You Grill Girl {Giveaway–CLOSED}

I’ve never been much of a fan of hot dogs. I would eat them every so often wayyyy back in the day, but once I found out what they were made of, I had a hard time getting past that. I had heard of all beef hot dogs but didn’t really give them much thought. That is until Applegate reached out to me recently.

They wanted me to try their all natural hot dogs, along with Sir Kensington’s natural ketchup and mustard. They also sent me potato buns and a ton of other goodies!!

Check out the loot!

applegate

I agreed to try their hot dogs because Applegate’s natural hot dogs are made of only grass-fed beef, water, salt and spices. THAT IS IT!  No artificial ingredients, synthetic nitrates, or antibiotics in these hot dogs.

applegate and sir kensington

Naturally, I had to wear the apron they gave me while “womaning” the grill.

applegate edited

Side track, let’s talk about Sir Kensington’s for a sec. Why I do I love their products? Let’s start with the ketchup. It has less sugar, less salt and real recognizable ingredients: Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Organic Sugar, Onions, Organic Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Lime Juice Concentrate, Green Bell Peppers, Allspice, Citric Acid

Their yellow mustard is just as delicious and made up of: Mustard Paste (Water, Organic White Vinegar, Mustard Seed), Water, Mustard Seed, Organic White Vinegar, Salt, Organic Sugar, Chablis Wine

They also have mayo which I would love to try!

applegate and sir kensington    applegate and sir kensington

I promise there is a hot dog underneath those condiments! I LOVE ketchup. I love ketchup on my ketchup.

applegate edited 2 applegate edited 4

Because I’m a dietitian and love looking at the nutrition label, I thought I would share the hot dog stats with you guys. These were their natural uncured beef hot dogs.

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving Size 1 hot dog

Amount Per Serving

Calories 70
Total fat 6 g
Sat fat 2 g
Sodium 330 mg
Sugars 0 g
Protein 6 g
So besides making me happy nutritionally, they also made my belly happy. These babes are tasty! I would love to cook these over a campfire! They have so many hot dogs to choose from like turkey hot dogs, chicken hot dogs, beef and pork hot dogs, and more. How could you get bored with all of these varieties available?
And guess what? Now is your chance to try them yourself! We will be giving away this pack of goodness to one lucky reader.
applegate
Enter to win (up to 2 entries):
1. Tweet: “I want to win @applegate and @sirkensingtons goodie box from @nuttymelanie http://www.beautifullynutty.com/you-grill-girl-giveaway/” and make sure to comment on this post telling me you tweeted!
2. Comment on this post telling me which Applegate or Sir Kensington product you definitely want to try this summer!
GUYS, you can enter too of course!

One winner will be chosen on Friday, July 3rd!

Continue Reading You Grill Girl {Giveaway–CLOSED}

Winner, Winner

Hello, hello!

I’m keeping it extra short and sweet today and simply announcing the winners of the grocery card giveaway!

winner winner

Congrats to…

Elena

and

Laura J.!

Email me at beautifullynutty@gmail.com with your shipping info and I will get your gift cards sent out to you asap!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Happy Thursday!

Continue Reading Winner, Winner

Meet Olympian Dara Torres and Win Free EarBuds {Giveaway–CLOSED}

Happy Monday! Have I got a treat for you. I do have a lot to catch you up on from the weekend, but it’s going to have to wait til later in the week.

First, let me introduce you to Dara Torres…

dara torres 2

To those of you who may not know Dara:

Dara Torres is arguably the fastest female swimmer in America. She entered her first international swimming competition at age 14 and competed in her first Olympic Games a few years later in 1984.

At the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, Dara became the oldest swimmer to compete in the Olympic Games. When she took three silver medals home – including the infamous heartbreaking 50-meter freestyle race where she missed the Gold by 1/100th of a second – America loved her all the more for her astonishing achievement and her good-natured acceptance of the results.

In total, Dara has competed in five Olympic Games and has won 12 medals in her entire Olympic career. Her impressive performance in Beijing and her attempt at the 2012 London Olympic Games has inspired many older athletes to consider re-entering competition, including cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Aside from her amazing accomplishments in the pool, Dara has talents on dry land as well. A composed commentator, guest host and strong interviewee, she has appeared on such shows as Fox News, ESPN, CNN, Piers Morgan Tonight, Today Show, Good Morning America, Kelly and Regis, and many others. Additionally, Dara was the first female athlete ever to be featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and in 2009, won the ESPY award for “Best Comeback.” To add to Dara’s accolades, she was also named one of the “Top Female Athletes of the Decade” by Sports Illustrated Magazine.

Now a top-selling author, her memoir, “Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life,” published in April, 2009 and was listed as one of the top 25 best-selling business books by June. Her second book, “Gold Medal Fitness: A Revolutionary 5-Week Program” hit stands in May, 2010 and is now a New York Times Best-Seller.

Olympian, author, mother, and role model, Dara Torres is many things to many people, but above all, she is an inspiration.”

source

Besides all of the aforementioned list of achievements, she has also more recently partnered with a headphone company called Koss.

The line she is working on is called Koss FitBuds and they are the smallest earbuds Koss has ever created. The buds are only six millimeters in diameter, making them 33 percent smaller than the average Koss earbud. The elements are surrounded by a dual-injected, soft-rubberized housing intended to fit perfectly in the female ear. The FitBuds feature a sweat-resistant coating and come in fun colors!

dara torres koss headphones

The FItBuds are:

  • Ideal for active women
  • Sweat resistant
  • Ultra lightweight
  • Extreme durability
  • Covered under the Limited Lifetime Warranty

Source: www.koss.com

dara torres

Giveaway Time!

How would you like a chance to meet Dara?!

I am giving away two entries to Minnesotans or to anyone willing to drive to Minnesota to not only meet Dara, but also take a spin class with her, get a free pair of FitBuds and a free gift bag from Koss!

  •  60 minute spin class taught by local instructors
  • A pair of Koss Fit Series headphones to use during the event and a pair to take home
  •  A gift bag from Koss
  • The opportunity to meet and workout with Dara Torres, a five time Olympian and 12-time medalist.

dara torres

The dates and times for the classes are as follows:

Option 1:

Tuesday, September 17
4:45 pm – 5:45 pm
Eden Prairie

Option 2:

Wednesday, September 18
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Minneapolis

*Winner will need to inform me of option/location they would like to attend. Exact locations will be revealed to giveaway winners.

Doesn’t this sound like a blast! I plan on being there, too!

Enter to win! 

To enter to win, comment on this post telling me why you would love to win this giveaway. Earn an extra entry by tweeting, “I want to meet Dara Torres! I entered to win at http://wp.me/p2J5VV-2dX.” Be sure to leave an extra comment on my post so that I know you tweeted.

I will announce the winner on Friday, August 30th! Edited: Contest closes at 12:00 am central time zone on Friday August 30th. 

Continue Reading Meet Olympian Dara Torres and Win Free EarBuds {Giveaway–CLOSED}

I Prefer Small Meals and Snacks

First and foremost, I want to wish you all a…. valentine's day

I am such a lover, so this Hallmark holiday really puts me into an EXTRA lovey dovey spirit. Whether you celebrate Valentine’s day or not, I hope you all have a wonderful day full of love and joy! I’ll be doing my best to spread the love today.

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Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which means it was a day to fast in between meals (it means a lot more than that but I’m not getting into that right now). Being that I am not one to eat big meals, I am more of a small meals and snacks throughout the day kind of gal, this is always a little challenging for me. It involves some planning to make sure I build significant meals to keep me energized throughout the work day and not hit any slumps. Like most of us, I need A LOT of energy to get through the day.

In the morning I unrolled the yoga mat and put on a Yoga/Pilates OnDemand. The workout was about 25 minutes and it felt GREAT. My body was pretty sore and tight before the workout, but once I was done with the session, I felt much more relaxed and less tense. After yoga, I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then finished with a plank.

Then it was time to get breakfast going. I cooked up a batch of quinoa, topped it with kale, a little bit of cheese, salt, pepper, avocado, and an egg.

quinoa and egg breakfast

quinoa and egg breakfast

How’s that for breakfast creativity? That was definitely a bit out of my breakfast comfort zone (aka banana and peanut butter). And as if that wasn’t enough, I gobbled up some lemon blueberry bread. Multiply this bite in my hand times about six.

blueberry lemon bread

I was set.

Breakfast held me over into lunch and then some. For lunch I made a Greek yogurt bowl with chia seeds, FAGE non-fat Greek yogurt, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

fruit and yogurt bowl

And last and maybe least (dinner isn’t too impressive), for dinner I made a salad with cabbage, lettuce, beans, peas, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, and honey mustard dressing. I snacked on carrots while I threw the salad together. I was really hungry by the time dinner rolled around.

salad

Part two of dinner was trail mix with some raisins, peanuts, almonds, and dark chocolate chips.

trail mix

After a day of eating only three solid meals, versus my regular small meals and snacks, I am absolutely sure that I prefer the more frequent small meals and snacks. I felt pretty blech all day.

I am fully aware that some cultures fast all day long for different reasons, and I tip my hat to them. That takes incredible willpower and dedication which is why I refuse to complain about having to do this one day. Making any changes to a typical daily intake, also really makes me realize how fortunate I am to have food available to me at all times.

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Intelligent Nutrients Giveaway Winner

Switching gears here, once again. It’s time to announce the winner of the Intelligent Nutrients shampoo and conditioner!

The winner has been randomly chosen. Congratulations to…

Alicia @ The Wannabe Foodie!!

I’m very excited for you to try these products! Send me an email at beautifullynutty@gmail.com with your address information. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you to all who entered! If you follow me on Twitter, be on the lookout for another giveaway coming your way. My twitter handle is: @NuttyMelanie

Happy Valentine’s Day my friends! xoxo I hope your day is filled with love.

Question: Whether you are dating, married, or single…Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Anything fun planned for today?

Continue Reading I Prefer Small Meals and Snacks

My Intelligent Nutrients Experience and A GIVEAWAY! {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

It’s Monday and I know personally I sometimes struggle with the thought of Monday but I just may have something to perk you up.

A week ago, I was invited in for an organic experience at an incredible health and beauty shop called Intelligent Nutrients in the Mall of America. I have so much to tell you about this wonderful company. Here it goes…

The Founder

In 1978, a man by the name of Horst Rechelbacher founded Aveda Corporation, a global plant-based cosmetic company, and ushered a new consciousness into the world of beauty. Nearly two decades later, he sold Aveda to Estee Lauder. He shifted focus to Intelligent Nutrients, a health and beauty company that lives to the highest standards of 100% food-based, safe, non-toxic and organic ingredients. source

intelligent nutrients

The Philosophy

“Everything that we put on our bodies must be nutritious and safe.” ~ Horst Rechelbacher

All of their products are 100% certified organic. It would be safe to consume their beauty products (although it’s not recommended unless you like eating soap :wink:). Their products are completely free of pesticides.

Nutritional Chemistry: Their products are free of sulfates, plastics, parabens, silicone, mineral oil, petrolatum, petrochemical-derivatives and synthetics. Instead, they are formulated with state-of-the-art science that makes them potent and high-performing.

Plant Stem Cells: They utilize plant stem cells cultivated without soil in the purest lab conditions. This revolutionary process lets us release the life force of the plant in its most pure form – with some delivering as much as 1000 X the anti-oxidant activity of the entire plant.

source

intelligent nutrients

The shop = gorgeous

intelligent nutrients

intelligent nutrients

The products: They have everything from skin care, to body care, hair care, nutraceuticals, aromatics, and more. Check out their complete list of products.

intelligent nutrients

intelligent nutrients

Almost every one of their products has something called Intellimune which is a super antioxidant seed blend. They take thousands of certified-organic fruit and vegetable seeds packed with even more potential than the plants themselves. Because they are the source of all life, they cold-press them without chemicals for a potency far greater than the sum of its parts. They then take these  highly antioxidant-dense seeds and cold-press them without chemicals or heat for absolute potency.

The results: Intellimune fights off free radicals, reduces inflammation, protects healthy cellular activity and growth and helps to slow unnecessary premature aging and disease in the process.

source

intelligent nutrients

intelligent nutrientsMy Experience

Are you still with me? I know this is a lot of information but it so exciting to me. Upon arrival I was greeted by the very welcoming team. David (who is a remarkable man BTW) started my visit with a tour of the store, while explaining the philosophies of IN as well as product information, allowing me to test out some products, and ask as many questions as I wanted.

Next, I was sent to the biofeedback area. Here I placed my hand on a sensor, first alone without any scents in front of me, and then a second time with a particular aromatherapy under my nose. This biofeedback read my stress level as well as different areas of my brain such as creativity, intellectual, physical, and emotional levels, among others.

The first reading told me that my overall state at that moment was very nurturing and that the intellectual part of my brain specifically was being stimulated. This was probably because I had just received a lot of information from David about IN and in general I am a very nurturing and compassionate person.

The second reading with the scent under my nose, came back as somewhat more physical and I had an increase in energy from that particular aromatherapy.

I was absolutely intrigued. 
intelligent nutrients

Next it was time for my scalp massage. David massaged oil into my hair ( I believe it was the destress express oil) as I immediately began to relax. Next he shampooed and conditioned my hair with the Pureluxe Harmonic hair products.

intelligent nutrients

He left the conditioner in my hair for a while, and wrapped it in a warm wet towel as I relaxed and enjoyed the aroma oxygen bar. He also massaged some oil onto my hands and let them rest under a warm wet towel. I felt like a princess.

intelligent nutrients

The finishing touch was a hair blowout completed with round brushes. I was in pure bliss. Total relaxation mode.

Before I left I snapped a photo with two of the three team members. As you can see by  my droopy eyes I was still in total zen mode. I had fallen in love with this place, people, and these products.

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Even after just one treatment, I could absolutely feel and see a difference in my hair. I had fewer split ends, it was softer, and it just felt clean. I felt great.

hair intelligent nutrients

They sent me home with an extremely generous care package which I was more than grateful for.

intelligent nutrients

To be perfectly honest I could go on and on about this stuff all day because of how amazed I was with my experience and these products. I encourage you to check out the Intelligent Nutrient website and learn more. I am so impressed by this company.

But before you leave, I have more to share. YOU could be the owner of an Intelligent Nutrient’s Pureluxe Harmonic Shampoo and Conditioner!

intelligent nutri

IN and I are hosting a giveaway for one lucky Beautifully Nutty reader. We want you to experience these wonderful products. Here is your chance to win!

To enter for your chance to win:

  1. Comment on this post telling me why you would enjoy this product
  2. Earn a second entry: Go to http://www.facebook.com/beautifullynutty and “like” BN on facebook.
  3. Earn a THIRD entry: Tweet “I entered to win @intelligentnutr hair products from @NuttyMelanie http://bit.ly/U6z15b

Make sure you include extra comments on this post telling me you “liked” on facebook and tweeted. 🙂

Entries will be accepted until Wednesday February 13th, 9 pm central and the winner will be announced on Thursday February 14th. This giveaway is open to continental U.S residents only (again, so sorry to my out of country readers!).

I am VERY excited about this giveaway. Good luck!

Disclaimer: The services and products from Intelligent Nutrients were given to me as complimentary gifts. I was not paid nor asked to write a review based on my experience. All opinions expressed about this company are my own. 

Continue Reading My Intelligent Nutrients Experience and A GIVEAWAY! {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}