The Fresh Market celebrates 35 delicious years with anniversary sampling events this April

Specialty grocer is ripe with delicious, fresh flavors for guests to taste and explore.

WHO: Founded in 1982, The Fresh Market is a specialty grocery retailer focused on providing fresh, delicious food with friendly service in a warm and inviting atmosphere. From seasonally fresh produce to exceptional quality meat and seafood, signature baked goods and thousands of organic options, The Fresh Market is dedicated to offering guests the most delicious ingredients and inspiring meal solutions.

WHAT/WHEN: 35th anniversary sampling events and specials at The Fresh Market:

In honor of providing an abundance of deliciously fresh food and inspiring ideas for 35 years, The Fresh Market will host scrumptious sampling events this April at its 178 store locations. The specialty grocer will also thank guests for their continued support with irresistible anniversary specials, including in-store chuck ground daily and hand-trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast for $2.99 per pound every day throughout April. Additionally, The Fresh Market will offer its premium roses at a special price of $7.99 per dozen, each carrying a freshness guarantee of at least five days.

On Saturday, April 8 and Sunday, April 9, The Fresh Market will commemorate this milestone anniversary with a sampling event featuring its signature items. From 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., guests can experience a taste of The Fresh Market’s heritage with samples of Premium Choice New York Strip Steaks with signature spice rubs, roasted chicken salad on French rounds, blackberry cupcakes and more!

Among The Fresh Market’s assortment of hand-picked specialty items is a diverse selection of oils from around the world. On Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23, The Fresh Market will feature samples of select oils and share tasting notes, pairing recommendations and more expert tips with guests. From 1-5 p.m. each day, guests can also taste from a flight of premium olive oils with store-baked bread and sample specialty nut oils tossed with salad greens.

As if the month couldn’t get any sweeter, The Fresh Market will highlight its selection of fresh berries picked at the peak of ripeness during The Fresh Pick event from April 5 – May 9. Throughout the month, guests will have the opportunity to taste premium-picked strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, as well as sample berry-inspired treats, such as berry cheesecake and blueberry pound cake. The Fresh Pick event is a celebration of what’s in season now and guests will discover the specialty grocer’s favorite ways to serve berries, from farm fresh produce tables to bakery and grocery aisles.

WHERE: The Fresh Market’s 178 store locations nationwide

For local store information, please visit: thefreshmarket.com/your-market-store-locator.

6 Ways for Busy Moms to Get in Better Shape Than Their Kids

Every busy mom knows how hard it can be to fit exercise into their daily routine. We spend so much time cleaning up spills and settling sibling disputes that finding time to exercise can seem impossible. We all know what a physically demanding job it is to chase after kids all day, but sadly, that’s not all the exercise we need in a day.

We worry about our kids eating the right foods and getting the perfect amount of exercise, but sometimes we forget to take some time out strictly for ourselves and our own health. Read on to find some quick and easy suggestions for exercises that will fit perfectly into any busy mom’s daily routine.

As a busy mom, quick bursts of exercise throughout the day are your best friend. These little sessions might not seem like much at the time, but they add up fast. Take a lesson from your toddler: Your house is a gym waiting to be discovered.

1. While cooking breakfast in the morning, use the time in between preparing food for the little ones and washing dishes to get in some reps. Do some standing push-ups on the countertop. This is a great way to work out your shoulders and arms. Start with 10, then add 5 more push-ups every couple days. Your arms will be toned in no time!

2. Invest in some cheap dumbbells. Most big box stores carry reasonably priced weights, which are great for fitting in a quick workout while your kids are watching TV or playing. It’s easy to keep an eye on them while fitting in a few sets of reps after breakfast.

3. Turn your exercise routine into fun for the whole family. The kids will never complain about getting outside and stretching their legs, so work an afternoon walk to the park into your day whenever it’s nice out.

4. Jumping jacks are a great way to get a full body workout anytime, anywhere. Your kids will love doing them too! It’s a great way for you to get in shape, and for them to let out some of that pent up energy.

5. Wear clothing that can easily transition from your daily look into workout clothes. That way if the opportunity presents itself, you’re workout ready and can easily jump into a routine without having to find the motivation to pick out athletic attire. If you’re looking for some affordable, cute athletic wear that seamlessly blends fashion with functionality, check out the athleisure brand Fabletics. They offer fashionable athleisure that looks just as good when you’re wearing them to the grocery store as they function during your workouts.

6. Become a sports coach for your new favorite team: Your family! Depending on their age, the kids will love playing soccer or basketball in the yard to end a perfect day of exercise. It’s a great way for you to burn off calories after dinner, and most importantly, it’ll keep them busy.

As you can see, there are countless ways for busy moms to get in shape throughout the day. We just need to be creative and see the world as our playground, just like our kids do

Choose the Best Rice Cooker in the Modern Technology Era

Thanks to modern technology, cooking has become easier and easier, even for people who don’t actually love to cook, but want to eat healthy. One great appliance for cooking nutritious meals is the rice cooker, appreciated by many for the fact that it’s easy to use. There are a couple of requirements every buyer wants to have in its cooking appliance: simplicity, efficiency, quality materials, safety and keeping the nutritional value of their food. You can always find useful recipes on several websites, such as http://ottawamommyclub.ca/, for example. However, is rice in a Rice Cooker is the best for you?

Zojirushi NS-LAC05XT Micom 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer

Among the advantages you can find on this Zojirushi appliance you can count the reasonable price, the trendy and stylish design, the multiple functions and the sturdy construction. All together make up an excellent appliance which is particularly useful if you want to cook in a modern and healthy way. You can cook enough rice for one meal, which is 3 cups full of rice.

The machine only weighs 7 pounds, so it’s quite lightweight, but it compensates through a sturdy stainless steel body. Besides the preset menu programs, you can also customize your own program depending on what you want. For example, you can use the quick cooking option if you need to cook something urgently, such as brown rice, porridge, white sushi etc.

All in all, it’s a great rice cooker, durable and portable, suitable for all kinds of needs.

Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer

This model is more suitable for whoever has a large family and needs to cook a lot of rice at once. In this case, a 3-cup rice cooker would prove insufficient, so you should step up the game and head over to a 5 and a half cup one. This is the case with the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 model. Even though it looks round and quite delicate, it is in fact a very powerful machine that works as a computerized device.

There are multiple menu settings available, for example quick cooking, porridge, mixed or white sushi or browning. Moreover, you enjoy an easy to use interface that comes together with an LCD display, digital controls and a panel you can program. There is even a delay timer setting, all for your convenience. The pot holds 1 liter of water, and it measures 14x8x10 inches in size. It weighs 8.5 pounds, so it’s quite manageable.

Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD Cooked 8-Cup Digital Rice Cooker

Perhaps the most attractive thing about this Aroma appliance is the fact that it has a competitive price. It’s a lot cheaper than many other rivals on the market, plus it offers an amazing, versatile and durable experience. Many people are also delighted by the fact that it has a one-year warranty. It is quite a massive monster, holding 8 cups of cooked rice at once. The dimensions are 8.5x9.3x8.7 inches.

It weighs 4.2 pounds, so you can say it’s portable and easily manageable. You can cook for the entire family, or approximately 4 persons in one go, so it’s a time saver. Naturally, you have digital control and you can program it for browning, steaming or other basic options for white rice. It has an automatic keep-warm function and a delay timer that works for maximum 15 hours. This is helpful if you want to cook the rice in the morning, but serve it in the evening.

Aroma Housewares Stainless Steel 6-Cup Cooked Rice Cooker

We have to admit that Aroma is one of the best competitors on the market, and it’s hard to beat with the price and capacity it offers. The best thing about the Aroma Housewares Stainless Steel 6-Cup Cooked Rice Cooker is the fact that it has a surgical-grade cooking pot. It’s not just an ordinary pot, but it’s made of surgical-grade stainless steel 304.
It’s kind of lightweight, with only 4 pounds, which is awesome for its capacity. Though it has a traditional design, it compensates for the one-touch features that simplifies everything. It also brings the automatic keep-warm function that preserves the nutritional value of rice for hours in a row. All in all, this is a must have in every kitchen!

Zojirushi NS-TSC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer

The NS-TSC10 model includes Fuzzy Logic technology. It is quite versatile, having a LCD display and digital controls. The best part about it is that it’s customizable, so you can program it as you wish. Of course, it has a stainless steel exterior and a 2 delay time settings, together with the automatic keep warm feature.

Could Tech Help You Lose Weight And Tone Up?

There’s no doubt that technology has moved on by leaps and bounds over the last decade. And yet we moms are still waiting for that magic bullet -  a pill that we can take once per day that will make us healthy and melt the fat away.

Although medical science might not be at that stage yet (although with gene editing, we’re getting pretty close), there are all sorts of technologies out there that promise to revolutionize our health. Here are some examples.

Wearables

Wearables have been marketed as a sort of fitness companion - little devices that slip on your wrist or your shoulder and track how much activity you do. There haven’t been any systematic studies of wearables so far, but there are some studies which suggest that they do have an impact. One study, reported by MSN.com, says that people who have a wearable fitness tracker lose more weight than those that don’t. The only problem with the study was that most of the participants had college degrees, which makes it harder to generalize the results to the wider population.

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Another study looked at the effect of having devices that had accelerometers in them to see whether people used them more often. Again, this study indicated that people who owned wearables did more physical activity than those who didn’t. However, many of the participants were also in contact with primary care nurses, which could have been the real reason why they were exercising more.

With that said, a study published in the major medical journal JAMA sound that people who wore wearable tech lost an impressive 7.7 pounds when they tried to lose weight.

Muscle Stimulators

Muscle stimulators are another way that technologies have tried to make losing weight and toning up easier. The most popular brand, Slendertone, works by sending a small electric pulse through a belt that is in contact with the skin. When the electrical pulse reaches the muscle, it forces it to involuntarily contract.

The popularity of these devices is clear. Sites like DontPayFull.com regularly offer money off to people looking for these devices. But do they help you lose weight? The evidence suggests that they are a good way to burn calories passively without having to exert any conscious effort. Sitting burns an average of 80 calories an hour, but with a muscle stimulator, that can be bumped up to nearly 130.

Fitness Apps

Alongside all the gadgets, like muscle stimulators and wearables are also a host of apps. Fitness Builder is an app that is available on the Play Store. It’s an app that keeps track of your workouts and has a comprehensive fitness database, allowing you to input practically any exercise and record your progress.

Another popular fitness app is Endomondo. This app is for people who want to have the convenience of a personal trainer at their fingertips. The first versions of Endomondo were pretty basic. The app simply tracked the route you took for your exercise as well as the time you did it in. But in recent years, the abilities of the app have been significantly expanded. One addition has been the ability to measure your heart rate and calories burned. There’s also now an audio coach who will provide you with motivation if you need it. What’s more, the coaching you get depends on the goals that you input into the app. If you’ve got a goal to run a six-minute mile, the coach will adapt to help you reach that goal.

It’s probably safe to say that technology that helps us lose weight and get fit is here to stay and that it will continue to get stronger in the future. It’s clear that right now, we’re only just scratching the surface of what is actually possible. As obesity becomes a major economic issue, the economic incentives to do something about the problem with multiply exponentially. People who deal with their weight and stay slim will get insurance benefits, have more energy, will live longer and will be more productive in their jobs, potentially earning more money.

The other way that technology could help in the future and is helping right now is to help moms become healthier in their habits. Already we’re seeing a bunch of apps that can help you rustle up a healthy meal, depending on the ingredients you have in your fridge. In the future, our kitchens will become interactive, and they’ll actively suggest recipes and ingredients we should use in real time. They’ll also probably have a thing or two to say if we haven’t been out for our daily exercise.

Alligator Adventure Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Review

A week ago, we took our son to Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach, SC, to celebrate his 9th birthday. He had been wanting to go for a while, so we figured it would be the great place for some birthday fun. William is a big animal lover and enjoys learning as much as he can about them. Alligators and crocodiles are in his top 5 favorites, so we knew Alligator Adventure would be the perfect choice. It was actually quite chilly when we went, but that didn't stop us!

They have a massive parking area, but since we were there in more of the off-season,  we were able to park in front of the main entrance. You are greeting by a pond full of turtles basking in the sun. We paid for entrance at the ticket booth and were pleased to find out that at the end of our visit, we could get our receipt endorsed to return within 7 days. So basically it's like a buy-one-get-one free deal. This explained why I wasn't able to find any discounts or coupons anywhere. It's actually a really good deal. Admission was around $66 for two adults and one child.

The minute we entered the park, I could hear William squeal and almost yell out, "Alligators!" Of course, we had a quick talk about rules beforehand to remind him not to be loud so he would not scare any of the animals. Trust me though, the parents had to hold back their excitement, too. 😃

The first exhibit was the Juvenile American Alligators habitat. It's actually very overwhelming to see so many alligators piled up all over each other. Although I grew up in Florida, I can truly say that I have never seen this many alligators at once. It's absolutely amazing to see! William was in absolute gator heaven.

The whole park is filled with so many amazing creatures and they have show times where you can gets hands-on with a few of them. It was really cool to learn some animal facts as well as get to actually touch them. Again, William was in heaven! At the end of each animal handling session, the zoo keeper would ask if anyone had any questions. Leave it to my kid to be the only one with his hand raised high!

My son loves every animal he meets! I love his heart and spirit 😀 . . . #animals #animallover #nature #birds #happy #joy #live #life

A post shared by Shelly 🇬🇾👑 (@momfiles) on Mar 20, 2017 at 6:20pm PDT

I don't want to bombard you with 100 photos, but I do have to mention that the reptile house/Serpentarium was so impressive and had so many snakes species in beautiful habitats. Some of the snakes were enormous! It was really a lot to take in.

The crocodile area was one of my personal favorite places and had a great variety of species from all over the world. William fell in love with one particular croc that you would not have expected. It wasn't the largest croc on earth weighing 2,000 pounds or the rare albino ones, it was a lonely one named Bob who was born without a tail. She would not have been able to survive in the wild without it and Alligator Adventure took her in and gave her a wonderful home. William talked about Bob for days after we got home.

Alligator Adventure is an absolutely beautiful place to visit if you are an animal or nature lover. We really enjoyed the Nature Walk and feeding the ducks along the way. It was really great that William was able to stop at each exhibit and read all about the animals and the habitats.

We utilized our free second visit the following day (which we highly recommend) and discovered spots we missed during the first visit. This was one of our most favorite trips and if you have ever considered visiting Alligator Adventure, I don't think you would be disappointed. I actually read a lot of reviews before we made the trip and they were mixed. We give it two thumbs up! I am going to make William a photobook with all of the animal pictures to remember how much fun we all had.

You can get more information about Alligator Adventure here. This was not a hosted event. We had such a great time that we wanted to share our thoughts with you guys. Thanks for stopping by today. 😀