Sunday, July 20, 2014

Keeping a Healthy and Happy Kitchen and Home

Crispy Fruit

I introduced bags of Crispy Fruit to my son and husband and they LOVED them. These are totally natural freeze dried fruits that come in small, individual bags. They come in a variety of fruits like mango, apple, cantaloupe, pineapple, banana and more. The fruit tastes just as flavorful as it would have if you ate it raw. Best part is there are zero added ingredients to this product and no added sugar which I love.

Just Tomatoes Etc!

While we're on the topic of freeze dried products, Just Tomatoes Etc! makes some great pantry items that are freeze dried and healthy. I like the bags of freeze dried veggies. They are great to snack on plain, you can add them to salads or trail mixes or you can rehydrate them and add them to soups of stir fries!

Pomi Tomatoes
I like to keep a variety of different tomato products in the pantry. I like plain tomato sauce for pizzas, pasta, etc. Diced and chopped tomatoes are great for a margarita-style pizza or to toss into spaghetti. You can make chili, hamburgers, etc. all stewed with tomato products from the pantry. I like Pomi products because you get the basic tomatoes you are looking for and without any added harsh chemicals or preservatives. I also like the fact that the products are in boxes. Research is showing canned foods might actually be harmful for our health. The boxes also stack nice in my pantry.

Berry Breeze

If you want to keep your fresh food in your fridge fresh longer you can use the Berry Breeze to do so. This product is a small little machine that produces activated oxygen to keep your fruits and veggies fresh longer. The unit is battery powered and it has a cycle that it runs through so it isn't constantly in use. I was shocked at how well this unit works. I tossed it in the fridge thinking maybe it would keep our items fresh for maybe a day or two longer but it really kept them fresh much longer than normal. By the end of the week I usually have very minimal produce options because we've had to use everything up. This wasn't true once I started using the Berry Breeze. As an experiment I put it in our pantry on the shelf where I keep our non-refrigerated produce like avocados, potatoes and bananas. By the end of the week the bananas were much less brown than normal and we were actually able to keep avocados the full week without them being mushy and brown on the inside.

Rusty's All Natural BBQ

Barbeque sauce is a staple in our household. It's right up there with ketchup. My son slathers everything in it and we often have ribs, chicken and pork cooked with BBQ sauce. Because of this I always like trying new varieties to switch it up a little bit. Rusty's All Natural BBQ Sauce is different from other sauces we have tried and trust me, we have tried a lot of them. The traditional BBQ sauce has a Worcestershire flavor to it making it pretty unique. I used it for some pulled pork which I turned into quesadillas and it tasted great. There are also other sauces that are part of the line included a tasty taco sauce.

Sun Warrior

My husband likes to make himself a protein shake / smoothie every morning before he heads off to the office. He was conflicted for a bit about what type of protein powder to use. A lot of them has some pretty harsh ingredients in them. He ended up settling with Sun Warrior's raw vegan supplements. He uses the classic plain powder as we don't like to consume stevia. But if you are ok with that ingredient there are other flavors and varieties to choose from.

McClures Pickles

I love salty snacks. I am not a huge sweets person so if I'm craving something it is usually something salty. I love pickles plain, with sandwiches, you name it. I have never tasted pickles in my life that are better than McClures Pickles. These pickles are simply amazing. Each jar comes packed with pickles, whole dill and whole pieces of garlic. They are so flavorful and delicious I cannot say enough about them. There are some spicy varieties as well. I'm not a fan of anything spicy but I had my parents test these ones out as they love hot pickles and they said they were great as well. There are also relishes, bloody mary mixes and even potato chips that coincide with the McClures flavors.

Saffron Road

I like different cuisine and my husband is usually pretty good about going out for something unique with me. I got him to try Thai with me but unfortunately we are at a loss when it comes to good quality, local Thai food and plus, we don't get out much just the two of us. Saffron Road makes some tasty frozen entrees and their Pad Thai is actually really good. Typically you would get something like this frozen and it would taste more like a Lean Cuisine than authentic Thai. Saffron Road products have all the traditional flavors you are looking for and all the spices that should be used in a dish. The Lamb Saag and Thai Basic Chili are all good as well.

Wild Planet

Our local grocery stores carry Wild Planet tuna and this is pretty much our only option when it comes to a higher quality, canned tuna product. Wild Planet's sustainably caught seafood is really good. When you open a can of their tuna (There are a few varieties) you get a can of solid, high quality fish. It flakes apart and is really dense and tasty. I have used it for tuna sandwiches, tuna noodle salad, etc. This product really makes a difference in the quality of your dish. You don't get the feeling you're eating canned tun but rather fresh tuna you cooked and cooled.

Brianna's Dressing

I eat salad almost everyday and I incorporate it into our meals a few times per week. Because I eat it so much I like to change up the dressing we use; always trying some new variety. I also like to purchase all natural or organic dressings so I can eliminate the MSG and high fructose corn syrup that seems to be in the majority of store bought dressings. Brianna's Dressings are probably the best dressings I've ever tried. They don't have any nasty ingredients in them and they have the best flavors. I am a big ranch dressing fan but it's near impossible to find a non-MSG ranch where we live. Brianna's Ranch is fantastic and MSG free. I also like the Creamy Balsamic and the Rich Poppyseed. These dressings are great for salads as well as for dipping.

Manna Organics

I have been eating gluten free for almost one year now and the health benefits I have had as a result from this new diet are fantastic. I do eat certain foods that have gluten in them and I don't bother buying gluten free sauces but I stay away from gluten-based dough, pasta and bread. Manna Organics makes some good gluten free bread that I enjoy. It's always hard to find a good gluten free bread to make sandwiches on or eat as toast but this brand makes some good products. I like their plain bread as well as their gluten free cinnamon raisin bread. My son even likes the cinnamon raisin variety and he can usually pick out a gluten free product.

Stacey's Organic

I got two big packages of Stacey's Organic Tortillas in the mail as samples. I made my family a meal with them; I think it was tacos. My husband said they were the best tortillas we have had and can I buy them all the time? He was disappointed to find out they aren't carried in our stores but he concluded I should order them fresh each week online! These tortillas are flaky, simple, organic and delicious. They work well for tacos, wraps, quesadillas, etc. They freeze well if you make a meal with them and want to store the leftovers. They toast up beautifully under the broiler; truly delicious.

Henry Humdingers

This is a good raw honey brand to purchase especially if you are looking for a product that can be used for cooking purposes to make a glaze or dip. Henry's Humdingers are raw honey flavors such as Diabolical Dad, Phoebe's Fireball, Grumpy Grandpa and Naughty Nana. All of the honeys are raw and they can be used as a marinade, sauce, dip, spread, etc. This idea was created by a 12 year old boy named Henry who wanted to help save the bees. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Foundation for the Preservation Of Bees.

Primal Pet Foods Inc.

My pets are like my adopted children and I like to make sure they are eating a high quality, well rounded diet. Because of that I like Primal Pet Foods Inc. This brand makes wholesome, raw frozen foods that are human grade. The meats used in the products are raised without antibiotics or hormones and they are vegetarian fed. These products are also totally grain and gluten free. My three cats absolutely loved the freeze dried liver chunks. This product can be used as a treat for cats as well as dogs. It's probably the most amazing pet treat I have seen. You open the bag and there are actual large chunks of liver in the bag. The chunks tend to be a bit big and two of my three cats have dental issues so I break the pieces up a bit for them. There are tons of other products available from Primal Pet Foods Inc. including regular hard food to base your pet's diet on, raw meaty bones and raw foods.

I And Love And You

This is another great pet food brand that I love for my three cats. You can get a wide variety of products from I And Love And You including high quality freeze dried foods, dry foods and even litter. All of the products are high quality and safe for the fur-children in your life. My cats love the cod chunks that I give them as treats from this brand. I also like the litter because it is a pleasant product we can use instead of the very stinky, dusty litter we buy from our local pet store.

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