Tuesday, December 28, 2010
UPDATE!
My page is temporarly down. No worries, I will be back and the blog will be better than ever! I miss you all.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Eating healthy at work.
1. Cook a big batch of food on Sunday, such as veggies and pasta, or chicken and brown rice, and freeze portions to take to work with you for lunch. Added bonus: you'll save the money you'd normally spend on all those visits to the salad bar.
2. Don't skip breakfast! Breakfast kick starts your metabolism, and it's also healthier to eat larger meals earlier in the day because you'll burn them off when you're running around the office (or madly typing away at your computer). If you don't have time before work, bring low-fat greek yogurt and a banana or peice of fruit to eat first thing.
3. Stock your desk area with healthy snacks, so an apple or some raisins are always within reach. What kinds of things should you bring to work for snacking? Find the healthiest versions of the snacks you love, and bring them to work. Try air-popped popcorn, low-sugar or juice-sweetened cookies and granola bars, and baked wheat crackers. Go an extra step and buy organic items - these usually have less artificial or unhealthy ingredients - and always read the label to make sure there are no hydrogenated oils.
4. Consider your weaknesses. Think about the biggest challenges for you, healthy eating-wise (no refrigerator at work, picky eater, chocolate-lover, etc.) and use them to your advantage. For example, bring foods to work such as apples and bananas, that don't need refrigeration, or plan out healthy meals that you'll actually like. And try dark chocolate - recent studies show it may lower blood pressure.
5. Try one new fruit or vegetable per week. Ever tried bok choy? What about papaya? There are plenty of new fruits and vegetables out there for you to try - stock up at your local farmers market (buying local is also very environmentally conscious) or visit an ethnic market.
6. Don't completely cut out carbohydrates and fat. Healthy fats, such as those found in nuts (also useful for snacking), and whole grains give you the energy you need to get through the day.
7. Keep portion size in mind. If you visit the deli at lunchtime, buy half of a sandwich, or split something with a friend. Alternatively, try bringing frozen veggies to work, and mixing them together to split with co-workers.
8. Hosting a meeting? Bring some healthy snacks, instead of the usual donuts and pastries. Provide fruits and/or veggies and hummus, cheese and wheat crackers.
9. Always keep a supply of water handy. Most offices have water coolers, so bring a large glass or thermos, or keep a water bottle nearby that you can refill. No water cooler? Stash a few reusable water containers in your bag before work.
10. Take a lunch break. No matter how busy you are, it's both physically and mentally healthier to take a few moments and read, sit outside, or chat with a friend, while enjoying a healthy meal. You'll be re-energized once you return to your desk.
I hope this helps! I am having to post this to remind myself really. I have to say, it's COOOOOOOOOLD and I am getting less motivaded to MOVE! If you pair lack of exercise and poor eating you get weight gain, big time. Lets try to stick to a plan if at all possible and end the year right! The holiday season is almost over and I am determined to have a short resoulution list. Loosing weight not being one of them! See you all soon! I have some pretty cool things to tell you about very soon and I promise to be back full force as soon as the Christmas holidays go by. Man..it's almost here!!! I cant believe just how fast it came.
-Heather
2. Don't skip breakfast! Breakfast kick starts your metabolism, and it's also healthier to eat larger meals earlier in the day because you'll burn them off when you're running around the office (or madly typing away at your computer). If you don't have time before work, bring low-fat greek yogurt and a banana or peice of fruit to eat first thing.
3. Stock your desk area with healthy snacks, so an apple or some raisins are always within reach. What kinds of things should you bring to work for snacking? Find the healthiest versions of the snacks you love, and bring them to work. Try air-popped popcorn, low-sugar or juice-sweetened cookies and granola bars, and baked wheat crackers. Go an extra step and buy organic items - these usually have less artificial or unhealthy ingredients - and always read the label to make sure there are no hydrogenated oils.
4. Consider your weaknesses. Think about the biggest challenges for you, healthy eating-wise (no refrigerator at work, picky eater, chocolate-lover, etc.) and use them to your advantage. For example, bring foods to work such as apples and bananas, that don't need refrigeration, or plan out healthy meals that you'll actually like. And try dark chocolate - recent studies show it may lower blood pressure.
5. Try one new fruit or vegetable per week. Ever tried bok choy? What about papaya? There are plenty of new fruits and vegetables out there for you to try - stock up at your local farmers market (buying local is also very environmentally conscious) or visit an ethnic market.
6. Don't completely cut out carbohydrates and fat. Healthy fats, such as those found in nuts (also useful for snacking), and whole grains give you the energy you need to get through the day.
7. Keep portion size in mind. If you visit the deli at lunchtime, buy half of a sandwich, or split something with a friend. Alternatively, try bringing frozen veggies to work, and mixing them together to split with co-workers.
8. Hosting a meeting? Bring some healthy snacks, instead of the usual donuts and pastries. Provide fruits and/or veggies and hummus, cheese and wheat crackers.
9. Always keep a supply of water handy. Most offices have water coolers, so bring a large glass or thermos, or keep a water bottle nearby that you can refill. No water cooler? Stash a few reusable water containers in your bag before work.
10. Take a lunch break. No matter how busy you are, it's both physically and mentally healthier to take a few moments and read, sit outside, or chat with a friend, while enjoying a healthy meal. You'll be re-energized once you return to your desk.
I hope this helps! I am having to post this to remind myself really. I have to say, it's COOOOOOOOOLD and I am getting less motivaded to MOVE! If you pair lack of exercise and poor eating you get weight gain, big time. Lets try to stick to a plan if at all possible and end the year right! The holiday season is almost over and I am determined to have a short resoulution list. Loosing weight not being one of them! See you all soon! I have some pretty cool things to tell you about very soon and I promise to be back full force as soon as the Christmas holidays go by. Man..it's almost here!!! I cant believe just how fast it came.
-Heather
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tis the season, I'm giving one lucky reader a gift!
Hey there! Long time no see!
Oh Nuts! asked me if I would be interested in a gift giveaway for my blog
readers. I said "heck yeah!" In fact, I kinda owe you all. I have been so busy with the holidays and all I havent had time to post anything this week! Eeeeekkk! I hate it when that happens....
The winner will get a $25 gift certificate from Oh Nuts and you can choose from anything in thier store!~ Dont worry, I am going to tell you all about Oh Nuts! Here we go!
Some businesses open their doors with minor motive, others with a massive mission…though if you take the time (or Business School courses) to profile the ones that make it, you'll find that those that succeed usually have one thing in common—the ability to provide a product or service better, faster and more efficiently than most anyone else.
Case in point, the impetus behind the Klein family's decision to open the doors of their first (of four and counting) Oh Nuts store back in 1992.
You see, before they got the world to "go nuts for Oh Nuts", the Kleins were the proud and successful owners of a well regarded wholesale nut and confectionary products company. As the bulk of their clientele was caterers and manufacturers rather than retailers they spent an inordinate amount of time at various food and food related tradeshows. During the conversations with both fellow exhibitors as well as attendees they realized that the food chain that linked product to actual consumer had more levels than a video game. The difference was though in a video game reaching a level means you're good enough to be hit with fresh challenges while adding a level to the retail process usually meant losing a level of freshness and quality as the distance from source to store got that much longer.
Which inspired the Kleins to ask, What if we took a detour around the numerous distributors, sub distributors wholesalers and sub wholesalers? What if we opened a store where the selection was farm and factory fresh because its inventory came directly from a wholesalers that dealt directly with the brands? An added benefit to this unique idea was the ability for the Klein's new retail entity to sell in bulk—vs. just the pre-packed, pre measured quantities and combinations that the manufacturer or distributor deemed desirable. This meant that if customer A wanted no black jelly beans and customer B wanted ONLY black jelly beans, there was finally a retail entity to make this jellybean dreams a reality.
Oh Nuts! asked me if I would be interested in a gift giveaway for my blog
readers. I said "heck yeah!" In fact, I kinda owe you all. I have been so busy with the holidays and all I havent had time to post anything this week! Eeeeekkk! I hate it when that happens....
The winner will get a $25 gift certificate from Oh Nuts and you can choose from anything in thier store!~ Dont worry, I am going to tell you all about Oh Nuts! Here we go!
Some businesses open their doors with minor motive, others with a massive mission…though if you take the time (or Business School courses) to profile the ones that make it, you'll find that those that succeed usually have one thing in common—the ability to provide a product or service better, faster and more efficiently than most anyone else.
Case in point, the impetus behind the Klein family's decision to open the doors of their first (of four and counting) Oh Nuts store back in 1992.
You see, before they got the world to "go nuts for Oh Nuts", the Kleins were the proud and successful owners of a well regarded wholesale nut and confectionary products company. As the bulk of their clientele was caterers and manufacturers rather than retailers they spent an inordinate amount of time at various food and food related tradeshows. During the conversations with both fellow exhibitors as well as attendees they realized that the food chain that linked product to actual consumer had more levels than a video game. The difference was though in a video game reaching a level means you're good enough to be hit with fresh challenges while adding a level to the retail process usually meant losing a level of freshness and quality as the distance from source to store got that much longer.
Which inspired the Kleins to ask, What if we took a detour around the numerous distributors, sub distributors wholesalers and sub wholesalers? What if we opened a store where the selection was farm and factory fresh because its inventory came directly from a wholesalers that dealt directly with the brands? An added benefit to this unique idea was the ability for the Klein's new retail entity to sell in bulk—vs. just the pre-packed, pre measured quantities and combinations that the manufacturer or distributor deemed desirable. This meant that if customer A wanted no black jelly beans and customer B wanted ONLY black jelly beans, there was finally a retail entity to make this jellybean dreams a reality.
What's in a Name?
As legend has it, a number of the Klein's friends who heard the idea said you could go nuts trying to name a store like that. In their excitement, the Klein’s thought their friends said "Oh Nuts" instead of "Go Nuts" and proceeded to throw caution to the wind—and themselves into designing a 15x15 retail space into a warmly cozy experience that would become their flagship store.
While their products were both dairy and non dairy, their first Oh Nuts hand a definite dairy dynamic if for no other reason than the fact they used milk crates as display shelves.
Though as these shelves were displaying absolute freshest selections of imported and domestic nuts, dried fruits and confections, they quickly realized that consumers liked their fresh approach to retailing.
And while the milk crates were eventually replaced by more conventional retail displays and shelving, and the flagship store welcomed an even more impressive sibling less than a year later, one thing that didn't change then—and won't ever change, is the Klein's approach to retailing.
"Keep It Fresh," "Keep It Fun," "Keep It Phenomenal."
Today, the Oh Nuts brand is a nationally recognized one stop shop for everything in dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, candies, related confections (both finished products and raw ingredients,) custom and pre-configured gift baskets for any occasion, (real or imagined)—even hard to find items like sugar-free and organic products—become remarkably easy to find when you enter the world of Oh Nuts.
Today, the Oh Nuts brand is a nationally recognized one stop shop for everything in dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, candies, related confections (both finished products and raw ingredients,) custom and pre-configured gift baskets for any occasion, (real or imagined)—even hard to find items like sugar-free and organic products—become remarkably easy to find when you enter the world of Oh Nuts.
Oh! Nuts On Line—The Sweetest Surf on the Web
QUESTION: What has over 2000 items, bulk and wholesale prices on a whole lot of your favorite fruits, nuts and confections, a selection of gift baskets for any budget and occasions—AND provides one of the most impressively rated shopping experiences on the web?
Fact is, between our selection, service and speed our on line presence is a virtual mirror of our retail experience. www.ohnuts.com Regardless of whether it's a single basket going to Sacramento or 5 dozen New Year's baskets needed overnight for your clients throughout North America, you can count on "Basketland"--our fully computerized, 10,000 plus square foot "nerve center" to make it happen. And because "Basketland" stocks all the items you'll find on our website (yes, all 2000+ of them) you can customize your basket to suit the occasion, recipient or budget—without turning yourself into a basket case in the process. Then again, with specialty baskets for most every religious and secular holiday (Happy Secretary's Day!) not to mention baskets for most every lifecycle event from Baby Shower to Bris to Bar/Bat Mitzvah to Bronze (and beyond!) Anniversaries, its should come as no surprise that nationally recognized gift basket gurus consistently give our off-the-shelf solutions higher ratings for creativity, contents and cost/value than most any custom company.
Our "Incredible Bulk"…Because Baskets Are Just the Begining…
Most businesses would be thrilled to pieces to have an entity with the reputation and loyal customer base our "Basket Land" division has developed.
But Oh Nuts.Com didn’t get to be the "Sweetest Surf On The Web" by being like most businesses. That's why we make the bulk buying of your favorite dried fruits, nuts and confections easier—and more affordable than ANY shlep to the supermarket (not to mention warehouse club, mass discounter and all those other retail chains) to whom nuts and confections are mere products—not the passion they are to us. Regardless if your tastes run salty or sweet, spicy hot or sour power puckering you'll find a solidly suitable selection of sweet tooth satisfying stuff that you can order by the pound, pint or price…in short, what you want, the way you want shipped where you want to arrive when you want.
No matter if it's a bathtub full of butterscotch Jelly Belly's (we’ve been one of their top customers for over a decade) a backstage hospitality suite which has been contractually obligated to provide its visitors with an endless supply of assorted chocolate lentils in every color except green (wouldn't be the first time!) or an assortment of mixed-nuts using smoked almonds, salted macadamias and chocolate-covered brazil nuts exclusively—we’ll make it all happen with a simple point and click…and without making you crazy.
The Life of the Party. Specialists in Creating the Concept as well as the Contents
How it happened we're still not sure, but somewhere between shipping out 300 to 500 baskets a day and keeping an eye on what's new, what's next & what's now in everything related to gift baskets, we also became known as one of the East Coast's leading sources of event related services.
While it started as an extension of our basket business, this department quickly took on a life all its own, thanks to a staff that always seems to know what our clients needs—sometimes before they do. Regardless if you call them innoventive or imagineers, all it takes is a call to understand why you'll be calling our event development & promotions group to help you make the most of your corporate or personal event.
Regardless if its working with our vast network of vendors to source—or even custom create the perfect memento (we've done it all from downtown chic to retro 70's cheesy), or augmenting an existing color scheme or thematic with just the right shade of jelly beans and wrapped candies (we have access to virtually every brand that defined your childhood) our full complement of party planners and consultants are ready to work with you, your caterer or event coordinator to make sure your event is one of a kind…in more ways than one.
In fact, we even have our own specially trained on-site party teams whose job it is to ensure that execution exceeds vision. If you're now thinking, Wow, that sounds like they'll actually send down a crew that will make sure everything looks perfect, which means I’ll have one less thing to worry about—you're right…as long as we're there, that is.
And if you think it takes big bucks to make big ideas happen, think again. That’s because when you deal with us, you’re dealing with the source. That means your budget goes farther because there's no middlemen markups to detour it along the way.
And Much, Much More.
While itemizing everything we offer would require a website all its own; the following is a small cross section of what we're capable of…when a client is going nuts.
Custom Wedding FavorsBring us a page from a magazine or a clip from a movie and watch us do what it takes so your guests take home more than memories
Themed Corporate GiftsNo matter if your message is "cutting edge" Wall-Street or Classic Middle America Main Street, our custom corporate gifts are designed to mean business…for your business that is.
Custom Created Confections. Complete with monograms, logos or photo-real images.
Exclusive Event-Inspired FlavorsFrom TexMex seasoned nuts for Western themed events, Pizzaola-flavored veggi-chips for Italian inspired evenings, rum infused confections for Caribbean/Cruise themes…ok, you get the idea! No matter if your taste buds prefer pomegranates or authentic NY pickles, to get a taste of what we can do for you, just give us a call.
Full Consultation Services. Regardless if you prefer a face to face or have a schedule that only permits email or phone conferences, our pre-event consultation services are available around your schedule to help you plan, produce and perfect any or every element involved in turning your dream into reality.
Color Coordinated Custom Confections. Because we're the source our candies, cookies and coated nuts aren't just a shade better and fresher, they can also be made in the perfect color or shade to compliment any color scheme.
Mini Gift BasketsWith everything that’s made our regular gift baskets the hits they are—just taken down a size.
Swag Bags. Their contents range from watches to wines to weekend getaways…the perfect and preferred way to keep your event top of mind for months, instead of minutes.
In House Art DepartmentYou have enough on your mind so let our staff create your monograms and/or logos—or adapt any existing designs.
Party Planners. From bars to boardrooms to backyards and hotel ballrooms, when it comes to turning a venue into a vision our event staff takes the "Tabla-Rasa" (thats blank slate) approach—as in every room is a blank canvas waiting to be painted with our unparalleled selection of fruits nuts, candies, chocolates and custom crafted items that will be created just for you. Every room is a masterpiece waiting to happen!
Table-TeamsSeeing is believing and once you see the magic our table teams perform when it comes to dressing and detailing tables and common areas, you’ll be sure to invite them to all your upcoming events.
You Name It. No seriously, just name it. Because when it comes to making your event beyond everything you ever imagined, all you need to do is ask. Fact is, our productions aren't limited to edibles and enticing gifts. We're also about creating environments which integrate sound, music and lighting with your party's motif or organizational message. The result? A breathtakingly immersive experience that will dazzle your guests from start to finish.
Are you sold yet?!? Well, how about a 25 dollar gift certificate?
3 ways to enter
1. Your reader should go to the Oh Nuts Christmas gift
baskets
on your blog post with the name and url of the gift they like the most.
OR
Your reader should go to the Oh Nuts Hanukkah gifts<> page.
They have to choose their favorite Hanukkah Gift and leave a comment on your
blog post with the name and url of the gift they like the most.
I will pick a random winner and Oh Nuts! will email the winner a $25 gift
certificate.
2. Readers can go to the Oh Nuts facebook
page and post on the wall the url and name of their favorite Hanukkah Gift
OR Christmas Gift. They should also write "I am here via "Your blog"
3. You readers need to follow @ohnuts
should Tweet
" Win a free Hanukkah Gift, Follow @ohnuts &
Retweet to enter. "
OR
" Win a free Christmas Gift, Follow @ohnuts &
Retweet to enter. "
Alright! Get to it folks! Lets show Oh Nuts that you are impressed!!!
See you tomorrow!
-Heather
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