. The leaf, Greek for "king," has become a must-have in kitchens across the globe because of its versatility and clean taste. If it hasn't yet made it to your kitchen, give it a try. Here's how.- Add whole or snipped leaves to salad
- Lay leaves on a frozen or homemade pizza
- Chop and add to tomato or spaghetti sauce
- Snip and stir into scrambled eggs before cooking
- Finely chop and stir into a base of mayonnaise and sour cream and use as a sauce for fish
- Place a few leaves in a bowl of salt -- after a few days, the salt will take on the flavor of the basil and can be used for seasoning
- Add leaves to bath water for a refreshing soak
Keep in mind these great stats: Basil contains one calorie per five leaves and is almost entirely void of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar. It's also chock full of protein, Vitamin E, Riboflavin and Niacin, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, and Manganese.
We are a corn-fed nation
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
January's Men's Journal magazine serves up some definite corny news, informing readers that in the same way Morgan Spurlock opened our eyes with his documentary Super Size Me, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis take us to the cornfields of Iowa to school us on our strange and unhealthy dependence on corn.Directed by a guy named Aaron Wolf, the new documentary King Corn will apparently convince us that nearly everything we eat is corn. Our livestock feeds on it, our soda is sweetened by it, our food is deep-fried in it, and even the medication NyQuil contains it. Why is this newsworthy? Because corn is likely the root cause of America's obesity epidemic.
Cheney and Ellis, both 24, don't just passively study and report on this whole corn issue. They live it. Leaving their suburban Boston homes, the pair spends a year growing their very own acre of corn. The first thing they learn: It's a cheap and nutritionless kernel that dominates America's corn belt and thus, everything we put in our bodies. They tell us that we overproduce corn, force feed it to our cows instead of allowing them to graze, and make high-fructose corn syrup in crazy quantities. They also interview a New York cab driver suffering from Type II diabetes, a man who happened to drop 100 pounds by giving up corn-sweetened soda.
"This documentary is enough to leave you distrustful of everything on your plate," says the Boston Globe. For a sneak peek at the movie that will challenge your trust, take a peek at the King Corn trailer, located right here.
Down with the king
Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
It's going to happen. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow ... but at some point you will find yourself at the drive-through of a fast food restaurant. It may be late at night and it's the only thing open, or you may be in the middle of nowhere and finding a healthy meal is near impossible. Whatever the reason is that brought you to that drive-in, it's now incumbent upon you to make the healthiest choice that you can.
In efforts to make that decision easier for you, I wanted to bring to your attention a great website. It's called Calorie King (www.calorieking.com), and it boasts an extremely comprehensive list of the nutritional values of just about every fast food menu item you can think of.
Now you don't have any excuse for ordering that Ultimate Double Whopper, for you should have known in advance that it contains 2,076 total calories, 140g of fat, 419mg of cholesterol, 94g of carbs, and 4,083g of sodium!!!
From the breast to Burger King?
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Healthy Places, Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Just wanted to spout out about something that really irritates me. I know a woman I'll call Nancy who was totally adamant that her baby only be nursed for the first year of his life. Formula was too "dangerous and unhealthy" for her. Nursing 100% is completely great with me, and just FYI ... I nursed both of my children for about a year as well. Mine were given formula here and there though and I truly felt it made no difference. To each her own, right?
Nancy nursing her son was terrific, but Nancy was also a big idiot about others who gave formula. A BIG IDIOT. Constantly putting down the formula, and baby food, and everything else. What drives me most crazy about this buffoon is that as soon as her boy turned one year old I caught her several times with a stroller tray full of Burger King cheeseburger bits and french fries!
Nursing is phenomenal. But don't go from strictly giving your kid the BEST food to the WORST food. What the heck is that all about? That first year of a child's life is crucial to development and counts so much. Nursing is not sustainable forever. What matters most are the habits you give them to grow on. Sustainable and realistic habits that will set them on course for a healthy childhood, followed by a long and vibrant life. Parents.Com has some great advice on pursuing this option.
