Pure and Pretty

I was throwing Chia Seeds on my yogurt this morning and wanted to do some research about why they're so great. Come to find... they're really great!

11 Proven Health Benefits of Chia Seeds (No. 3 is Best) Chia seeds are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. Here are 11 health benefits of chia seeds that are supported by science.

After a very successful 21-Day Challenge group in the month of June I am excited to say I will be hosting another in July!

Shoot me a message: [email protected] if you are interested and I will pass along the info!

Get in while the getting is good. It filled up pretty quick last month!

Quest Bar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies! From a protein bar to a delicious late night snack.

These protein bars are delicious and non-GMO, gluten free, sugar free, high in protein, low in carbs and fat. Best of all, it doesn't contain a whole bunch of ingredients you can't pronounce. For a protein bar it has a pretty short ingredients list. (Check it out below).

To Make Cookies:
-Heat oven to 350
-Cut apart bar into 8 pieces
-Form and flatten into small circles
-Place on a cookie sheet
-Bake for 7 min. (keep an eye on them because they bake up fast)
-Devour with a delicious glass of almond milk

Just Say No...

What is aspartame? Five surprising facts you never know about this chemical sweetener What is aspartame? Five surprising facts you never know about this chemical sweetener

With the World Cup in full swing and a game on Thursday that is destined to be a nail biter I figured I would put out a list of the best Beers to indulge in at the local Pub on game day.

Choosing an ale without GMOs and additives is ideal. Unfortunately, most of the mainstream beers available have additives, but luckily, there are a few that don’t. For example, Sierra Nevada, Heineken, and Amstel Light appear to be pretty clean (but these companies still wouldn’t disclose the full list of ingredients. They did say they use non-GMO grains, no artificial ingredients, stabilizers or preservatives).

German Beers are also a good bet. The Germans are very serious about the purity of their beers and enacted a purity law called “Reinheitsgebot” that requires all German beers to be only produced with a core ingredient list of water, hops, yeast, malted barley or wheat. Advocates of German beers insist that they taste cleaner and some even claim they don’t suffer from hangovers as a result. (Dankeshen).

An obvious choice to consider is also Certified Organic Beers. They are required by law to not include GMOs and other harmful additives. Organic beers also support environmental friendly practices and reduce the amount of pesticides and toxins in our air, support organic farmers – which is a huge plus.

Craft & Microbrews Beers – For certain local craft and micro beers, you can ask those companies for a list of ingredients and many of them will be up front with you. However, companies like Miller Coors are slowly closing in on craft beers and buying them up one by one… like they did when they created the unique popular variety called Blue Moon (the beer you drink with an orange) and Anhesuer-Busch did this with Rolling Rock and Goose Island Brewery. Make sure your favorite craft and microbrew is still independently owned and controlled before taking a sip.

WHAT TO SIP:

ORGANIC BEERS (Unpasteurized & Unfiltered):
Wolaver’s – all beers
Lamar Street – Whole Foods label (brewed by Goose Island)
Bison – all beers
Dogfish Head (organic when ingredients available)
Fish Brewery Company – Fish Tale Ales
Lakefront Brewery – Organic ESB
Brooklyn - (organic when ingredients are available)
Pinkus – all beers
Samuel Smiths - Samuel Smiths Organic Ale
Wychwood – Scarecrow Ale

NON-ORGANIC BEERS (Unpasteurized & Unfiltered):
Sierra Nevada – all choices
Duck Rabbit - Brown Ale, Porter, Amber Ale, Milk Stout
Dogfish Head- 60 Minute IPA, Shelter Pale Ale, Chicory Stout
Shipyard - Summer Brew
Victory Brewery – Whirlwind
North Coast – Blue Star
Bridgeport - IPA (Bottle conditioned)
Ayinger – all choices
Royal Oak - Pale Ale
Fraziskaner – Hefeweisse and Dunkel Weisse
Weihenstephaner – Hefe Weissbier
Maisel’s – Weisse

Cheers!
Hoegaarden - Belgian Wit

Peanut Butter is practically perfect in every way! Let's be serious the stuff is delicious. Just make sure to pick the right stuff at the store to keep gross toxins out of your beautiful bod.

We LOVE the self-grind varieties that can be found at most health stores and Whole Foods. Ground right at the source, eaten straight from the tub. Nom nom nom...

Does your peanut butter contain poison? How to identify hidden trans fats in popular brands Does your peanut butter contain poison? How to identify hidden trans fats in popular brands

Read this now!

Seriously...

What Is Your Microwave Doing To Your Health Is it possible that millions of people are ignorantly sacrificing their health in exchange for the convenience of microwave ovens?

This is a great list of superfoods to add to make your morning shakes pack even more punch!

14 Super Smoothie Boosters From protein powders to green superfood powders, these ingredients will naturally improve your energy, protein intake, and even immunity.

Yum! These Chocolate Almond Protein Cookies look like an amazing treat! Might have to make them up for our little Pure and Pretty Friday Night Soiree!

Protein Treats by Nicolette: Chocolate Almond Protein Cookies

This is incredible. So glad that Whole Foods is taking a stand and not allowing GMO's on their shelves.

Why Whole Foods Is Dumping Chobani Yogurt Whole Foods Market Inc. said it will stop selling Chobani yogurt by early 2014 to sell more organic and brands free of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.