Enticing Healthy Eating

Farm 2 Table: A Downtown Bentonville BBQ Feast

07/23/2014

*The winners of the NuNaturals giveaway are announced!
The winners are...
Mary M.
Stephanie G.
Danielle
Hannah J

Congrats! I will contact you by email later today or tomorrow to get the information I need from you. If I do not hear back from the winners within 48 hours of sending out the email, another winner will be picked in their place. Thank you all for entering!

Attending a true Farm 2 Table meal has been on my bucket list for quite some time now. It is now crossed off as I was graciously give the chance to attend the Downtown Bentonville Farm 2 Table BBQ Cookout.

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The Wikipedia farm-to-table (or fork) definition is as follows:

Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork) refers to the stages of the production of food: harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sales, and consumption.[1] Farm-to-table also refers to a movement concerned withproducing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. Linked to the local food movement, the movement is promoted by some in the agriculture, food service, and restaurant communities. It may also be associated with organic farming initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and community-supported agriculture

The experience of a farm-to-table event is so much more. While I feel like the definition is the foundation and building blocks for this type of event, what one experiences when you get the chance to attend is the art, the beauty, and most of all the sense of connection to others. Especially in a world where we've become so technology-reliant and have less human-to-human interaction on a daily basis.

I would encourage every community to try to create some sort of Farm 2 Table event in their city or town and invite lots of locals from wide varieties of backgrounds to eat together.

I didn't really know the best way to express how I feel about being able to attend a true Farm 2 Table meal, so I wanted the pictures to speak for themselves. And I'll just add in what "I believe".

I believe red and white checkered table cloths will never be too cliche for picnics

I believe fresh flowers are always the most beautiful centerpieces.

I believe the Bee's Knees is my new favorite cocktail. And you must try it! (Honey vodka and lemonade)

I believe there there are true hidden gems in musical talent right in your hometown

I believe more meals should be eaten in a "community style" setting. People actually interact more.

I believe our children should be taught from a young age to appreciate and enjoy locally sourced foods. (I also believe this is one of the cutest little girls I've seen in quite some time. She was ADORABLE!)

I believe family style served meals are my favorite. You can always go back for seconds.

I believe I was blessed to try all this locally sourced food. But I learned I am not a fan of lamb sausage...

I believe we should support our local community, local businesses, and especially those that produce our foods. Thank you to all the farmers and ranchers out there.

I believe life is about slowing down, and enjoying the little things.

I felt honored to attend this Farm 2 Table event. It reminded me of how blessed and thankful I am to have been raised in such a wonderful community.

If you're a local, there are more Farm 2 Table events coming up this summer! For more information, I would suggest liking the Downtown Bentonville Inc. Facebook page and the Bentonville Farmer's Market Facebook page. They will keep you updated on the next Farm 2 Table event and how you can purchase tickets.

Thank you to Downtown Bentonville Incorporated for giving myself and my mother a free ticket to this event. Cheers! Now I'm off to find more honey vodka to make another Bee's Knees cocktail....It's so dang good!

Have you ever been to a Farm 2 Table meal?

How do you support your local farmers? Do you try to enjoy more meals from locally sourced foods and ingredients?

2 Comments

NuNaturals: Sweet, Sensational, AND Healthy--Plus a Giveaway!

07/15/2014

28 Comments

Want a chance to win some AMAZING sweetener products? Then read on and stay tuned.

So how's this sound?...
A sweetener you can use in your coffee, tea, baked goods, etc. THAT:
--Doesn't have any weird chemicals or preservatives
--Is completely natural
--Zero-calorie
--Super delicious

Yes, this amazing sweetener does exist. And it's called NuNaturals.

I was first introduced to NuNaturals when I won a sample of some products from a giveaway on another healthy living blog. I have been in love and a devoted follower of NuNaturals ever since.
And now YOU CAN WIN SOME NUNATURALS in a GIVEAWAY I'm hosting! I love sharing nutritional and healthy foods and food products with others. Sharing the love is the best! So if anyone ever wanted to send me a little gift of some awesome food product they've fallen in love with...I won't turn it down. ;)

So what's the down-low on this particular sweetener? What's so special about it? Well...here's info. from the NuNaturals Facebook page to tell you more:

"NuNaturals brand is available in over 10,000 Natural, Grocery and Drug stores. We specialize in a complete line of Stevia products. Our healthy sweeteners will not raise blood sugar levels. We have products that help manage blood sugar levels. NuNaturals also specializes in brain, sleep, relaxation and cold-flu formulas. Our products are available either direct from the company or through UNFI West. NuNaturals, Helping To Keep You Well."

But my favorite thing about NuNaturals stevia? NO bitter aftertaste. If you've had any experiences with stevia in the past and disliked it, you might no what I'm talking about. Thank you for taking out the bitter, NuNaturals.

My personal favorite product I've tried of the NuNaturals line so far is the NuStevia Cocoa Syrup.

Oh my goodness! No calorie, natural chocolate syrup AND it tastes great?! Yes, miracles are possible.

While experimenting with the NuNaturals cocoa syrup, I figured out this super simple and delicious way to make a healthier chocolate "ice cream" of sorts. Check it out below. My recipe for a healthy banana chocolate ice cream.

Banana Chocolate "Ice Cream"

Serves: 1
Ingredients:
1 banana, mashed
1 tsp. NuNaturals NuStevia cocoa syrup
2 Tbsp. almond milk (or other milk)

Directions:
Mash the banana until smooth. Add in NuNaturals NuStevia cocoa syrup and milk of choice. Blend together until well incorporated. Place in freezer and allow to freeze to your liking. Take out of freezer, dig in, enjoy!

Here's the giveaway for my readers! 4 (YES, FOUR!) readers will win:

1 bottle Cherry Vanilla Stevia liquid sweetener
50 pkt box of NuStevia White Stevia Powder packets
1 bottle of our the new NuNaturals NuStevia Cocoa Syrup
1 bottle NuNaturals NuStevia Simple Syrup

Each of the 4 winners will receive the complete product selection of all 4 items with the retail value of $ 50.00 , PLUS A FREE BONUS PRODUCT! Because NuNaturals is really that awesome of a company.

If you'd like to purchase some NuNaturals products for yourself, you can receive DISCOUNTS on all orders placed on their website: www.nunaturals.com .

When you get to the checkout page you should enter the DISCOUNT CODE ; BLG1214 and you will receive 15% DISCOUNT on your ENTIRE ORDER. This discount remains effective until December 31, 2014

Online ordering customers may also receive FREE SHIPPING to the continental U.S. on all orders exceeding $35.00 after discounts.

To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter Widget below.
Giveaway begins July 16, 2014 at 12:00am and runs through July 23, 2014 at 12:00am.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: NuNaturals sent me products for review and recipe testing and will also be providing the gifts for the winners. All opinions are my own.

28 Comments

Sesame Soy Cucumber Salad

07/09/2014

16 Comments

Cool as a cucumber. This recipe is rockin' the coolness factor because it's super easy to make and just the perfect refreshing side to add to your summer meal.

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Before we get to the recipe, I have to tell you guys about one of my guilty pleasures...

Food puns.

Seriously though, I LOVE food puns. It doesn't matter how cheesy (ha! get it?) they are, they never fail to make me crack up. Guess that's just a part of being a self-proclaimed food nerd. Since there is the famous saying "cool as a cucumber" and it relates to this recipe, I had to mention some great food puns.

So basically, if you can understand the humor behind these puns, we can be friends. Here's a few great ones I found.

Sesame Soy Cucumber Salad

Servings: about 4 cups

Ingredients:
9-10 small or medium sized cucumbers, sliced (equates to about 4 cups)
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. stevia
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1-2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Directions:
Start by rinsing your cucumbers, slicing off the ends, and using either a knife or a potato peeler, peel the outside of the cucumbers interchangeably, creating stripes alongside them. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scrape out the insides of the cucumbers to remove the seeds and softer parts. This will make cucumber "boats" of sorts.

Cool as a cucumber...canoe?! I have entirely too much fun playing with my food.

Slice the cucumber halves into half-moon pieces, about a 1/4 of an inch wide. Place all your slices of cucumbers into a bowl and sprinkle the kosher salt over them. Toss the cucumbers and salt together and let rest 15 minutes. The salt will draw some of the water out of the cucumbers so they don't get made into a soggy cucumber salad mess. After 15 minutes, drain the water from the cucumbers and pat them mostly dry with paper towels.

Combine remaining ingredients with cucumbers in a bowl and stir/toss well to combine. Allow the cucumber salad to rest in the fridge and marinade for at least a couple hours before serving. The longer they marinade, the more flavor will be soaked into the cucumbers. Serve cold.

Healthy Recipe Tidbits

I used the less sodium soy sauce to cut back on the sodium. That regular soy sauce is kinda overloaded a bit with sodium!
Cucumbers are 96% water. So they're really low-calorie (only 16 calories per cup of sliced cucumbers!) and help to keep you hydrated--especially during these summer months.
Cucumbers promote joint health. They contain the vitamin silica, which studies have shown promotes joint health by strengthening the connective tissue.
Sesame seeds are great sources of copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc...Just to name a few! Since they are great sources of copper, they have been shown to provide anti-inflammatory help in reducing the pain and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis.

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