This is a short and sweet, quick post with the V8 V-Fusion Sparkling Pack winner announced and a delicious, Paleo, scrumptiously healthy snack recipe.

How’s your Thursday going? My whole week has been NUTS. And I’m not talkin’ almonds.

So, for the V8 V-Fusion Sparkle pack, I asked you (via Facebook) what made you sparkle. And the answers I got in return were awesome.

Elissa said, “”like my V8, like my V8, na, na, na, na, now i’m feelin’ so fly drinkin V8″ (should i be embarrassed? nahh….lol).” AND “I might not sparkle, but i’ve been told i have a bubbly personality- kinda close right? ”

I love it!

Celena said, “I think a person truly sparkles when they go above and beyond to help someone out!”

Kim L. made me smile: “I sparkle by keeping my diet clean, exercising when I want to and treating others like I would like to be treated.”

Jennifer touched our hearts. “I sparkle when I watch my children

And great V8 V-Fusion Sparkling slogans:

Teh- “Taste great it’s v-8. I sparkle from my little ones smiling faces make they make me radiate.”

Celena- ‎”The sun shines bright some people would say, but V8 beats the sun with its sparkle anyday. For a truly healthy body, v8 will show you the way!”

And this is why I love Amber- ‎”V8: the healthy choice to mix with your rum.”

And now, a hummus recipe…

Alrighty! The winner of the large and in charge V8 V-Fusion Gift pack for the promo of V-Fusion Sparkling…

Dummmmmmm

Duuuummmmmmmmmm

Da Dummmmmmm……………….

Dum dum dum dummmm

Anne!

Anne from Zen Pulse is the lucky lady winner! Congrats, girl!

I made these on a whim. Because I was craving cookies.

Is there ever a time when I don’t crave cookies?

No.

So… I made cookies. And giant cookies they were.

These not so skinny little mounds were inspired by a recipe from Multiply Delicious blog for Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip Cakies, and as delicious they looked, my Fatties definitely tasted. Since these were so darn big, I had to give them a name worthy of their magnitude.

Loaded with lusciously, healthy fats and basking the golden sun of the oven prongs, these chocolate-scattered cookies are keepers. Well, the recipe is.

Since this recipe makes some pretty wholesome and filling, not to mention large and in charge, cookies, the name given at birth was…

Paleo Chocolate Chip Fatties.

Sounds pretty darn good doesn’t it? They just scream ‘Make, Eat, Repeat!’

 Now go have a lovely, wonderful, sunny day and don’t forget there’s a Facebook ONLY giveaway going on right now on What Runs Lori- trust me, you’ll want to win this…

You do not want to miss this giveaway.

This Facebook ONLY giveaway is for a huge bag of swag, compliments of the new V8 V-Fusion Sparkling Beverages that are on the market.

With three, low calorie, and great tasting flavors, Tangerine Raspberry, Black Cherry Pomegranate, and Strawberry Lemonade, you have to enter to win.

All three flavors are fantastically refreshing and perfectly effervescent- kinda like champagne without the calories (or the buzz but that’s off topic).

Each Sparkling flavor is fizzing with real fruit and vegetable juices which each weightlessly weigh in at just 60 calories. They are naturally sweetened with no added sugars (THANK YOU!), artificial colorings or flavors or preservatives.

In fact, each can contains 1/2 serving of fruits and vegetables combined. Not too shabby, if you ask me. And you should… because you could win this awesome pack:

V8 V-Fusion Sparkling in various flavors

Versatile V8 To-Go Cup so you can quench your thirst with your V8 V-Fusion Sparkling on the go

Essie Nail Polish to add some sparkle to your nails

Large Philosophy Raspberry Bubble Bath

$25 (!!) Sephora gift card to help you sparkle inside and out

Sephora Mini-Mirror to see yourself sparkle

Large Gaiam Yoga/Gym Tote (best thing ever!) with easy-reach outside pocket for your refreshments

This is the bag of the month, I’m telling you!

The only way to enter to win is through Facebook… so get on over to What Runs Lori on Facebook and enter now!

GOOD LUCK!

Blackberries! In Paleo bar form.

There is a lot of confusion out there in terms of nutrition. All matters of what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat, etc. are jumbled, confusing, and contradictory. The overload of information takes away from the eating healthy when that may be your goal in the first place.

And then we’re faced with the question of what to buy to eat lean and healthy. Buying groceries can be confusing when trying to change your lifestyle or even keep on a healthy path.

Raw Zucchini Drop Cookies- Health Fats!

Labels, commercials, and the media certainly don’t help when trying to get on the right healthy track. A lot of packaged foods tend to have buzz words like, “low-fat” or “low carb,” “multi-grain,” that can lead to you think they’re healthy. Be aware, these foods often have added ingredients (sugar, sodium, chemicals) that won’t help get you to your healthy eating goals, and may even put you father behind than where you started.

Raw Pad Thai Bowl - Get your veggie fill

Here are my personal tips when it comes to grocery shopping…

Buy locally and buy fresh.

Stick to the outside of the grocery store when shopping. Products that are on the permitting of the store is where the bulk of your shopping cart should come from. Why? Think about it, what really does fill in the middle of most grocery stores? Packaged, processed foods. Fresh, whole foods make up the outside isles of grocery stores, where you can load up on plants (fruits and veggies), (hopefully) grass-fed meats, dried beans or legumes, and bulk bins of nuts and seeds.

It’s not to say that you can’t venture into the middle isles but try and do the majority of cart-filling with fresh, whole foods. Next time you’re at the store, pay attention to where all of the different foods really are located.

Kabocha Smashed Veggie Wrap with Sweet Gingered Mustard Sauce

Buy locally

I prefer to buy my groceries locally and try to avoid the big chain stores as much as possible. The prices may not vary too much and the local produce is usually more nutritious and definitely more fresh. Places like Whole Foods, although a little more expensive for some things, usually carries (or at least offer) product and products that are local to your area. Your best bet and my favorite place to shop is always the local farmers market.

When winter comes along, these stores do have to import some of their produce, but I still find these fruits and veggies much better in quality. A lot of times organic products are available, but at this point I decide if it is a good deal for the money. Going organic is nice but sometimes can be pricey for those who are trying to make their dollar go further.

Shaved Rainbow Salad - Flippin' Amazing.

Buy Fresh

Buy fresh as much as possible, and avoid packaged frozen foods with the exception of plain, frozen fruits and vegetables. Most of the time pre-packaged frozen foods are filled with sodium and other chemicals for preservation purposes. Frozen berries and some greens are convenient and work great when in a pinch.

Paleo Eggs Over Easy Over Meat

Your Grocery List

This is a list that you can keep in your pocket when its time to go grocery shopping.

Protein

• Egg Whites
• Whole Eggs
• Chicken Breast
• Lean Ground Turkey or Chicken
• Lean Ground Bison
• Lean Ground Beef (buy only grass-fed)
• Salmon
• White Fish
• Beans (kidney, garbanzo, black beans, etc.)
• Legumes and lentils

Complex Carbohydrates

• Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Steel Cut)
• Quinoa
• Millet
• Brown Rice
• Brown Rice Pasta
• Yams
• Sweet Potatoes
• Potatoes

Fibrous Carbohydrates, Fruits and Vegetables

• Green Leafy Lettuce
• Kale
• Chard
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Green Beans
• Spinach
• Bell Peppers
• Tomato
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Pumpkin
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Mushrooms
• Cabbage
• Cucumber
• Onions
• Garlic
• Berries
• Apples
• Melon
• Lemons and Limes
• Oranges
• Grapefruit
• Bananas, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Grapes (moderate consumption due to high sugar)

Healthy Fats

• Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Avocado
• Nuts
• Natural Nut Butters
• Coconut Butter
• Flax Seeds or Flax Oil

Adding some canned items to your pantry is awesome for fast meals. On hand, I usually keep canned tomato sauces, crushed tomatoes, low sodium broths, canned beans, and tuna in the house. Dried beans, legumes, rices, quinoa,  potatoes, nuts and seeds, garlic and onions are also good foods that keep for a while so you can buy these in bulk and have them on hand.

Spices are the... zest of life!

Spices are also wonderful to add to a healthy eating grocery list. Spices can add incredible flavor to foods without adding any extra fat. Some spices I always have around and use often are:

• Cumin
• Coriander
• Paprika
• Cayenne
• Garlic Powder
• Ginger Powder
• Nutritional Yeast (not technically a spice but I use it readily like one)
• Himalayan Sea Salt
• Black Peppercorns (in a grinder fresh to grind to each dish)

Mix and match my spices at home to make interesting combinations for my foods. The possibilities with spices literally are endless!

Lentil Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust

Healthy eating can be a fun and creative way of life. Be prepared and explore new foods. Enjoy!

Bottom-line: Eat unprocessed and fresh. Enjoy fully what you put into your body. Food should be fuel, use it [deliciously] properly.

Dandelion, licorice, angelica root, artichoke, lemon and lemon balm, and acerola cherry- a potent blend of antioxidant packed, rich fruit and plant extracts…

Wouldn’t you like to treat your body right and give it soothing and revitalizing natural detoxifiers- creating a Reboot[izer]ed body?

I would. And I do!

All of the above 7 key players are what create this daily detoxifying system, perfect for athletes, body-conscious people, and the occasional indulger.

Rebootizer helps reduce the amount of oxidative stress that impedes daily onto your body and actually tastes good. Kind of like a sweeter tea. And I believe I mentioned the fun 2-pouch package it comes in. Squeeze, shake, and drink!

There are many different types of antioxidants out there, all doing different things. The ingredients that are in very lovable, squeezable package of Rebootizer help combat those free radicals- putting them in their place- no more roaming for those radicals…

And one of you out there gets a few packs of your very own…

But first-

Recommended Usage, just because-

Feel Better Today with daily use as needed:

• For immediate relief when free radicals and toxins peak
• During and after exercise and sports
• After food or drink indulgence
• When traveling, especially by air
• After exposure to the sun

Now….

The…….

Winner…….

Is…………………….

Sahara of  Stories And Sweet Potatoes

Congrats, girl!

I love Whole Foods. Pretty much everything about it, except for the prices, of course. But I really do love the environment that is created there. People are all surrounded by wholesome, delicious, ripe produce and ANDI Scored foods. At the juice bar you can get a green smoothie, a green juice, or an almond milk latte, steamed to perfection. Some even have a Kombucha on tap!

There are pretty little (strategically placed) “handwritten” chalkboards that direct you to what is available that day. Everywhere you look there are smiling employees, smiling grocery-goers, and happy me that I found the salad bar. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE the salad bar at Whole Foods? Oooooh my. I love the salad bars- boasting with hot and steamy piles of teriyaki baked tofu, mounds of freshly laid beets and carrots, pea sprouts and turkey breast, zesty red pepper hummus, and seaweed kale salad, and mix greens and cranberries and tahini dressing…. Oh how I swoon for the salad bar.

Umm… I’ve completely trailed off topic.

Anyway, I really like Whole Foods for those Stranger Than Fiction items you just can’t seem to find anywhere else (<–SUCH a good movie).

And I very much appreciate that each month they supply their customers a Delicious Living magazine, for free, that has creative uses of the ingredients the store carries. There are some pretty great recipes in those little books and I’ve made a few with wonderful results.

Today’s recipe is no exception.

This Red Pepper Peanut Dip is truly a keeper and definitely addicting. Once you dip you just can’t stop. Literally. I think the foods I eat have that affect on me…

This quick dip is vegan, gluten free, sugar free, refreshing, and can easily be made Paleo.

Last but not least, we have the final ingredient of the 7 key factors that make Rebootizer such a great product for recovery (from drinking, dancing, hard workouts, and everyday stress).

Lemon Balm is also anti-spasmodic and helps with digestion. And along with Lemon, Licorice, dandelion root extract, angelica, artichoke, and acerola cherries, this detoxifying system keeps you looking and feeling great! Especially with the fun 2-part pouch:

•  Protects antioxidants from loss of potency by separating them from water’s natural oxidation until mixed for immediate consumption.

• Reverse osmosis, ultra purified water in the MixPak permits maximum bio-availability of the ingredients and rapid absorption by body cells.

There you have it, Rebootizer in a nutshell… or a Mix System Pouch.

Now go enter to win some! Last day!

For the love of beets, it’s Sunday! Happy Sunday! Cheers to Sunday… with water.

No more celebrating a holiday… thank goodness. Time for good cleansing foods and drinks, like this great beety red smoothie.

If you took a look at yesterday’s post on Facebook or here on the blog, you know beets can be used for a variety of dishes, including Strawberry Brownies.

Beets are great, but did you know that angelica root is too?

Angelica root is anti-spasmodic and gastric stimulant that is another key ingredient in the Rebootizer daily detoxifying system (in a fun squeeze pouch). Tomorrow you get the last ingredient and the last day of your chance to win a pack of Rebootizer to try.

All of these 7 key players are what create this daily detoxifying system, perfect for athletes, body-conscious people, and the occasional indulger.

Enter here for a pack of your very own!

Beets, beets! They’re wonderful things!

The more you eat ‘em, the more…

um…

Red your food is!

Ok, so I’m not great at rhyming, but I am great at baking. Even with my non-scientific ways around the kitchen, I can still whip up a brownie or cookie without perfectly measuring ingredients… I know… sorry, folks!

But I really think I should give credit to the real magic-worker in the kitchen. The oven! (please see here that I love my oven)

You see, the oven is what really brings batters to life. So gooey and warm on the inside, crisp and delicious on the outside.

And you can roast beets in the oven. Wash whole beet well, wrap in tin-foil, and bake at 425 degrees for about a half hour, or until you can easily stick a fork in it. Easy.

And after you roast that beet, you can puree it into magic potions, delightful colors, and make some of the best darn healthy brownies around. Paleo and gluten and sugar free even!

Plus, the more of these brownies you eat, the more veggie goodness you’re putting in your body. It’s just win-win all around here, folks. But please note, these brownies are not your average, sugar-loaded, white-flour-gluten-chemicals-and-more brownies some might be used to- or even looking for. These brownies are slightly sweetened and wonderfully moist. But if you’re looking for “bring-me-to-work” baked good, then try out my Decadent Chocolate [Beet] Cake. You won’t be disappointed with either path you take.

I’m telling you, What Runs Lori is my way of giving back to society… one magical beet-laden brownie at a time.

These brownies are so moist and delicious, I highly encourage you to test them out for yourself. And throw in any extras you’d like! Cayenne powder, perhaps? Maybe some chocolate chips… Even swirls of raspberries would be incredible. The more the merrier.

After, before, or during the making of these moist and delicious brownies, head on over to enter to win your Rebootizer oxidizing pack of recovery! After all, it’s Cinco De Mayo- you’re probably going to need a few of these after this weekend, right?! Enter now!

Today’s Rebootizer not-so-secret ingredient #5 is Artichoke. This antioxidant and liver protector pairs wonderfully with the other ingredients inside every fun squeeze bag of Rebootizer. And Cinco De Mayo may put your liver in need of some antioxidating and protecting nourishment.

Tomorrow we’re exploring beets in smoothies (seriously, a MUST try!)!

For more beet-wonderful recipes, try my Decadent Chocolate [Beet] Cake and Red Velvet Oats.

Beets! Like ‘em, hate ‘em, ever used them in food?

What are your plans this Cinco De Mayo?

Have you entered the Reboot[izer] Your Body Contest? No?! What are you waiting for??

If you have already entered, thank you and good luck! I’ve been loving reading all of the comments for the entries. Here are some of the ways YOU say Rebootizer can help you (and some of the fun things you love using lemons with!).

Shelby said, “When eating I sautee my eggs and vegetables in lemon on the stove top, as well as use it for adding a biting zest to baked goods like oatmeal and breads. Otherwise I try to always have some (pre-washed) slices soaking in my water. I peel the lemons like an orange and leave the rinds out to dry, then crumble them up and use them as a spice. Works best with Meyer lemons in my opinion, and can be done with oranges/clementines/tangerines too, but I find grapefruit rinds can be too thick although that doesn’t stop me from using them.”

Karen shared, “Lemon rocks! I added the juice to my smoothie often and when I want to slow down a bit, I do what my grandmother did and have a little lemon juice in a cup of hot water. She swore by it and it helps me relax, feel connected, and is good for my body all in one!”

Karen also gave some great information: “Detoxifying is essential for people with Lyme. In addition to the toxins created from the meds, there are toxins as the bacteria die off and heavy metals just to name a few. It’s a long list and a complicated disease. Reboot would help with all of that so it would be a very good fit.”

Todd is training hard, “Boy I’m doing some heavy training now for an iron man, could definitely use some antioxidant/OSR! and who doesn’t have stress in their life? seems like an easy sell if this stuff helps the effects of stress! ”

Gaby mentioned, “[Rebootizer] could help me eliminate some of the cortisol levels and other chemicals that my body can’t metabolize when under too much stress, and all the other junk I feed my body when under said stress.” Amen, sister!

Ela gave us something to think (and drool- I love healthy lemon pudding!) about… “I’d love to try this! Lemon pudding with lots of turmeric for color and massive liver protection and antioxidant. This sounds like a really good product.”

Miss Laura is singing my song, “I get stressed when I’ve over-committed myself (which is basically all the time).”

Alex, we love the recipe! “My favorite side dish actually includes lemons… lemons plus fresh garlic and steamed string beans. yum.”

And that leaves us with Crafty Katie.. “It could help me by making me happy. I see that licorice in there and licorice makes me HAPPY.”

Why, thank you, Katie! You’ve just introduced the next ingredient! Licorice Root!

Licorice Root Extract, like what is found in Rebootizer’s oxidative packets, can be used to treat ileitis, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease as it is antispasmodic in the bowels. Also, studies of the use of liquorice extract (usually at 7%) in the treatment of the skin discoloration, melasma. And in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Licorice Root is used in herbal formula to “harmonize” the other ingredients in the formula.

To be completely honest, I am not the biggest fan of licorice but I know it does go well in some recipes… do you like Licorice?

Check out the other ingredients we’ve covered, Lemon, Acerola, Dandelion Root, and now Licorice.

Have you ever tasted something so phenomenal that words just cannot describe how the flavors dance across your taste buds and tantalize your tongue? The sweet meets savory and spices blend beautifully. Where the melding of ingredient become so fantastic that there is a chance of human sensory overload… Have you ever experienced this?

If you try out this recipe, I can assure you, you’ll know exactly what these written words are exactly about.

There is no way ever that the name of this recipe does the actual taste justice.

No, no. The flavors… words just cannot describe.

This sauce is creamy, rich, and the taste stays in your mouth, causing your tongue to scream out for more. Seriously.

Spoonfuls are allowed…

DELICIOUS!

Now that we have the wonderful, amazing, tantalizing, sauce of w o w, I’m reminding you about the Rebootizer Giveaway we’ve got going on at What Runs Lori.

Today’s 3rd Rebootizer ingredient is dandelion root extract. Let’s explore the benefits:

Dandelion Root Extract, found in the oxidizing, regenerating formula of Rebootizer, contains a wide number of pharmacologically active compounds. There is evidence to suggest it may have anti-inflammatory effects and assist with urinary tract infections in women. Dandelion is a powerful antioxidant and natural diuretic. All of these properties product great effects, coupled with the other active ingredients in Rebootizer packs.

Enter to win YOUR pack here!

Hurry! And pass it along for extra enteries! You have 5 more days…