Not the most creative title, but it does the job since I have a lot to share in a bunch of different areas!
Recent Product Sampling:
Vino de Milo
At a local gourmet foods store, I came across a brand called Vino de Milo. After doing a little research, I decided that I had to try their products! Not only do they make really nutritious flavorful foods…but the ingredients are so unique! Vino de Milo sent me 3 of their dressings to try as well as a jar of their roasted garlic salsa.
I’m usually a homemade salad dressing kind of girl, but Vino’s dressings have become my favorite pre-made brand for sure. They are all made with a different type of high quality wine and this makes for such a rich, different flavor than any other dressing I’ve ever had. I don’t like wine on its own, but I LOVE cooking with it…so I expected that the flavor profile of these dressings would be amazing. And they definitely were! I like how Vino took typical salad dressing flavors and reinvented them with the addition of high quality wines, spices, oils, and herbs! The roasted garlic was my favorite. I am a garlic lover through and through. The flavor was bold but not so much that it overpowered the foods that I put it on. I will be buying more for sure!
The salsa was another favorite as well! Not to hard to believe seeing as it was ROASTED GARLIC flavored. 
Seeing a trend here? It mixed my love of typical mexican salsa with a more italian feel because of the garlic. Perfect for topping seafood with or even on eggs! Both of which were ways I enjoyed it! Chunky, fresh, and flavorful for sure!
Thanks Vino de Milo!
MoonShadows Farms
MoonShadows Farm makes all natural skin, home, and food products! I was lucky enough to sample a little bit of each with the package they sent me.
I got to try two of their handmade jams: Red and Black raspberry, as well as a bar of their natural peppermint soap! Oh my god…that soap smells good enough to eat. Not only is the aroma delicious, but it really invigorates your skin! It left me feeling tingly..haha!
The jam was smooth and perfectly sweet. Both varieties tasted like fresh fruit picked right off the bush! I like that they are sweetened naturally with fruit and have no added sugar. Why does sweet fruit need any added sugar anyway?! It’s naturally so delicious!
Thanks MoonShadows!
College and Life Updates:
Bootcamp is going great! I am really loving having some structure to my workout schedule I find it not only helps with motivation but I haven’t been fatigued or sore hardly at all because I am working different muscles and body parts everyday. One modification I have made is that instead of doing 5 minutes of straight steady state cardio between the different strength circuits (its really hard to get on and off machines without losing them at my gym), I’ve been doing a longer cardio workout before hand and then just short bursts (like 1-3 minutes) in between the strength portions. Works good for me and makes the workouts a bit more challenging since my fitness level is a little higher than what some of the workouts call for!
Also, school is going great as I mentioned yesterday! I just inquired about switching my major to a double since a lot of the International Relations classes overlap with a Pol. Sci. degree! Might as well get them both done right! And other exciting news that I hadn’t known before is that my IR major REQUIRES study abroad. WOO HOO! I was planning on studying abroad but now nothing can stop me! Hehe!
One more college thing: I am not contributing to the newspaper as a health/fitness writer! This week I am coming up with a dorm friendly workout! Can’t wait for it to be published! I’ll share it with you all as well.
And the promised…
Health Myths Revealed:
I gathered these from a few different magazines I’ve read lately and I found them pretty interesting so I thought I’d share!
Red Wine is not necessarily the best: As far as health benefits from wine go, it’s actually the alcohol (in small amounts) that boosts good cholesterol levels. This benefit can come from WHITE or RED wine. So drink what you like…but do it moderately.
Organic produce is no more nutritious than Conventional produce: The only thing that’s different is that organic produce has less pesticides ..but as for nutrient/vitamin/mineral content they are exactly the same. And even with the difference in chemical amount, there have been no studies that have shown that ingesting the pesticides actually cause any harm. Only farmers who are exposed to massive amounts of pesticides daily have showed signs of disease.
Wheat is NOT wicked: You all know the popularity of the gluten-free diet fad lately. But unless you are actually allergic to wheat (which is LESS than 7% of the population!) then you are missing out on all the nutrients wheat has when you cut it out. It is an amazing source of folate and when you cut it out you may end up gaining weight actually! Eating wheat releases serotonin by the brain and keeps you more satisfied.
Raw veggies aren’t always better: In fact, some veggies are more nutritious once they’ve been cooked! Tomatoes, for example, increase in their cancer fighting lycopene when stewed. Also, cooking veggies makes them more digestible and less harsh on our systems. But of course, raw veggies do have a place in our diet so a variety of cooked and uncooked veggies should be eaten!
Brown eggs are not better than white eggs: The only difference is that you’re paying a HECK of a lot more for them! They have the same nutritional breakdown as regular, white eggs and unless the packaging specifies that they have added Omega-3′s, you’re not getting any more bang for your buck. The reason the eggs are brown is simply because they come from a different breed of hen.
Interesting info, right?
Reminders:
One more day to make submissions for this weeks Lend a {Healthy} Hand round up! This week is extra awesome because when you submit you’ll be entered to win a HUGE grab bag giveaway I have going on! So definitely don’t miss out!
See you tomorrow for the giveaway winner reveal and the weekly round-up! Can’t wait to share all the good you’ve been doing this week!
Kaila
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Todays’s Healthy Help: Gave up my machine at the gym today for someone who was crunched for time!
