Whole Bag O’ Gluten Free Goodness

On our way to Lauren’s party Sunday, Bo and I had the great opportunity to stop by Union Square. Union Square is one of my favorite places in NYC during the summer months. It is always bustling with excitement and activities including the weekly farmer’s market, musician, and art festivals. It isn’t quite as touristy as other areas of the city north and south of this bohemian hub.

This Sunday was no different than most in that a local festival was taking place. This festival was in honor of NYC Grows. NYC Grows is the New York park restoration campaign.

The event featured many local and eco friendly companies such as Nature’s Path, Stonyfield Farm, Brooklyn co-op, and others. We had the opportunity to try some local sriracha sauce which was AMAZING, sample new smoothies, and try some of the new Nature’s Path products I’ve seen online.

Bo knows he is married to a health and food blogger and therefore grabbed a few extra samples for me to try since I couldn’t reached the table due to congestion. This morning I was able to sample the first of these Nature’s Path treats.

The Organic Whole O’s did not disappoint. Instead, the pleasantly surprised both me and Bo! Neither of us knew what to expect based on the gluten free statements. But, the corn and rice mix was deliciously fresh and crunchy with just a tad of sweetness. There was no cardboard consistency or aftertaste. Instead, these gluten free, wheat free, and trans fat free little o’s were a perfect morning addition to my fruit and yogurt while alsot packing a hearty punch with 3 grams o fiber and only 110 calories. My only complaint is that they are lacking in some of the nutritional content Cheerios provides such as added vitamins and minerals.

However, for someone who has steered away from many of the high sugar cereals of breakfasts past like Honey Nut Cheerios, Puffs, or others this is a perfect substitute. The gluten free characteristic also makes it a great option for those people who have been missing out on the fun and taste of that iconic breakfast cereal in the yellow box! In addition, Whole O’s are sweetened with pomegranate juice! Who knew? The ingredient list is short, sweet, and simple including only FIVE ingredients: organic brown rice flour, organic corn flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic pomegranate juice concentrate, and sea salt!

I really enjoyed this sample of whole grain goodness and will definitely be buying it again soon as it makes a perfect trail mix ingredient, desk drawer treat, and stand by dinner option! I’m looking forward to trying more Nature’s Path products including a few of their new bars which were sampled at the Union Square festival this past weekend.

Thank you Nature’s Path for a great cereal option for those people who are looking for a gluten free option also made with whole grains or for people like me who are merely looking for good taste uncompromised by artificial ingredients!

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A London Morning, Readers Questions Answered, and a Pearly White Giveaway

This morning I woke up to a gray London like morning. The rain had just stopped but the moisture and clouds were still filling the sky. So much for yesterday’s gorgeous Spring weather. I’m hoping that this passes and doesn’t ruin my long run weekend plans. I don’t think I can handle doing 10 on the treadmill again now that Spring is here and the snow and ice are gone.      Blog Pictures 2010 111Hello Brooklyn and Long Island City!

Blog Pictures 2010 108Hello Midtown NYC and East River!Blog Pictures 2010 109  Clearly our herbs were stronger than we thought. These poor guys survived winter, wind, ice and now Spring’s sun has brought them back. Our rosemary and thyme were the only ones to make it through the winter.

Breakfast was very difficult to photograph this morning as it really just isn’t pretty. But, it was delicious! I forgot to bring breakfast ingredients from home since my alarm was set for 5:30 PM instead of 5:30AM. But, I was able to use the Dannon Light n Fit Banana yogurt I had in the office fridge, 1/2 c of my desk drawer Quaker Oats, and my last banana to make a delicious banana bowl. I knew I needed a little extra bulk to my breakfast so I stirred in some vanilla Jay Robb protein powder. Yum!

Blog Pictures 2010 112

Kristi, the wonderful lady over at Healthy Living sent me a question regarding her pearly whites. Due to my previous role on P&G Oral Care I’ve had the opportunity to learn a great deal about oral health and the importance of brushing, swishing, and flossing. I’ve shared some of our products with Caitlin and Meghann previously when they’ve asked readers for suggestions on whitening their teeth. Last week, Kristi sent me the following question:

Glide Floss Whitening Plus Scope FlavorGlide Whitening Plus Scope Floss

Crest Pro Health Fluoride Whitening Toothpaste Fresh Clean MintCrest Sensitivity Toothpaste Extra WhiteningCrest Sensitivity Extra Whitening Toothpaste and Crest pro Health Whitening (I use the sensitivity when I’m using white strips)

Oral-B Pulsar Toothbrush Soft RegularOral B Pulsar Soft Toothbrush

Crest 3D White Whitestrips With Advanced Seal Professional Effects Enamel Safe Dental Whitening Crest 3D White Advanced Seal Whitestrips These are absolutely amazing! I now swear by them and used them before my wedding at least every other day. You can drink water, eat an apple, and talk while wearing them. This is a huge improvement from the goopy nasty whitestrips of yesterday! In addition, they don’t require molding a mouth try or any work. Literally, pull off, stick on, and smile!

I realize all of these products are either Crest or Oral B but at the end of the day I refuse to suggest a product that I haven’t tried and loved. Due to my previous role on P&G Oral Care I happen to have only these brands in my house. Colgate, Reach, Aquafresh, Toms, and others are all great brands but I personally haven’t tried them recently. At the end of the day you should use whichever flavor, brush size, and type that is most comfortable and tasty because this means you’ll be more willing to keep up your hygiene routine!

Blog Pictures 2010 107

Starting a new regimen and investing in new products can be expensive. Therefore, I wanted to make you aware that many brands have coupons on their sites. For example, by clicking here you can get coupons for many P&G oral care products and others. In addition, these type of “drug store” products go on sale weekly at either CVS, Rite Aid, or Walgreens. They all compete against each other on products like this.  But, since Bo and I are preparing for our big move, I’d rather giveaway some of the extra product I have versus moving it. I have over a year’s worth of product under our sink! Therefore, i’m going to giveaway the above items (Floss pics, 3D White paste, 3D White mouthwash, and toothbrush) to one lucky reader. To enter:

1) Tweet about the giveaway “@healthyhappier wants everyone to have a healthy, happier smile and is giving away the tools for healthy smile” Please leave a comment letting me know you tweeted.

2) Leave a comment with a question you’d like me to answer on the blog.

3) Link back to the giveaway on your blog and leave a comment letting me know you did.

4) If you don’t have a blog you can follow me on Facebook!

I will pick a winner Monday night!

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213 days and counting…

image

I almost started crying when I received this last night. I was actually laying sideways on the floor foam rolling the knots out of my legs. If you follow me on twitter you may have seen my comment about last nights Lululemon Run Club workout. This was our second week and I couldn’t be happier that we have made the commitment to stick with it weekly. Every Wednesday it forces me to leave the office at a decent time, 6pm, and spend an hour pushing my legs in ways that I have never done before. Last night’s workout was the first TRUE speed workout I think i’ve ever done. After meeting at the Lululemon on East 66th and 3rd Avenue we jogged over to the 72nd transverse in Central Park (~1 mile). Then we met the Lincoln Center Lululemon group and reviewed the workout. The coach last night told us she wanted us to push ourselves but respect our bodies since it was a steamy 86 degrees outside! The workout was a mile warm up jog up to the reservoir loop, then a speed workout which consisted of two loops around the reservoir (1.68 miles each loop). The goal was to do a time trial to see how fast we could do the first loop and then hopefully do the second even faster. The reservoir path is perfect for time trials as it is packed dirt, perfectly flat, and has gorgeous views.

I decided that I was going to focus on keeping my body loose, my arms and abs engaged, and run the first loop as quickly as my legs would allow. I got in the zone by plugging into an old favorite, ACDC and taking off. I could immediately tell I was running faster than normal as my heart rate sky rocketed. Before I was at the half way point my heart rate was pushing 175! I finished the loop in 13:04 which meant i’d kept an 8:06 mile pace! Holy cow! I’d done it! I’d pushed my legs and lungs harder than ever. The second loop was slower but still completed. After completing the two loops we stretched as a group and did some squats and jumpies. The workout ended with a mile run back to Lululemon to retrieve our gear. What a great Wednesday night!

So, here is to the official start of NYC ING Marathon training and excitement! Leslie and I were gchatting back and forth yesterday since we both are in the 2010 marathon. She was lucky and ended up being one of the few “chosen” ones in the lottery while Bo and I both qualified through the NYRR last year by completing 9 races in 2009 and volunteering for one. 

Last but not least, please support my fellow NYC Marathon gal, Leslie, in her quest to win the National Flaunt Your Rock contest!

http://keridoolittlephotography.com/blog/2010/04/denver-wedding-photographer-flaunt-your-rock-national-contest-vote/
Couple #2
All the way baby!

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