This giveaway is now closed.
I was recently contacted and asked if I would do a review on ecostore's natural, environmentally friendly products and of course I said yes! There are some other products I've been using lately that I have not been happy with so I was looking forward to trying these out.
They are also offering to give one of my lucky readers a gift certificate for their products! How nice are they?
But first let me tell you about the products I chose to review and why their products are important for everyone. They carry products from baby care, bath & body, hair, household, and pet care too!
About Ecostore:
"Our eco friendly, plant-based household cleaning products are as effective as the leading supermarket brands, and our body and baby care ranges are gentle on your skin and are simply beautiful to use. Our pet care products let you spoil your pets with our nourishing, rich blends of ingredients and show them how much you care by reducing their exposure to unhealthy chemicals. All of our products are made from plant- and mineral-based ingredients, free of toxic chemicals that bring people closer to nature with non-toxic, environmentally safe solutions that also help to reduce our carbon footprint."
"Why should I use ecostore products? Because we care about your health! So many conventional products are being linked to chronic health issues. It makes good sense to us to eliminate those NASTY CHEMICALS and get back to nature. By using all plant based ingredients we not only protect your health but your planet too. "
click an item to learn more & read ingredients
Auto Dish Powder
This is a high performance blend of simple mineral salts, citrus and Coconut oils. Stuck on food and grease won't stand a chance when it comes to the NO NASTY CHEMICAL products from Ecostore USA.
*My review: I thought this was great! We have hard water here, so it always leaves a white residue on our dishes. I've been using another product to keep those spots away. Since using Ecostore's Auto Dish Powder, I haven't noticed any residue or a bleachy smell. It's great! I wonder if it was those other detergents leaving that residue??
Pure Oxygen Whitener
This contains oil of citrus and Coconut and other plant-based ingredients. Ecomommas will love the way this product brightens and cleans baby’s clothes and does not contain any harsh chemicals that could irritate delicate skin.
* My review: I have been using this in every load whites and colors. If you are familiar with oxyclean, this is like that, but with better ingredients. You only need 1-2 tablespoons too. Since using Ecostore's Pure Oxygen Whitener, I can see some cleaner results in our laundry.
Baby Shampoo
This extremely mild shampoo was created to cleanse the hair, but not irritate baby's skin or eyes. Combining only the best of nature and plant-based ingredients, no harm will come to your baby or our waterways.
yes we have a fugly bright sea foam green tiled bathroom w/tub to match!
*My review: Well to be honest, it sort of uh, stinks, it may be my sense of smell though. It reminded me of a dog shampoo smell. Maybe they could've done that a lavender or vanilla scent? It also did irritate my little one's eyes, but again maybe it was the scent? BUT, it left the kid's hair SO soft and easy to comb through!
* UPDATE- My personal review: I tried this shampoo on my self (with my long hair, it took about half the bottle, haha), actually a little goes a long way. Do you know what that smell is? Citronellol , like the mosquito candles? Yeah, not my favorite smell, thankfully it doesn't really smell like that when dried. Anyways, I felt like it really cleaned my hair and made it soft. I think I could get past the smell for how nice it made my hair.
So I think my favorite item would be the Auto Dish Powder!
Guess what! One of my awesome readers will win a $25 Gift Certificate from Ecostore USA
http://www.ecostoreusa.com/! Sweet!
For a chance to win, answer me these 2 things in one comment below:
1.Go visit their Ecostore USA site here & tell me which products you would try if you won the gift card!
2.Also tell me what you do to live a greener, healthier lifestyle.
(Be sure to leave a valid email address too*)
Earn an additional entry by:
-Following me on Twitter AND tweeting this giveaway (leave username & your Tweet's URL)
*To get the link to your Twitter post, click under your message where it says "less than _____ ago" and that will take you to a page where you can copy the url of your message.
-Just leave an additional comment with your tweet info.
My Giveaway ends: 9 pm pst, Sunday, April 5, 2009.
Please read the fine print:
-Open to USA residents
-You must leave me a way to contact you, or your comment is invalid*
-Winner(s) will be emailed, posted on my Blog, Twitter & Flickr, do you follow?
-I will choose my random winner(s) using Random.org
*Follow along with my blog so you don't miss up coming Recipes & Giveaways! Good luck!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Review: Ecostore USA Products and a Giveaway!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Fiber One Gift Basket Winners!
My 3 lucky readers for the Fiber One Gift Basket Giveaway are:
#10, #1 & #4!
excuse my lame set up, I'm not familiar with layers in my editor (anyone care to teach me?)
Congrats! Please check your emails and reply!
Review: Wild Harvest Organic: Lunch Box
I was chosen at SheKnows as part of their 100 mom panelists to test some products from Wild Harvest Orangic and was sent the lunch box edition first. The kids had their snacks after school and macaroni and cheese for lunch the next day. I chose to bake with the peanut butter and frost some cupcakes. I was happy to see that our Albertson's grocery store also carries these products! Here are my reviews of what I was sent.
Wild Harvest Animal Crackers
I loved these. They have a great flavor to them and I prefer them over the other animal crackers out there!
Wild Harvest Apple Sauce Cups
Original and cinnamon, great applesauce, the kids loved them!
Wild Harvest Creamy Peanut Butter
This IS great peanut butter! The flavor is intense and it's thick, stick to the roof of your mouth thick! I used some of this in a chocolate frosting for some Naturally Nora cupcakes. It's great! I don't like that you have to keep it in the fridge though, it makes it a little harder to spread on bread. I would definitely buy this, especially to bake with. :)
Wild Harvest Macaroni and Cheese
White cheddar: We've only have the white cheddar yet. I have to say we did not like this. The flavor was sort of tangy and weird. Kids did not finish theirs.
*Update= Cheddar: I did a side by side comparison, well a blind taste test really, on my kids. They did not like this version at all. I agreed. It's much like the white cheddar, a tangy weird taste. One described it like Parmesan. They preffered the "blue box" version.
Wild Harvest Juice Pouches
Strawberry kiwi, grape and fruit punch: Really great juice. These did not last long at all.
Thanks, She Knows and Wild Harvest Organic!
Read this review here.
enjoy,
Dorie's (Berry) Fruit Galette
This has been on my mind, ever since I passed on this TWD recipe. Last summer!
Well now that I have some fresh frozen fruit stocked, I thought I'd whip it up and use that (before I used it in something else). Since I used frozen berries, I used about 3 Tbl os graham cracker crumbs, to be sure it'd soak up the juice. Also, I let it sit all day before cutting into to be sure it'd set up. It's uses one of my favorite go-to pie crusts from Dorie, its flaky, light and really easy to make too. After baking for a bit, you make a custard and pour it over the berries then finish baking. Yum! I had a little custard leftover, so I cooked it down and served it over a piece. Everyone loved it!
The recipe can be found here at Michelle's blog.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Orange Muffin Bread
*Don't be left out of my Fiber One Giftbasket Giveaway! Ends 3/30*
Good Morning! This will brighten your morning for sure! If you love orange flavor, this will not disappoint! The recipe comes from this kid's mini muffin cookbook I've had since my oldest was little. Since I don't make mini muffins often, I decided to try this as a loaf (this is a doubled recipe for loaf size). Yes you puree the entire orange, peel and all! I added in some chocolate and a streusel topping and it was amazing!
2 1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 whole orange (washed, cut into wedges, with seeds removed)
2 eggs
1 C milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C canola oil
Preheat oven to 400' and grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Puree the orange wedges (peel and all!) in a food processor (it states to have an adult help, haha). Transfer the puree to a medium bowl.
Whisk in egg, milk, vanilla and oil until blended and pour over dry ingredients. Fold in with spatula until just blended.
Pour batter into loaf pan . Bake for 30-40 minutes or until center comes out clean with a knife.
-adapted from Makin' Muffins
Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
For topping, combine sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs; sprinkle over each loaf.
*I have had various inquiries about the chocolate in this recipe. It was something I had just added so I didn't write it in, but because everyone wants to know...I just melted down about 1/2 Cup chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet or milk) and swirled them into the batter before baking.
See this at Just Baking too!
I had some leftover batter, so I did make some mini's and Madeleine shaped
Thursday, March 26, 2009
English Muffin Pizzas
I've only just started making our pizzas at home remember? Well one night I wasn't up to making the dough, so I used English muffins. I've always known about them for pizzas but never gave them a try. Well, now that I have tried them, we'll be doing that more often! These were so good, quick and fun to make with personal toppings! The toppings are endless, below is what we used. I made extras for lunch the next day, so you can cut this recipe in half if you like. I also pre toasted the muffins so they would not be soggy from the sauce.
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Pepperoni slices
Olives, sliced
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray English muffins with spray (or brush with olive oil) and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Place on foil-lined baking sheet. Place in oven for about 6 minutes to lightly toast up. Remove and spread English muffin halves with pizza sauce. Top with cheeses and toppings.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Fiber One Gift Basket Giveaway!
This is one great giveaway! I couldn't wait to post it (and to give a head start for you guys), so I set it to automatically do it, while I'm sleeping. Ha!
The folks at MyBlogSpark and Fiber One are offering 3 of my readers a Fiber Friend gift basket, which includes a nutrition journal, water bottle, pedometer with calorie counter, and a kitchen scale! (Not sure, but I think a coupon for some yogurt too?)
But first, learn a little about fiber and play a game with me. I went to http://www.fiberfriendfaceoff.com/ where I created my own personal avatar, or Fiber Friend. I then faced off against a weekly opponent to help learn about daily fiber requirements and the health benefits of fiber, it's fun! You choose which foods would help you meet the daily requirement of 25 grams of fiber in your diet, and at the end it will tell you what percentage you're at!
Just by registering, I am entered in a sweepstakes for a chance to win great prizes including daily gift cash cards, weekly Flip Video camcorder and a grand prize trip-for-two to a luxury spa in Arizona! Check it out Fiber Friend Face-Off , play and perhaps you can win a very nice prize!
Remember to choose well-balanced foods that provide fiber and other important nutrients. Include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts to help meet your daily fiber goals. Download a coupon now to save on this week's featured Fiber One product, check out their recipes there too! You can also watch a helpful video here.
See, they're pretty cool gifts!
How can you win?
To earn your chance to win a gift basket, you must tell me these 2 things:
1. What is your favorite Fiber One product here.
AND
2. What other foods do you eat that are fiberlicious?
Don't forget to leave your contact info!*
Me? I love apples and all summer time fruits and how about that Fiber One Caramel Delight cereal? Sounds great. Next time I go to the store, I'll be sure to pick up my yogurt!
My Giveaway ends: 7 pm PST, Monday, March 30, 2009.
Please read the fine print:
-Open to USA & Canadian readers only please
-You must leave me a way to contact you, or your entry is invalid*
-Winner(s) will be emailed, posted on my Blog, Twitter & Flickr
-I will choose my random winner(s) using Random.org
*Follow along with my blog and you won't miss it if you are a winner! Good luck!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesdays with Dorie: Blueberry Crumb Cake
You know how on some recipes it gives a prep time and bake time? Well for this recipe Dorie suggests this could be for breakfast. Hahaha, not in my house. I like to take my time putting together a recipe, and not be in a rush. Plus this had an hour bake time and cooling time, which for me took forever also. I started this in the morning but we didn't get to taste it until lunch time.
Here's something great for your morning or afternoon snack or for whenever! Sihan of Befuddlement chose Dorie's Blueberry Crumb Cake for this week's TWD. I love blueberries in baked goods, remember these muffins? Yeah so, here's another recipe for blueberries! Yum! Check out her blog for this recipe and see how other's turned out in the blog roll from TWD.
I used pecans instead of walnuts and frozen Wild Boreal Blueberries, which are a smaller than regular blueberries (and no, a 16 oz bag does not equal 2 C for this recipe, haha. That would've made my cake all blue!). Mine took about 1 hr 10 minutes to bake, it was all bubbly with butter, so I parked a piece of parchment paper over the top and let it bake away until it was done.
smell-o-vision? Mmm, lemon infused sugar
floured berries
enjoy,
