Healthy Drinks & Smoothies w/ Nutri Ninja Blender System with Auto-iQ

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We’ve been on a juicing and smoothie rampage ever since the Nutri Ninja Blender System With Auto-iQ came into our lives. we’ve treated ourselves and our family to an absurd about of fruit and non-fruit smoothies. Our freezer and refrigerator is now stocked with lots of fresh fruits, taking the place of sodas, juices, and ice cream. We’ve blended both all-fruit, and fruit and vegetable smoothies to appease the different tastes, diets, and various allergy issues of our family, thanks to the individual Nutri Ninja® single-serve cups with Sip & Seal Lids. We’ve done so much with this wonder machine already, but we actually haven’t even scratched the surface of its amazing uses (we are ecstatically stuck in the smoothie-making phase).
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The Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ Blender boasts 1000 watts of power, which pulverizes ice in seconds (we’re looking forward to ices this summer), is optimized for maximum nutrient and vitamin extraction and crushes fibrous vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts to an ultra-smooth consistency, and features one-touch Intelligent Controls that delivers smooth results. This life changer kitchen appliance comes jammed packed with essentials: a 64 oz. Processor Bowl, three sizes of Nutri Ninja® Cups (18-ounce, 24-ounce, and 32-ounce) with lids, an XL 72oz. Pitcher, Nutri Ninja® Pro Extractor Blades, and Dough Making plastic blades. Everything you need to achieve a healthier lifestyle and healthier eating habits is available to you from Ninja. We were so excited about using the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ Blender, we took several videos of our smoothie making. This video is from our first time using it

The below is a photo from our first fruit and vegetable smoothie-making experience. We jammed packed quite a few ingredients in there. The photo and video featured below is of our Apple, Blueberry, Banana, Blackberry, Carrot, Broccoli, Spinach, and Tangerine smoothie:

Nutri-Ninja-Auto-iQ-Blender-www.mylifeonandofftheguestlist.com

We also love that Ninja provides tons of smoothie recipe ideas for you to try. The best part is you can experiment with those recipes, making them thicker, sweeter, or thinner, as well as adding or removing whatever ingredients you want. one of our favorite Ninja recipes is:

Antioxidant Refresher

1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 banana, peeled
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup low-fat plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon whole flax seeds
Container: Small 18-ounce Nutri Ninja Cup
Place all ingredients into the Small 18-ounce Nutri Ninja Cup in the order listed
Select Auto-iQ ULTRA BLEND

Of course it wasn’t all fruit and vegetable smoothies, at the request of our dear mother, we mixed up a few Seattle’s Best Coffee Frozen Coffee Drinks to satisfy her caffeine cravings. As someone who owns her Ninja Blender herself, my mother immediately wanted to relinquish one of our single serve cups while she was visiting for the holidays.

As we’ve stated, we’ve been on a smoothie making rampage but we can’t wait to really spread our culinary skills and start making soups, stews, etc. We suggest you add this amazing kitchen appliance to your life.

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for The Home Chefs & Homemakers

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We’ve recently been discovering the homemaker that’s been hidden deep down inside ourselves. What started off as experimenting with flavors has awoken a fire inside of us. While we’ve always had a love of cooking, we’ve discovered a desire for kitchen appliances that not only helps us create some delicious recipes, but gives us the gifts of time, convenience, and a more enjoyable kitchen experience. We are loving the following kitchen appliances from Tiger Corporation, BerryBreeze, and KitchenAid, which make wonderful Christmas gifts for the home chefs and homemakers in your life.

 Tiger Rice Cooker

Tiger-Rice-Cooker
We are guilty of being so engrossed in writing that we have forgotten our rice cooking. Some of you may be familiar with the experience of burning rice and horrendous taste of it. Thankfully, being forced to eat burnt rice can be a distant memory, thanks to rice cookers. They make great holiday gifts for the foodies or busy homemakers on your Christmas list. The JAJ-A55U 3-Cup Rice Cooker from Tiger Corporation has a modern square design and is available in pink or white (we’re of course partial to the pink). The above is a tacook rice cooker, which can also make risottos, soups, and even cakes, without the bother of heating up an oven or stove. it allows you to cook two dishes at one time and save electricity and is small enough to sit on a counter, even in a small kitchen. The Tiger Rice Cooker boasts a drop-down front panel that reveals an easy-to-use, micro-computerized menu settings and comes with an exclusive cookbook. Grab your own or gift your loved one for only $155.00.

[block]5[/block]BerryBreeze

BerryBreeze

 Since we’ve found ourselves cooking more often, we buy more groceries and end up with more leftovers. Naturally we want our food to stay fresh, and while we grew up with the sight of Arm & Hammer in our mother’s refrigerators, ours houses something a bit more futuristic and definitely all natural. Thanks to the revolutionary and very affordable BerryBreeze, we don’t have to worry about premature aging in fruits, veggies, and meats. This amazing device is the perfect gifts for the home, whether you’re a homemaker or not. It releases chemical-free activated oxygen that naturally kills odors, molds, yeasts, and fungus, all of which are known to spoil refrigerated fresh foods for up to ten days longer. It also neutralizes bacteria and other harmful microbes which of course keeps you healthy, and it saves you money by reducing your food waste. it is easy to set up the BerryBreeze in your refrigerator, just follow these easy steps:
  • Step 1: Smell your fridge
  • Step 2: Put BerryBreeze on the top shelf
  • Step 3: Wait 24 hours and take another whiff

The result is one fresh smelling fridge. BerryBreeze is available online and at select retailers nationwide for the great price of $49.95.

KitchenAid Multi-Cooker

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The KitchenAid® Multi-Cooker delivers consistent culinary results with more than 10 cooking methods for amazing versatility. With EvenHeat™ technology it constantly monitors the temperature of the cooking pot from 110° to 450° F for precise temperature control. The digital display shows step-by-step instructions, temperature, and timer for up to 12 hours of cooking. It features a Stir Tower attachment that boasts three speeds to mix, flip, stir, scrape and incorporate ingredients, and a 2-in-1 reversible steam basket and roasting rack. This great kitchen appliance allows you the freedom to go about your day while preparing lunch or dinner for the family. Get it in black or candy apple red for $349.99.

We want all of these and are keeping our fingers crossed  for all of them making it under out tree this holiday. What are your thoughts? Which of these great kitchen appliances would make the perfect holiday gifts for the home chefs and homemakers in your life?

Seasonal Delights | Ciao Bella Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramel & Mistletoe Mint Chocolate Gelatos

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One of our favorite things about the holiday season is the welcoming of the various seasonal flavors, and the delicious treats that are created with them. we can’t help but get excited about all the amazing culinary delights and desserts that boasts such flavors as pumpkin, cranberries, eggnog, and mint. That excitement recently got a surge when we were introduced to the two new, Limited Edition flavors of Ciao Bella Gelato – Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramel, and Mistletoe Mint Chocolate.

The Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramel is just as you’d imagine, spoonful after spoonful of a perfect mixture of savory and sweet; it’s creamy pumpkin puree base, perfectly highlights the swirls of sweet and salty caramel with a touch of cinnamon. It will have you pledging your allegiance to it instead of the .pumpkin pie.

The Mistletoe Mint Chocolate is like being kissed by chocolate on a wintry day. Yes, this may sound like a romance novel, but that is just how decadent this mix of refreshing Crème de Menthe paired with rich organic South American Dark Chocolate is. Trust us when we say, you’ll want to be continuously kissed by this delicious blend.

We advise that you hurry to indulge in these two Ciao Bella’s seasonal flavors, as they are available for a limited time only during the 2014 holiday season at Whole Foods Market locations nationwide . 

Holiday Gift Ideas: Dinner & One Heck of a Show from Hard Rock Cafe and Yankee Stadium

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For those of you who think there’s nothing going on at Yankee Stadium during the off-season, you’ll be happy to hear how very wrong you are. There’s much more to Yankee Stadium than just attending a game. How about your own private tour of the famed stadium, followed by a delicious meal at an affordable price? The Hard Rock Cafe, conveniently located inside Yankee Stadium teams up with the famed ballpark to bring you five amazing Yankee Stadium tour options – Classic Individual Tour, Classic Group Tour, Gold Pregame Tour, Platinum Pregame Tour, and Party City Birthday Bash Tour. Adding a stadium tour with and lunch/dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe makes the perfect holiday, birthday, or anniversary gift for the baseball fanatic in your life. what’s even more amazing, proceeds benefit the New York Yankees Foundation, so while you’re enjoying this wonderful experience, you’re also doing good.

We had the honor of experiencing one of the Yankee Stadium tours and even though we’re not diehard baseball fans, the experience was such an amazing one, we want to experience it again. We imagine diehard baseball fans will describe it as magical, especially being on the field. End your tour with a great lunch or dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium with one of their two prix-fixe menus – Hard Rock Cafe Voucher #1 – $39.00 or Hard Rock Café Voucher #2 – $46.00.

So what can you expect from the tours? See below:

Classic Individual Tour – this tour may be purchased for 14 people or less and begins every 20 minutes primarily from 12 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. You can get your tour tickets online for only $20.00, if you purchase at the Yankee Stadium Ticket Windows: Adults: $25. Children (14 years and younger): $23, Senior Citizens (60 years and older): $23, Children 3 and younger are free.

Classic Group Tour – need to entertain a group of 15-35 people or maybe your fantasy baseball league is looking for a fun night out? The Classic Group Tour is perfect for you. The Classic Group Tours are booked based on availability from 9 a.m.-11:40 a.m. and 2 p.m.-4 p.m. daily and must be reserved in advance. Cost per person is as follows: Adults: $18.00, Children (14 and younger)/Seniors (60 and older): $16.00, and up to 4 children younger than 4 are Free.

Pregame Tour – already going to the game and want to add a unique experience to enhance your ballpark fun? If you already have a game ticket, try a Pregame Tour. The Gold Pregame Tour costs $35.00 and gets you access to the legendary Monument Park before the gates to the Stadium open up to the public. The Platinum Pregame Tour costs $40.00 and allows you visits to the SAP Suite Level, Monument Park and the New York Yankees Museum Presented by Bank of America (when available). The tour is for a maximum of 10 guests and begins at Gate 2.

Party City Birthday Bash Tour – looking for a cool way to celebrate your birthday? You will love the Party City Birthday Bash Tour. Get a tour of Yankee Stadium, a group photo for the birthday celebrant, goodie bags for all children, and New Era baseball caps for all guests. After your tour, you can tour concludes, you may continue your celebration at the Hard Rock Cafe with lunch and birthday cupcakes. The bashes can accommodate up to 35 guests, with a maximum of two (2) children younger than four (4) years old admitted at no charge but you must book at least two (2) weeks in advance. Included with this party tour:

  • Line Drive – One (1) 13’x19′ commemorative group photo for group to sign, goodie bags for all children and New Era baseball caps for all guests
  • Home Run – One (1) 13’x19′ commemorative group photo for the group to sign, 5’x7′ commemorative group photos for all guests, goodie bags for all children and New Era baseball caps for all guests *
  • For smaller groups, birthday bashes can be celebrated on public tours for $30.00 per person. Each guest receives a New Era Yankees baseball cap and each child receives a goodie bag.
  • Gift Add-On:
  1. Laser Engraved Louisville Slugger Bat (Ash or Maple): $125.00 each
  2. Custom Home Jersey: $175.00 each
  3. New York Yankees top hat logo baseball: $5.00 each

Located at Gate 6 on the corner of 161st Street and River Avenue, the Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium is open year-round to ticket holders and non-ticket holders. It features a world-famous collection of Hard Rock memorabilia with an emphasis on New York-area musicians and artists, as well as Yankees-related pieces. The restaurant seats 165 people, the bar seats approximately 32 people, and is a great place to relax after your tour. Our meal was amazing. The prix-fixe meal comes with an entree, drinks, and dessert, a filling meal to sate even the most insatiable appetites. We decided to try the Half-Rack of Hickory Smoked Ribs and Original Legendary Burger with a colossal Ice Cream Sundae for dessert, needless to say, we were gleefully stuffed.

Even today, several days after our tour, we’re still on a high from the experience. We’re still sharing stories and showing off our photos to friends and family, so we know any baseball fan will cherish this experience forever. So what are you waiting for, give them the gift they’ll really get excited about. To book your tour, call the Tours Department at 646-977-TOUR (8687) or email tours@yankees.com for information.

Welcome the Newest NYC Event Space, Metropolitan West

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We had the pleasure of attending the launch event to celebrate the newest event space, Metropolitan West. This massive, two floor event location is NYC’s hottest newest must-see venue! Stylish, and modern, the brand new, 24,000 sq. ft. event venue has already hosted a slew of NYFW, and Tech events prior to this official opening event, so we were well familiar with its grandeur layout. Metropolitan West can be whatever fantasy you want your event to be, and it does not disappoint. 

Gorgeous lighting, which changed periodically throughout the party.

The launch event, which itself was an escape to a foodie heaven, invited guests to celebrate with the founders of the venue, as well as the event space’s partners. Guests were wowed by the amazing and out of this world lighting, delicious catering spreads, lovely floral arrangements, and much more. A few of Metropolitan West’s partners are listed directly below, with their contribution to the launch event:

The event’s menu was a delicious medley of savory and sweet gastronomical delihts. One of our favorite bites included the Steak Tartar, one of the many different types of tartare that were there for our enjoyment:

One of our favorite bites – the Steak Tartare!

Tartare Station – a variety of Angus, Salmon, & Roast Beef Tartare! So inventive and delicious!

Food was both sophisticated and fun. We enjoyed such delights as a grilled cheese and tomato soup station, which also had beet chips (they were delicious), and decadent red velvet brownies; yummy Apple cookies and Hot Apple Cider (we are in the Big Apple after all), and a decorate your own Doughnut Station, where you selected from a variety of toppings to create your perfect doughnut.

Super imaginative and fun food stand serving grilled cheese and tomato soup

Moist red velvet brownies with Oreo crunch mixed in – mouthwatering!

Beet chips – so different and delicious, and I love the vibrant red color! A tasty snack that goes great with the red, white, and black theme.
Addicting apple sugar cookies were a cute edition to the wide array of snacks available.

Hot apple cider was served at the event, which was a great seasonal addition to the spread.

For a sweet and fun way to end the night, we headed to the make your own doughnut station, where we chose our own frosting and toppings!

The doughnut assembly line!

One of our creations – yes that’s bacon drizzled on top!

A delicious work of art – so fun to make and even more fun to eat!

Metropolitan West is set up to be one of NYC’s top event venues. As we stated, a wide range of events have already been hosted there. The space is huge, and also quite adaptable. There are two separate floors each equipped with their own lobby. On the ground floor you can find polished concrete flooring, gorgeous columns with exposed steel elements, and versatile white walls. The second floor has white walls, offset by a band of exposed brick, and bamboo flooring with vintage grey tones.

This venue is beautiful, stylish, full of top of the line amenities, and provides a great space for partying, celebrating, and the like in the city that never sleeps!

PHOTOS BY GLASGOW SKINNER
EDITED BY GLASGOW SKINNER

National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month | It’s Peanut Butter Hottie Time

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Since it’s still National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month (there’s six days left to honor the popular snack), we thought we’d share one more peanut butter product you must add to your grocery list. We all love hot chocolate, but let’s face it, sometimes it can get a bit ordinary. That’s why we add cinnamon sticks, chai, and other spices to rev it up a bit. Today we bring you a new hot chocolate option in celebration of National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month, Peanut Hottie Flavored Hot Drink.

The first of its kind, Peanut Hottie takes the addictive flavor of peanut butter out of the jar and into a smooth, delicious instant beverage you’d want to curl up with. At only 83 calories per serving, you can enjoy peanut butter-flavored hot chocolate (spiked and non-alcoholic), peanut butter-flavored milkshakes, peanut butter-flavored pancakes, and so on. Peanut Hottie comes in two varieties, Original  PPeanut Butter and Peanut Butter & Chocolate. Along with the previously mentioned, there are several other delicious recipes you can try with Peanut Hottie,

Along with it’s low calorie content, Peanut Hottie is caffeine free, is suitable for vegetarians, contains no artificial additives or artificial colors. A 9.15 oz jar retails for $4.78 and is available at Walmart stores nationwide.

Make Thanksgiving Better w/ Shady Brook Farms & Honeysuckle White Turkeys

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With Thanksgiving happening this week, we have one thing on our minds: FOOD! The star of the Thanksgiving dinner is of course, the turkey. We have great news: The well known Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White have been working with over 700 independent farmers to bring you fresh, whole bird turkeys raised without growth promoting hormones antibiotics – at an affordable price! Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White believe that everyone should have access to healthy, organic food that hasn’t been pumped with chemicals and hormones.

Look out for this packaging at your local grocery store when turkey shopping!

This is huge and amazing news – they are the first major turkey brands to implement this change on such a large scale. By buying a turkey this year from these brands, you can take a step in the right direction toward healthy and organic eating this Thanksgiving. We had the chance to sample this Gluten-free, MSG-free turkey from Shady Brook Farms and it is superbly delicious!

Now you can feel a little better about stuffing yourself on turkey day, because your turkey will be hormone antibiotic free! Living in a time where we barely know where our food comes from and how the animals that we consume are raised, Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White taking the initiative to give us turkey that is raised the healthy way is a breath of fresh air. You can look forward to even more turkey products without growth promoting antibiotics soon, because they will be removed from all turkeys by 2015. With Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White, you can be sure that you are serving your loved ones something that not only tastes great, but is great for them.

Happy National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month

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Happy Peanut Butter Lover’s Month! Peanut Butter, the super tasty snack full of protein, can be used in many sweet and savory dishes. There are so many was to enjoy this multi-functional and delicious power food. Whether you prefer creamy or crunchy, you will always be satisfied when you enjoy this good-for-you snack and everyone knows it. Did you know peanut butter contains over 30 essential nutrients and the average American eats more than six pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products each year?  That’s a lot of good snacking. To commemorate Peanut Butter Lover’s Month, we’re sharing our favorites PB products from Justin’s and Better Body Foods.

1. Justin’s Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs

Busy day? Don’t leave home without your on the go peanut butter snack! Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter or Honey Peanut Butter (available in jars or squeeze packs) are an awesome way to curb your peanut butter cravings when you’re out and about. You can enjoy it straight from the squeeze pack when bringing the whole jar is not an option, or bring along some crackers to spread it on (one of my favorite snacks!)


2. Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups

Celebrate peanut butter lover’s month with friends (or alone, we won’t judge!) with a classic combination – peanut butter and chocolate. Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups come in packs of two’s in Dark, Milk, and White Chocolate. These are sure to satisfy and keep a smile on any peanut butter fan who loves this timeless pairing.

3. PBfit Peanut Butter Powder
Do you love your favorite spread, but need a healthier version of it? Not a problem – Better Body Foods is here for you! Their PBfit Peanut Butter Powder is made with gently roasted peanuts that get 75% of their oil pressed out of them – what a great way to slash some fat from your diet without losing the delicious peanut butter spread that you crave! The peanuts are then ground into a fine powder, along with a pinch of sugar and a dash of salt – that’s it! PBfit is made of three recognizable ingredients. It is all natural, and better for you than regular peanut butter. How amazing and simple does that sound? PBfit has 75% less fat than regular peanut butter, and nearly 1/3 the calories. All that you need to add to PBfit is water. because it is in powder form, this peanut butter can be used in all the things that regular peanut butter is used in such as smoothies, baked goods, Asian sauces (such as Hoisin,) and salad dressing. PBfit can be purchased online and at your favorite retailer nationwide.

What are your favorite peanut butter snacks? Do you prefer your peanut butter creamy or crunchy? Let us know in the comments below!

EDITED BY GLASGOW SKINNER