Betcha didn't know, really know, Bliss Nut Butters

Who are we?

We are a small business that supports local farmers, local markets and local stores. We produce all-natural products that we truly believe in; products that (we hope) are as good for you as they are good to you. We like to say that our nut butters are "so good you can eat them with a spoon." Based on the many testimonials we receive, it looks like a lot of our customers agree.

This from Mike: "You have the best peanut butter, like, EVER, EVER, EVER! I love this stuff!"

Thank you Mike.

We're humbled and so very grateful for your support and enthusiasm.

Really.

Because we love what we do.

Really.

But make no mistake, while what we do is a labor of love.....

It's equal parts labor, equal parts love.

In other words, it's a lot of work.

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Here are a few fun facts about Bliss Nut Butters that you probably didn't know.

All of our nut butters are created by hand.

Every single jar is filled by hand.

Every label is affixed to every jar by hand.

Every case is packed by hand.

We don't use factories or fulfillment houses.

We do everything ourselves.

We make the nut butters, then we pack the nut butters, then we deliver the nut butters.

We make our own sales calls, do our own in-store demos.

We are a small company of four. And one of the four, our marketing manger, doesn't do anything but sit on his duff and write. And complain. About how we never supply him with enough bee-nut butter bliss.

Well at least he comes cheap.

After all, it's hard to find good people who will gladly accept payment in peanut butter.

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So what's the point in telling you all this?

Based on our time, effort and commitment to building this company while producing the highest-quality products possible, it would be understandable, expected even, for us to use this forum as an opportunity to continually promote ourselves and our products. And we will certainly do some of that. Promote, promote, promote. But that's not what we're all about. That's not why we created this blog. Because as passionate as we are about our products, that passion stems from our passion about people. And about health and nutrition. That's why we went into the peanut butter business in the first place. We believe that good health begins with a good diet.

No....

Actually our beliefs go further than that.

We believe that good health depends on a good diet. 

But right now, we're living in serious times. Because if the all the pundits and the doctors and the health care experts are to be believed, we are no longer living in a nation of red states and blue states, but we are increasingly a nation of the disabled and diseased.

For example, recent studies laud the fact that obesity levels among adults appear to be holding steady across the United States. But within that holding pattern, there is a 350 percent increase in “extreme” obesity among adults and children. Also, while the numbers are stable, recent studies show that nearly 36 percent of all U.S. adults are obese.

But that's not the worst part.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the percentage of adults over 20 that could be characterized as overweight or obese is......

(drum roll please)

69.2%.

Please let that number marinate for a moment.

69.2%.

This is serious stuff.

We are well beyond the point where we can fuzzy-wuzzy feel good around these facts. So we're going to take some serious turns every now and then. We want to engage in an open and honest dialogue with you about the food we put in our bodies and what we can do, individually and collectively, to seize better control over our greatest and most important gift.

Our health.

Is that okay?

We really hope so.

Thanks for listening good people.

There's more to come....

Betcha didn't know....(chicken nuggets)

Here's a quick "nugget" of information. 

We all get tired. We all get lazy. We all have "go to" foods when we don't feel like going to the store, going to our kitchen, or really thinking about what we're going to eat. 

And on the top of the list of quick and easy "go-to" foods?   

The chicken nugget!

We all know them. Millions and millions and millions of chicken nuggets are bought and eaten each day. Heck...it's almost lunch time. You might be chowing down on a chicken nugget as we speak.  

Now most people know that chicken nuggets aren't exactly a health food. No great surprise there. But it's chicken, right? How bad could they be? 

Well, I'll betcha didn't know......

Just how bad the fast food (and store bought) chicken nugget truly is.

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Myth: It's protein, right? We all need protein. Protein is good for you.

Yes, protein is good for you. But most chicken nuggets are more than 50% fat and contain more carbs than protein. Even worse, the carbs in chicken nuggets are the most unhealthy kind of carbs consisting primarily of breading and fillers.

Myth: But it's chicken, right? 

Kind of. Sometimes. Not really.

This is a chicken:

Most chicken nuggets are made from a meat slurry which is basically a liquified pile of mechanically created goop that is shaped, breaded and flash frozen.

Here's a pic:

Yummy, right?

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Look....we're not food zealots here. Sometimes we all feel like a bit of junk food. Very few things eaten in moderation are going to kill you. But understand, there's a reason why junk food is called, well, junk food. Anything you eat that comes out of a vat or a tube should be eaten sparingly (if at all). 

But chicken nuggets have practically become a food group. 

That's not so good.

So here's an easy option.

Want some chicken nuggets?

Buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Slice into bit sized portions. Dip in flour, dip in egg wash, dip in panko bread crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice.

Delicious!

Your kids will love you.

But your heart will love you more.

Food is our religion: Mike Thelin at TEDxPortland

An Apple a Day is Not Enough

This is an amazing video from poet and teacher (or should it be teacher and poet?) Taylor Mali.

More food for thought.

Do you know what pairs wonderfully with an apple?

Bee-Nut Butter Bliss!

Enjoy.

Welcome to our blog

Welcome to our blog! Thank you for stopping by. We're really glad you're here.

At Bliss Nut Butters, we're on a mission. Our first goal is to create the best tasting, healthiest, all natural nut butters on the market. We understand that when we use words like "healthy" or "all natural," the automatic impulse is to think that food that must be good for you ("health food") can't be food that is also good to you (meaning food that you would actually want to eat). We get it. We've all been there. You enthusiastically buy some "all natural" or "healthy" product in the store. You get it home. Open it up. Insert a fork or spoon. Open your mouth. Place fork or spoon in your mouth. Taste.

And think....

Oh...my....goodness. 

I could caulk my bathroom with this stuff.

You then start thinking wistfully about some deep fried doughnuts. 

The bottom line is pretty simple. If something doesn't taste good, you probably won't buy it. If you do buy it, you probably won't eat it. If you do eat it, you probably won't enjoy it.

Hey...we're just being honest here.

So our first objective, believe it or not, was to create healthy, all natural products that people would actually want to eat.

We think we've succeeded.

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Our first product is Bee-Nut Butter Bliss. Bee-Nut Butter Bliss is an all natural peanut butter made with peanuts, locally produced honey, peanut oil and a hint of sea salt. That's it. It's simple, healthy and absolutely delicious! But don't take our word for it. Read the testimonials. Or better yet, order Bee-Nut Butter Bliss online or buy it at a number of local Portland-area stores. We like to say, "it's so good, you'll eat it with a spoon." 

That said, creating great tasting nut butters is only one part of our mission. The other part, perhaps the most important part, is finding ways to meaningfully impact and improve lives by encouraging better health, fitness and nutrition. Check out our story. As you will see, health and fitness is an important part of our lives. Our company was founded to promote health and wellness. 

That's why we've created this blog.

Yes, we're going to talk about our nut butters. We will share information about new products, new stores where you can buy our products and the dates/times of our in-store demos. But we're also going to do a lot more than that. We're going to talk about health and fitness, exercise and proper nutrition. We're going to share some amazing recipes (not all of which will use peanut butter). We're going to share stories, ours and yours, about healthy living. We're going to talk about reaching out to our community, our schools and our kids.  

But most of all, we're going to encourage each and every one of you, as best you can, in your own unique way, to just....

Live Blissfully.

Thank you, once again, for visiting our blog. 

Let's experience a lot of wonderful things together.