Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Naked Juice Lies about GMO Labeling, Class Action Lawsuit Open


BE TRANSPARENT AND DON'T LIE ON YOUR PRODUCT LABELS


The world must know that brands who label incorrectly can not only lose a lot of money in a lawsuit, but damage to the brand name and equity possibly destroying brand trust forever! A brand's promise to customers especially around health is extremely important. If you're going to promise all natural ingredients and lie about it well you may just lose a lot of customers.

As a food brand did they not know GMO (genetically modified organisms) are not a real, natural god bearing seed, it's made in a laboratory by Monsanto joining DNA and pesticides and the FDA labels a GMO seed not a food, but a pesticide, of course. And newsflash, most of the produce you buy from a regular grocery is likely GMO, unless labeled "organic". Did you know that most of Western Europe bans USA's Monsanto's GMO seeds... hmm how sad it feels to be American sometimes.

Read up and learn all about how you may be entitled to $75 money back or much more with or without a receipt of your Naked Juice since 2007. I know that I have had quite a few of them, but if only I kept every receipt in my life, shucks! File a Naked Juice lawsuit claim here.




Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Republic Of Tea Gluten-Free Product Review





I love tea and I now love Republic of Tea. It's true. During the morning through afternoon you'll likely find me sipping at least 2-3 cups of tea almost every day, if I'm not sipping my kombucha. It doesn't have to always be boiling hot although seasonally in the cold northeast I would be. I also enjoy iced green tea, chai with almond milk or fruity herb teas without sugar and not watered down. I just enjoy the taste and know that when I drink tea I'm consuming one of nature's most prized possessions. Recently, we sampled a few teas that I wanted to share with you from Republic of Tea.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Win Rudi's All-New Herb Stuffing! Expires Nov 13th



Gluten-Free Product Review:
Gluten-Free Savory Herb Stuffing From Rudi's

Hurry, there's just a few days left for Rudi's Facebook stuffing giveaway. This Thanksgiving celebrate in style and flavor with all-new Rudi's savory herb stuffing. I've never had a truly "great' stuffing before so usually I just avoid buying it, but this year I'm stoked that both myself and everyone at our Thanksgiving dinner table (mom, dad, grandma, girlfriend, cousins and friends) can enjoy something new and tasty this year.

Monday, November 4, 2013

How To Make Kombucha / Kombucha Guide



Kombucha (The immortal health elixir) is a super raw tea beverage and lucky for you it's both delicious and easy to create. Learn about kombucha health benefits and follow these simple steps to make your own at home every two weeks just like I do. Research has shown links to traditional ancient China over 2,000 years ago with research more recently done in Germany and Russia touting it's health benefits.

I feel mentally and physically "well" knowing that I'm regularly drinking kombucha. I've read and can fairly share that I sense the health of my tummy and my bathroom needs. It's as if I feel more in tune with my body when I have kombucha regularly in my diet. Often I refer to kombucha as the original natural beverage because it's naturally carbonated and has genuine health properties, unlike today's soda and sugary beverages which are laughably, the opposite of kombucha.

HEALTH FAQs

  • What Is Kombucha? Raw, fermented, probiotic, and naturally carbonated organic tea
  • Does Kombucha Have Healthy Properties? Full of amino acids, probiotics, antioxidants, glucuronic acid, B vitamins and much more
  • What Are The Health Benefits? Detoxification, joint care, aids digestion and gut health and immune boosting
  • Is Kombucha Dangerous? A healthy SCOBY that is made properly and drank periodically cannot be dangerous whatsoever
  • Should I Drink or Sip It? It's advised to sip kombucha throughout the day, don't chug anything ever actually
  • How Often Should I Consume It? Sipping adds constant aid to your GI for digestion



WHAT INGREDIENTS MAKE KOMBUCHA?

1) Organic green, black and/or white tea (4 bags)
2) SCOBY starter: Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria & Yeast often referred to as a "mushroom" or "mother"
3) One gallon glass jar for distilled water
4) Organic cane sugar for the kombucha to eat (1 cup)
5) Cheese cloth (cotton cloth) and rubber band
6) Wooden spoon clean to not disrupt the bacteria
7) Growler and/or glass jars for bottling

THE STEPS TO MAKE KOMBUCHA

Step 1: Boil approximately 12 cups of water and add to your glass jar.
Tips: Allow about 3+ inches empty space at the top for a Scoby and starter along with a cheese cloth to stay dry around the top

Step 2: Add four bags of organic tea (green, black and/or white) and allow to steep for at least two hours
Tips: Place the kombucha jar away from activity to not accidentally get dust or kitchen shwag into the jar while the tea steeps and begins to cool

Step 3: After two hours remove the tea bags and add 1 cup of organic cane sugar and mix thoroughly with your wooden spoon. Allow to cool for another two hours until near room temperature
Tips: Continue to keep your kombucha jar away from activity in your kitchen to avoid shwag entering the jar

Step 4: Add your SCOBY and starter kombucha to the top of the jar carefully and allow it to settle.
Tips: Occasionally I have added 1/2 cup or two of a room temperature kombucha to ensure it has enough starter bacteria brew

Step 5: Cover the top with a cheese cloth and a rubber band around the top diameter. Place in a dark ventilated area for approximately 10-14 days
Tips: Kombucha doesn't like the light. Sample your buch close to this time period for sweet and bitterness to your liking. I typically vary my buch in this time frame, but I prefer less sweet so go longer if needed to 14 days

Step 6: After 10-14 days bottle your buch in growler and/or jars. Strain your buch into bottles or just pour carefully with a funnel and seal. Keep these jars out of the refrigerator for 1-2 days for flavoring or more carbonation. Or simply placed new sealed bottles into the refrigerator to hault further fermentation
Tips: Keep your scoby and it's new baby in a jar as well for future brews and/or sharing with friends and family. Put the scoby and starter in the refrigerator and allow it to vent in a jar with hole or seran wrap
MORE  KOMBUCHA TIPS
  • Why Should I Use A Wooden Spoon? Wood is a natural source whereas steel, or plastic can interfere or leech with the bacteria SCOBY 
  • Can I Use Less Sugar? No. The recipe is standard and if you don't feed your scoby enough sugar it will not have the ingredient attributes to brew correctly
  • Where Can I find A SCOBY? Seek and you shall find from a friend, local health food store and/or you can seek ways to create a scoby from a previous kombucha product, but it's more difficult
  • How Often Should I Check My Kombucha? You can peek in to be sure the SCOBY at the top is growing into the diameter, but don't taste it for at least a week to allow it to ferment. Taste it regularly after that until you're ready via a wood spoon
  • Do I Need To Flavor My Kombucha? Not really. I don't flavor since the natural taste is already yummy and fresh. But you could add herbs and/or other sugars after you bottle not during the main fermentation
  • Should I Turn or Shake My Kombucha Bottle? Don't ever shake a bottle of kombucha as the carbonation will cause an explosive mess. Carefully turn the bottle slowly once or twice upside down to allow it to breathe


Friday, November 1, 2013

The First Gluten-Free Girl Scout Cookie Is Coming





The famous yet infamous Girl Scouts, who we love so much, but have been frustrated with for dozens of years due to their inability to introduce a gluten-free (gf) cookie has come through... They had been working closely with Celiac Spru Association (CSA) to introduce a pilot program for their chocolate chip shortbread cookie. It was made in a gluten-free facility and tested for <5ppm much better than the FDA regulation of <20ppm (because gluten-free products should contain as little gluten ppm traces as scientifically possibly.

What Is It?
The gluten-free chocolate chip shortbread cookie has no early photo releases, but it does sound enticing, why? It's made from many different ingredients than the typical unhealthy Girl Scout products that we feed our kids and families. Yes. I'm serious.

  • No artificial flavors, colors, high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, hydrogenated oils
  • Made with real chocolate chips and butter. 
  • 5 oz resealable pouch with 12 pouches per case 

When Is It Available?
Starting in 2014 there will be 20 councils offering the gluten-free chocolate chip shortbread cookie. To review this pilot program and learn more go here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


  Q. Are there GMO ingredients used?
  A. Yes (all girl scout cookies have GMOs)

  Q. What is the freshness and freeze by dates different with this gf cookie?
  A. Testing has not been fully determined so the shelf life is shorter and can be assumed that they use more natural ingredients compared others which require a shorter life span on the shelf.

  Q. Will it taste any better than the hundreds of other gf cookies on the market?
  A. Im guessing it won't be much better than a home made cookie, but we shall see.

  Q. What is the price?
  A. No announcement has been made, but let's compare it to a comparable oz product on the market and they're going to sell them above all current SKUs.

  Q. Are they Kosher?
  A. Circle UD Kosher certification. All major products get Kosher certified to maximize their consumer reach. Glad to see this was considered.

  Q. Will you support the Girl Scouts with their new gluten-free cookie?
  A. I will certainly support my friends and family who are troops in these pilot programs and sample the product and see if it's any good and check the ingredients in full.