Healthy drinking in style. That’s something mom can rock! Give mom the gift of stylish, guilt-free indulgence with flavored tea and tea accessories from Pinky Up. (You didn't forget that Mother's Day is May 12th, right?)

The brand was created in Seattle in 2016 by a group of women who love tea, but don’t relate to the new age and stuffy images of other tea brands. Can I get a what-what?

Perhaps momma would like Tiramisu Tea or Pina Colada Flowering Tea.
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We’d love a nice, hot mug of these flavorful, premium, calorie-free beverages.
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Look at this stylish Casey Mug & Infuser! A stainless steel infuser nestles in your mug when you need it, and easily lifts away when you don’t. Holds 14 ounces of yum.
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Be the ruler of the tea world while on the road with this Blair Champagne Gold Dots Glass Travel Infuser Mug. Holds 16 ounces, and will guarantee mom to be the HBC.

Wish we could eat foods that would make our giant muffin top melt away… Wait. We can. Spring is in the air—and so are fiber-filled foods. Fiber is a weight-loss superstar. That means you can have carbs and slim down if you choose the right carbs.

These are good carbs:

BARLEY- Barley is killer appetite suppressant, with lots of soluble fiber that has been shown to lower cholesterol, decrease blood sugars and increase satiety. It also helps decrease inflammation, stabilize blood sugar levels and helps keep you full, longer.  It acts as a bulking agent, which pushes waste through the digestive tract.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA- Whole-grain pasta is made from the entire kernel of wheat. This means that the important nutrients, such as fiber, iron and B vitamins remain in the pasta.

LENTILS- Although lentils include all the beneficial nutrients like fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins, they are still low in calories and contain virtually no fat. One cup of cooked lentils only contains about 230 calories, but still leaves you feeling full and satisfied. They are great for blasting belly fat.

CHICKPEAS- Super affordable, tasty and (if you buy dried or canned beans) long-lasting, chickpeas deserve a spot in any health-conscious kitchen. Each serving comes packed with nutrients, from iron to B vitamins. And chickpeas have plenty of nutrients that can help you lose weight, too. How? Chickpeas are a great source of protein. Your body burns a lot of energy, in the form of calories, just breaking down the protein.

OATMEAL- Oats are loaded with complex carbs, but the release of those sugars is slowed by fiber, and because oats also have 10 grams of protein per half-cup serving, they deliver steady, ab-muscle-friendly energy. And that fiber is soluble, which lowers the risk of heart disease.

QUINOA– Quinoa is higher in protein than any other grain, and it packs a hefty dose of heart-healthy, unsaturated fats. Quinoa is also a great source of fiber and B vitamins, and it’s gluten-free.

BANANAS– Bananas help reduce stomach bloating and are a good source of potassium, which can help lower water retention and prevent muscle cramping during a workout. Bananas are also rich in glucose, a highly digestible sugar, which provides a quick energy boost.

SWEET POTATOES- Sweet potatoes are loaded with fiber, nutrients and can help you burn fat. The magic ingredient here are antioxidants - they stabilize blood-sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, which prevents calories from being converted into fat. They provide a great energy boost before a work out.
 
BROCCOLI– Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that’s rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C builds collagen, which forms body tissue and bone, and helps cuts and wounds heal. It has nearly 1 gram of fiber per 10 calories. Fiber helps keep you regular and helps maintain healthy bacteria levels in the intestines. Broccoli also aids in digestion by helping to keep your stomach lining healthy.

BLUEBERRIES- A cup of blueberries has 21 grams of carbs, but they couldn’t be better for you.  They are loaded with polyphenols—chemical compounds that prevent fat from forming— and that actively burns belly fat.

We can do this. But we ain’t gonna lie. We can’t ever exclude a good ol’ loaf of fresh-baked bread and butter. We’re not gonna eat the whole loaf at once!

Try this good-carb-fat-burning recipe. You’ll be able to see your toes before you know it.
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Ingredients:
1 cup Pereg’s Baby Quinoa
1 sweet potato
1 small red onion
1 red pepper
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for veggies
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP honey
Salt and pepper
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees; Prepare Baby Quinoa according to package directions. Dice the onion, sweet potato and pepper into small pieces. Put on a sheet pan, coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast veggies till golden brown and soft (about 25 minutes). Mix honey, ¼ cup of olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a container, until completely mixed. Once the Baby Quinoa has cooked and rested, mix with the roasted veggies and dressing. Enjoy this dish at room temperature.
 
Recipe: Courtesy of Pereg Natural Foods

… Of bagels.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to shop for mom on her day. Flowers. Perfume. So cliché. If momma loves carbs, then give her the gift of gluten with limited-edition heart-shaped bagels from Einstein Bros.

Go all-out and dazzle her with a whole damn bouquet of bagel:
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Or, try the subtle approach with a single heart bagel. Just make sure if you’re going the bouquet route you pre-order starting May 2nd. The bagel fairies need a heads-up.

If Einstein wrote an equation of Einstein Bros.Bagel’s Offer: carbs = mc love

The folks at Einstein Brothers are pretty confident about their breakfast game. Now, they’re takin’ it up a notch: the Croissant Deluxe Sandwich—on the menu May 2nd.
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“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that’s why we want to satisfy the many different cravings of our guests,” said Chad Thompson, corporate chef at Einstein Bros. Bagels. “Since we perfected the bagel sandwich, adding croissants to our menu just made sense. The new Croissant Deluxe Sandwich is the perfect way to introduce an additional, delicious breakfast option.”
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Carb drop.

Guess we’re gonna have to get all fancy and try this new sensation. And a billion of those Hash Brown Sides. OMG.

WTF is a “chayote”? Well, it’s a squash that originates from Central America. And apparently, it’s something we should eat.

Chayote looks like a cross between a pear, a pale green pepper, and a brussels sprout on steroids. 
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What does it taste like? NOT like chicken. LOL. The taste has been compared to cucumber. Oh, and one can enjoy chayote raw or cooked.

Plus, chayote is good for you:
25 calories per cup
1 gram of protein
5.9 grams of carbs
And, it’s loaded with calcium, magnesium, folate, and vitamin C.

In case you want to give it a try…​

Ingredients:
1 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chayote squash, cut into ½-inch strips
½ tsp salt
Ground black pepper to taste
½ tsp white sugar
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 TBSP red wine vinegar

Directions:
Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic, squash, salt, pepper, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir together and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add vinegar to the squash mixture and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, until the squash is slightly wilted, but still firm and crunchy. Taste, and add more salt or sugar if needed. 

​With Passover set to begin on April 19th, why not raise a glass of Kosher wine?
We had no idea there was such a thing. And since we love wine, we’re willing to imbibe a divine glass… for research purposes, of course.

“When it comes to taste, there’s no difference between kosher and non-kosher wine,” said Jay Buschbaum. Executive VP of Marketing and Director of Wine Education at Royal Wine Corp—the top kosher wine purveyors in America. “In fact, many kosher wines are award-winning—beating out their non-kosher competitors for top varietal prizes.”

Two snaps and a dreidel!

Let’s get some things straight about kosher wine. This wine is not blessed by a Rabbi. For a wine to be deemed kosher, there are strict purity guidelines that need to be followed from the moment the grapes enter the winery to when the wine is bottled. All ingredients used in the process must be kosher as well.

Get your kosher wine facts on:
 1) Kosher wine is made in precisely the same way as ‘regular’ wine. The only difference is that there is rabbinical oversight during the process and that the wine is handled by Sabbath-observant Jews.
 
2) Not all Israeli wines are kosher. Only about 30% of Israeli wine brands are certified kosher, but these kosher wineries produce over 90% of the Israel wine industry’s output.
 
3) In the 1980s, there were very few kosher wines.
 
4) The number of producers of kosher wines has dramatically increased in the past 10 to 20 years. 
 
5) While several well-known wineries in countries from all over the world including France, Spain, Italy, and Argentina are crafting special runs of kosher wine, California is not. Except for Marciano Estate, which produces a kosher run of their Terra Gratia, a high-end Napa Valley Blend, all kosher California wine is made by fully kosher wineries such as Herzog Wine Cellars, Covenant and Hagafen.
 
6) The reason many Passover dinners feature red wine is because there’s a rabbinic opinion that red wine is preferable since it’s the same variety that Jews used during their Seders after they escaped Egypt.
 
7) Kosher wines can range in price from $5.00 a bottle to $500. The average price for a bottle of good kosher wine is $25.
 
8) The most popular Moscato in the U.S. happens to be kosher. Bartenura produces the largest selling imported Italian Moscato in the U.S. The Moscato in the famous blue bottle sells over 5,000,000 bottles annually, only a fraction of which to the kosher market.
 
9) Currently there is a steady increase in total wine consumption and a great interest specifically in high-end Israeli wines, as well as the better French wines.
 
10) Drinking wine can be a Mitzvah (good deed). Kosher wine is prescribed for use in many Jewish rituals: Bris Milah (circumcision), the wedding chuppa (canopy), and the Kiddush that starts all Sabbath and holiday meals. While most occasions call for just one cup, on the holiday of Purim, wine (in abundance) is the beverage of choice for the festive meal, recalling wine’s significant role in the "banquets" described in the Megillah story. On Passover, Jews are required to drink four cups of wine at the Seder.

Ingredients:
1 bottle red kosher wine
1 orange, cut into thin wedges
1 large pear sliced into thin wedges
1 large apple sliced into thin wedges
6 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1 cup bourbon
½ cup apple juice
Soda water and ice to top, optional

Directions:
Slice fruit and put into a pitcher. Stick cloves into one or two of the orange wedges to keep them from floating around. Add all the liquids and stir.
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Let mixture sit in the fridge for at least a day.

It’s amazing how one’s tastes change as you age. As a kid, we’d devour any and all things in our Easter basket. Because it was sugar. And sugar is crack to a kid. Jellybeans, peeps, all chocolate—it all was joyous. 

As a grown person (at least age wise), if it ain’t chocolate, we ain’t touching it. We no longer love peeps (ewww) or jellybeans (who cares). Chocolate. Peanut Butter. Creamy, gooey candy. Yes.

Our pals at Candystore.com did their due diligence, and ranked the rank candy and awesome candy.

The Worst Easter Candy:
10. Fluffy Stuff Cotton Tails
9. Jordan Almonds
8. Carrot Cake Hershey Kisses
7. Chocolate Crosses
6. Generic Jelly Beans
5. Chocolate Solid Bunnies
4. Chicks & Rabbits
3. Peeps
2. Bunny Corn
1. Cadbury Crème Eggs

Okay. We revise our “anything chocolate” to exclude Christ on the cross. Creepy. But, we have eaten chocolate crosses in the past (sans Christ). And how can one loathe a Cadbury Crème Egg!?!? Yes, they’re messy as hell. That’s why we cut little sections with a knife (Don’t you judge us!)

Anywho, what tops the survey of theBest Easter Candy? It’s not Reese’s Eggs—which is criminal in our opinion.
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Fit for a mob boss like Al Capone, errr... Crave Brothers’ mascarpone cheese makes for a perfect taste sensation. We’ve uncovered this recipe that serves up fruit, booze and dessert all in one. 

​Mangia!

Ingredients:
16 oz Crave Brothers Farmstead Classics Mascarpone
12 oz white chocolate, melted
3 TBSP Tequila Rose
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Directions:
Use a double boiler to melt chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, add mascarpone. Stir until blended and no white streaks remain. Stir in the Tequila Rose. Immediately pour the filling into cups. Cover and refrigerate one hour. Serve with whipped cream, mini vanilla wafers, and sliced strawberries as topping.
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Note: This dessert is nice and fluffy, so you won’t feel like you’re wearing a pair of cement shoes afterwards.

Do we really think about spices? We probably don’t pay them enough attention. We should, because flavor is everything. You do enjoy the food you shovel into your mouth, no? Let’s step-up our game and savor the foods we devour.

We’d like to introduce you to: Paprika.​

Pereg is a leading producer of all-natural spices from around the world. In-house spice expert, Joy, says this about paprika:

“It’s a must for everyone’s spice cabinet.”

To. The. Point. We’re trying to ignore that she lives life by a single name and that it happens to by “Joy” and isn’t that cute and stuff…

Anywho, paprika is the world’s fourth-most consumed spice. You may be thinking, “Yeah. It’s that red stuff on the deviled eggs.” Yes, it is. But paprika sneaks its way into Mexican rice, Hungarian goulash, Italian sausages, and variety of marinades, rubs, stews, chilis, and other cuisines.

And, paprika has multi-personalities: sweet, smoked, hot, Hungarian, Spanish… kind of like dating a different girl each night. Again, we digress.

So, live out a tastebud fantasy with paprika.
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Here’s one to try.

Ingredients:
One whole chicken cut into eighths
1 egg, beaten
Cornflake crumbs

Glaze:          
4 TBSP lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp Pereg Spanish Paprika
¼ tsp Pereg course grind black pepper

Directions:
Dip chicken into egg, then cornflake crumbs. Place in pan in a single layer.  Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Pour glaze over chicken. Baste several times and bake 30 minutes more.
 
#SpiceLivesMatter
#DontNeglectSpice