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Wishing you Strawberry Dreams this summer

Imagine a field of flowers waving gently in a warm breeze. Nearby a boat made of bananas and filled with strawberries floats gracefully down a stream. On your lips you sense the taste of something wild and sweet.

The stuff of a summer daydream - perhaps. And that's what the makers of Sunkist Naturals are sure fans of their new Strawberry Dream smoothie will feel when they drink the delightful beverage.

Strawberry Dream is made with strawberries vine-ripened in the California sunshine. Growers who take true pride in their work lovingly pick and deliver them to Sunkist Naturals in a flash.

The beautiful berries are juiced into their purest essence. This juice is then rounded out with a puree of bananas and a splash of Sunkist orange juice. The result is a delightful pink smoothie that offers both vital nutrients and heavenly flavor. No wonder it makes us imagine such lovely things.

Strawberry Dream is a good source of potassium and is rich in the powerful antioxidant vitamin C, natural omega 3's, and fiber.

Burst: Super Succulent Strawberries With Banana.

Benefits: Double the Daily Recommended Serving of Vitamin C, and a Good Source of Potassium.

sneak in some green

Parents of picky eaters may get a little break from unsuccessful attempts at getting their kids to eat their vegetables. 

Sunkist Naturals, maker of exceptional smoothies and juices, is introducing Glorious Greens.

Made with broccoli, cabbage, kale, dulse,  echinacia, wheat grass, flax seed, spirulina, and green tea (among other ingredients) the flavor is sweet and delicious. 

The key is mixing these nutrient packed veggies with apple, kiwi, mango, and pineapple. 

The result is a healthy dose of superfoods high in vitamins, antioxidants and Omega-3 EPA & DHA.

While Missy Lapine and Jessica Seinfeld have excellent recipes for making cakes from beets, and  brownies from broccoli, we think opening a bottle of juice is a lot more time efficient for busy parents.   The convenient 15.2 fl oz size fits in a diaper, gym, or hand bag quite easily.

Sunkist Naturals Glorious Greens is vegan, and features no added sugar, preservatives, artificial ingredients, or GMO.

The Sunkist Naturals collection of smoothies and juices is currently available in Florida, and Southern California.

Fun idea:  whirl Glorious Greens with a little ice to make a cooling treat for a summer's day.   

Sunkist Naturals Rolls Out in Florida with Big Taste Test

The sunshine state will be drenched in juice soon thanks to a generous tasting program Sunkist Naturals is undertaking this week to introduce the region to its new collection of all natural drinks.

More than 33,000 bottles of Sunkist Naturals juices and smoothies will offered to the Miami public over the next 10 days. 

Through a program called Healthy Body Healthy You, Sunkist Naturals is offering participating Miami area health clubs and spas a chance to pour complimentary smoothies and juices for their customers.

The aim of the Sunkist Naturals Healthy Body Healthy You Program is to not only introduce the Miami area to Sunkist Naturals Juices and Smoothies in a very enthusiastic way, but also to educate the public about healthy lifestyle choices.

"We believe that a better life can be achieved through smart lifestyle choices" says Mark Shaw of Sunkist Naturals.  "These include maintaining a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables."

Included in the tasting will be Sunkist Naturals Orange Cream, Golden Mango, Strawberry Dream, Valencia Orange, Glorious Greens, Sunshine Carrot, Berry Blue Bountiful, and Berry Cherry Bountiful.

Healthy Body Healthy You will through April 25th, 2008. 

Some of the Miami area health clubs and spas participating in Healthy Body Healthy You include: The Biltmore Hotel Spa, Don Shula’s Athletic Club, Ocean Water’s Spa, Trump Palace, Olympia Fitness Center, Armando’s Day Spa, and the Maui Spa.

Event Planning: putting together an eco-friendly party

Last night Social Vibe launched their eco friendly and socially conscious brand to the press with a green party at Le Deux in Hollywood.  Attendees included Mena Suvari, Kelly Joy (shown here), Jessica Kinni, and William Romeo. 

The party was perhaps most notable because it benefited the Surfrider Foundation (a grassroots group that helps protect oceans, beaches and surf spots around the world from pollution), and it was eco friendly.

The green party trend isn't new, but it's definitely building steam--especially as we get into the summer months--as a predominant theme for launches and premieres from coast to coast. 

What constitutes an Eco friendly party? Some decorate with sprouted grass and bamboo in pots, offer organic vodka and napkins made from recycled paper, and call it a day.  Others go all out, planning every detail down to the type of dye used in the decorative fabric draped above the room.

The Los Angeles Times recently ran an article about green event planning, based on that list, here are my tips:

Invitations -- Use recycled or tree-free paper and soy-based inks. Or use the web based invitation  service from Pingg.com which allows users to create gorgeous electronic invitations, send them via email, sms, facebook, personal web page, and more.   

Flowers -- Use flowers and plants from local and organic farms. Donate flowers to a worthy cause after the event.  Localharvest.org is a great source for finding local growers. 

Food -- Locally grown organic foods are fresher, pesticide-free and less fuel is burned transporting them. To avoid waste, don't over cater. Send leftovers to a composting program. Again Localharvest.org can help source regionally grown foods.

Beverages -- Use bottled water in biodegradable bottles -- biotaspringwater.com, serve organic wine, and vodka.

Venue -- Outdoor venues use less power for air conditioning and lighting, or choose a Eco friendly hotel or building.   

Favors and goodie bags --  source Eco friendly and organic products such as candles, soaps, services, and other ingenious goodies.  Place in reuseable bags.

For more on event planning information and ideas, please visit our CLPR Events Blog.

This is berry, berry good...

When fall comes we think of rich tones like pumpkin, cranberry, and mossy green.  We also think Mulberry is great, with its deep red-plum hue, it’s the perfect shade for fall.  Now we know there are several types and colors of Mulberry, but for the sake of color, let’s think about the red variety.  To incorporate this gorgeous color, and fruit into your fall lineup, we’ve assembled a few items to keep in mind:

Laura Mercier Lip Stain in Mulberry ($20) - offers the natural translucence of a stain, but with the sexy sheen of a gloss. 

Zensation Brightening Mask ($100) – This remarkable product new to the US from Switzerland relies on the brightening and healing power of Seabuckthorn, Mulberry, Watercress, and Strawberry Begonia as its main ingredients. 

Boscia Jujube Rejuvenist Whipped Body Creme ($30) An amazing body moisturizing that contains Vitamin-rich Jujube Fruit, Mulberry and Peony extracts.

Mulberry Tea is known to help inhibit the absorption of sugars by the body, thereby making it a remarkable product for diabetics and sugar sensitive people.   This one from Culinary Teas is $1.59 per oz.

And no cup of tea can be more charming than when served with honey and a freshly baked mulberry muffin.  AllRecipes.com has a great recipe you should try