Have healthy products? Tell us about them!

Last week @wutzhealthyindy posted a Twitter brainstorm about healthy gifts and that got us started thinking...what types of healthy products/services do our followers provide that could make great holiday gifts?

So...we thought, why not ask? We're compiling a list of healthy gift ideas and would like to include yours. Just send us an email, reply to us @fitfactorkids or comment on this post to let us know the details, like:

1. Name of your company
2. Name of the product(s)/service(s)
3. Brief description
4. Who is this gift for (mom, dad, kids, teachers, grandma, the postman, etc.)
5. Where can the product(s)/service(s) be purchased
6. Selling price
7. Discounts available

Please respond by Wednesday, December 2, so we can post this list in time for everyone to know for the holiday season. Thanks for Sharing the Health!

It's Fresh Fruit Friday, sort of

We love Fresh Fruit Friday. Really, we love fresh fruit any day. But let's face it...sometimes the selection of fresh fruits in grocery stores isn't all that great.

So here's an alternative -- Frozen Fruit Friday! These little gems are picked at the peak of freshness and are flash frozen, which preserves their nutrients. Other bonuses are that bags of frozen fruit can be much less expensive than buying fruit fresh and provide a variety of choices throughout the year.

Just thaw out your favs (don't boil or you'll lose those valuable nutrients) and enjoy them however you want. Sprinkle them on cereal or in yogurt. Add them to a fresh fruit salad. Mix some with low-fat cottage cheese for a tasty treat. Or make a delicious smoothie. That is how our family started off Frozen Fruit Friday this week -- Very Berry Bonanza!

(Even frozen, you can see how colorful and plump these beauties are)

Ingredients: Frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, low-fat blueberry Kefir (great way to add extra flavor), plain rice milk

Frozen Smoothie Tip: Fresh bananas going bad too fast? Freeze them! Frozen bananas make great ingredients for smoothies and give them a beautifully smooth texture. Frozen fruits of all kinds are a flavorful alternative to adding ice to a smoothie.

So what do you think? Does your family like/use frozen fruit? How about frozen veggies? (We use those for quick meal options too.) Post a reply or message us at www.Twitter.com/FitFactorKids to let us know.

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Mary Owen - Executive Producer of the Fit Factor Kids exercise DVD http://www.fitfactorkids.com/ - www.Twitter.com/FitFactorKids - www.Twitter.com/MaryOh

Looking for a soda substitute? Try one of these tasty treats!

This week we've posted several articles about the dangers of drinking regular and diet sodas. So this got me thinking...with so many people drinking sodas every day, what are some better options?
My family drinks water. Lots of water. Most of the time we drink it filtered from the tap, but we also love flavored sparkling water like La Croix and often have one with dinner. They have zero calories and a hint of flavor...definitely not overly sweet like a soda...and the bubbles make them fun.

Of course, you can mix plain sparkling water with a bit of your favorite juice for a more flavorful beverage. Add a little orange juice and you get something like Orangina or Fizzy Lizzy. Trying different kinds of juices can be a lot of fun and keeps your taste buds from getting bored.

Another great choice is tea. There are so many varieties (at every price point) that exploring the world of tea can be really fun. Personally, I like my tea to have a lot of flavor. I also avoid caffeine and don't want to load my drinks up with sweeteners, so I go for big, bold, herbal options.

One of my favs is Tazo's Passion (a blend of hibiscus, mango, lemongrass and more.) It's tart, and tasty. When brewed, the color turns deep red, which I absolutely love. Peppermint tea is also very strong and tasty without any added sweeteners. From what I've read, it is also good for digestion...an added bonus.

Rooibos or African Red Bush is an herbal variety that is growing in popularity. It's loaded with antioxidants and tastes great too. This one is a little milder than the other teas I mentioned, so you may want to add a little honey to sweeten it up. I started off doing that, but now just go straight, because I've grown to love the more subtle flavors.

You can buy it at your local grocery store or at specialty stores. Teavana sells many fruity rooibos concoctions and they smell just as good as they taste.

So there you have it. My down and dirty on soda alternatives. I hope you and your family give some of these a try. Let me know what you think, will ya?!?

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Mary Owen - Executive Producer of the Fit Factor Kids exercise DVD http://www.fitfactorkids.com/ - www.Twitter.com/FitFactorKids - www.Twitter.com/MaryOh