Review/Giveaway: Strawesome Glass Straws

I have a glass obsession. If it's clear and shiny and can hold things, I want it in my kitchen. Collecting glass storage containers is my secret hobby, and Pyrex and I are BFF's. No empty glass spaghetti jar or food container makes it to the recycle bin in my house. Those beauties go to the glass horde, also known as my upper cabinets. Each month I have to play an elimination game of sorts, pitting containers against one another and deciding which ones I tearfully let go to the land of reincarnation (the recycle bin). It's a painful process, but without it, glass containers would take over every storage area in my house.

So you can imagine my complete and utter excitement and googly-eyed-ness when I learned about Strawesome. Glass straws! How in the world did these exist? And why didn't I have one?

Like most of you out there, I have long ago ditched plastic to avoid harmful BPA. But through my research I have also made the decision to avoid stainless steel.

Why?

Because although it does not have BPA, creating stainless steel is incredibly harmful to the environment. Mining the materials to create steel results in deforestation and contamination of the local soil. The production process used to create steel goods pollutes our water and produces toxic gasses as a by product. To top it off, steel workers are exposed to these toxic gasses and the negative effects they have on their health. And if all of that doesn't convince you... well just taste the metallic flavor left behind in your drink... No thank you!

I really believe glass is the way to go! But of course, I have yet to find a travel glass drinking container with anything other than a plastic or silicone straw, so we switched to traveling outside of the house with mason jars instead. It works really well for us. It is simple, convenient and so much easier to clean than typical travel containers.... but we really missed our straws! Especially my daughter!

There have been times she refused to drink unless a straw was found, period! I searched for straws from other materials and everything I found was silicone or stainless steel. Well you already know why stainless steel is out in my book, but I decided to give silicone a try. They were practically indestructible (really important since Ivette loves to chew and destroy the tops of her straws), easy to clean by boiling, and came in fun colors.

But eventually, we gave up on silicone because no matter how much they were cleaned and boiled, they always gave a silicone flavor to our drinks and I just didn't like the taste nor what I thought was making it's way into our bodies.

But a glass straw you say? Hmmm, seems so simple, why didn't I think of it. It's a genius idea! I would never have considered looking for glass straws. Way too fragile for traveling and to be in the hands of a toddler, right? Maybe not. Either way I was excited to give it a try, this could be the answer to The Great Straw Dilemma!

Strawesome has a great website where you can view all their products. At first I thought, how much is there to browse really... but they have a lot of well thought out variety!

Their straws come in a range of widths for thin or thick drinks. From a skinny 7mm straw perfect for sipping cocktails, up to 15mm... perfectly sized for drinking “bubble tea” (tapioca tea).

They also have a ton of lengths to fit virtually any container, even a 12 inch size to go right into your blender carafe! To top it off, unlike stainless steel, they have a variety of gorgeous colors and designs to choose from, and travel cases to protect your straw on the go!

I received an 8” clear, barely bent straw in “smoothie” width for me, and a 7” Amethyst barely bent, just for kids straw with yellow swirl detail for Ivette (standard 9.5mm width).

I love the simplicity for me, but also loved how fun my daughter's straw was. To be honest, I didn't think much of a design on a straw. I'm a skeptic... It's just a straw, right? But when it arrived it was so super cute, and you can tell made with care.

In fact, all of their design straws are handmade by artist Daedra Surowiec, who also happens to be the President of Strawesome! Cool!

Strawesome says they are committed to the environment which showed in their minimal packaging. The straws came very well wrapped and cushioned in paper. No excess advertisements, catalogs or junk to toss. I really liked that!

I didn't think I was going to like their “barely bent” style. I was sort of hoping for straight straws but I quickly understood why they call them barely bent. The straw is not so much of a crook as juuust so turned down enough that it is comfortable to sip lazily from. My kind of straw!

Also the nature of a glass straw is that it is... well, permanent. Seems like a no-brainer, but it's actually really important to realize when choosing a glass straw. I wasn't going to be able to pinch around and finagle the straw as I did with the silicone ones I had been using. So having a shape that was comfortable to drink from ended up being really important to think about. I think the type of bend in these straws and the location of the bend is perfect.

The first thing and biggest thing I noticed when unwrapping the straws was how substantial they were. I was really surprised! These weren’t flimsy glass. They were thick and sturdy. The website compares it to Pyrex glass, but definitely stresses that they are not indestructible. I have dropped plenty of Pyrex without it breaking, and this straw seemed as if it could hold up to some abuse.... but I wasn't about to test the theory!

However, the straw has held up amazingly well. Ivette has banged it against the sink, and used it to make music with her mason jar. She is also a straw chomper... I have had to throw away so many cups because she bites the straws to bits while drinking. I was really happy knowing that this straw would be then end of that, although I was a bit nervous with it being glass and all. Would it break while she used it with her chomping?

I knew that was more of a paranoid-mommy worry than anything else, especially after seeing how strong they were. I have yet to drop a straw, but based on the abuse my daughter's straw has endured, it could likely survive a drop or two. If you are worried about the fragility of the straws, consider a thicker width. My smoothie straw seems like it could handle anything.

For my uses, drinking from a mason jar, I think barely bent is definitely the way to go, although the 8” was a teeny short for the quart jar, and didn't sit quite as I would have liked due to the bend. For this reason I wish they made a 9” barely bent, but their straws jump from 8” to 10”. Either way, they only have soft cases for all straws over 8” and I really needed something sturdy to survive the diaper bag. It wasn't so short it was unusable, I just wished it was a little longer. The upside: Strawesome does custom orders!

If you plan on taking around your straw to replace disposables when eating out, I would recommend a taller, straight straw from my experience. I think the straight straws pair better with containers that have a top. If you're using them for mainly cups glasses and other “topless” containers, I really think the barely bent is the straw for the job.

Strawesome also sells coordinating cases and brushes to clean their straws. The cases are not Strawesome branded, but are quality, sturdy and fit the bill. I like that the case closed securely and didn't allow any liquid from a quickly stored wet straw leak out into my bag.

I only received one case and I found myself always trying to stick my and my daughter's straws in it together. Even if I had a second case, I would have done the same... carrying them together is just so much more convenient. But Strawesome does not have a case for carrying multiple straws.... something I hope they might add!

The straws are definitely strong enough to survive close quarters together as the fit in the case is snug. My 8 inch smoothie and Ivette's 7 inch kids straw juuust squeezed in together. I may cheat and get a kids straw so we can travel with our straws together in one case. I do recommend being careful if you cheat and try to do this though... I has worked for me, but they are glass straws after all!

The cleaning brush was a great and useful addition to the set. I can't tell you how many silicone straws I fought with trying to get the insides really clean, sometimes a rinse is not enough, especially with sticky smoothies.

The only downside is their straw brush comes in one width. It is really the perfect size for uniformly scrubbing the inner walls of their standard 9.5mm straw, but when it came time to clean out my smoothie straw (12mm), the brush was just slightly too small and I had to wiggle the brush around a bit to get a thorough clean. Not too annoying, but I do wish they had bigger brushes or a brush with fluffier bristles to accommodate all widths- and also a softer spine. The brush was flexible, but quite hard. It was very easy to bend by hand but didn't really yield to the straw, and I worried about the exposed metal tip scratching the inside of my straw, or worse yet, cracking the straw trying to force it through too quickly. This is easy enough to avoid by brushing gently and patiently.

All in all, I really love Strawesome. Our glass beauties became a part of our daily routine as we start each day with a smoothie. I didn't notice too much of a difference between the smoothie width compared to their standard, but my smoothies are typically quite thin.

My daughter's straw has never gotten clogged, even with chia seeds and she quickly became attached to her straw. Ivette wants to use it everywhere, even ditching the plastic bendy straw from her juice boxes and asking me to squeeze her Strawesome straw in instead. I'm really pleased at how it has held up to her toddler shenanigans!

Y'all should grab yourselves a few Strawesome straws, and try out my favorite use for them - get your day started smoothies. We never leave the house without one, and these two recipes are my staples.

Good Morning Detox Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup of liquid (I usually use organic apple juice, but sometimes I do half and half with water or all water)

1 Orange
1tbsp Chia Seed

½ cup frozen fruit (mixed berries and strawberries here)

½ cup fresh cut wheatgrass

¼ fresh parsley

¼ cup whole milk vanilla Greek yogurt

Directions

Reserve ¼ cup of liquid and add to it 1tbsp of Chia seeds. Allow chia seeds to soak for about 5 minutes before you prepare the smoothie.

Add remaining liquid and all other ingredients to blender.

Blend until smooth.

Stir soaked chia and blend* into smoothie with the soaking liquid on lowest setting right before serving

*Adding the soaked chia at the end prevents your smoothie from becoming sludge. Blend it in gently right before serving or simply stir your smoothie into the soaked chia.

Good Morning Protein Smoothie

This is my favorite smoothie recipe! I love using hemp protein but the flavor can be hard to stomach. In this smoothie you can't even tell it's there and the recipe packs a great serving of protein to start off a busy day. When I buy kale I put about two bunches in a dehydrator and store the preserved leaves in a mason jar. This is my favorite way to keep kale!

Ingredients

1 cup water
½ banana

½ cup frozen strawberries

¼ cup dehydrated kale (or 1 handful fresh kale)
3 tbsp Goji Berries

2 tbsp hemp protein

1 tbsp Almond butter

1 tbsp Chia Seed
1 tsp raw honey

Directions

Put half of the water in your drinking cup and add the Chia.
Put the other half of the water into your blender and add Goji Berries.

Allow chia seeds and goji berries to soak for about 5 minutes before you prepare the smoothie.

Add honey to soaked goji berries and blend to combined.

Add all of the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.

Stir soaked chia and blend into smoothie with the soaking liquid on lowest setting right before serving, or simply stir smoothie into soaked chia.

I will be on the lookout for a “two-to-go” type case (and yes Strawesome, you have my permission to brand that awesome name!)  In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy these smoothie recipes and start every day out with a healthful drink. Cheers!

I can't really end this without saying it...

Strawesome is AWESOME!

Read below to see how you can enter our Giveaway! One winner in the US will receive a $20 gift certificate to spend on the Strawesome website!

www.strawesome.com
www.facebook.com/strawesome
www.twitter.com/BeStrawesome
https://www.pinterest.com/strawesome/

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This allows us to contact you if you win!)  This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY
and will end just before midnight ET on 8-6-15. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway.  In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winner(s) have responded and confirm, their first name will be posted on our Giveaways page. 

Good luck everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kitchen DIY: Fajita, Cajun & Steak Seasoning Blends

I love making stuff at home, especially in the kitchen! And saving money is not the only thing I love about it. I love how much more fresh everything tastes, and the aromas that happen as whatever you're creating comes together; it makes me feel very old fashioned in a way.

But the part I love the most by far is how much healthier everything is when you make seasonings from scratch. No preservatives, or MSG, or anti-caking agents. When you see how simply and accurately your homemade version can happen, you really start wondering what all the other junk in the store bought version is for. And something special happens.You begin to feel really powerful in the kitchen knowing that simple, real ingredients can be made into something new.

That realization can be a huge step towards a healthier kitchen and a healthier you!

If scratch or homemade seasoning blends sound totally scary and foreign to you, don't fear. Seasoning mixes are harmless and a perfect place to start your homemaking adventures. They are so incredibly easy, that you'll wonder why you ever put on shoes and ventured out for store bought mixes.

Here are a few to get you started! These are perfect for summer grilling, but keep them on hand year-round, because they're marvelous for all sorts of things.

First into the kitchen...

Fajita Seasoning

aka Taco Seasoning

I love love love this recipe! I use it for so many things, from making the authentic pupusas my Salvadorean husband adores, to searing up some finger licking chicken thighs or flavoring ground beef for tacos. Once you smell this cooking on a pan with ground beef your mouth will water and you'll wonder why you ever bought a packet of the "real" stuff.

In my opinion, fajita seasoning pairs best with foods and cooking processes that will meet a lot of direct heat. Sauteing or searing brings out the flavors in this mix the way no other cooking method can.

Spices & Herbs You'll Need

4 tbsp Chili Powder

2 tbsp Sea Salt

2 tbsp Paprika

1 tbsp Onion Powder

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Cumin Powder

1 tsp Cayenne Powder

Directions

Easy. Put all spices into a small mason jar or airtight container and shake well. Store in container until ready to use.

Now go make a delicious taco spread for dinner tonight!

Up Next...

Cajun Seasoning

Now to be totally honest, this is not a recipe that sees the light of day much in my kitchen... Cajun is just generally not my thing. But when I've got a taste for fried rice, and the typical ginger and soy flavors aren't calling me, I'll grab this mix and make Cajun fried rice with shrimp.

I love this seasoning mix for shaking things up, and getting out of a cooking rut. It's delicious on any sea food, and of course, rice. A little olive oil, water and vinegar turn this into the perfect marinade for not-another-boring chicken breast.

Herbs & Spices You'll Need

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Coriander

1 tsp Paprika

¼ tsp Sea Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

¼ tsp Oregano

Directions

1. Easy. Again. Put all spices into a small mason jar or airtight container and shake well. Store in container until ready to use.

Last, but certainly not least...

Steak Seasoning Mix

Oh shall I compare thee to a perfectly cooked steak? No, seriously, who doesn't love steak? (Ok, you got me on that one, vegetarians, but that's not the point!)

I certainly love a perfectly cooked cut of steak, and if that's on the menu for dinner, my husband is NOT complaining either. But there's little worse than having a beautiful hunk o' meat standing in front of you, and no good way of seasoning it.

Now I know chef's and foodies get all haughty with their salt and pepper steak, and I know first hand how wonderfully amazing a plain, grass-fed cut can be, left naked in all it's glory... but there is just something magical about juicy, delicious perfectly seasoned beef.

I've tried probably over 20 steak seasonings and marinades, literally, but nothing compares to the simplicity and undeniable tastiness of this one. And steak is not the limit! This seasoning mix is delicious on pork as well.

Herbs and Spices You'll Need

2 tbsp Sea Salt*

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Onion Powder

1 tbsp Black Pepper

½ tbsp Red Pepper Flakes

½ tbsp Thyme

½ tbsp Rosemary

½ tbsp Coriander

Directions

1. Bring all spices and herbs together with a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or small blender to make a uniform mixture. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

2. Use mixture as a dry rub on beef or pork. Or use it to create a marinade:

Steak Marinade

You'll Need

¼ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Water

1 tbsp Vinegar

2 tbsp Steak Seasoning Mix

Directions

1. Emulsify in a blender (for best results) or whisk together.

2. Add meat and marinade to a zip top bag or glass dish.

3. Allow the two to become acquainted for at least 1 hour before cooking.

*Note: The salt in this recipe is a lot lower than ones you may be used to. You'll want to salt and pepper the top and bottom of your meat just prior to cooking for grade A results.

Now go cook something! I hope I've inspired you to get creative, and turn old boring kitchen staples into something new. Now go forth and be the king (or queen) of your kitchen!

 







FEATURED!

 

 

 

 and

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop

Anti-Procrastination Tuesday 
Best of the Blogosphere

Review/Giveaway: Garlic Gold - & Recipes for Garlic Lovers!

I am a complete and utter garlic fiend. I don't know what I would do without garlic... food just wouldn't be the same. Whether or not you actually like or dislike garlic, it is pretty ubiquitous in every kitchen. I'm pretty sure that once everyone moves into their very first apartment, and stocks their very first pantry, salt, pepper and garlic powder rank pretty high on the list of essentials.

But sometimes, no matter how delicious, garlic starts to seem a little bit common place. A bit drab, boring and unremarkable. And once you've eaten your share of garlic gems like roasted garlic and pickled garlic, it can be really hard to make everyday garlic seem special again.

Really hard, but Garlic Gold seems like they're on a mission to make garlic special again, with handcrafted, gourmet garlic products. I never thought I would find an ingredient or cooking additive that would renew my affection for garlic. We'd had our torrid love affair and were moving into the seven-year-itch stage. Quite honestly, I had just considered moving on to something exotically new and exciting like Asafoetida just to shake things up a little.

So when I got a chance to review a giftbox from Garlic Gold, I was excited, but frankly not expecting to be blown away or anything. I mean, its just garlic, right?

But when I received my gift box in the mail, my heart skipped a beat. I got really excited! The item had weight. I've gotten gift box selections of products from many companies where you pay a pretty penny and receive very parred down, kid sized portions of their products. This gift box includes full sized products.

Another thing that surprised me was that the gift box set was beautifully packaged. If you are sending this as a gift, no worries about extra gift wrapping... the company's packaging really does fit the bill. I felt like I had received a real treat!

I also was really impressed by the fact that even with gift packaging, the materials were minimal and all recyclable or reusable. Very fitting for a company that claims to focus on sustainability. I was really pleased to see they carry that value into their packaging.

The gift box came with four organic products: The namesake Garlic Gold, Garlic Gold Nuggets (Sea Salt), Garlic Gold Oil, and Garlic Gold Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette.

I love that all the products are organic and have zero preservatives. Our family shops about 90% organic, and we try our best to keep our kitchen organic.

Organic condiments and seasonings with simple ingredients are generally really hard to find, so I was so happy reading the ingredients list for these products.

Three or less ingredients for all except the Vinaigrette which had seven and no added sugar. Nice!

Garlic Gold 
 

Garlic Gold is the original flagship product taken from a coveted family recipe created by the father of Garlic Gold's founder Orion Brutuco. Orion took the much loved recipe and turned it into a real business as part of an entrepreneurship project with three of his high school friends in 2002. They started selling in California farmer's markets, and a star was born. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the gold.

The original Garlic Gold is little tiny bits of toasted garlic packed in high quality, first cold-pressed olive oil. Being the namesake product, this was the item I was most excited to try when I opened the packaging.

When I popped the top, the first thing I did was take a good smell... definitely some garlicky goodness in there. It was strong but not overpowering. Then I dipped a little spoon in to get some of the toasted bits out.

Now maybe it's just me, we all have our blonde days, but I did not expect this to be crunchy! That was a big surprise! I know everything said toasted but actually tasting it was so unexpected.

I will have to be honest and say that I did not like the original Garlic Gold. The toasted bits did not taste like garlic to me, they actually had a bitter taste and left a lingering effect in my mouth. I really wanted to like them, even the crunchiness would have been a nice surprise had the bits actually tasted like garlic. I think the garlic flavor came mainly from the oil they were packed in and not the toasted bits themselves, although they did seem to add a more pungent garlic aroma to the oil.

At first I thought it also could be a side effect of the toasting... garlic when overheated or overcooked becomes bitter. But then I moved to the Sea Salt nuggets, which are also toasted, and was suddenly not so sure.

I think, due to the strongly toasted taste and crunchiness, this would be best used in a long simmering sauce where it has time to mellow and mingle with other flavors.

GarlicGold Nuggets, Sea Salt Flavor

The nuggets were absolutely delicious! As soon as I tasted the first little bit I wanted more, and could already imagine all the things I could sprinkle this amazing stuff on. 

The nuggets are simply garlic bits toasted in organic olive oil and blended with sea salt (for this flavor). 

On the Garlic Gold website, they have a variety of flavors like Herbs de Provence, southwestern and even Parmesan which I would more than happily jump to try.

The nuggets were crunchy and there was no bitterness whatsoever. The aroma was so pleasantly fresh. The nuggets were also nicely salty, and definitely strong enough to substitute for some of the salt in any dish (although it is not meant to be a salt), with out being mouth-puckeringly salty. 

Just mild enough to use as a topping, but strong enough to mix into a dish. It is, in my opinion, perfectly blended to be a versatile kitchen staple.

The jar says this would be great on just about anything, and I agree. I could instantly see making some knockout homemade potato chips, sprinkled with the sea salt nuggets while still hot. Yum!

But I did have one nitpick about this product and it's that I wish the holes on the shaker top were a bit smaller. The product doesn’t sprinkle out evenly or slowly enough for me to use it in this manner while cooking, but really like I said... nitpick. 

Also, the product says it is a healthy alternative to bacon bits. And while it will definitely fill your taste for salt, it is not quite crunchy enough to really stand in for that bacon bit quality, so if you must have a good crunch, keep making your homemade bits for that... but definitely add in some sea salt nuggets when you do!

GarlicGold Oil

The next product I tried was the Garlic Gold Oil. This stuff too had an amazing garlic aroma, but not quite as strong as the nuggets. 

True to the name, the oil is a beautiful golden color. It was great to look at, and beautiful when packaged, but I was a bit disappointed that, being a high quality “gourmet” oil, it was not packaged in a UV protective bottle. This is one you will definitely want to store away from your stove in a cool, dark cabinet to keep it fresh, no exceptions.

I tasted the oil, outright. In my opinion, and for my taste buds, there was no huge difference between this oil and the oil the Original Garlic Gold is packed in. But it was delicious, light and just-so garlic flavored. Because I did not like the toasted bits in the Garlic Gold, and loved the oil, I would definitely purchase this product over the Garlic Gold hands down.

I was excited to use this product the most. Anyone who has tried their hands at making infused oils knows how difficult and frustrating it can be. Things go rancid very easily, and a lot of oil (and money) is wasted. For me, this beautifully colored and flavored garlic olive oil would definitely be worth the convenience. Even before cooking with it I knew I would buy again just for that fact. And then I had to get cooking with it!

My first order of business... make Midnight Pasta or, traditionally named, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (that's spaghetti with garlic and oil in Italian). 

Midnight pasta is a favorite dish in our house. It is basically a classic Italian spaghetti preparation. Thin noodles tossed in oil and herbs with cheese. It is the most garlicky dish my husband and I can ever agree on (me being a garlic-lover, him being a garlic-tolerater). I wanted to try my hand at making the dish using less fresh garlic (which he always picks out and dumps in my bowl) and adding in the Garlic Gold products... maybe I could finally pull him over to my side.

The final consensus: some ups and downs. First off, it was delicious, no doubt about that. But surprisingly, using these garlic products over actual garlic did not make the end result more garlicky. It did something wonderful and strange at the same time. 

The pasta ended with a very pleasant, subtle but very “there” dispersed garlic flavor, which my husband actually really liked. Score! I however, missed the strong pop of garlic flavor I would usually get when using fat slices of garlic in this recipe. But, I did love that, by using the oil, I could taste garlic in every bite.

So I have two versions of midnight pasta with Garlic Gold Oil. One “get your garlic-feet wet” version, for those of you who like a nice garlic flavored dish, but hate chunks of garlic, and a second “all out” version for those of you who want garlic, garlic and more garlic goodness. Use as many organic ingredients as you can to enjoy with this organic product.

You can choose any type of pasta for this dish you like (although I suggest no tiny pastas), but the classic preparation is with spaghetti. Nine times out of ten, we make this with penne. Something about the thicker pasta when covered in Parmesan is not only delicious, but easier and faster to eat, which means seconds for you before its all gone! Also, easier for my little toddler to enjoy with us.

 
Midnight Pasta (Spaghetti Aglio e Olio)

1lb dry organic Pasta, your choice

1/3 cup Garlic Gold Oil

2 tbsp butter (no margarine or spreads! optional)*

4 cloves garlic, minced (or 8, for true garlic lovers)

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp sea salt

½ cup fresh minced parsley (optional) OR dried parsley, to taste

1 cup quality, grated Parmesan cheese (suggest Stella, if not organic)

*Butter is completely optional, but it really kicks up the savory flavor of this dish.

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta.

In a large pan, heat Garlic Gold oil, and butter (if using) over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook just before browning, about 30 seconds.

Add red pepper flakes and cook for an additional 1 minute.

Take 1 ½ cups of water from the cooking pasta and add to pan. Add salt. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by one third, about 5 minutes.

Add drained al dente pasta to the pan with the reduced liquid and toss to combine.

Remove coated pasta to serving dish and toss with Parmesan cheese and parsley (if using). I also personally like to add lots of black pepper. If your pasta is needing any salt, I definitely suggest topping it with the Garlic Gold Sea Salt Nuggets.

Serve (and eat) immediately! Midnight pasta is best when hot!

Midnight Pasta is as versatile as the Garlic Gold Nuggets and Oil. Dress it up with fresh cooked and crumbled bacon, or pancetta. Do midnight zucchini or farro pasta instead.

Garlic Gold Vinaigrette, Meyer Lemon

Last but not least, the Vinaigrette. I'm going to be completely honest, I did not expect to like this or even use it again. 

I like citrus, but generally not as a dressing. My husband loves a salad dry with just lemon or lime squeezed over the top. Not my idea of a good time!

Opening up the bottle and taking in the scent I was surprised to find that lemon was not an overpowering smell there. Yes, definitely some lemon, but still garlic too and something else that made me eager to try it. 

I couldn't put my finger on it so I read the ingredients. A very impressive 7 simple ingredients for a salad dressing. Just their Garlic Gold Oil, Organic Meyer lemon juice, garlic gold nuggets, sea salt, pepper, spice blend and Italian seasonings (all organic). It was the Italian seasonings that had my taste buds tingling. 

I was really impressed already with this dressing before tasting, because it smelled so delicious. So I dabbed a little out of the bottle. It was delicious!

The Italian seasoning blend in this is very good. And the lemon was just enough as an acidic kick and flavor. I typically don't do vinaigrette because they are just too, well, vinegary. But this is a vinegar free vinaigrette... ingenious!

So the next day, I made myself a fresh Summer Salad. A mixture of whatever greens I had, and fresh seasonal local fruit. I call it a summer salad, but it's really meant to fit any season with whatever you can source locally and organically, and of course in season (although I cheated a little). Here's what I ended up with, but really your spring,summer or winter salad will be whatever you want to make it.

My Summer Salad

Mizuna

Red and Green Leaf Lettuces

Pea Sprouts

Carrot Top Greens

Shredded Rainbow carrots

Diced Blood Orange

Diced Orange

Diced Kiwi Fruit

And it doesn’t end there. I’ve done this with blueberries and strawberries. Clementines are one of my favorite add ins. You can add protein. I think nuts work great. Try Brazil Nuts or sliced almonds. You can also add wheatgrass for a nutritional punch (don't overdo it and you won't even notice its there). Rainbow kale or beet greens for a colorful addition. Arugula for a peppery kick. Experiment with other sprouts to finish it off.

Top with your favorite salty cheese to help cut the sweet and acid of the fruit. I chose feta, but Parmesan works great too.

When all was said and done, I topped this beautiful salad with the Meyer Lemon dressing and the Sea Salt Nuggets. And let me tell you... it was gone before I even sat down! I never got the crunch from the nuggets that I thought I would, which I think is a general downside of the product for me. The crunch is just not strong enough to notice once mixed into things. Either way I could taste the extra kick of garlic they added.

The acid in the dressing worked well with the kiwi and oranges. The spice blends gave it a great flavor. 

I hate nothing more than a dry salad and this dressing really clung well to the salad which I have to say is a really cool thing to me. Usually dressings slip and slide of my greens leaving a pool or wasted dressing in my plate at the end, but there was none of that here.

I also love the little freebie in the box, the drizzle spout, which I popped on the bottle. It made it super easy to dress this salad without over doing it.

Now to be fair, I did ration out a bite to my husband and toddler. Even my daughter loved it, it was not too strong for her. 

My husband however did complain it was too acidic. Although I did not feel the same way, I understood where he was coming from. I had quite a bit of acidic fruits in the salad to pair with a vinaigrette. I loved it so I think it is personal preference. Just be careful of putting too many acidic fruits in your summer salad with this dressing if that is undesirable because it does have a nice, noticeably lemon flavor.

What I loved most about the dressing was how understated it was. Sometimes you dress a salad and every bit you are tasting the dressing first and foremost, regardless of how much is used. Most are packed with so much sugar and vinegar you can't help but notice them. 

This dressing was not short of flavor in any way, but it was such a team player. It didn't overpower the fresh ingredients which I feel is most important. Fresh local ingredients are meant to be enjoyed, and the dressing definitely allowed me to do that while making the whole dish better.

I think by far and most surprisingly the dressing ended up being my favorite Garlic Gold product, followed by the nuggets and oil. I don't think I would try the original Garlic Gold again.

Not only did I not care for the flavor of the toasted bits, but I can not see how I would use it in cooking. Even after looking up recipes on the Garlic Gold website I could not see the benefit to using the Garlic Gold. Both the nuggets and original Garlic Gold did not seem to have enough of a noticeable crunchiness to stand out once mixed into things, so I didn't see it as a benefit over the garlic oil and fresh garlic. For those that strongly dislike chopping their own garlic, it may be useful, however, in recipes that allow for a good bit of simmering time.

I will definitely continue to use Garlic Gold products. Not only are their products delicious, they are organic, and it is an organic business that has grown from a family passion.

You can shop Garlic Gold direct from their website. I like their simple product line, and they have an entire blog of recipes for all of their products. Browsing the recipes gave me some good ideas - they had a really wide collection of completely different foods you could make with their products. I can't wait to try some out. Hopefully I've got my husband hooked!

If you sign up for the Garlic Gold newsletter you will receive a coupon worth $5 off your next order!

Garlic Gold Website

Garlic Gold Recipes

Garlic Gold on Facebook

Garlic God on Pinterest

Garlic Gold on Twitter

Garlic Gold is offering a fantastic Giveaway - one Winner in the US will receive the same Garlic Gold Gift Box I received for review ($37.95 value)!  This Giveaway ends 6-1-15, making it a great gift idea for your favorite garlic-loving dad!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This allows us to contact you if you win!)  This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY
and will end just before midnight ET on 6-1-15. 

The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway.  In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Healthy, Homemade Ranch Dressing (Kids Love it Too!)

To be totally honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Ranch dressing... unless it's on a tasty buffalo wing! But since our family revamped our eating habits four years ago, there haven't been too many of those around the dinner table.

However, when I was pregnant, Ranch was one of my strange cravings. Ranch with baby carrots and cucumber slices. I wanted it so badly that each time we made a trip to the grocery store, I would buy another bottle "just in case". By the time Ivette was born, I had about six bottles of ranch in my fridge. I just couldn't get enough!

However, I also hated eating it because of all the additives found in store bought ranch. Most brands are full of artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, phosphoric acid and MSG. And store bought Ranch Seasoning packets aren't much better. Not good pregnancy eats at all. I would feel so guilty after I indulged my craving.

Now Ivette is a full on toddler who loves her "dippy dip" aka Any Substance She Can Dunk Her Food Into. When we go out to parties or restaurants, Ranch is often served among the "healthy" options, although it is far from it. Once she had a taste, she wanted more... I suspect it was her all along driving my cravings!

On the upside, she loved eating vegetables with it, so there was that, but I just couldn't get over how awful that stuff was for her. Even the organic varieties weren't hitting the mark. Sure they were organic, but had zero nutrition. We try to focus on nutrient density, and it seemed silly to let her scoop up tablespoon after tablespoon of the stuff if it wasn't helping her body grow.

There HAD to be something better... Buuuut there wasn't! So I was going to have to come up with something.

The seasoning mix was easy, then that's when it got tricky. I tried tons of different dressing bases, from sour cream to greek yogurt, but I couldn't find the perfect balance between health, nutrition and flavor... until I stumbled across Kefir cheese.

Sure you can make this recipe with any base, but I recommend a mixture of Kefir cheese and Greek yogurt. Both these items help give the final product a ranchy "tang" without the need for buttermilk. They are also full of health benefits and nutrition. You'll get a dose of live probiotics from the kefir and a healthy serving of protein from the Greek yogurt + calcium and vitamin D. Feel free to change it up depending on how you like your ranch to taste, but try the original! You won't regret it! And now I present...

 

The Healthiest (and tastiest) Ranch Dressing You'll Ever Eat

Nutrition, flavor and 100% guilt free

You'll Need 

2 tbsp Parsley
2 tsp Dill
2 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
4 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Unbleached Cane Sugar
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/2 c Kefir Cheese
1/4 c Plain Greek Yogurt
Whole Milk or Buttermilk

Instructions

1. Combine all herbs and spices. I like to bring these together with a good ole' fashioned mortar and pestle, but you can use a spice grinder or small blender too. It is better if you can crush the herbs together in some way so that whatever you use as your dip/dressing base will be flavored evenly.

1A. Take a sniff.... really! This stuff really smells like ranch! It's amazing. I love the scent of it all mixed up. I never skip this step, and neither should you!

***Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ranch seasoning mix, and store the rest in an airtight container. Use the remainder just as you would a ranch packet. Make ranch burgers, homemade ranch wings or more dip. Tons of possibilities!

2. Take your dressing base(s) and add to a bowl. For this recipe I use kefir cheese and plain Greek yogurt. Stir to combine.

3. From here you can just add the reserved ranch seasoning, whisk everything together and have an amazingly thick, delicious Ranch Veggie Dip. But if you are going for something more towards dressing, you'll need to thin this out.

4. Here comes the part of personal preference... whisk in however much milk is needed to make the dressing the consistency you like. You can use buttermilk, although it's not at all needed. I know, I know! That's what makes ranch dressing... but just trust me. This is totally worthy without it!

Some people prefer really thin ranch, which is perfect for dressing a salad. I like my dressing to run, but retain enough thickness to cling to Ivette's veggies when she dips. Let's just say a loose dressing makes for one messy toddler!

5. Serve with a side of healthy veggies like rainbow carrots, cucumber slices, or strips of bell peppers in every color. Store leftovers in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge. For best flavor, eat within the week. However, it's doubtful it will last that long!

Now that I think of it, this would even be delicious served with oven baked chicken tenders or fish strips. Your little one won't be able to get enough. I promise! Ivette approves!

Toddlers that clear their plate, eat their veggies and ranch that's healthy and healthful? I call that a win, win, win!

Review/Giveaway: The Red Tent Movie - Things We Don't Talk About

What do the words “red tent” make you think of? If you're like me, you will quite literally think of a red tent. If you're the savvy, New York Times bestselling book reader type, you will probably think of Anita Diamant's 2001 bestseller “The Red Tent”.

In Diamant's novel, a woman's life and inner passions are revealed through sharing her life experiences with other women inside a red tent. The red tent served as a gathering place for women during menstruation, childbirth and illness. It was a place to share stories, joys, betrayals, pain and secrets.

Although “The Red Tent” is set in biblical times, modern women have connected with the concept of finding a real, intimate place to gather with other women and share their own stories and secrets.

Alisa Starkweather was one of these women, and in 2006, she founded The Red Tent Movement in an effort to bring this sacred space to women all over the world.

The documentary “Things We Don't Talk About” is the hallmark film of The Red Tent Movement, directed and filmed by Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost, PhD, another woman who's life was touched by gatherings in red tents.

Her goal:
  
“...[to] change the way that women interact [with] and support each other by providing a place that honors and celebrates women... and enables open conversations about the things that women don't want to talk about in other venues”.

When I popped in the film, I was not quite sure what I expected to see, maybe hippies chanting in tents? (And I in no way mean this as a derogatory term; I totally place myself in the hippie category!)

Either way, I was interested to learn about something new. It was evident only minutes into the film that Liedenfrost, Starkweather, and many other women featured within truly believed in the ability of red tents to positively transform, not just women, but our entire culture.

I also had a lot of questions... probably the same ones many of you are having right now.

Why a red tent?
And what is it again exactly?
How and where do they meet?
How often and... just what HAPPENS in there??!

Honestly, it seemed more like what didn't happen in red tents, and where didn’t they meet. The film featured video footage taken at red tents all over the country. Coast to coast from small towns in California to metropolitan cities like Bethesda, MD. It was clear that women from all walks of life are attracted to red tents; and all of these different groups of women had their own ways of being in red tents.

Some of the monthly gatherings were formal with women wearing name tags, others were very informal featuring women painted with henna, resting together. In other tents women sang songs and shared stories. Other clips showed women laughing and eating soup, or giving massages. Some red tents were literally red tents, dressed up with beads and candles around a warm and cozy space. Another red tent was simply a woman's living room with a red rug on the floor. Yet another: a simple red ring of fabric in the sand on a beach.

The tents were about as different as the women in them, but there was one thing they all shared. These women talked together, shared their past pains and the secrets they held. Shared funny jokes and stories. Cried together. Made music together. Most importantly they listened and they heard. They supported and empowered.

And while it seems that the red tents are best suited for those who have started or are nearing puberty, all ages of women were welcome in red tents. This was one of the most surprising and pleasing things I learned in the film. I enjoyed listening to the stories of the younger girls who spent time there and what it meant to them. I really wish this had been a larger part of the film, and that the interviews of the children were more extensive. It would have been a great way to prove one of the theories suggested in the film: that red tents are a benefit to our culture as a whole, and the next generation of women.


In the end, the documentary was strong. It presented a lot of relevant, related information and answered most of my questions. However, ultimately, it was a little difficult for me to really connect with the movement. The images and information presented in the film didn't feel targeted towards me, the new-to-red-tents viewer, as much as I think the filmmakers would have liked them to. The images were private, many of them emotionally charged, but they were the kind that I believe only a woman who has felt the power of that atmosphere can truly understand.

I compare it to showing your friends a video of your baby's goofy grin, or their very first step. Every mom in the room will feel a little warm and fuzzy... she will totally get it. Your kid-less friends: not so much. It is something that is really only understood when it is experienced and close to your heart. For this reason I felt very much like an voyeuristic outsider.

I definitely think the creators of “Things We Don't Talk About” included these images because they were powerful... to them. They had that power because the creators lived them. They have been in red tents, had been touched by the energy that is felt when surrounded by those women. However, in terms of drawing new women in, I would have felt a little more connected if there were more images and information that grounded the film in my reality.

I would have loved to hear the women speak about who they were before red tents. What they did in their every day lives. How they found red tents. How their lives had been changed and what it was like to be there for the very first time.

There was one very short part of the film that kind of dived into this experience for one tent member, but it was, again, short. It was probably one of my favorite parts of the film, one of the times where I really felt tuned in. I wish that it had been longer, and that this type of story had been woven throughout and shared by more of the tent-goers. This film definitely needed an “audience surrogate”. Someone new and doe-eyed exploring this world of red tents with us, for the very first time. These are the types of images and experiences that would have made me feel welcomed into the film.

That all being said, I do feel this is a very personal perspective.

I myself am not an emotional person. Perhaps this is why I felt like an outsider more than anything else.

All of these women partaking in red tents seemed to be a “type” of woman. And not to be sexist in any way... in fact just a type of person, in general. There are men like this too. This type of person feeds and thrives off of social connections. They love to surround themselves with the energy and networks of other people. They have very strong emotions and feelings (and lots of them). I don't know if this is true of all women drawn to red tents, or just something that the film unintentionally portrayed.

Either way, I don't see myself as this type of person. Because of this, I don't feel as if I would attend a red tent to feed more than curiosity.

I would, however, completely and genuinely recommend people who feel as if they did fit that category to go. My mother and sister being two of them! I know, without a doubt, they seek and crave that sisterhood of women around them. Supporting them. Empowering them... and I would be more than happy to attend a red tent alongside them!

If you are interested in learning more about The Red Tent Movement, visit www.redtentmovie.com There you can purchase the DVD, download a digital copy, or purchase a 24 hour rental. You can even enter for a chance to win the movie.

Want to attend a Red Tent? The site also features a “find a red tent” directory. I was surprised find one just an hour from me here in my desolate, nearly uninhabited desert corner of California. No red tent near you? No problem... the site hosts a great collection of resources to help you start your own!

The Red Tent Movie Website
The Red Tent Film on Facebook
The Red Tent Movie on Pinterest
The Red Tent Movie on Twitter
The Red Tent Movie Blog

TheRedTentMovie.com is offering a collection of digital downloads to one of our readers! The winner of this giveaway will recieve:

1. Digital copy of the Red Tent Movie "Things We Don't Talk About: Women's Stories from the Red Tent" (a $9.99 value)
2. eBook & audiobook of "The Red Tent Movement: A Historical Perspective" (a $15.99 value)
3. "An Invitation into the Red Tent" an 11-minute Guided Sound Meditation (a $4.99 value)
4. eBook "How to Create a Red Tent" (a $9.99 value)

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This allows us to contact you if you win!)  This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open WORLD-WIDE
and will end just before midnight ET on 4-8-15. 

The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway.  In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway