Little Duck Organics Giveaway!

 Little Duck Organics make Tiny Fruits, which are freeze dried fruit snacks in three awesome flavors, Strawberry & Mango, Blueberry & Apple, Apple & Banana, and Pineapple & Mango. My kids absolutely loved them! Even my 8 year old ate them and didn't complain once that they were "baby snacks". It can be so hard to find snacks that all the kids will eat, and that I feel good about giving them. Tiny Fruits have 100% Fruit, No Added Sugar, No Added Zombies, and they are Perfect for Kiddos 6 Months+.

Try picturing a graphic designer, some freeze dried fruit, Dubstep , and a band of woodland creatures.  If your eyes are burning, you’re doing it right.   Borne out of a desire to find organic, no-sugar added snacks he’d feel comfortable giving to his children, Zak Normandin dreamed up Little Duck Organics (First drafts included “Little Honey Badger Organics” and “Little Alpaca Organics.” He quickly scrapped those. In 2009, Zak made Little Duck Organics a reality.

 A couple years and some awesome recruits later, Little Duck Organics has grown into THE most fun company around.(We can’t really substantiate this claim, but come hang out with us for an afternoon, and we think you’ll agree.)  All of us at LDO are committed to dressing cool being fun, and producing innovative, nutritious, no-sugar added products for the four feet and under crowd. In addition to creating good food, LDO desires to do good things.

We’ve made the decision to support some amazing organizations that are fighting to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition in children worldwide LDO has teamed up with For Humanity which facilitates 1% of all revenues to be used for humanitarian purposes. And that’s the Little Duck Organics story in a nutshell (mm, eggshell?). We’re a cool company started by one guy with a mission to provide kids with good food for a healthy lifestyle and world domination. Okay, forget the world domination and just focus on the good and healthy. That's what we're all about.


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Summer is the perfect time for (pox) parties!

 To Vaccinate or Not? How about a Chicken Pox Party instead?

My 8 year old is completely vaccinated up to 6 years old. My youngest two, ages 3 and 19 months have no vaccines. Why? Because I didn't know better! I continue to tell myself that one day we will get some vaccines, but as my kids get older, I'm not sure I believe myself anymore. I came across this awesome post from The Mommypotamus this morning:

Pox Parties: Proven Immunization or Russian Roulette?

I have heard about Pox Parties, but never really considered it before reading this! It all makes perfect sense! I talked to my husband this morning for a few minutes, when I told him about moms sending infected lollipops through the mail, he laughed. He has no idea.  I especially enjoyed the part about boosting the parents immunity to shingles. Since I had Chicken Pox, and the vaccine, as a child, and my younger sister has already had an outbreak of shingles, it is something that has been on my mind.

 

 Here is an excerpt from the post:

So Why Not Just Skip Both??

Ahhh, that’s a great question! There are several reasons you want your kids to have natural immunity from the chicken pox.
Reason #1: Contracting chicken pox during the first trimester of pregnancy can cause birth defects, so it’s important that women be immune. If the mother had the illness as a child, she will pass on antibodies through the placenta during pregnancy and additional ones via breast milk after the birth. This protects the child until around weaning age when their immune system is functional enough to handle the illness. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that artificially gained immunity can be passed on in this way, which leaves children under 12 months extremely vulnerable.

Reason #2: Allowing children to contract natural chicken pox prevents death later on. According to this article, “After contracting and recovering from chickenpox (usually as a child), as you age, your natural immunity gets asymptomatically “boosted” by coming into contact with infected children, who are recovering from chickenpox. This natural “boosting” of natural immunity to the varicella (chickenpox) virus helps protect you from getting shingles later in life.” This means that as our children grow up, they need their children to contract chicken pox to boost their immunity and prevent shingles (which can be life-threatening). As we’ve already discussed, the chicken pox vaccine  is associated with an increased risk for shingles. Merck knows this, so they have introduced Zoster, an anti-shingle vaccine meant to counteract the effect of the chicken pox vaccine later in life. A vaccine to “fix” the problems with the previous vaccine with no long term studies on effectiveness? No, thank you!
(Note: And individual should only experience shingles once (if ever) as an adult. If it it becomes a chronic condition that indicates immune system dysfunction)

Reason #3: The vaccine has a relatively high rate of failure and wears off with time. According to Dr. Jane Seward, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, an outbreak of chickenpox at a New Hampshire day care center revealed a failure rate of about 60%. The outbreak in 23 children began with a child who had been vaccinated, contradicting the belief that such “breakthrough” cases are not contagious. The child, a 4-year-old, was confirmed not to have developed chickenpox infection from the vaccine, but probably developed it after exposure to a sibling with shingles.5
How long each vaccine lasts varies from person to person, so there can easily be a significant gap in immunity. These “breakthrough” cases and gaps leave open the real possibility that our children will contract the illness post-puberty, which leads to a higher risk for pregnancy related birth defects, other complications and death.
Also, because the chicken pox vaccine contains a live (but weakened) version of the chicken pox, recently vaccinated individuals often feel well enough to be out-and-about during the period they are “shedding” the virus. This means they can easily come into contact with babies and immuno-compromised individuals – those that “herd immunity” is theorized to protect. On the flipside, people who actually have chicken pox are at home resting for much (but not all) of the time that they’re contagious, thus reducing potential contact with vulnerable groups.
  FINISH READING HERE!

What’s Up Cupcake: Not Just Another Cupcake Truck, Or How I Gained 5lbs In One Sitting

I had the pleasure of indulging in one of my favorite foodie pastimes recently: gourmet cupcakes. You crave the little delectable morsels the more you discover that there are wonders in Houston far beyond the bygone days of Betty Crocker cake mixes and foil cups. These are not your mom’s bake sale cupcakes. Houston’s What’s Up Cupcake takes their show on the road and what an incredible, edible, covered in sky-high frosting show it is!

I was on my way home with some takeout for dinner when I spotted their divine Airstream trailer as it glistened in the late afternoon sun just past the intersection of Pinemont and Antoine. Like some gleaming, irresistible sugary beacon, as though hypnotized I drove my car in to the parking lot of Itty Bitty Burger Barn where What’s Up Cupcake had set up shop.

I made small talk with the adorable gal, all red lipstick and vintage flair, running the truck that day, alternately asking about flavors and gushing about how there never seemed to be any foodtrucks in our area and “omg! a cupcake truck!” In the end I settled on 6 dainty cakes: Carrot Cake (with cream cheese frosting), Salted Caramel, Nutella, Bavarian Cream, Birthday Cake and Chocolate Ganache. Each cupcake was moist and fluffy and topped with a heap of buttercream frosting so delightfully melt-in-your-mouth I could turn it in to its own food group.

What’s Up Cupcake’s flavors are inspired and expertly executed, the dreamy creations tasting exactly as described (their online menu reads like a dessert-lover’s dream http://whatsupcupcake-houston.com/cupcakes.php) And yes, I begrudgingly shared them with my husband and sons (aged 6 & 7) but of course wish I hadn’t had to. The general consensus was that we’d collectively reached Cupcake Nirvana. I look forward to many more run-ins with the What’s Up Cupcake truck – so many flavors, so little time.

Current location and other details can be found on their site: http://whatsupcupcake-houston.com/index.php  

 Written by Nicole Nesson

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Nitrates and Nitrites...Oh My!

Taken from the EPA:
Nitrates and nitrites are chemicals used in fertilizers, in rodenticides (to kill rodents), and as food preservatives (1-5). Nitrates and nitrites come in various forms, but when dried are typically a white or crystalline powder. Nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-) are also naturally-occurring compounds that are a metabolic product of microbial digestion of wastes containing nitrogen, for example, animal feces or nitrogen-based fertilizers (2, 4). Sodium and potassium nitrates are used as fumigants in canisters, which are placed underground in rodent dens and holes, and then ignited to explode and release gases that kill the rodents (1, 3). Sodium nitrite is a food additive that is used as a preservative (4, 5). 

YIKES!

Do Hot Dogs Cause Cancer?

There have been a lot of studies over the years. Some have found an association between cured meat consumption and certain types of cancers in adults, whereas others have found no link. But just this year, there was a study finding that kids who eat three or more hot dogs a week have a higher than normal rate of leukemia. Other studies found that eating hot dogs during pregnancy can increase the risk of brain tumors in the babies.

Understandably, there are now calls to ban the use of nitrites and nitrates in processed foods. But the truth is that unless you eat cold cuts at every single meal, cured meats are probably not the biggest source of nitrates and nitrites in your diet. You know what is? (You’re not going to believe this.) Vegetables account for most of the nitrates and nitrites in a typical diet.

That’s right: the more vegetables you eat, the higher your intake of nitrates and nitrites. Nevertheless, eating more vegetables reduces your risk of cancer. Obviously, it’s an over-simplification to say that these compounds cause cancer.

How Nitrites and Nitrates Become Harmful

Nitrates and nitrites are both naturally occurring substances found in food and water, and are produced by living cells. They’re involved in many important chemical reactions in the body. In fact, you could argue that nitrates and nitrites are essential to health.

However, they can also react with other compounds—either in a food or in your body—to form cancer-causing substances. These reactions are more likely to occur in the presence of protein. Meat is, of course, mostly protein.

But nitrites are much less likely to be converted into harmful chemicals in the presence of vitamin C and other antioxidants.

Nitrites are much less likely to be converted into harmful chemicals in the presence of vitamin C and other antioxidants.

In most of the studies that found a link between cured meats and cancer, the link was only observed in people who ate the most cured meat and the least vitamin C. People who ate a lot of cured meat but also got plenty of vitamin C had no increase in cancer rates.

Vegetables contain vitamin C. And that’s why eating a lot of vegetables doesn’t increase your risk of cancer, even though vegetables contain a lot of nitrates. In fact, eating vegetables lowers your cancer risk because of all the other cancer-fighting compounds they contain.

Are There Nitrates in Your Water?

For some people, the question is not what’s in your food but what’s in your water. Nitrates are used extensively as fertilizer in non-organic farming operations and the run-off often contaminates groundwater. If you live on or near a farm, you might want to have your water tested because that’s likely to be the most significant source of your nitrate exposure.

How to Minimize Your Cancer Risk

So, my advice about nitrites and nitrates is this: Don’t panic. Although there is cause for concern, you can minimize the health risks with these quick and dirty tips: 

1. Be especially careful during pregnancy: Developing fetuses are by far the most vulnerable to the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines. Avoid cured meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and ham during pregnancy. Also, if you live on or near a farm, be sure to have your water tested and/or drink bottled water during your pregnancy.

2. Buy nitrite-free hot dogs, especially if your kids eat a lot of hot dogs: They taste just like regular hot dogs.

3. Limit your consumption of cured meat: Don’t eat cured meats every day.

4. Cook your bacon slowly: Cook your bacon slowly over low heat and be very careful not to burn it. When you cook bacon quickly over high heat, it produces tons of nitrosamines. When you cook it gently, it produces much less. You can also find nitrite-free bacon.

5. Eat more vegetables: Eat your vegetables—especially when you are eating cured meats. The antioxidants in vegetables inhibit the conversion of nitrites into harmful compounds.

    

    

    

   Nitrite/Nitrate free options:

   

    

   Hormel® Natural Choice® Meats

   The great-tasting, all-natural products you can feel good about eating and serving. No preservatives, artificial ingredients or MSG. No nitrites or nitrates added. And they're gluten free, too.

    

   

    Applegate Organics

   All of the meat, none of the mystery.

   
   

   
   

   
   

Flufftastic Summer Celebration Giveaway Hop

I will be participating in a Cloth Diaper giveaway hop in August featuring prizes from

 Bloom Baby - Handmade Goods For Modern Families

Hosted by Eco Baby Mama Drama  and Mama on a Green Mission.  There will be a ton of cloth diaper prizes available all valued at $30 or more!

Sign up for $40 woth of manicure goodies for only a penny!

This was my July box! Loving the America glitter polish!



1. Follow this link to Julep.   
2. click on the box that says take the style quiz
3. after you have done that and you get your results click “sign me up”
4. once it takes you to your box click “add to bag”
5. at checkout use coupon code COLORS4ONE
6. after you choose your state it will take your total down to $.01 shipped!!!!!
7. People are saying it comes up as $1.91 until you choose your shipping state, then it is marked down to a penny
Now this is a monthly subscription so be sure and cancel for next month after your order comes if you don’t want to stay on as a subscriber. I just got my box (I paid $5 for it, you’re lucky to snag it for a penny!) and I LOVE the products!! I’m definitely staying on, I can’t wait to see what I get next month!!
If you choose not to receive another shipment, be sure to cancel, pause or skip a shipment by the 24th of May so you will not be charged for the May shipment. Just call 877.651.3292 Monday –Friday 9am-5pm PST to cancel

Heritage Falls Soy Candles!

2 Weeks ago I found some Cotton Candy scented soy candles at Target. They smelled amazing so I bought some, of course. After they burned up, too quickly, I googled cotton candy candle to see if I could find some more. During my online search I came across Heritage Falls candles in Nebraska.

About Heritage Falls Candles (from the website):
HAND-POURED FROM THE HEARTLAND—Heritage Falls has come full circle through our past 10 years of experience in the candle-making industry. We started creating our product with paraffin wax blends and had an excellent customer base. However, the switch to making our highly fragrant candles with 100% SOY wax has exploded our market! We do not blend our soy with paraffin wax, but rather produce our candles with 100% soy in order to maximize the clean burning benefits of candle burning.

We are committed to producing a quality product that "throws" a fragrance well and at the same time does not clutter your interior walls with black soot. Though the paraffin-soy debate is HOT right now, we believe we have developed a candle that enhances your home and work environment while supporting American agriculture, taking pride in our hand-made process. OUR WICKS ARE LEAD-FREE!!

I emailed them and asked if they would like to sponsor a giveaway, and lucky for you guys they did!

I had never seen a cotton candy scented candle before, and the candle from Target did smell awesome, but did not last as long I thought it should. The Spun Sugar candle I was sent from Heritage Falls is still going strong after 2 weeks of daily (1-2 hours) of use!

I also received some of their meltable soy Qubes (similar to Scentsy offerings) that smell exactly like my candle. The nightlight warmer is really cute and fit in with my home decor nicely.

The Qubes and candles are made with 100% American grown Soy wax. They are clean burning and smell amazing. The scent fills my home quickly and lasts!

One last awesome note, before we get to the giveaway, they offer fundraisers! You can earn 50% of your sales for your group/cause selling awesome candles that are much better for you and your home than traditional wax candles!


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Can you really just switch to organics?

I hate how articles like this one make it seem so easy to switch to organic foods.


Our family of five tries to stick to a food budget of $600 a month, including raw chicken for our four English Bull Terriers. It's tough enough without buying everything organic! We stopped buying dairy milk, (here is some information on why) unless its from a local farm that sells raw milk. I prefer to buy our eggs there too, but a separate trip to a farm for just milk and eggs isn't always in the cards. We drink coconut milk in our house, and besides the kids not liking it with cereal, no one misses the cows milk. Besides, cereal is really only another junk food, so its a win/win in my opinion. I do buy cage free eggs in the grocery store, but not organic.

I buy all of the fruit and veggies that the kids will be eating, but organic strawberries can be as much as three times the price of regular. If its in the dirty dozen and i cant afford organic, I don't buy it.
I buy Sanderson farms all natural chicken by the cartload on the days its marked down at HEB, for 50% to 75% off and spend the same or less than i would on traditional chicken. I even manage to score organic chicken the same way quite often. I have a small deep freezer in the garage that i bought on craigslist for $50 about 3 years ago. It has really helped us eat better and save money since I can stock up when I see deals like these.

The hardest thing for us to change in our house has been the snacks. We were never big on pop tarts, but god, i love me some little debbie! When I buy awful junk like this I usually try to keep it hidden from the kids and eat it after they have gone to bed. I have two ice cream makers so I make our own ice cream with raw milk and whatever fruit or nuts i have on hand.
Here are some home made, real food, alternatives to the over processed junk even I am guilty of buying.

Cheese crackers
Pop tarts
Chicken noodle soup
Chocolate truffles

Check out a whole list of Whole Foods recipes here.

In most cases its not the organic part that really matters. You should focus on cutting back as much on processed foods as you can. It does take more time and effort, but as you can see from the statistics below, it is well worth it.

TruKids Body Wash

TruKid creates natural and non-toxic kids skincare products. Each of the products has been designed to protects, sooth, cleans, condition, and treat sensitive skin. They are gentle, natural and organic products.
TruKid doesn’t stop with what’s in the bottle. The bottles themselves are green packaging, recycling friendly and are minimal to reduce waste.


My munchkins received a bottle of TruKid Bubbly Body Wash to review a couple of weeks ago. They are in love! It has an awesome scent that isn't too strong. The Bubbly Body Wash has received awesome reviews on their website, it is a great choice for families trying to avoid unpronounceable chemical in their kids products. They are BPA, Phalate, and Gluten Free!


Description taken from website:
After a busy day of school or play, give your body a bubbly wash at the end of the day! Our Bubbly Body Wash has an uplifting aroma in a mild coconut derived cleanser. This is a mild, safe cleanser for skin that effectively removes surface oil, and dirt without stripping or drying sensitive skin. Bubble your way through the end of the day! 8oz. bottle.

We want our customers to have a positive experience with our products, but also know that we are all individuals with individual skin types and needs so we recommend for any new product you try: to first do a Patch Test. A Patch Test is a method used to determine if a specific substance causes allergic inflammation of the skin. Apply the product to a small patch of skin on your forearm. Wait 24 hours to see if there is any reaction to any of the ingredients. We highly recommend doing this if you or your children already have skin sensitivities or are pregnant. If you develop any inflammations, discontinue use.

Directions; One to two squirts of our Bubbly Body Wash in a washcloth or loofah will have you bubbling up some fun in the bath or shower! Use Bubbly Body Wash daily to get ready for play or to wash away the dirt of the day! Bubbly Body Wash offers safe, gentle and sudsy fun for all ages! Also doubles as a great bubble bath!


And now for the fun, a giveaway!


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My First Crayola Giveaway!

Who doesn't love arts and crafts? Having such young kids in my household, it can sometimes turn into a disaster! I was thrilled to be chosen for the My First Crayola review and giveaway.

Check out some of the products in the new My First Crayola™ line!

Art Tools My First Crayola™ Washable Crayons, Markers and Stampers are designed to fit neatly in a toddler’s palm, and are just the right size and shape for a child to create their first artistic expression. For children age 12 mos +.

Triangular Crayons & Washable Markers My First Crayola™ art tools progress from easy-to-grasp washable crayons, marker holders and stampers, to triangular shaped crayons that guide a child’s hand into a proper writing grip. The shape also makes it easier for little ones to draw in a more purposeful and controlled way. For children age 24 mos +.

Mess-Free Activities Toddlers can have clean, colorful and creative fun with My First Crayola Mess-Free Marker & Paper and My First Crayola™ Mess-Free Fingerpaint and Paper. When used on magic mess-free paper, special markers and fingerpaints instantly reveal colorful patterns with no mess on skin, walls or fabric. Mess-Free Marker & Paper is recommended for children age 12 mos. + and Mess-Free Finger Paint for children 24 mos. +.





The supplies were perfect for my 18 month old and 3 year old. My 8 year old wasn't too thrilled but participated anyway.

Now for the giveaway!

Enter below to win:
My First Crayola™ Washable Crayons
My First Crayola™ Washable Markers
My First Crayola™ Washable Stampers
My First Crayola™ Washable Dry-Erase Activity Mat
One specially marked box of original Cheerios® cereal






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Boogie Wipes Giveaway!

We absolutely love Boogie Wipes. They are a bit pricier than tissues, of course, but how can you put a price on the comfort of sick babies?

I received a pack of the simply unscented flavor ( I know the correct term is scent, but I like to say flavor...) to review. My husband actually used most of the pack because he has been sick a few times this spring and was happy he didn't have to smell like a man grape at work. Me and the kids prefer the grape scent and I'm not too fond of the fresh scent. We have not tried the mint flavor. 

Taken from Boogie Wipes website:

Boogie Wipes are made with natural saline to dissolve boogies (mucus) caused by the common cold, allergies or otherwise booger-filled kid moments.

Extra soft, alcohol, phthalate and paraben free, Boogie Wipes are available in Great Grape, Fresh Scent, Minty Menthol and Simply Unscented. Recommended by pediatricians as a gentle, effective alternative to a dry tissue.

Boogie wipes has offered 1 lucky ready (2) 30 count packs of Boogie Wipes in a combination of flavors they will choose for you! 

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Bob's Red Mill Review and Giveaway

I was sent an awesome assortment of product from Bob's Red Mill to review and I'm so excited to share the recipes that I used them in. As most of you know I have 3 children, 2 girls ages 8 and 3 and a 17 month old son. Our slow shift to whole foods has been a little rough on them. They still get the occasional cheeto, and a few other random junk foods, but we never buy Pop Tarts any more. I was excited to find this recipe for a home made whole wheat healthy pop tart! It doesn't have any frosting or icing, but you could add a few sprinkles on top for your kids if its a big deal! I used the Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and it made the crust nice and flaky.

I used the hazelnut flour to replace some of the flour in my famous Browned Butter Chocolate Chip cookies. The flavor was awesome. It didn't affect the density of the cookies but added soo much nutty flavor!

You can find the recipes to make these awesome tasty treats in the Recipes tab at the top of the page!


Now is your chance to win some of this awesomeness! One lucky reader will win a $20 gift card and cookbook from Bob's Red Mill!

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Target Summer Beauty Bag is here!

https://beautysummerfd.prizelogic.com/Mobile

Wholesome Sweeteners

 Sugar alternatives are very important to our family. Since I deal with a lot of dental problems from my incurable sweet tooth and poor dental hygiene as a child, I strive to provide a healthy alternative for my children.

I received an awesome sampling of Wholesome Sweeteners sugars and alternatives to review.

Taken from their website:
Based in Sugar Land, Texas, Wholesome Sweeteners celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2011. In addition to bringing the best organic natural, unrefined sweeteners to the North American market, Wholesome pioneered the certification process for Fair Trade Certified TM sugar and honey. Today, Wholesome Sweeteners is the category leader in Fair Trade Certified, organic and natural sugars, syrups, nectars and honeys produced from nature's best resources.
The company is a joint venture between Imperial Sugar Incorporated, one of the largest US sugar companies, and Edward Billington & Son, Europe’s leading importer of natural and organic unrefined sugars

Our Mission

• To supply only the finest organic and natural sugar products from ethically and environmentally responsible growers and manufacturers;
• To provide consumers with the choice of safe, flavorful, organic and natural sugars that are produced with respect for the environment, human welfare, food safety and the health and nutritional needs of consumers' families;
• To be the premier supplier of added-value natural and organic sweeteners to retail, foodservice and industrial food manufacturing markets of North America.

Their newest offering is Organic Coconut Palm sugar which tastes amazing in my coffee!

The nutrient-rich sugar is known to contain potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron & vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6. It is a whole brown sugar with a deep caramel flavor and can be used as a one for one replacement in recipes for conventional brown sugar. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Coconut Palm Sugar is great for cooking, baking, sauces, oatmeal and hot and cold beverages. TV’s Dr. Oz recently named Coconut Palm Sugar the best NEW sugar alternative.
Because our hand-made sugar comes from the sweet sap of the coconut flower and not the coconut fruit itself, our Organic Coconut Palm Sugar does not taste like coconut but will still add a tropical flare to all of your recipes.
Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Coconut Palm Sugar is fairly traded and sustainably grown by small farmer cooperatives in Indonesia on the island of Java. The coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera) has been harvested for over 4000
Organic Coconut Palm Sugar is a beautiful granular sugar made from the sap of the coconut palm tree flower that condenses while vigorously stirred by hand.
Scan me with your smart phone for more information about Organic Coconut Palm Sugar.
years; each tree can be tapped for 25-40 years. Farmers harvest all year round and use every part of the coconut palm tree: the coconut fruit for meat and water, and the fibrous husk of the coconut for twine or weaving material.

Today I made some delicious Browned Butter Chocolate Cupcakes, check out the recipes tab! I used the organic powdered sugar for the buttercream and it has such an amazing flavor. Very rich but not as painfully sweet as traditional powdered sugar. It is divine!

Here is a coupon for $1 off their Fair Trade Organic Honey .

And now for the best part!

Enter to win an awesome gift basket full of delicious goodies from Wholesome Sweeteners!

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May 12th is the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

May 12th is the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
On Saturday May 12th, Campbell Soup and the National Association of Letter Carriers will team up for the 20th year to collect food donations for millions of Americans who are struggling with hunger for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Stamp Out Hunger is a nationwide effort that provides food to local food banks and pantries that would otherwise face depleted stock during the summer months. Food Banks across the country continue to experience record demand for emergency food assistance.
Over 210,000 Letter Carriers nationwide will be collecting non-perishable foods left next to mailboxes by generous Americans in over 10,000 communities and will deliver them to food banks and other hunger relief organizations.
Campbell Soup will kick off this years Stamp Out Hunger by pledging to donate one million pounds of food to Feeding America.
The need for donations is quickly on the rise. Last year, an estimated 49 million Americans were living in homes with an insecure supply of food. One in every five of those Americans was a child, which is an estimated 16 million children last year that did not have the food they needed.
What you can do to help: Just leave a bag of non-perishable food by where your letter carrier delivers your mail on Saturday May 12th. Your letter carrier will then pick up the bag and deliver it to a local food bank.
Non-perishable items include: Canned foods such as Soup, Meats, Fruits, Vegetables, Beans, etc. Boxed goods such as Cereal, Pasta, Rice, etc. Please take the time to clean out your pantry and help another fill theirs.

My urban garden!

Do you grow your own veggies?

I have started my veggie garden a few months ago and things are really coming along! I planted Organic sunflowers, peas, squash, swiss chard, spinach, bluebonnets, and peas. I bought lavander, peppermint, spearamint, and basil from HEB as well as non organic tomato and blackberry plants. I also sprouted an avacado seed, once its big enough I will move it into the yard. I have to keep the plants potted on a table on the back porch because my english bull terriers love their veggies!

P.S. When i googled how to sprout an avacado seed, I read that you should stab it with toothpicks and rest it over the sides of a bowl. I'm lazy and just washed the seeds from my avacados, covered them with water in a bowl and changed out the water whenever I remembered. Once the tree is a couple feet tall, I will have to find someone with a producing avacado tree and graft a piece of their tree to mine if I want fruit. I posted on the houstonraw yahoo group to find someone with a tree.

If you would like a chance to win a pack of bluebonnet seeds, leave a comment on my facebook page telling me your favorite flower!

Dominos has gluten free crust!

Wow! Domino’s is releasing their new Gluten Free pizza crust! The new crust is made with: Water Rice Flour Rice Starch Olive Oil Potato Starch

Burger King

Since we moved to Bear Creek we are sooo much closer to soo much fast food. With all of the parties, vet trips and colds going on this past few weeks we have eaten out more than I would like to admit. I usually opt for the best dollar menu and in my opinion Burger King has it!

With an expanded menu that includes classic items, along with a wide range of exciting, new offerings, BURGER KING® is giving you even more reason to HAVE IT YOUR WAY®! Sure to appeal to WHOPPER® lovers, as well as those seeking more choices, the enhanced menu includes a variety of made-to-order Garden Fresh Salads, Snack Wraps, Real Fruit Smoothies, Frappés and Crispy Chicken Strips.

Since 1954 BURGER KING® has been committed to offering great-tasting, fire-grilled food and the WHOPPER® Sandwich has been proved to be America’s Favorite Burger year after year. Over the past nine months, BURGER KING® has created and tested more than two dozen new products and they are committed to providing you with the products that are best-in-class and true to their heritage of great taste. Based on extensive consumer feedback, BURGER KING® is rounding out their menu to provide more choice and something for everyone! Visit the nearest participating BURGER KING® to try any one of these new options with your friends and family today! New Garden Fresh Salads at BURGER KING® are made fresh daily with premium ingredients that can be topped with your choice of TENDERCRISP® or juicy TENDERGRILL® chicken. Varieties include: Chicken BLT Garden Fresh Salad ~ made with a three cheese blend, thick cut bacon, tomatoes and red onion, served with Ken’s® Avocado Ranch dressing Chicken, Apple and Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad ~ made with crisp apples, dried cranberries, bleu cheese and Ken’s® Apple Cider Vinaigrette Chicken Caesar Garden Fresh Salad ~ made with 100% romaine lettuce, tomatoes, shaved parmesan cheese, and home-style croutons New Snack Wraps at BURGER KING® provide quick, flavorful snacks for less than 400 calories each. Snack Wrap options include: Honey Mustard Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap ~ A flour tortilla filled with crispy, marinated white meat chicken, a three-cheese blend,  and a combination of spring mix, romaine and iceberg lettuce, all topped with Ken’s® Honey Mustard Dressing Ranch Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap ~ A flour tortilla filled with crispy, marinated white meat chicken, a three-cheese blend,  and a combination of spring mix, romaine and iceberg lettuce, all topped with Ken’s® Ranch Dressing New Crispy Chicken Strips at BURGER KING® are made with white meat tenderloin chicken, marinated and lightly battered in seasoned home-style breading. The new Crispy Chicken Strips are perfect for dipping in one of eight BK® classic or bold new sauces and are available in 3 or 5 piece servings New Real Fruit Smoothies at BURGER KING® are offered in 12, 16, and 20oz. servings, and are made fresh to order with real fruit, low-fat yogurt and juices blended together. Each smoothie provides a full serving of fruit and is offered in the following varieties: Tropical Mango Strawberry Banana Rich and smooth Frappés at BURGER KING® are made to order and provide the perfect combination of sweet Mocha or Caramel flavors, a hint coffee and ice. Offered in 12, 16, and 20oz. servings, frappes are available in the following varieties: Mocha Frappé ~ The perfect combination of sweet flavor, a hint of coffee and ice all topped with whipped topping and a swirl of fudge Caramel Frappé ~ The perfect combination of sweet flavor, a hint of coffee and ice all topped with whipped topping and a swirl of caramel *At participating restaurants, nutritionals available upon request*

“Disclosure:  The coupons, product information, and additional gift pack have been provided courtesy of Burger King Corporation through MyBlogSpark.”

A long week!

We had my daughters 8th birthday party and my little sisters 23rd birthday parties last weekend! It was a blast and I managed it without a single piece of candy! The cupcakes were home made with organic can sugar and whole wheat flours. Of course the you can't really make buttercream frosting healthy, but everything in moderation. For the treat bags, I found sticky mustaches, diner style order tickets, stickers and temporary tattoos at party city.

Olivia, Iris' little sister.

Little Soya Soy Sauce Review and Giveaway!

Since our switch to whole foods, dinner can get a little boring since most of our fallback condiments are off limits. Alex and I do still enjoy the occasional mayo and miracle, but baby steps right? I found Little Soya Soy Sauce at the HEB on I10 and Bunker Hill a few months ago (before the switch) and my kids were so excited. The cute little fish shaped containers were all it took, they didnt even care what was inside! The kids use the sauce on all kinds if stuff! Our favorite is steamed rice with veggies and Little Soya. Iris loves it with celery, weird, I know. The flavor is so rich without the overpowering salt flavor found in most soy sauces. To be considered a whole food a product must have no more than 5 ingredients. Little soya doesnt quite qualify, it does have 8 ingredients, but it is a lesser evil in my opinion. They are releasing an all natural, gmo free version this year along with an all natural gmo free hot sauce called Little Saucy. I cant wait for the hot sauce since Alex and I arent big on soy sauce.
Enter to win a Little Soya Soy Sauce prize pack!