I just read some great information about foods that are touted as healthy and child-friendly but really aren't. An article on Yahoo! Shine pointed to a new study by the Prevention Institute showing that 84% of prepared foods with health labels on the front didn't even meet basic nutritional standards. This is something to think about the next time you're in the grocery store because it means that parents can't count on the labels for guidance on whether the products are healthy.
According to the study, 95% of the products contained added sugar, with more than half of the products qualifying as high sugar. Thirty-six percent of them were high in sodium, while nearly a quarter were high in saturated fats. Also, 21% contained artificial coloring, which has no nutritional benefit and some potentially harmful side effects.
What do you think?? Is this much-ado-about-nothing? Or does it concern you? What do you look out for when you're in the grocery store?
Kids' Foods That Aren't As Healthy As You Think
Louis Vuitton Cupcakes
Too pretty to eat? You decide, but we think they look yummy! These are cocoa cupcakes hand-painted on chocolate fondant by The Cupcake Place.
Happy New Year!
A belated happy new year to all my friends and readers. I have lots of great things in store for you in 2011!
Holiday Update and a Cocktail
Hello, hello out there. As you can probably tell, I'm deep into my holiday schedule - which is one way to say that things are so crazy that I won't be back into the full swing of blogging until after the new year. I spent a nice holiday with my family on the bayou, but now I'm back in the frigid (to me, anyway!) Mid-Atlantic. Needless to say, I have LOTS of beauty/fashion reviews to share with you of the products I've tried in the last month. Catching up on my reading today I stumbled on a holiday drink that might be spicy enough to warm your winter nights even after Christmas. It's called the Red Hot Santa-tini (on TheGloss.com) and it's pictured in the upper left-hand corner. Here's what it'll take to make it:
Ingredients
Cocoa powder
Cayenne pepper
Small chili peppers
Whipped cream
Chocolate liqeur (we like Godiva’s)
Vodka
Rim a martini glass with cocoa powder with a pinch of cayenne pepper added. Shake together 2 oz. vodka and 2 oz. chocolate liqueur and pour into glass. Top with 1 1/2 oz. sweetened whipped cream. Garnish the cream with a small chili pepper. Enjoy!
Quick Veggie Quesadillas
I don't know about you, but I'm pacing myself. I know that Christmas and holiday parties will take a lot out of me and I RE-FUSE to get worn out this year. So I'm falling back on the super-easy recipes that allow me to throw together something nutritious and pop it into the oven while I do (or don't do) something else. Here's what you'll need:
8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese
One onion
A bag of baby spinach
A pack of 10 flour tortillas
A can of Hunt's diced tomatoes
By the way, be sure to load up on the tomatoes in the new year. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that lycopene* absorption is 2 to 3 times greater in canned tomatoes than in raw tomatoes. ConAgra recently had some interesting findings about heart health and tomatoes. Personally, I've been inspired to look after my own cardio health because heart disease and high blood pressure run in my family.
Alright, back to the recipe. Open the can of tomatoes and drain. Chop the onion and spinach, and keep them in two separate piles. Next use your favorite cooking spray to mist a large baking pan. Lay out 8 or 10 of the flour tortillas on the baking pan. Put two tablespoons of cheese into the center of each tortilla. Put a tablespoon of each of the vegetables into the center of each tortilla. Fold each tortilla. Bake the quesadillas at 375 degrees for 8 minutes, then turn them over with a spatula and bake for 4 minutes. Take them out and enjoy!
*Lycopene is a potentially powerful cancer-fighting agent found in fruits, vegetables and plants.
Although this is a compensated post, the opinions and recipes are strictly my own.
Behind The Scenes of "The Muppets"
Are you excited about the return of the Muppets? If so, you might be a 30- or 40-something with small children. We're told a good bit of nostalgia is going into the new movie "The Muppets" which is filming in Los Angeles. The plot involves all of the characters living in different parts of the world. But, as the story goes, they'll need to get back together to save their old television show. Here are some pictures from the set. 
What do you think? Are you planning to take your kids to see it? Or maybe just yourself?
Photos courtesy of OnLocationVacations
Crystal Renn in Harper's Bazaar
Here are two striking new pictures of the ever-gorgeous Crystal Renn from the December 2010 issue of Harper's Bazaar. But a lot of people feel she's lost too much weight recently. What do you think? Should we even care?
Well... what do you think?
Halloween: A Treat or A Trick?
Here's my question for parents: Does anyone go trick-or-treating anymore? I've been asking around our area and it seems trick-or-treating is less popular than ever. Participation in local neighborhoods seems to be spotty at best. But that's where we live. What are things like in your area? If your children aren't going trick-or-treating, will they be doing celebrating Halloween another way? I would love to know what you all are doing!
picture courtesy of Syracuse.com
Sesame Street Sings "I Love My Hair!"
Like lots of parents these days, we stress the importance of self-esteem and self-love in our home. So, of course we love the new Sesame Street song aimed at teaching children to love their hair. If you haven't heard the song yet, now is your chance. The entire YouTube video is posted below. Once you've heard it, tell me what you think!
Hot New Dresses from Anna Scholz
I'm really blown away by the new Anna Scholz dresses for Fall and Winter. (That's just based on style since I haven't actually nabbed one in real life.) If you haven't been to the website, there are a number of silhouettes available. But my personal favorite is the print jersey dress in key print. Here's a look at that one and a few others: 
So what do you think? Should I try out one of these? If you have any experience with Anna Scholz dresses, please let me know!
Music Monday: Etta James
Etta James
"At Last"
This was the song we used for the "first dance" at my wedding. :)
My Experience with Dannon Activia
I'm at the end of the Dannon Activia challenge and here's what I've found:
Overall this was a very positive experience. I really like that Activia doesn't taste weird and is basically a good yogurt with extra good stuff added in. I'm glad that I've found an easy way to fit more calcium in my diet without having to guzzle milk.
The kicker is that I've lost two pounds since the start of the challenge, but I think that's down to eating yogurt for breakfast instead of pastries or other unhealthy things. That's one reason why I'm going to continue having it every morning. Here is a picture I snapped just a few minutes ago here at work:
Don't forget that you can get your own coupons for Activia at the website or by clicking below.
The Raucus Return of My Chemical Romance
Say what you want about this band (I happen to like their brand of post-punk-pop) but no one knows how to drum up publicity better. My Chemical Romance has just wrapped up its fourth studio album called "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys", which is expected to be released in late November. After years of flying the banner for The Black Parade - their dark and highly acclaimed third album - they're back with an outrageous pop of color in a new trailer called "Art is the Weapon" promoting Killjoys. It features the song "Na Na Na", which is widely believed to be queued up as the first single from the new album. Judging from the tremendous online response from fans, this could be the start of something huge and strange.
