We Started Seed-Snacking

Since I started on a milk-free diet, I noticed I have been eating a lot more healthy foods. I used to eat a lot of sweets, desserts and pastries but not anymore! Okay maybe less and those that do not contain dairy. LOL. But I tell you, I have never been this open in trying new foods and I think it's a blessing in disguise.

From time to time, I crave for sweet treats though and I guess it's just normal. I don't grab ice creams and cakes anymore, I am leaned towards eating fruits, nuts and seeds! Yes, seeds! Besides the pumpkin, squash and watermelon seeds, I've added something into my diet ~ chia seeds! I've heard a about how good it is for the body and you too can read about the chia magic. That's one reason I was curious in trying it out. Also, I never realized there's a lot of things that can be done with it. It even comes in a pouch now which is perfect for snacking.

Don't let the packaging fool you, I believe it's not just for kids. Those Chia Squeeze are also great for adults! Me and my husband tried them as well. And good thing they left me with a pouch. My 4-year old liked it so much that she ate three (3) pouches in one day! I hope it's not too much for her body to take. Oh well, it's done and nothing happened so I guess we're good.

I thought about the trick or treat approaching and we haven't been to the store to buy candies yet. Just the other day, I saw some oranges turned into pumpkin faces and I really loved the idea. I just don't love the fact that it looks cute but the the thing is, you are serving fruits which are a lot better than candies! So I thought, maybe it's better to give out snack pouches like the Mamma Chia Chia Squeeze! They come in six (6) different flavors [Cherry Beet, Blackberry Bliss, Green Magic, Mango Coconut, Strawberry Banana and Wild Raspberry] so the kids can choose their favorite! My daughter's favorite is the Strawberry Banana, I guess it's already a given.

 How about you, what do you plan to give this 31st? Have you tried chia seeds?

DISCLOSURE

I was provided samples of the product mentioned above but everything was based on my honest opinion.

A New Thoroughly Organic Food for Little Ones #PSYum

Whether you are a new mom or not, I guess you would agree that feeding the right stuff for little ones is a must. For new moms, I bet you have a lot on your hands with the household chores and all. Sometimes, you just don't have time to prepare baby foods which are attuned to your healthy lifestyle. No worries, because just awhile ago, I discovered something new!

It's PureSpoon thoroughly organic baby food! As I quote, they use "innovative cool temperature, high-pressure pasteurization to create healthy baby foods and purees with maximum flavor and nutrients". So you don't have to worry about losing nutrients when feeding because most of it stays intact.

Also, this was founded by a working mom who was not satisfied with what she's buying and feeding her baby so she discovered some recipes to feed her own. I guess that's a relief because a mom would definitely not feed her kids some unhealthy stuff that is packed with unknown or hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Right?

I am on a dairy-and-soy free diet because I am nursing my daughter who is allergic to milk and soy. And while their foods are processed in a facility that processes milk, wheat, eggs and nuts, here are some things I like about PureSpoon:

• Made from 100% raw, certified organic produce
• Gluten-free
• Expiration date is easily noticeable
• Recyclable containers
• Last, but not the least, "when you buy an ounce, you give an ounce" with Project Pure Spoon. Feels so nice to be of help! :)

These baby foods come in nine (9) flavors:

• Spinach, Pear and Banana - Stage 2
• Sweet Potato and Apples - Stage 1
• Creamy Avocado and Pears - Stage 1
• Carrots and Zucchini - Stage 2
• Blueberry Banana and Apples - Stage 2
• Simply Carrots - Stage 1
• Apples and Broccoli - Stage 2
• Butternut Squash Apples and Oats - Stage 2
• Creamy Avocado and Apples - Stage 1

There's a label as to what stage you can feed it to your little ones, some are Stage 1 and the others, Stage 2. I am just not sure how they came about that. There must be a scientific explanation to it. But if you want to know for sure, check it out their suggestion here.

Pure Spoon products are available at Whole Foods and Wegmans in nine (9) states including TX, OK, LA, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA and VA. They will probably expand in other states too so you ought to wait! Although in approximately 2 months, they'll be offering these organic purees online too. Yay!!! It's going to easier to take a hold of them by then. Click here if you want to learn more about their products.

DISCLOSURE

I was provided with samples of the product mentioned above although this review was based on my honest opinion and experience in using the product.

Great Tasting Cookie Using a U.S.-Grown Wheat Flour

I have been baking for awhile and I always use the same old brand. Just recently, I went to Target and found one that is new to me - King Arthur Flour. Good thing, I needed some self-rising flour for this summer's baking and found organic ones too! I bake at least once a week though I don't really post everything here in my blog. But from now on, I'll be baking using King Arthur Flour and I am going to share my experience using them too.

King Arthur Flour Unbleached Self-Rising flour doesn't really have much difference compared with the other leading brands, and I mean it in a good way. While using it, I noticed how pure the color is, you won't see crumbs too. The flour looks very well granulated and there's no need to sift it. Saves time, eh? What I like about it is it was "milled from carefully selected 100% U.S-grown wheat", as in the package. I feel very safe in using it knowing it was made from something that was grown in a place I know and trust.

The packaging said it's best for cookies so that's what I tried to bake! :) I found a recipe online via AllRecipes though I altered a few ingredients. I can't find the link anymore though I found it by Googling the keywords "self-rising flour", "cookie" and "allrecipes". I just wanted to let you know that this is not my own. I wanted to give the contributor a credit, I think I'll just update this post when I find it again. :) I chose this recipe because it doesn't contain a lot of ingredients. Besides, I want to do something with what I have and I thought this was perfect.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup Self-Rising flour
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Butter (softened)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 pc Egg (large)
As wanted: Chopped walnuts, Milk chocolate morsels, Marshmallow

Mix wet ingredients with the dry. Line in a cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes. Yields 2 dozens.

The basic ingredients needed.

I added chocolate morsels and chopped walnuts.

Then I noticed I have marshmallows so I cut them into pieces and threw them in the batter too.

 The first, second and third batches! 

The end result: Some yummy, crunchy, chewy, thin but moist cookies!

It was hot that day so I decided to add something cold. :D

Note and Tips:

• If you want to try adding marshmallows, just use like one big piece (for the original recipe) and cut it in very small sizes, smaller than those I did. Marshmallows make the cookie more appetizing but it tends to melt more and if you use a lot, you'll see some part of your cookie melted. Just imagine the moon. For the last batch I even needed to remove the marshmallows! LOL!
• I think the smaller the chocolate morsels are, the better.
• I used the regular milk chocolate morsels and they were great, they didn't really add too much sweetness in the cookie. It would have tasted a bit more different with bittersweet ones.
• Do not heat the butter in the microwave, just let it melt at room temperature. I tried to heat mine and the batter became super moist. So for the last batch, I needed to put it in the fridge first because baking it.
• If you put it in a fridge, use clear wrap and roll. When rolled, it'll be easier to just slice and put it in the sheet. What more, the shape and size of your cookies will probably look almost the same. ;) 

I definitely suggest you use this recipe, it is very easy to do with less ingredients too. Well, the add-ons will depend on you. :) Good luck and happy baking!

DISCLOSURE

I was not paid to do a review of the product/s mentioned above. I was given free samples to try but was not required to do an online review of them. Everything was based on my 100% honest opinion.

Amy's Takes You Around the World!

If you love to travel but don't have time nor resources to do so, let Amy's take you around the globe, at least with food. You know how it's possible? They have a lot of food options from different parts of the world from Thailand, India, Mexico and different states of the US!

Amy's have a wide range of products and I chose to get some family size meals so my loved ones can try them too. They have at least six family size meals to choose from and I get to try three. The instructions said to cut open the plastic cover, but my box has somehow been pre-thawed because it took me 4 hours to go home after getting it from the store. LOL! So I decided to put it in the microwave for only 10 minutes (instead of the original 17 minutes) and it was ready by then.

 

That was the first time I tried Mexican Casserole and I thought it was good! The corn and the beans did not sag after I put them in the microwave. The corn specifically was tasty on it's own and still crunchy. It was like a delicious home-cooked meal prepared only with organic ingredients.

I love curries but I haven't tasted the Thai version. When I saw this flavor, I took it without second thoughts! I was so excited to serve it for dinner yesterday. I used the microwave for the Mexican Casserole so I thought of using the conventional oven for this one. It was rather long because you have to bake it at 375F.

Amy's Thai Red Curry

Well, what can I say, I definitely love the tofu. I read they make their own so it's definitely made from natural and organic ingredients too! I'd say I prefer the curry I am used to, I guess that the Indian recipe. My husband thought Amy's Thai Red Curry was good though.

I was not able to find a family size meal from other countries but I saw they have a lot more option with bowls which is good for one person. You'll see flavors from more countries in Asian, America, India, etc. :) Anyway, the third Amy's product I was able to try is Amy's Cheese Enchilada. It says it's made of organic corn and tomato, I can definitely see and taste the tomato but not the corn. The corn must have been mashed and to serve as a 'filling' together with the rest of the ingredients. The tomato tastes different though, it doesn't taste like the tomato sauces from cans nor boxes, it taste a lot more like real tomato! If you know what I mean. ;)

You can top it with fresh cheese of any flavor, I added some shredded jalapeno on mine. :)

As you can see in the box, they only showed two pieces of enchilada, so when I opened it, I was expecting like two huge pieces. LOL! Anyway, good thing they have like six smaller ones like about 5 or 6 inches each. Great for the whole family indeed!

To know more about Amy's products, visit their website, Facebook page, Twitter account or Youtube channel. By the way, I bought the Amy's products I reviewed at Target and Safeway, you can also find a store near you so you to try them.

DISCLOSURE

I was not paid to do this post. I was given coupons to try any Amy's product but was not required to do an online review of those items. Everything was based on my honest opinion and experience in using the products.

Delicious Non-GMO and USDA Organic Cereals

Since my daughter was born, I became extra careful when feeding her. It scares me now-a-days because almost everything is manufactured with chemicals. I am so glad that natural and organic foods are making it's way back to the grocery aisles!

Speaking of grocery aisles, I was able to find a cereal at Food Lion - Barbara's Organic Snackimals cereals! I was with my 3-year old and she got really excited upon seeing the animals. She pointed at the Panda and said, "I want that Teddy Bear!". LOL! Then she saw the other box and said, "Oh no, I want the Fox!", "Oh no, no, no, I want that one, what's that one?". It was a tiger, she might have thought it was a cat. Ha!

Barbara's Snackimal Cereals come in three different flavors - Cinnamon Crunch, Vanilla Blast and Chocolate Crisp. Before sharing them with my daughter's friends, we had to taste them first. So one breakfast, we decided to try each flavor. I tried to take a picture before pouring the milk so you'd see the difference in color and possibly the shape of the cereals (though it's kind of hard to focus on the shape using my camera).

 

I was surprised a 17-year old girl founded this delicious lineup of organic cereals! I am not a fan of cereals, I buy them only for my daughter. I guess this is the first time I actually liked a "puffed" one. Well it's like semi-puffed because when you bite it, it's crunchy but it's not as soft like the cheesy junk foods. Vanilla Blast is my favorite, I can even eat it on it's own. My daughter likes Chocolate Crisp which is not a surprise. My husband, doesn't really have to choose because he likes all the flavor! LOL! Maybe I should serve him Barbara's Organic Snackimals cereals again tomorrow. Haha!

By the way, I read the labels before opening the boxes and I was surprised to know that besides the healthy stuff they offer:

• Only 7g sugar and 8g whole grains
• Good source of Calcium and fiber
• Non-GMO
• USDA Organic
• The carton is made from 100% recycled materials
• Rainforest Alliance certified

Barbara's also give back to the society by helping non-profit organizations like National Audubon Society's Project Puffin.

Those are not the only products they offer. You can learn more about Barbara's via their website, Facebook page, Twitter profile, Instagram account or Pinterest boards.

DISCLAIMER

I was not required nor compensated in any way to do a review of the product/s mentioned above. I applied via Mom's Meet for a chance to share the product with my friends. Everything was based on my 100% honest opinion.

Coconut Coffee and Ice Cream

Summer will officially start in less than a week and I bet you can already feel the warmth of the scorching sun! Haven't turned the AC yet because we have a home improvement project going on and the vents have not been cleaned. Anyway, this makes me want to snack on cold food and drinks. I can't think of anything but ice cream and cold coffee. And I found some organic ones!

It's my first time to try a vanilla ice cream with soy as milk. Well, what can I say, SO Delicious Soymilk Vanilla Ice Cream's taste is something I have never tasted before. I imagined it'll be sweet just like soy milk, but somehow it's not. Yes, it has that creamy taste but it lacks sweetness. So I had to add some caramel bits and also some chocolate morsels. My 3-year old did not like the taste but my husband was able to manage with the add-on treats.

Now, to the next cold treat! I guess me and my husband have extremely different taste buds. He was the first to So Delicious Cococcino and he said he can taste the coconut more than the coffee itself. So I tried it myself and I thought, no not really, it was a good coffee! (You should know I was once a barista.) Cappuccino's have foam but this one doesn't. To me it doesn't matter as long as it is delicious! This single pack Cococcino has a resealable cap so you can bring it along for a walk, put it in you bag and it still won't spill. For me, it's best with crushed iced. I love drinking it as a snack. It's refreshing! I wasn't able to try but I bet it'll be a great smoothie, with some chocolate shavings on top. Oooh!

SO Delicious products are organic, dairy-free and most of all Fair Trade. I love that these products are Fair Trade because every time I purchase those products, I know I am helping farmers get fair share from doing the hard work.

DISCLAIMER

I was not paid in anyway to do a review of the products mentioned above. I was given samples to try but everything was based on my 100% honest opinion.