Free Annie's Lunch Sack with/purchase!

Head over here to score a reusable and waste-free lunch bag from Annie's!  If does require a purchase of two Annie's products, but thankfully, there are a bunch of great sales going on in-store on their products!  While this makes a great lunch bag, it could also be used for a super, reusable produce bag!

Carob v Chocolate

Carob. It is featured in drinks, ice creams, recipes, and some of our delicious truffles, among other yummy treats. But what exactly is this chocolate alternative?

Carob comes from a leguminous pod (think along the lines of peas) native to the Mediterranean. Carob is caffeine free and lower in calories (in the raw form- make sure to watch ingredients in powdered forms!), and contains three times the amount of calcium compared to cocoa. It is also lower in fat. Amazingly enough, one cup of carob contains only two grams of fat!!!

Carob can be directly substituted for cocoa in recipes, although it is suggested that the sweetener should be reduced by about one fourth. Plenty of recipes are available online and we can supply you with all the materials you need to try some delicious new treats!

Wave hello to Earth Friendly's Auto Dishwashing Gel!

Sure, it's good for the environment and your health, but does it work?  Check out the indpendent tests below comparing Earth Friendly's auto dishwashing gel with a popular mainstream brand!  If you are ready to test it out at home, print a coupon out here for $1/1 Earth Friendly Auto Gel and hurry in!

INDEPENDENT LAB RESULTS PROVE WAVE® Auto Dishwasher Gel TWICE AS EFFECTIVE as Cascade®

Wave® as tested by an independent consumer testing laboratory has been evaluated as comparable in performance to Cascade® while using half as much and without any of those harmful ingredients.

When tested per client instructions, both samples of Gel Dishwasher Detergents are rated as Good and they both demonstrate generally comparable performance and consumer serviceability. Both samples performed generally comparably in tests for spotting, fi lming, and soil removal for one full cycle in the automatic dishwasher. Per client request, the Cascade® sample was tested by placing 20 grams of product into BOTH dispensing cups, PLUS A RINSE INHIBITOR in the appropriate dispenser, while the Wave® sample was tested by placing 20 grams of the gel into only ONE dispenser cup, with NO RINSE INHIBITOR added due to the Wave sample having a rinse inhibitor incorporated into the product.

The Results are in...

Brand:             Wave® 2X     Cascade®
Spotting:          None              None
Filming:            None              None
Soil Removal:   No Traces      No Traces
pH                   5.5                 11


Made from plants! Free of 1,4-Dioxane, phosphates, formaldehyde, chlorine, GMO’s, petrochemicals,
ammonia and so much more. pH Neutral. Safe for you. Safe for your dishes. Safe for the planet!

Self-Prescribed Self-Tanner

After seeing my kneecaps look like those of Oompa-Loompa's, self-tanners have been thrown into my "to be avoided" list. But with the summer keeping me indoors with floor fans turned on full blast, I haven't ventured out to gain my summer "glow". And with vacations looming on the horizon, along with the end of summer, many are turning to these products for a quick fix. Gaining a bit of courage, I decided to try a few products and gauge their effectiveness. To my excitement, and hopefully yours too, I developed a little tip as I found several self-tanners that gave me the results I desired!

"Alba", always one of my favorite lines, provides a self-tanner that doesn't disappoint. The Paraben-Free product is easy to use and soaks into the skin, moisturizing while it works its magic! "Nature's Gate" has also introduced a line of self-tanners that range from light skin tones to darker tones. Also Paraben-Free, it does an excellent job as well! But the trick to self-tanners, mix them with another lotion to build a more gradual tan. By diluting the self-tanner, results will leave your skin just a shade darker and without blotchy marks all over your arms and legs!

So, for those who need a quick fix for their tanning woes, arm yourself with a little trick and some self-tanner. Summer's still here, so enjoy your vacation without looking like an Oompa-Loompa!

Natural Choice Coconut Frozen Fruit Bars!

I am a huge fan of coconut. Coconut oil, flakes, water, milk. Coconut in candy and in cakes. Some people can take it or leave it but i'd rather not leave it. I'd rather EAT it!

If you are a huge fan like me then you will love Natural Choices Coconut Fruit Bars. Sweet and cold. A perfect evening snack on a hot summers day. Or ......a cold winters day. Who am I kidding? They are pretty much perfect 365 days a year.

The best part about these bars is that they are dairy free, low in calories, sodium and fat and organic. Each bar will set you back 90 little calories. And that's a pretty satisfying 90 calories! I think you'll be very impressed.

And if you aren't a fan of coconut (blasphemy!) we have a few other flavors for you to try including strawberry and mango. If you are less of a popcicle lover and rather eat your frozen concoctions out of a bowl you may enjoy their sorbets including mango, strawberry and lemon!

Vegan Wednesday!

Vegan Macaroni Salad!

You Will Need:

1/2 Lb. Elbow Macaroni Pasta, cooked to your liking. (Whole wheat is okay to use, too!)
2 Cups Vegenaise
4 Stalks of Celery (Sliced)
1/2 Small Onion (Diced)
1/4 Bag Frozen Peas

1 Tsp Celery Seed (or Celery Salt)
Salt and Pepper to taste

This is a simple recipe that can be done in three steps. This first step is to boil the pasta. While it is cooking, use that time to prep all of the vegetables. Put them in a colander together and run warm water over them, just to defrost the peas a little.

Drain the pasta and rinse with warm water, to wash some of the starch off. Mix the vegetables in.

Mix in the vegenaise, celery seed (salt) and salt and pepper. Enjoy!

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and a new favorite!

VEGAN SAVORY COTTAGE CHEESE!

1 14 oz. block of organic tofu

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Salt to taste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mash the ingredients up with a fork until it reaches the right consistency. You may add more or less olive oil to achieve the correct consistency.

Variations:
chopped green pepper
chopped chipotle
chopped jalapeno
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
chopped fresh garlic
chopped celery

The Magic of White Tea

In case you weren't already confused with all your tea options (green, black, herbal and then the amazing amount of teas that you almost never hear categorized, such as chai, rooibos, and yerba mate), a new tea has been available to the US market for a little over a year now: white tea. And it is quickly growing in popularity and is becoming the preference for many tea drinkers.

White tea, until very recently, was only available to the upper echelon of China. White tea is the least processed form of tea- it is steamed, dried, and only lightly oxidized. The leaves are very young, and in many cases, still buds. The buds from the plant that produces the highest quality of white tea are silver, hence the name of the tea.



Because the white tea leaves are the least processed, white tea retains the most health benefits. White tea is very high in antioxidants and catechins. It is great for helping with cancer prevention, heart protections, strengthening bones and improving teeth, gums and skin. It can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol and has strong antibacterial and antiviral properties. White tea is also the least caffeinated of the teas (herbals are not true teas, because they do not come from the tea leaf), so it is a great low-caffeine beverage option. In addition to all of this, it has a light, sweet flavor that is sure to be refreshing in this heat!

Happily, Food For Thought carries white tea! And, we now have a delicious tangerine flavored white tea available in bulk, so you can see if you like the new flavor before you dedicate yourself to a container.