GO VEGGIE® cheese alternatives thumbs up or thumbs down?

GO VEGGIE® cheese alternatives thumbs up or thumbs down?  Hard to say.  The GO VEGGIE® Lactose & Soy Free Bars in the Sriracha was good with some crackers as a snack.  My 19 month old daughter even had some.  It comes in individual packaging so it's great for traveling with kids. Good thing is I got it for free from BzzAgent!

Here are highlights about the cheese from the company:

• 2 flavors: White Cheddar, Sriracha
• 50 calories each
• 40% more calcium than ordinary cheese
• 50% less saturated fat
• No cholesterol, gluten or lactose        

I found the GO VEGGIE® cheese and cream cheese in the produce section of Publix near the tofu.  Deciding on which cream cheese flavor was difficult.  I went with the chive & garlic and regret my decision.  The plain might have been better.  Normally I like the taste of dairy free products so I'm thinking it was just the flavor of the cream cheese that I did not like.  

My daughter enjoyed it!  My husband did not care for it but he loves his milk! For me it was just the flavor that I did not enjoy.  I would eat the cheese again though. #HealthierCheese #GotItFree

Raving Fan of Tropicana Vitamin C + Zinc

My husband and I like to make fresh squeezed OJ in our juicer. Since having my daughter, little over a year ago the juicer has been stored in the closet. We just do not have the time to make fresh squeezed OJ these days. On Friday we received our #tryforfree Tropicana Vitamin C + Zinc bottle of juice. It has three times as much Vitamin C and is made without added sugars, water or preservatives, Tropicana Vitamin C & Zinc has 3x as much Vitamin C as regular OJ. That must be why it tastes so good! My husband's comment was, "is it just me or does this taste really good?"

Even our daughter could not get enough in her sippy cup. We finished off the bottle in 3 days! Eventually we will go back to making our own fresh juices! In the meantime we will be purchasing more Tropicana.

Crest® Pro-Health Advanced Mouthwash + Extra Whitening

Carrots, Kale and Sweet Potato

Carrots, Kale and Sweet Potato -  Baby Recipe

This is a super easy recipe and great for Baby!

My Baby is anemic so I have added Kale, Spinach and chickpeas to her diet.

For this recipe I took:

• 1 carrot
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 kale leaf

Steamed it in Cuisinart Baby Food Maker for 25 minutes and then chopped it up to my desired consistency!  You may freeze in ice cube trays or fancy 2 oz glass containers.  So easy to pack up in the morning for day care!  Baby loves this recipe.

Easy Healthy Baby Recipe

Avocado and Banana 

Take a fresh ripe banana and ripe avocado and mush together!

So simple and tasty! Baby will love it and you will feel good about what you are feeding her.

Organic Baby Recipe

Veggie Lentil Medley

Makes 1 1/2 cups or 12 1- ounce servings

- 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 - to 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-to 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup sliced celery
- 1/2 cup cooked lentils

add 1/4 cup parsley for extra flavor (still yummy without)

1. If you have a baby food processor like the Cuisinart Baby which I highly recommend you can use it to steam and chop all at once. Use 225 ml water. The Cuisinart Baby makes clean up easier, only one thing to wash when you are done!

2. Put the squash, carrots, parsley and celery into the work bowl fitted with the steam blade bowl with lid.

3. Once steaming is done, add the lentils to the bowl and process until it is the desired consistency for Baby!

4. Lentils are a great protein source for your Baby! You can save some cooked ones and add them to your puree if you want to thicken it up.

5. I freeze them in ice cube trays and take them out each day to bring to day care!

Best Butternut Squash Soup

- butternut squash

- 5 shallots

- chicken broth

- olive oil

- salt and pepper

Optional:

- greek yogurt

- chives

Preheat oven to 350

Pour chicken broth into pot, put on low heat

1. cut off the ends, peel the squash and cut in half lengthwise

2. scoop out seeds and dark pulp/flesh (looks like a pumpkin)

3. cut the squash into 1-inch cubes

4. peel shallots and cut in half (try to keep the same size as the squash pieces, and set aside)

5. place only squash on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper (use your hands or a spatula to make sure all pieces are coated in oil and salt and pepper)

6. bake for 30 mins.

7. open oven and add shallot pieces coated in oil and salt and pepper (these cook quicker than squash, so they are added later)

8. bake for 15 mins more (check the squash, if you can put a fork thru a piece easily, it's ready, and should have brown edges from roasting)

9. remove baking sheet and transfer 1/2 of the squash/shallots to the Blender, add 2-3 ladles of warm broth and blend (be careful with the heat, be sure to remove the cap while blending to allow heat to escape. You can add more broth if too thick. Once blended smooth and creamy, pour into a fresh pot that and keep on low-heat)

10. repeat (unless you have a massive blender, you have to do this in batches)

11. once all blended and in the new pot, adjust seasonings or add more broth to thin out the soup. stir and serve.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt and diced green chives on top

When did hand soap get so cool? From the the fashionable bottles designed by famous designers, to the variety of smells, and now this dual effect of the rich lather which also kills germs. I'm a BzzAgent and received samples and coupons for this product and I love it! It comes in Creamy Vanilla Orchid, Rose & Cherry in Bloom and Wild Berry Bliss.

The rich non-drip lather also kills 99.9% of germs and offers 10x more germ protection than the leading competitor. Do you have any kids in your household? If so you know how important killing germs are to protect the rest of the family from getting sick.

Covergirl's latest lip stick is the blastflipstick.

I'm a bzzagent and they gave me the latest blastflipstick to try out for free!  There are 13 different shades in all and comes make-up artist approved.  I am able to blend my own unique lip color in seconds from one lipstick.  It is two sided with one shade being lighter to help with blending.  The lighter end has a shimmery look, allowing me to create layers to blend or highlight to perfection.  The dual ends let you create the current "ombre" trend on your lips!  I love that!  It has a moisturizing formula which helps it to stay on longer and it is not too heavy or dry. Suggested retail is $8.49.  I'm sure you can find a $2.00 off covergirl coupon floating around!

P.S. my favorite shade is Minx!

The other day I bought beets at Publix. Normally I would go to the farmer's market or Wholefoods but out of convenience I ended up at Publix. While I was there I was remembering back to an image I saw on my friends Facebook about How To Know If Your Produce Is Organic, Conventional, or GMO. At the time I could not remember the numbers so I'm posting this image to inform others and to remember myself. The beets I ended up buying that day were 4539 conventional. This Infographic is by The GIVE Project. You can check them out on Facebook to learn more.

This morning's GREEN DRINK consisted of:

• Pineapple
• 1 celery stick
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1/2 tablespoon of spirulina powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of Maca powder
• 1 cup of water

Maca Powder is a superfood which is best known to boost libido!  It is also used to increase stamina, combat fatigue, and fight other stresses without being a stimulant.

Spirulina is iron-rich and can be used as a meat substitute.  It is anti-aging as it is filled with antioxidants. Other benefits are improved mental functioning, alkalizing, immunity, weight loss and more.  (my favorite brand is Pure Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica, cheapest place I found to purchase is Amazon)

Green Mountain Coffee® wakes me up in the morning with the richest aroma and flavor.  If your going to drink it coffee it better taste good!  They even have Pumpkin Spice for the holiday season.

Being a BzzAgent I was able to try the Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade from BzzAgent for my review.

For you, they are offering a $2 off coupon on Green Mountain's website.

Glade Expressions^® Fragrance Mist!  My husband and I are enjoying the cotton fragrance.  The new decorative bottle fits in with our decor.  So much so my husband could not find the bottle at first.  We will be trying out the Glade Expressions^® Oil Diffuser tonight!

10 Day Challenge - Coconut Creek

Just finished crewing at UPW Ft. Lauderdale! The last day of the event is all about changing the way we eat to have energy for life. My boyfriend Shane and I started yesterday.

Breakfast consisted of half an avocado on flax seed bread and a shot of udo's oil followed by a piece of pineapple. If your feeling good say, "I". I brought a snack of carrots and hummus to work to hold me over until lunch. The hardest part of the morning was to forgo my morning coffee for tea.

See we have to give up caffeine, alcohol, white products, drugs, vinegar, sugar, and nicotine. Your saying but tea has caffeine in it. Yes, I am not being as strict as I was when I did the South Beach Diet because that was unsustainable. Buying each little ingredient and going to the grocery store every night who has time for that. Anyway first I get off coffee replace it with tea, then I replace caffeinated tea for herbal tea.

Lunch was easy as I make the most wonderful salads with sprouts, carrots, peppers and cabbage. For dressing I use a piece of lemon and more udo's oil! I have been doing the salad with udo's oil thing for years. Sometimes after I juice with carrots and beets I throw the shavings in my salad. The fiber is in the shavings.

I was still pretty hungry after lunch so I went and had a 2 oz. wheat grass shot up the street. A little latter I had some raw cacao (chocolate before they process it) and some more tea.

Dinner time. Wow! I made it through the day without coffee and I'm still awake this is good! Shane and I hit the grocery store and bought some halibut. He seasoned it with olive oil, Celtic sea salt and pepper and it was so yummy! I roasted yellow zucchini, cauliflower, orange peppers, onions, and squash with olive oil, Celtic sea salt and pepper. He also made us some pesto sauce. We were very satisfied with ourselves and our meal.

For desert we made some chocolate ice cream with our Vitmix. We used chocolate almond milk, royal bee honey, cacao nibs, and vegan chocolate cookies. We did not add enough ice, therefore it was not frozen enough. I am going to try it today now that it is frozen.

Exploring Florida's Healthy Options

I have recently moved to Coconut Creek Florida! I am out exploring my options to eat healthy. So far for restaurants I have discovered Juice & Java, www.juiceandjava.com. They make fresh juices and smoothes. I am a fan of their many salads from quinoa salad to the beet salad. I am very picky when it comes to lettuce and dressing and they have delicious organic mixed greens and light tasty dressing!

Sublime is another healthy option in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. www.sublimerestaurant.com offers vegetarian dining. My favorite item on the menu is Frito Misto a crispy cauliflower, sweet chili sauce, sesame seeds. You must try one of their desserts before you leave or take one to go as they are heavenly!

While in Boca Raton I discovered 4th Generation Organic Market. I was so excited to find a grocery store which sells the nori seaweed I use to make avocado wraps. They are offering a free raw food class Dec 22, 2010. I will be attending and let you know what I learned to create! Check them out at www.4thgenerationmarket.com.

David Wolfe at the Aura Shop

David Wolfe spoke at the Aura Shop this past week! The main things I took away from him is to eat the top ten superfoods and the top ten herbs. You are what you eat.
Top Ten Superfoods
1.) Goji Berry
2.) Cacao Beans
3.) Acai
4.) Bee Products: Honey, Bee Pollen
5.) Blue-Green Algae
6.) Aloe Vera
7.) Noni
8.) Hemp Seed
9.) Incan Berries
10.) Kelp

Top Ten Herbs
1.) Vanilla Bean
2.) Pau D’Arco
3.) Cat’s Claw
4.) Chanca Piedra
5.) Camu Camu Berry
6.) Horsetail
7.) Sacha Jergon
8.) Chapparal
9.) Astragalus
10.) Chamomile

I found an amazing site that lists the benefits of 5 of these top herbs!
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Top-Five-Super-Herbs-You-Should-Be-Using&id=1592647

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Liver Cleanse

On my quest to find a permanent solution to cure acne I discovered that cleansing your liver clears your blood of waste products, drugs and other poisonous substances such as the hormones from taking birth control for many years. My colon hydrotherapist told me about the liver and gallbladder cleanse. You can read all about it in, "The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse" by Andreas Moritz.

The cleanse requires 6 days of preparation, followed by 16 to 20 hours of actual cleansing. It is actually a very easy cleanse compared to others I have done. During the 6 days of preparation you can pretty much eat a regular healthy diet. Avoid cold or chilled food and beverages. Also avoid foods from animal sources, dairy products, and fried food. The cleanse calls for 32 oz. of packaged apple juice a day for 6 days. Instead I recommend taking 2 malic acid pills in the morning and 2 malic acid pills at night. They cost much less the apple juice at just $2.89 a bottle.

The main reason you will want to take the pills instead is because there is way too much sugar in the apple juice and it causes bloating. In the book it gives you detailed instructions on what to do for that final day in order to release the gallstones and toxins from your liver and gallbladder. It truly works! I was amazed by the results. I plan on doing it again in 3 weeks as I read that's the best way to be sure and clear out all stones. Some other perks of cleansing the liver are a decrease in pains, increase in energy and clarity of mind will improve considerably. To learn more read The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse! It's well worth it.

Become a follower of my blog and I will email you the 6 page liver cleanse for free.

Omega-3 supplement

I found and easy source for taking Omega-3. They are

New Harvest™ Vegetarian EPA and the EPA provides essential benefits for a healthy heart, and may support mental health and a healthy mood according to their website. www.whyepa.com.

I have been taking Udo's Oil for years and find New Harvest a quick and easy way to supplement my Omega-3's on the go! I find when I consistently take shots of Udo's Oil I stay focus and my mood is better. I actually use Udo's oil on my salads with a slice of lemon.

Sun Valley Bars

Sun Valley Bars are so delicious! They are energy from the sun : ) It is another item which I picked up from the organic food show and love! They are made with organic and natural ingredients, rich in ALA omega-3, and vegan. So good I will definitely be buying them again! My current favorite flavor is peanut butter chocolate chip!

http://www.sunvalleybar.com/