Hello everyone! I am excited to share my new Organice Your Life™ site and Community with you!
For months I have been working on it, and it’s finally online. On the daily blog, I and the other Organice Your Life editors will give you information, news, facts and tips on how to make this world a better place and live a happy life! On the Community you will find me and other chicsters who’ll gather and share their experiences or experiments. And everyone in the world can get on it! You can register and start sharing or discussing too! Do you have a favorite organic restaurant we HAVE to try? Or maybe a new ethical clothing line, or that beautiful vacation spot that was just unbelievable….. Anything is welcome, as long as it brings positive information to people, so they can choose to make the right changes, to make this world a bit greener and healthier! Let’s get started!  -Lonneke Engel

© Patrick McMullan

We weren’t the only Chic Report team members at the CFDA ceremony last night. Our favorite model correspondent, Lonneke Engel, remembered all her favorite moments to share.

I flew in from Europe in the morning just to attend one of fashion’s most important nights–the CFDA Awards. My manager Peter arranged for me to borrow a beautiful black dress by Marchesa with all kinds of glitter and stones. I felt great! The bad weather of the past days was actually perfect for the CFDAs this year, as they were held inside one of the theaters at Fashion Week’s new location, Lincoln Center. In fact, mostly everyone wore black, with Blake Lively, in a bright pink sheath by Michael Kors offering one of the few splashes of color. The designer arrived with Heidi Klum. I was happy to see so many friends! The show was hosted by Tracey Ullman, who was very funny, but I thought the most hilarious bit of the evening was the video made for GQ creative director Jim Moore in which Jake Gyllenhaal had a cameo where he acts like he was very unhappy for not being on the cover of GQ. It was priceless! The Eleanor Lambert award was presented to Jim by Justin Timberlake. Of course, girls in the audience loved this! (more…)

I don’t know if you know this. But everything around us seems to be fat free or sugar free. So we eat products that contain an artificial and/or refined sweetener. We drink diet sodas, we eat fat free cookies. But more and more people have issues staying on their ideal weight, so something is not right here? Why is it that people eat “less sugar” but seem to be getting fatter?

Here are a few tips:

If something says sugar free, it usually means it is NOT fat free and vice versa. Companies have to do something to make the food appealing and tasty. Read ingredient lists. If there is no fat or sugar or sugar derivative, there is usually a sugar alternative called an artificial sweetener, like Sucralose, aspartame and Xylitol to name a few. One is worse than the other for your health.

Not going into it too scientifically, I will say that most of them are sugars that have been chemically modified, to keep the taste but not the calories. There are many studies about the dangers of these artificial sweeteners, and in one of my favorite books, Skinny Bitch, the authors wrote a whole chapter on this industry.

Between artificial sweeteners and real sugar, I say, “Take the real sugar!” The regular soda contains calories but between two bad choices it’s the better one. I prefer natural sweeteners. That is really the way to go. Fruits contain a lot of natural sweeteners, so fruit juices and syrups are good choices. And these days they sell a lot of sodas with fruit juice as a sweetener just so you know.

The following are good options for your health:

1. Agave Syrup. It has a low glycemic index. Low glycemic index is good it means low impact on your blood sugar. Real, refined sugar has a high glycemic index so it has a high impact on your blood sugar. Agave syrup needs no chemicals to process.

2. Stevia. You can find this in many forms like powder or liquid in your local grocery store. It comes from the Stevia plant. In America it is not allowed to be called a sweetener but a dietary additive. Even though Stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar. It occurs naturally and in certain studies showed a good impact on the blood sugar. I use SweatLeaf products. Check them out on www.sweetleaf.com.

And that’s why I prefer these two sugar alternatives…and they taste great too!

It’s that day of the year—who is going to show you he or she loves you, and who is not? Who is going to send you a card? Maybe an unknown person declares his affection, or you go on a date. Either way, you better be prepared for Prince or Princess Charming! To be personally prepared to face your Valentine, we need to make sure we look good, smell good, and…taste good!

First of all, the outside. Could you use a new haircut? A new outfit? Go shopping at, for instance, Stella McCartney, a designer who I love for her designs and ethics. For smelling good, I personally think Romance by Ralph Lauren is an ultimate Valentine’s Day fragrance! But we not only need to smell good on the outside, we also need to have good breath! Can you imagine going on a date with a bad breath? Horror! To avoid this, I use Eat Whatever, a breath freshener I spoke about before, and a personal favorite. It consists of 1 mint and 1 jelly that you swallow that will make your breath fresh from stomach to mouth!

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It’s a wrap! Especially in the winter, I like them–and they are easy to make yourself! All you need is a large tortilla and fresh ingredients. When you eat a wrap, you forget you are eating so many veggies, as they are tightly pressed together. You can enjoy yours with hot ingredients or simply with lettuce and vegetables. Here’s my favorite:

Shrimp, Lonneke-style:

This takes about 5 minutes to make.

Grill shrimp with a bit of lemon, salt and pepper. Mash an avocado and spread it inside a whole wheat tortilla. Add chopped romaine lettuce, tomato and cucumber. I add fresh cilantro, as I love cilantro!
You can also add a bit of a pepper to spice it up. Roll it up, cut it in half and enjoy your tasty lunch!

If you don’t want to use tortillas, you can also use large leaves of lettuce, or other greens like Collard greens. You wrap the food you prepared (like stir fried veggies, grilled chicken etc) in it, and hold it together with a toothpick.

You can dip these little wraps in a light dipping sauce. It looks great and taste great too. And on top of it, it’s healthy!

It’s two weeks into January, and I am checking on the progress of your New Year’s resolutions. Are you one of the lucky few who manage to keep them, or do you need a bit of encouragement? Should you require a few weight-loss tips, allow me to give some notes:

It is really cold outside, so your body needs energy to keep warm.
It is very logical that you tend to eat more in the winter, but make sure you drink enough water! You might forget it when it’s cold.

Drink warm drinks, like tea and hot milk. You will sleep easier if you enjoy them before bed.

Eat soups. Save the salads for summer! Many soups are made of vegetables and water, so they are usually are low in calories. Skip the cream-based ones, like bisques and chowders.

Don’t drink alcohol. You enjoyed plenty of this stuff during the holidays. Skip soda, too. It’s better to eat calories than drink them, I always say!

Try to work out. I know it is so cold you don’t want to run outside, but you can do things in your own apartment. Here are a few options in several price ranges:

1.You can hire a personal trainer to come to your apartment and work out with you.
2. Buy a jump rope. It’s a great workout.
3.Buy a yoga or pilates DVD and mat and work out at home.
4. Buy small weights (around 5 pounds each) and work out with them.
5. Play the best 80s and 90s music–or Lady Gaga–and JUST DANCE.
6. You can also go to a club and dance.
7.You can clean up your house while dancing too.
8. You can buy a Wii and try boxing; it’s great for your arms.
9. You can take the stairs to your apartment instead of the elevator.
10. You can buy a mini trampoline, and exercise by jumping–it’s my favorite workout!

And the most important to losing weight is BE HAPPY. Studies show that stress makes your body release a hormone that can keep the weight on. So SMILE!

Chances are, you’ll spend Christmas day opening presents and stuffing yourself with homemade food. After that, you’ll lie down on the couch and complain about how much you ate. The next day, you promise yourself, you will go to the gym and get a membership. You will go exactly for three weeks. No! Don’t let this happen to you! Be prepared–you will be faced with great, amazing food during the holidays. My seven essential tips for staying healthy:

1. Eat small portions. Try everything, but don’t put too much on your plate. You can always go back for another round.

2. The first bite is always the best one. After that, all taste the same.

3. Eat food before you go out, so you can go to a restaurant without feeling hungry. It really helps!

4. Avoid sauces and gravy. They’re usually responsible for making you feel guilty.

5. Drink water during the day, and try to go for a walk after the big dinner. It helps your food digest.

6. If you need to bring a dish, make a healthy one you love. That way, you’re more likely to eat your food than other (bad) stuff.

7. Maybe skip dessert? It is usually the factor that tips the scale from “full” to “extremely full.”

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

I asked my fellow model and good friend Mallory June (who has a movie come out during the Sundance Film Festival next year) for her favorite cookie recipe. She also loves health food, so she gave me a wonderful recipe. Enjoy these no-guilt, healthy, hearty oatmeal cinnamon cookies!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups organic old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Apple sauce unsweetened (2 cups) or however much you need to bind the ingredients
Maple syrup (a flew splashes)
Cinnamon

First, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Then,

• Grind rolled oats in food processor or blender untill they are almost like flour
• Put dates, raisins and almonds in a large bowl
• Add rolled oats and flour, then add the maple syrup. Stir together.
• Add the applesauce until everything sticks together, then add a few teaspoons of cinnamon. Stir..
• Using your hands, form same-sized balls (use some flour to form the cookies, as they will be pretty sticky)
• Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown.

I’m actually making these for my upcoming holiday party with some cranberries instead of raisins. They are a healthy and tasty alternative to all the heavy and sugary foods you will see in the coming weeks!