Life, Gluten Free

Amy and Brian's Coconut Juice Review

 

We have been drinking coconut water for several years now and Sophie loves it. Our brand of choice is Amy and Brian's coconut water, because 1) we like the taste and most importantly 2) we have spoken to them on the phone to verify that it is produced in a gluten-free and nut-free facility (they only produce coconut juice).

So, what benefits do you get from drinking coconut water?

Coconut water is very hydrating to the body because it is high in electrolytes, especially potassium. It even can take the edge off of hunger, making it a great snack if you are waiting for lunch or dinner.

Amy and Brian's coconut water won us over by its great taste, and of course, that it's allergy-safe for us. We often buy it by the case because it's more affordable that way. Of course, some of you may be thinking: it's in an aluminum can, is that safe?

There is evidence that shows that there can be harmful side effects of long-term exposure to aluminum. I believe in always being cautious, and it does make me wonder about the correlation between the consumption of canned food items and alzheimer's disease. (If anyone has more knowledge of this, please feel free to leave a comment!)

There are many coconut water brands out there (some are not safe for us, O.N.E brand coconut water produces a cashew flavor) and some are in tetra paks. While tetra paks are thought to be safe, they cannot be recycled.

Do you drink coconut water? What's your favorite brand?

*this review is not sponsored by Amy and Brian's. It is purely my opinion and I did not receive any free samples nor was I asked to post about it.

The dog days of summer

"Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. (wikipedia)

I don't know about you, but the weather here sure has been hot lately.

I-sure-hope-fall-comes-early kind of hot.

Mom-please-can-I-have-a-popsicle kind of hot.

Luckily for my daughter, I've been enjoying expirementing with our new popsicle molds!

A good popsicle mold must have these qualifying specifications:

BPA-FREE

Easy to clean

Easy to store in the freezer

Fun

Groovy

Pink

The ones we have now almost fit the following requirements, minus the pink. So, we got yellow instead.. which is pretty too. Tovolo Groovy Yellow Popsicle Molds are easy to clean, but they do take up a lot of room in the freezer. 

This is what I do: once the popsicles have become fully frozen (4-6 hours) then I take them all and place them in a plastic bag, minus the yellow stand. I do still keep them in their individual sleeves.

My daughter's favorite popsicles, that I have created so far, are definitely the plum coconut cream ones. (pictured above).

The first day we received the popsicle molds, we had to make some.

I decided to do something rather simple with the first batch and so we cut up some bananas and grapes. We tossed them into the sleeves and pushed them down towards the bottom. I added coconut water to three of the popsicle sleeves, and then for the other half I pureed a coconut milk and banana mixture. 

You know you make good popsicles when all six of them are gone before a week goes by. Earlier this week I made a Coconut Cream Popsicle (with shredded coconut, sounds good right?) I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat. It is Sophie-approved, and the recipe will soon be in a google-reader near you.

A Grain-Free Diet

Some people with Celiac Disease find that being gluten-free is not quite enough for them to feel completely healthy again and symptom free. Our daughter's doctor told us that when Celiac Disease was first discovered, it was recommended that you eat a completely grain-free diet, not just a diet that was void of gluten found in wheat, rye, barley, etc. 

Since our daughter still experiences some eczema, we've decided to adapt a grain-free diet to see if that alleviates her symptoms further. 

Here are some of the products that we've added to her diet. It was not as hard as I thought. My first fear was that she'd ask for brown rice noodles but we quickly solved that dilemma! Now she doesn't ask. That might tell you something. Often times, once you eliminate a particular food from your diet, you then realize that it didn't really agree with you in the first place.

She's been off of grains for about a month, and her skin is looking pretty great! We are pleased. And since I started to write this post a while ago, I can now say that the transition to grain-free has been very easy. She loves the new noodles and she really, really loves the coconut wraps and calls them "flatbread."

Coconut Wraps: (pictured above)

Pure Wraps are heaven. They smell so, so good. They are made in a nut-free, gluten-free facility. They hold together well. You can cram them with avocado, homemade pickles, lettuce and olives (that's Sophie's favorite combo).

Grain-free Noodles:

These miracle noodles are a hit. They may not be just like rice noodles, but Sophie likes them all the same. I even used them for chicken noodle soup and it was a win!

*This post is purely my opinion on these products that we've found to work well for us, I did not receive any free products from the companies listed above. We just love them!

I'll leave you with a photo of my daughter eating a pizza that we made using the coconut wraps as a crust. It was a major win.

Shutterfly Photo Cards

I don't know about you, but sending out christmas cards has always been a favorite part of the holiday season for me. I like picking out the stamps, signing our names and wishing our friends and family a wonderful holiday season - from our family to theirs. Last year, we sent a photo card with pictures of our family - myself, my daughter and my husband. Everyone really appreciated it and I decided that it was a really, really good idea.

Most of our family and friends live in different states across the U.S. We even have one set of family members in Europe. So what better way to say Merry Christmas then to send them a card with a joyful picture of ourselves. In fact, I kind of realized that it's our duty to spread the christmas cheer in form of a very cute picture of our daughter. She brightens the hearts of many.

Shutterfly offers a variety of holiday cards and christmas photo cards to suit your taste and budget. They even offer photo calendars, which I think would be a great gift for grandparents especially.

I browsed through their selection and my favorite card is the Many Memories Tree Christmas Card with my second favorite being the Picture Joy flat photo card.

Shutterfly also offers:

• Photo Mugs
• Christmas Invitations
• Birthday Cards

*For writing about Shutterfly, I will receive 50 complimentary photo cards. We recently took a family photo at a park and we hope our holiday card will brighten the season for our friends and family while gently reminding them how much we care and that our thoughts are with them, even though they may be miles away.

Do you send Christmas Cards? What is your favorite kind to send?

Melissa & Doug Shopping Cart Review on OpenSky

Thank you to OpenSky plus Melissa and Doug for sponsoring this review for the Melissa and Doug Shopping Cart!

We are beyond impressed, folks. It was really easy to put together, which is always a huge plus. It is the most realistic shopping cart for kids that I've seen that is also very sturdy, durable and safe. It isn't "tipsy," which is especially a concern for younger ones.

I received it in a large box and it comes basically in three pieces. You attach the basket to the base (which is the wheels and handle part of the cart).The third piece is the plastic "seat"  that you attach after the basket is attached. The directions are clear and you do not need any extra tools because it comse with everything you need to get it up and going in say, 10 minutes.

My daughter is really thrilled and she loves to cart around her dolls in it too. I love how well it glides across the floor and how it is very solid (thanks to the metal construction).

Yes, it's a winner! Thanks Melissa and Doug.

Want one?! You can purcahse it from my OpenSky store with coupon code EXCITE25.

- From August 10th through August 16, use coupon code EXCITE25 you'll receive 25% off any product on OpenSky. 

What is OpenSky?

You may have heard of it already, but it is a platform for bloggers to sell products that they use to their readers. The seller (me) gets part of the proceeds when a product is purchased.

I decided to give it a shot, and today is the official day that it opens. I will start out with a few products. The big plus is that they will be products that we use and products that we trust. Ecofriendly products for kids and families, gluten-free products, allergen-free products, etc!

If you've read my recent post, then you know what has been going on with me personally. It was nice to have a "reason" to post to my blog. Thanks again to OpenSky and Melissa and Doug!

Pedoodles: Review and Giveaway! (Cute shoes!)

My daughter has cute feet, and that's a totally unbiased remark of course. So, naturally I want to outfit her with cute shoes that match her whimsical personality and awesome sense of adventure. I was so pleased when I stumbled upon Pedoodles, especially their eco-friendly line. I talked with someone from the company and worked out a review and giveaway combo!

Sophie received the Petal Jumpers to test out and she loves them! They look really comfortable and soft.. I am jealous :) Where are the comfortable and cute adult shoes?! I like that the Pedoodles seem to be very high quality and built very well too. I can imagine that once Sophie is done with them, they will be ready to pass on to another little munchkin to wear.

The owl on the bottom of the shoes is way cute too...

So the eco-friendly line...

- recycled packaging

- recycled soles!

- constructed from eco-friendly leather, which has been tested to be free of lead, antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, mercury, selenium and harmful amines.

And they just came out with some eco-friendly winter boots too. I am so excited, especially since we've been looking for a pair of boots for our daughter but haven't found any that we like.

They offer different sizes: Crawling (0-8 months), Walking (8 months - 2 years) and Running (2-4 years).

From the web site:

"In creating Pedoodles, our goal was to create soft, comfortable, quality footwear that kids really love to wear.  In doing so, we've delighted parents and gift seekers alike, with our fun designs that become fast favorites.  Our shoes provide the best possible fit for your child's feet, their personality, and the way they live."

Here's how to enter:  

1) Visit Pedoodles and tell me which pair of shoes you like. (required to be eligible to win)

2) Leave a comment with the above answer.

3) You must have a U.S. mailing address to qualify to win.

4) Contest is open until Monday, November 23rd at 11:00pm MST.

Please note that your comment will not appear immediately because I have to approve them first. There is no need to submit it more than once unless there is some obvious error. Thanks!

Good luck! The winner will be chosen randomly :) And a BIG thank you to Pedoodles for sending me a pair of shoes and sponsoring this giveaway.

And according to Random.org, the winner is: comment #14

Kristi C

"I would love a pair of Little Caesar."

Congrats to Kristi C!

-heather

Product Review: Organic Brown Rice Pasta by Lundberg

We found this pasta at Whole Foods for $2.99. It has a great texture and the noodles are thin. I like them for soups, but they are also great with pasta sauce as well. So far, we've only found it at different Whole Foods locations. We are going to request it at the local natural grocers that we shop at so hopefully more stores will start to carry it. This pasta is also made in a gluten-free facility.

The first time we tried it, we served it with some black bean and vegetable stew that we made.

 Check out our video for more information on this gluten-free pasta!

Have you tried this pasta before? If you have, let me know how you liked it!

-heather

Coconut Bliss Dairy-Free Ice Cream

As the summer months overtake spring and the sun casts its powerful rays, we naturally crave foods that are cooler and lighter. Thoughts turn to ice cream, popsicles and lemonade. But for people with allergies and other dietary restrictions, those treats are often forbidden. Coconut Bliss offers an option for those who are dairy-free, gluten-free and soy-free. The ice cream is also low glycemic because it is sweetened with agave.The ingredients are organic and they use organic fair-trade vanilla extract.

Want to win a free pint of Coconut Bliss? Check out Coconut Gal's blog and enter to win a free pint of your chosen flavor!

I'm also really excited about the upcoming Coconut Bliss Bars. If you want a creamy, tasty and healthy alternative to dairy free ice cream, then Coconut Bliss is right up your alley! 

 Indulge yourself in a treat!

-heather

Ener-G Pizza Crust Review

We made pizzas with the Ener-G 10 inch PIzza Crust. We also made some pizzas for Sophie with the Energ-G 6 inch Yeast-Free Pizza Crust. The yeast-free one doesn't have sunflower oil, while the one with yeast does.

There was a notable but nominal taste difference between the yeast and yeast-free pizza crusts. Both pizza crusts were a bit bland and needed salt, which is okay because you can lightly sprinkle some sea salt on the crust before adding your toppings. I recommend sprinkling a small amount of sea salt and herbs of your choice, like: basil, oregano, parsley, etc. The cheese for our pizza was dairy-free Vegan Gourmet.

Overall, it was a decent pizza crust and we would use them again. It is definitely chewable, unlike other crusts we have tried, where they are almost too hard to chew.

It was, as Sophie would say, "tastey."

Let me know if you've tried them and what you think. Got any other pizza crust recommendations? Leave a comment and let us know!

-heather

Speesees Organic Clothing Review & Giveaway

second random winner, Daniel (first winner never responded).

I got the opportunity to sample a shirt for Sophie from Speesees Organic Clothing. She got to try the hum :: lap tee with humming birds on it.

Soft, high quality, and incredibly cute? I found this shirt to be all three. Speesees has a definitive and unique style. I enjoy the color options and their boisterous but not overpowering designs, like the their blossom lap tee.

One thing that really stood out to me after researching the company, is their reSpeesees program. It is an awesome addition to their company. When your child outgrows their Speesees clothing, you can send it back to them and they will:

1) donate it on your behalf to be used by children of disadvantaged women

2) give you a respeesees discounted price on future items:

“respeesees” 1-3 items, get 25% off one future order!
“respeesees” 3-6 items, get 30% off one future order!
“respeesees” 6 or more items, get 40% off one future order!

The clothing is soft and comfy and the company's ethics are outstanding. It is very important to us to feel good about the company we are purchasing items from. Speesees is also certified through social accountability international, which means that they have standards for their factory in india; such as fair working hours, no discrimination, etc. From start to finish, you can be sure that Speesees clothing is high quality and made with an eco-conscious. 

From the web site:

speesees ingredients::
organic cotton
low-impact dyes
pigment + pvc-free prints
nickel-free snaps
no formaldehyde 
no dioxin
lots of love

Speesees is kindly offering one of my readers a chance to win a long-sleeve lap-tee in their choice of pattern or color. Sizes from infant to 4 years! Winner gets to choose from Cocoa, Tomato, Hum or Harmonize.

Rules on How to Enter:

1) Visit Speesees and tell me one thing you learned there - either about the company or about organic clothing. 

2) Let me know which lap-tee you would choose (cocoa, tomato, hum or harmonize) along with the size.

3) Be sure to include an email address so that I contact you if you win.

4) Entries not meeting the above requirements will be deleted.

The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, November 18th at 11:00pm MST.

Please note that the giveaway is open to entrants with a U.S. mailing address.

Thank you to Speesees for sending me a sample and sponsoring this giveaway!

enjoy!

-heather