Who doesn't love a sexy spring-time cocktail, especially during Easter brunch?

A signature cocktail makes entertaining easy. It eliminates mundane choices while creating one spectacular option. We always love a traditional mimosa, but this champagne punch is a colorful, flavorful and memorable addition, making it the perfect brunch signature cocktail.
 
This signature cocktail is an easy to sip drink, making it a crowd pleaser. It’s also a beautiful addition to any spring table setting. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Brunch Signature Cocktail
Preparation 5:00, Total Time 5:00, Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c lemon juice
• 1/3 c simple syrup
• 1 bottle champagne
• blueberries, apples, strawberries

Instructions:
Combine berries and place them in glass. It is worth noting that you may lose some bubbly depending on how many berries and other fruit you add to the mix. Make sure simple syrup comes first to avoid all sweetness at the top. Top it off with champagne, make pretty, and serve chilled. Yum!

Recipe complements of ALLEZ MAGAZINE. Check out their instagram feed and twitter for more fun!

Spring has officially arrived in Chicago, and so have the delicious, savory treats by The Cake Studio. When the sultry, warm breeze of the south comes

With the temps warming up in The Windy City, #TCakeStudio is expanding from Chicago to Los Angeles, and beyond. The Cake Studio, founded by Maggie Mendicuti, is the birth-child of years of hard-work, passion, and a love for her children. Mendicuti began baking so that her children wouldn't have to eat sweets, such as cupcakes, with processed ingredients. "I wanted my children to eat well, and consume ingredients they could pronounce." From macaroons to wedding cakes, every delicious piece of magic produced in The Cake Studio is made with love, and 100% all-natural ingredients.

The Cake Studio's most-recent, and one of the most-popular, projects is the #BOYSandCUPCAKES affair, which focused on highlighting prominent young men in Chicago doing great things that inspire and motivate a community. Captured by the talented, renowned lifestyle photographer Jorge Zavala, the series captures the essence of youthful playfulness with the savory items produced at The Cake Studio exclusively for spring and summer.

Zavala, who serves on the board of the National Autism Association and is a former community-mobilizer, believes the mission of #BOYSandCUPCAKES fits with the company's mission and vision. "(The Cake Studio) is doing so much more than providing Chicago with some of the most delicious pastries I've ever tasted," mentioned Zavala. "The founder, Maggie, is also passionate about giving back to the community, which is very much a Chicago component to doing good business."

As wedding season approaches, The Cake Studio is well-prepared for every bride and groom's sweet desires. To sample the delicious flavors, fresh from the oven, for your bridal shower, wedding, or spring-time soiree, contact #TCakeStudio and mention #PdMModels to book a tasting and to receive 10% your order.

Spring has definitely sprung, and it's sweeter than ever!

By Cole Blandin | Wellness Contributor

It takes more than just crunches to get flat abs. We start to gain weight in our midsection when our cortisol levels spike. Stress is one of the primary culprits for high levels of cortisol secretion. When this happens cortisol breaks downs lean muscle (the type of tissue that burns calories most efficiently) and also holds on to fat storage in the abdominal region. That stress can even get worse with bad dieting; studies show that the stress caused by dieting can increase cortisol levels, making no change in belly fat even with calorie restriction. So how do you shape up? Incorporate these 6 things below and you will be on your way to a flatter belly in no time flat!

1. Sleep

If you want to work late at night, think again. When your biorhythms are off, you end up eating more. When you’re tired you produce more ghrelin, which triggers cravings for sugar and other fat-building foods. Losing sleep can also alter your hormone production, affecting your cortisol levels that cause insulin sensitivity, prime reasons for belly fat! Getting about 7 hours of sleep a night is one of the best things you can do for your body shaping goals.

2. Short bursts of exercises

1000 crunches a night may get you strong abdominal muscles, but with a full layer of fat on top, you will not get the results you really want. Instead of all those crunches, do exercises that engage multiple muscle groups and work your cardiovascular system. Try planking, where you hold yourself in a push-up position, resting your forearms on the ground. Try 3 or 4 sets of holding for 30 seconds each. Getting up and moving throughout the day by going for walks will also help.

3. Sugar is your Enemy

Fighting belly fat is 80% healthy diet. Reduce calories by filling yourself up with protein, vegetables, whole grains, and replacing bad habit snacks with good ones. For example, if you have a sugar craving, replace your calorie laden latte with a Muscle Milk lite, one of my favorites, because it has zero sugar and a ton of protein that will satiate while also torching my sugar craving! Another great trick is a sprinkle of cinnamon in your morning coffee or oatmeal- the spice has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar. It also slows the rate at which food exits the stomach, which helps you feel fuller longer.

4. Vitamin C

When you’re under extreme stress, you secret more cortisol hormone. Vitamin C helps balance the cortisol spikes that happen to you under this stress. Besides being a good way to counteract a cold, Vitamin C is also essential for making carnitine, a compound used by the body to turn fat into fuel, making this vitamin your fat burning friend.

If you’re going through an emotional crisis, stress from work, or a bad eating splurge, increase your vitamin C – it’ll help counteract the negative side effects. Try bell peppers, kale or kiwi fruits. These have even more Vitamin C than the famous Orange!

5. Eat Fat

Yup, you heard me! It takes fat to burn fat. Like I said above, it’s sugar that gets you fat, not fat. Good fats include foods rich in Omega 3′s, like salmon, avocados & walnuts. These foods are full of nutrients that help keep you satiated throughout the day.

6. Slowing down your breath

This is a very simple method that you can use even when you’re in the midst of doing something else. Whenever you notice you’re feeling tense and uptight check and see how you’re breathing. Most people under stress either alternate holding their breath with short breaths, or take rapid shallow breaths. After you become aware of your own breathing, consciously relax your belly and slow down the breathing. This works best if you focus on slowing down the exhalation rather than your inhalation. With each exhalation you can say to yourself “slow down”.

That is all there is to it- Simple but surprisingly effective!

By Cole Blandin | Wellness Writer

Regardless of diet, organic foods are a smart priority. Choosing organic foods is an effectual choice for personal and planetary health. Buying organically grown food—free of harmful chemicals, bursting with more nutrition, taste, and sustainable sustenance—is a direct vote for immediate health and the hopeful future of generations to come.

After evaluating research from the Federal Department of Agriculture and the Mayo Clinic, here are the top 10 reasons to choose organic foods today:

1. Avoid chemicals Eating organically grown foods is the only way to avoid the cocktail of chemical poisons present in commercially grown food. More than 600 active chemicals are registered for agricultural use in America, to the tune of billions of pounds annually. The average application equates to about 16 pounds of chemical pesticides per person every year. Many of these chemicals were approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before extensive diet testing. 

The National Academy of Sciences reports that 90% of the chemicals applied to foods have not been tested for long-term health effects before being deemed "safe." Further, the FDA tests only 1% of foods for pesticide residue. The most dangerous and toxic pesticides require special testing methods, which are rarely if ever employed by the FDA.

2. Benefit from more nutrients Organically grown foods have more nutrients—vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and micro-nutrients—than commercially grown foods because the soil is managed and nourished with sustainable practices by responsible standards. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine conducted a review of 41 published studies comparing the nutritional value of organically grown and conventionally grown fruits, vegetables, and grains and concluded that there are significantly more of several nutrients in organic foods crops. 

Further, the study verifies that five servings of organically grown vegetables (such as lettuce, spinach, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage) provide an adequate allowance of vitamin C, whereas the same number of servings of conventionally grown vegetables do not. 

On average, organically grown foods provide: 21.1% more iron (than their conventional counterparts); 27% more vitamin C;  29.3% more magnesium; 13.6% more phosphorus

3. Enjoy better taste Try it! Organically grown foods generally taste better because nourished, well balanced soil produces healthy, strong plants. This is especially true with heirloom varieties, which are cultivated for taste over appearance.

4. Avoid GMO Genetically engineered (GE) food and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are contaminating our food supply at an alarming rate, with repercussions beyond understanding. GMO foods do not have to be labeled in America. Because organically grown food cannot be genetically modified in any way, choosing organic is the only way to be sure that foods that have been genetically engineered stay out of your diet.

5. Avoid hormones, antibiotics and drugs in animal products Conventional meat and dairy are the highest risk foods for contamination by harmful substances. More than 90% of the pesticides Americans consume are found in the fat and tissue of meat and dairy products. 

The EPA reports that a majority of pesticide intake comes from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products because these foods are all high on the food chain. For instance, a large fish that eats a smaller fish that eats even smaller fish accumulates all of the toxins of the chain, especially in fatty tissue. Cows, chickens, and pigs are fed animal parts, by-products, fish meal, and grains that are heavily and collectively laden with toxins and chemicals. Lower-fat animal products are less dangerous, as toxins and chemicals are accumulated and concentrated in fatty tissue.

Antibiotics, drugs, and growth hormones are also directly passed into meat and dairy products. Tens of millions of pounds of antibiotics are used in animal feed every year. The union of concerned scientists estimates that roughly 70% of antibiotics produced in the United States are fed to animals for nontherapeutic purposes.
US farmers have been giving sex hormones and growth hormones to cattle to artificially increase the amount of meat and milk the cattle produce without requiring extra feed. The hormones fed to cows cannot be broken down, even at high temperatures. Therefore they remain in complete form and pass directly into the consumer's diet when meat is eaten. Hormone supplementation is the biggest concern with beef, dairy products, and farmed fish. In the United States, the jury is still out. However, Europe's scientific community agrees that there is no acceptably safe level for daily intake of any of the hormones currently used in the United States and has subsequently banned all growth hormones. 

The major concerns for US consumers include the early onset of puberty, growth of tumors, heightened cancer risks, and genetic problems. Growth hormones in milk (rBGH or rBST) are genetically modified and have been directly linked to cancer, especially in women.

Many scientists and experts warn that rampant use of antibiotics in animal feed, like penicillin and tetracycline, will breed an epidemic that medicine has no defense against. Karim Ahmed, PhD, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) states that it "is perhaps one of the most serious public health problems the country faces. We're talking about rendering many of the most important antibiotics ineffective."

Choosing organic animal products is very important, especially for children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.

6. Preserve our ecosystems Organic farming supports eco-sustenance, or farming in harmony with nature. 

Preservation of soil and crop rotation keep farmland healthy, and chemical abstinence preserves the ecosystem. Wildlife, insects, frogs, birds, and soil organisms are able to play their roles in the tapestry of ecology, and we are able to play ours, without interference or compromise.

7. Reduce pollution and protect water and soil Agricultural chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers are contaminating our environment, poisoning our precious water supplies, and destroying the value of fertile farmland. Certified organic standards do not permit the use of toxic chemicals in farming and require responsible management of healthy soil and biodiversity. 

According to Cornell entomologist David Pimentel, it is estimated that only 0.1% of applied pesticides reach the target pests. The bulk of pesticides (99.%) is left to impact the environment.

8. Preserve agricultural diversity The rampant loss of species occurring today is a major environmental concern. It is estimated that 75% of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost in the last century. Leaning heavily on one or two varieties of a given food is a formula for devastation. For instance, consider that only a handful of varieties of potatoes dominate the current marketplace, whereas thousands of varieties were once available. 

Now, dig back to recent history's potato famine in Ireland, where a blight knocked out the whole crop, which consisted of just a few varieties, and millions of people died of starvation. Today, most industrial farms also grow just one crop rather than an array of crops on one piece of land. Ignorance is bliss? Or amnesia is disastrous? Crop rotation is a simple and effective technique used in organic agriculture to reduce the need for pesticides and improve soil fertility. 

Most conventional food is also extremely hybridized to produce large, attractive specimens, rather than a variety of indigenous strains that are tolerant to regional conditions such as droughts and pests. Many organic farms grow an assorted range of food, taking natural elements and time-tested tradition into account. Diversity is critical to survival.

9. Support farming directly Buying organic food is an investment in a cost-effective future. Commercial and conventional farming is heavily subsidized with tax dollars in America. A study at Cornell University determined the cost of a head of commercial iceberg lettuce, typically purchased at 49 cents a head, to be more than $3.00 a head when hidden costs were revealed. The study factored in the hidden costs of federal subsidies, pesticide regulation and testing, and hazardous waste and cleanup. 

Every year, American tax dollars subsidize billions of dollars for a farm bill that heavily favors commercial agribusiness. Peeling back another layer of the modern farming onion reveals a price tag that cannot be accurately measured but certainly includes other detrimental associated costs such as health problems, environmental damage, and the loss and extinction of wildlife and ecology.

10. Keep our children and future safe Putting our money where our mouths are is a powerful position to take in the $1 trillion food industry market in America. Spending dollars in the organic sector is a direct vote for a sustainable future for the many generations to come.

By Tiffany San Roman | Wellness Contributor

Summer, especially in a place like Chicago, is about looking hot. Whether your rocking your board shorts on North Avenue Beach or stripping down to the skimpiest 2 piece on Oak Street, no matter who you are it truly is about getting some much-wanted attention. Now, whenever you go to the beach what is one thing that truly stands out in a guy (or gal)? That's right folks, the elusive v-line. Getting a v-cut does require some serious commitment, but there’s no magic to it.

Obtaining v-line abs isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight, and it requires two basic steps. Much like getting lower back dimples, the cuts that make v-lines pop are only visible with a low body fat percentage. Even a thin layer of fat will prevent your v-lines from showing through. The second step involves specifically targeting your lower abdomen muscles during your workouts.

Let’s walk through the two steps in greater detail.

Decrease body fat percentages to the 6% – 13% range for men (and 14% – 20% for women). Body fat percentages in these lower ranges often require hard work and dedication. These are the levels of fat you’d find in elite athletes. There are some formulas that you can use to calculate your body fat – but I’d recommend working with a trainer or professional to determine your starting point. One of the most effective ways to decrease fat is by engaging in a high intensity interval training program. As you alternate between intervals of high and medium intensity, you’ll push your metabolism into high gear – and incinerate calories long after your workout ends. Supplements like Quick Slim by MJ Products help boost your metabolism while burning fat and are proven to be effective.

Build lower ab muscles. While obtaining a low body fat percentage is crucial, you’ll obviously need to develop your abdominal muscles – and lower abs, in particular – to achieve the full effect. Crunches are fine, but what really burns fat and has a more vivid appearance on the abdominals is the plank, which will require you to lift your body, arms to the side, for 30-45 seconds for beginners, 1 minute for more advanced individuals. 3-4 reps are good and, trust me, you'll definitely feel the burn.

Body lifts. If you you have access to a fitness center or gym equipment, try sets of hanging leg raises. Hang from a bar, and lift your straightened legs so that the body folds in half. For a variation, bend your knees and include a twist. Twist on one side, then repeat the exercise by twisting on the other. Be powerful and explosive in your movements. For women, simply hang from a bar and lift your lower body as high as possible, legs extended. 10-12 reps, 3-4 sets works perfectly.

Remember that while performing any exercise, the most important thing you can do is stay hydrated. Plenty of water means a fresh, glowing look while also eliminating toxins from the body.

By both lowering your body fat percentage and developing your lower abdomen muscles, you’ll get the all-elusive v-cut that drives so many of us wild. When you reach your summer v-line goal, send us your pics: we promise we'll be nice! xoxo