Nubia's Nonsense: fitness

Hey Nubians,

Why Are Sweets and Treats So Damn Enjoyable?!?!

The Winter Fancy Food Show was a few days ago in San Francisco. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't make it. I had my brother, Dean, who was on the West coast head over for some cool news and coverage. It's great to discover new foods and beverages, as well as keep up to date with the latest creations from your favorite brands. Also, it's smart to find out what many of these food brands are doing in terms of being healthier for you since you consume their products. Let us be wise foodies.

I'm a big sweets and snack person. Snacking can be dangerous so it's imperative to keep portions and ingredients in mind. I thought I'd feature some interesting Chocolates, Sweets Treats, Snacks, and Beverages below that were present at the Winter Fancy Food Show. Some of them I've tried and some I'm looking forward to sampling. My brother thought some of these were delicious and urged me to get my hands on them ASAP!

THEO CHOCOLATE

I'm familiar with Theo Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups which are quite tasty but didn't know they offered such an interesting and wide range variety of chocolate flavors. Their website mission says...

"As a company rooted in cocoa, our mission is to help create a beautiful, compassionate and enduring world by responsibly making delicious and inspiring products for everyone."

It's a lovely mission and you can learn more about what they're doing for the world HERE.

I'd be quite interested in tasting their Eggnog Chocolate because most eggnog treats I taste are overly sweet. I wonder how they balance that out. I'm usually a fan of anything with coconut in it for the most part and flavors like Bread & Chocolate and Cinamon Horchata very much arouse my palate. I'll be keeping an eye out for these unique flavors more often.

MY/MO MOCHI ICECREAM

I Love, Love, Love Mochi! My brother personally tasted these and said they were amazing! Their pastel colors make them visually attractive to me and they have a very fun website with cool promotional videos. My/Mo Mochi also has a good amount of flavors to pick from. I wouldn't mind having a Cookies & Cream myself. 110 calories per serving are not that bad if you can control yourself to not binge. They seem to be a fun brand worth checking out of you're an ice cream fan.

CHERI'S DESERT HARVEST

Sadly, I haven't tasted Cheri's Desert Harvest candy yet but I find them to be so interesting. I love that they have Cactus candy. After living in Las Vegas for almost 4 years, I developed a special love and appreciation for Cactus. I barely ever hear of people eating it. It's quite unique and I love trying new things. I think the packaging could be improved a tad bit, but that's just personal preference. The taste is what will sell it the most and I hear it taste pretty good.

VEGAN ROB'S

I believe I spoke a tiny bit about Vegan Rob's last year and their healthy, tasty puffs... now they have a Kombucha Bar! First off, I love Vegan Rob's mission and what they do so be sure to check out their website. Secondly, I have one of these bars in my bag right now and I'm waiting till my trip in a few days to eat it.

Kombucha as a drink has risen so much in popularity within the last few years so seeing it as a bar is definitely interesting. These bars were made to address gut health benefits instead of focusing on protein. The bar contains quinoa, cashews, and almonds as well as actual kombucha. The bars also have added probiotics. Check out my social media channels (@NubiasNonsense) in a few days to see what I personally think.

PAN'S MUSHROOM JERKY

This product was inspired by a family of vegetarians and a recipe that had been using for over 30 years. If you like mushrooms, this jerky is delicious! Mushrooms are a great replacement for meat and are also a great source of protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Here is some valuable information for you to know about Pan's Mushroom Jerky. It is...

- 100% meatless
- Made with shiitake mushroom stems
- Seasoned with our family’s quality spices
- No artificial ingredients or flavors
- Naturally Cholesterol free
- 0 Grams Trans Fat
- Good source of fiber

Their Zesty Thai flavor gets an A+ for me. You also feel great about what you're snacking on.

YUGUO FARMS SHIITAKE MUSHROOM CHIPS

More Mushrooms! No, I'm not turning into a vegetarian, it's just a pure coincidence. I wanted to feature these Shiitake Mushroom chips because I've had about 3 bags already and they're a healthier alternative to chips a lot of us snack on. They have a great texture... sort of like puffs. They're also available in Original, Spicy, and Wasabi. Each piece is a real whole premium shiitake mushroom. They're 100% naturally grown, non-GMO certified, and no preservatives! I recommend you try them out, especially if you're already riding the healthy snack train.

NONA LIM

I'm dying to try this Nona Lim Bone Broth soup because I think it was my brothers' favorite thing he tried at the Fancy Food Show. He tried it in a sip cup and said it was beautifully flavorful. Nona Lim was a former professional athlete and noticed which kinds of foods and ingredients were hurting her performance. She dedicated herself to whole clean food with no additives, no preservatives, low sodium, and low sugar. A lot of the spicy flavors are inspired by Nona's childhood in Singapore. The website says Nona Lim is "Dairy free, mostly gluten-free, and 100% crap-free." There you have it.

WAFFLESHOT

My initial attraction towards the Waffleshot started with the fact that I witnessed people drinking espresso out of it. I think this is a neat little product that would be great for parties and events. Who doesn't love a waffle cone? It's an edible coffee cup for goodness sake! They're fun, tasty, and set the vibe. Additionally, some are dipped in chocolate and they come in certain flavors such as Cookies & Cream and S'mores.

HONEY DROP

The first thing my brother told me about Honey Drop Lemonade is that they recently lowered their sugar so yay for improvements! They also have a great "Buy a bottle, Save a bee" program going on which you can find out more about HERE. I know a lot of brands have similar types of programs now and I think it's marvelous. Let's support food & beverage brands that make our earth a better place. Bees have been in danger for quite some years now.

I am dying to try the Lemon Drop Lavender Lemonade Flavor as well as Apple Ginger. They have a great array of flavors and sidenote, their display at the Fancy Food Show was perfection! They did a superb job.

"Our recipes are designed around pure, raw, medicinal grade honey. It’s the furthest thing in the world from those pasteurized honey bears they sell in the corner grocery—they’re cooked to prolong shelf life, but their potent anti-bacterial enzymes are destroyed, leaving them no better than sugar.

Antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, chromium, manganese, and selenium are just some of honey’s beneficial ingredients. It soothes coughs, helps you sleep soundly, boosts immunity, heals wounds, aids digestion and has an alkalizing effect on the body. Studies suggest raw honey may even protect against diabetes, obesity, hypertension and colitis."

DAVID RIO TURMERIC GOLDEN LATTE

Turmeric is so good for you and has been both consumed and used as a beauty secret in India for years. David Rio displayed they're delicious Turmeric Golden Latte at the Fancy Food Show along with some cool latte art for display. Their Turmeric Golden Latte is soothing and their healthful organic blend combines turmeric with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Turmeric is a popular spice these days known for its many anti-inflammatory benefits and strong antioxidant properties.

I believe this drink is a great pick-me-up and it's available in packets where you can just add milk and wa-la! It's done.

BASIL SEED WORKS

This drink is enjoyable and very healthy for you. Basil Seed Works say that the leaves get all the love and they're here to change that:

"BASIL SEED- The forgotten superfood, treasured for thousands of years for its powerful health-promoting properties, is a natural source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Usually, it’s the leaves of the basil plant that get all the love, but its the seeds that contain all the concentrated nutrients needed to germinate into a full-grown plant."

Zen Basil is made with simple, real ingredients
• No more than 5 ingredients
• No added sugars
• No agave syrup
• No citric acid
• No flavors
• No gum
• Naturally vegan
• Gluten free

Support brands that go the extra mile to make sure you're consuming something that's good for you. Make sure to pick up some ZenBasil.

The Fancy Food Show has kept us busy. Thank you for that. There is so much to taste and review. I'm thinking of growing my food section soon.

I hope you enjoyed this post and remember eating is one of life pleasures! Enjoy.

Xo Nubia Xo

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Hello Nubians,

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a beautiful New Years Eve with your family and loved ones. Welcoming 2017 is exciting! 2016 was very strange for almost everyone I know so it's nice to feel a sense of pressing the refresh button.

I find that everyone gets obsessed with making resolutions but many times they are unrealistic and you may end up disappointing yourself which isn't fair. This year I decided to make a doodle list of '2017 Intentions' because they are all things I'm aiming to do throughout the year. I aspire to find enough time and balance to do enough of each thing but one thing I'm certain of is I will get around to all of them. This little doodle brings me peace.

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Hey Nubians,

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. -Joseph Addison

We can all use a little fitness in our lives this time of year. I'm sure I'm am far from being the only one who feels like they put on a few extra pounds during the holiday season, it's so stressful! Shopping for others already gives me enough anxiety. Then calculate all the holiday cookies everyone mails out, the mixers with wine and fancy delicious drinks jam packed with calories, the eggnog, family recipes... you see where I'm going with this? Sometimes we don't have enough time for an intense workout but we can all find a few minutes to spare in our day. I'm happy to share this 6 minute ab workout Puerto Rican personal trainer Idalis Velazquez curated to help you get the six pack you've been coveting.

You can do these workouts pretty much anywhere. All you need to begin the workout is a mat, a fun - upbeat playlist and I recommend a reliable antiperspirant such as Degree which offers long-lasting wetness and odor protection with its body-responsive technology.

Enjoy your holidays and stay fit my friends. Cheers!

1. Plank Hold with Leg Lifts

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Hey Nubians,

If you're looking for a tasty and visually pleasing place to eat not too far off The Strip in Las Vegas you should check out Brio Tuscan Grille located in Town Squre.

I passed by the other day and had the Grilled Salmon Salad which was absolutely delish! Mouth watering even! I'm picky when it comes too eating salmon in restaurants but it was cooked to perfection. Not too over cooked, not too undercooked. The Salad is topped with shoestring potatoes which I found interesting and gave the whole salad a nice crunch. The salad also has mixed greens, Roma tomatoes, asparagus, feta and balsamic vinaigrette.

Here you have it!

I topped of the meal with a nice ice cold Peroni Beer. If you're not aware, It's already very hot in Las Vegas and for me... a nice ice cold beer on a hot day is THE BEST THING EVER.

At first the Peroni on tap was a bit warm and I told my waiter. The beer was quickly replaced with a nice ice cold one and they were very apologetic and nice about it. That showed me that they care about me having a nice experience and I did.

I always heard good things about BRIO so I'm glad I went to check it out. A few other perks besides the food is that it's located in Town Square so after you eat you can do tons of shopping after, always fun! BRIO also has other cool deals like Martini Wednesday's at the bar and a fun happy hour.

I'm planning to go back again soon and would recommend it to a friend.

Xo Nubia Xo

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Nike I Love You.

Nikelab and Japanese label 'Sacai' launched a capsule collection of sportswear. Let me tell you something, it is SICK. Designer Chitose Abe from Sacai was inspired by Nike's older collections and reinvented a lot of it by adding crazy details to revamp the clothing. They also added bright, bold colors such as blue, hot pink, green, a cool yellow and more.

The pieces are a bit pricey compared to other Nike gear. Most things range from $150-300. Though I'm not 100 percent positive I would spend this much to own one of the pieces yet. I understand why people would. The are truly unique and futuristic looking...something that I'd be happy to wear. Some exciting news is they also revamped the Nike Air Max 90 trainers as slip-ons for $175.00 (you're welcome sneaker heads).

I'm not sure I'd see anyone in the gym in these, but I can picture it on joggers in the street. I can also definitely picture it on fashionistas and brave dressers because the colors and looks are great for street style.

Check out and shop the collection HERE.