Sambazon Juice and Smoothie Review and Giveaway!!

I recently received an invitation to review Sambazon juices and smoothies here at For the Love of Food! and to run a giveaway through my participation with greenmomsmeet.com. I had seen them sold in stores before, including Costco, but hadn't tried it yet and was excited to do so! Here's a little about Sambazon:

• Sambazon juices and smoothies are made with the finest organic Amazon
Superfoods™ on the planet such as Açaí [Ah-sigh-ee], Acerola [Ah-sir-o-la], and
Yerba Mate [Yur-ba Mah-tay].
• Their juices and smoothies are available in ten different delicious flavor varieties,
and packed with antioxidants and healthy omega 3-6-9s.
• All Sambazon Superfood juices are NON-GMO, USDA organic, vegan, gluten-free,
and provide whole food nutrition.
• A bottle of Sambazon Superfood juice (10.5 ounces) retails for $2.99.

Sambazon is Available in functional flavors providing a variety of health benefits:

• Açaí/Antioxidant: This Original Amazon superfood juice is bursting with powerful antioxidants and healthy omegas. It’s a delicious way to combat free radicals and comes in two flavors: Original or Açaí+Blueberry+Pomegranate.
• Energy: This potent blend of Açaí berries, Yerba Mate, and Guarana delivers a whole food experience that boosts the body and mind the way nature intended. Energy is available in two flavors: A rich berry superfood juice blend with 50mg of organic caffeine per bottle, and a new Mocha Java superfood smoothie with 80mg of organic caffeine from fair trade coffee beans, plus a hint of chocolate.
• Protein: These indulgent smoothies are packed with 10g of organic vegan whole food protein per bottle (which helps to build lean muscle) and healthy omegas to keep you full longer. It comes in three yummy flavors: Açaí berry + Vanilla; Açaí berry + Chocolate; Chocolate + Almond + Coconut milk
• Supergreens with Kale + Ginger: This is a potent blend of Açaí berries, a powerful new blend of six varieties, plus a hint of ginger. It delivers around two servings of whole fruits and veggies, without added sugar.
• Blended Breakfast: This is the first beverage to combine whole fruit with ancient grains (like quinoa and amaranth), chia, and Organic/Non-GMO verified soymilk for a smoothie that sustains and nourishes. This delicious strawberry-banana blend is also a good source of fiber (7g per bottle).

I sampled the Original Açaí/Antioxidant juice first. The 10.5 oz serving size was a good amount I thought for a drink on the go or a morning juice. I found the juice to not be overly sweet which was good, and the flavor resembled plum juice. What's great is that there is such a variety of drinks from Sambazon that there is something for everyone! I really appreciate the fact that the company is dedicated to both environmental and social issues and supports 2 million acres of the Amazon rainforest and over 10,000 family farmers! Pretty impressive work.

Now you too can sample Sambazon!! They have offered for me to run a giveaway here for one winner to receive three free product vouchers, plus a fantastic wooden bowl and spoon valued at $45. Giveaway prizes will be sent to the winner directly. The giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only.
 


a Rafflecopter giveaway


You can learn more and connect with Sambazon here:
sambazon.com
facebook.com/sambazon
twitter.com/sambazon
pinterest.com/sambazon
instagram.com/sambazon

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May
Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I
agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.



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End of Summer Green Popsicles

I don't know about you all out there, but the summer has flown by for me... I didn't realize how little I've blogged but I guess it's just the sign of spending wonderful time outdoors and not in front of the computer :)

The weather is still warm here for a bit longer and my daughter has been loving our homemade "ice-smoothies" as she calls them, so I thought I would share our recipe for them.  We often drink green smoothies for breakfast so I just froze them and they make an awesome treat packed with great nutrients and delicious too! Adding and avocado makes it extra creamy and a little less icy than if you just freeze liquids so I really love having it in there. Of course you can add/subtract whatever you like but I find this balance to be not too sweet but still fruity and cooling.

Creamy Green Popsicles

2 leaves kale (aproximately 2 cups)

1 cup organic spinach

1 avocado

1 cup coconut milk (canned is creamier)

1 apple (sliced, cored)

3 clementine oranges

1 cup mango

2 Tbsp ground chia seeds

1 tsp Spirulina powder

Blend all ingredients in your blender until smooth. Pour into Ice Pop Molds and freeze upright for a few hours or overnight.

If you have leftovers, enjoy as a smoothie!

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Equal Exchange Coffee Review

I recently had the opportunity to sample a new product that I thought would be important to share with others- The Equal Exchange Congo Coffee Project coffee blend.

If you're not a coffee drinker, you might enjoy hearing about the project anyways or buy some for someone who is- I'm an occasional coffee drinker myself, but I really feel that if you are going to drink any, this is definitely one of the more important products to support.

First about the project:

A portion of the sales from this coffee is donated to the Panzi Foundation which supports the medical programs of the Panzi Hospital in the D.R. Congo which provides life-saving treatments, counseling and aftercare programs to more than 2,000 survivors of sexual violence each year. You can find more information on this project on their site if you are interested – http://www.equalexchange.coop/congocoffeeproject

From the site: "The challenge for the survivors of sexual violence and women with gynecological conditions to access primary as well as secondary health care remains significant. This is due to factors such as displacement, political insecurity and lack of capacity within the local health structures.  More than 5,000 women were raped in South Kivu alone during 2009, according to the UN."

For every bag of coffee sold, Equal Exchange will donate $2 to the Panzi Foundation.  All of Equal Exchange's products are fairly traded from small farmers, making this a great company to support.

So now the what is the coffee all about??! 
I really loved this coffee.  It is a blend of East African Coffees that is smooth and balanced, with rich chocolate, sweet vanilla, brown spices and a hint of fresh berry.  One of the things that bothers me about a lot of coffees is that either they are too weak or too bitter if they're strong. This blend was able to  remain bold without that bitter taste- it was smooth and rich and was able to hold its own without any cream or sugar added. My husband was a big fan of it as well and said that it was definitely one of the best coffees he has had!

To prepare it we ground the whole beans and brewed it in the french press. One day we even made mochas with it using a little So Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk drink!

Thank you to Mambo Sprouts for providing me with the opportunity to learn more about this great company and its efforts! 

 

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Milk Alternatives - Make your own!

So to follow up on my last post about milk, I wanted to provide a few alternatives to moo-cow milk. My husband bought me a Blendtec for my last birthday which has reallllly helped with my being able to make these drinks. If  you have a Blendtec, Vitamix, or other high powered blender they will definitely be easier to make, but I'm pretty sure you can make these in a regular old blender, it just might take a little longer.  My best guess is that the Magic Bullet would work well for a cheaper option.  Haven't tried the Ninja yet, but I've heard great things.

**One product I will refer to and LOVE are my jelly strainer bags. I use it to strain the coconut or almond milks and they're really cheap and fantastic - and not messy.  Click Here to see which ones I use- the best deal I've found and 2 are included. I throw them in the wash and they're still fine.

Recipes:

Coconut Milk
So my number one favorite dairy-free "milk" is coconut milk. It's delicious, nutritious and has the best consistency in my opinion.  Also bakes the best (tied with hemp milk for consistency) in cow milk recipes.  You can buy fortified coconut milk drinks (or other nut/seed drinks) from a variety of companies now including Trader Joe's, So Delicious and Silk in a variety of flavors- sweetened with stevia or cane sugar, unsweetened, chocolate, vanilla, or unsweetened vanilla.  There are also a great variety of coconut milk products for sale (ice cream, yogurt, kefir, and more) but I won't get into that :)

I make mine using shredded coconut from Tropical Traditions.
They have great untreated organic coconut in a bucket or 1lb bag and tend to have coupons and deals available.  If you buy from them, make sure to use my Referral Code: 5685168 so we both get something free!

Here is my recipe based on a number of others I've seen:
Coconut Milk
1 cup shredded organic coconut (see above)
5-6 cups boiled water*
1/2-1 tsp guar gum (optional)
Place coconut and about 4 cups of the boiling water in blender.  Blend a few minutes.  Pour into jelly bag held over a pitcher and squeeze until most of the milk comes out. You probably want to wait until it's cooler or use gloves. Pour the pulp out of the bag and back into the blender with around another cup of water- just enough to make it blend.  Repeat the straining process. You now have coconut milk!
If you wish to serve it immediately, go for it. If you want to keep it in the fridge, I recommend using some guar gum. Pour the milk back into the (cleaned) blender and add 1/2-1 tsp guar gum** (depending on how thick you want your milk). Blend and then pour again into your jar.
Shake/stir before serving.

*If you want your milk thicker/more creamy use less water. You have to play around with it to find your desired amount.
**Guar gum is an extract of the Guar bean found in India and Pakistan. I find it cheaper and better than Xanthan gum (derivative of corn). If you don't use it, your milk will separate and be thinner after standing for a while.

Here is Tropical Traditions' recipe for coconut milk

Here is another recipe from Elena's Pantry

Almond Milk

Here is Elena's recipe
Kelly's Almond Milk video

Cashew Milk

I use the recipe at the Spunky Coconut:
Kelly's Cashew Milk recipe

Sunflower Seed Milk
1/c cup raw sunflower seeds
2 cups water
1/4 tsp guar gum (optional)
soak your seeds 4-5 hours or overnight. drain and rinse them. place in blender with water and blend until smooth. if serving immediately stir and drink. if not, add guar gum and blend again. stir before serving.

Before Guar Gum

After Guar Gum

Hemp Milk

Here is a simple, straightforward recipe

Enjoy!
Let me know if you have any questions!

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Gluten Free Baby Edition Pt. 3 - No Milk??

I've been having a lot of conversations recently about cow milk alternatives and of course what I have been giving to my daughter to drink and why... For now we're staying away from dairy and she is loving a variety of coconut, sunflower, cashew, hemp, and almond milks.  They are all super healthy and while her main beverage of choice is still breast milk she loves these as a snack or with food as well.  Store bought milks are fortified with vitamins so in that way are more of an equivalent to cow's milk, but I tend to make my own a lot of the time.

So why not give milk?  I'm not even going to start to touch on the issue because there are so many many reasons why people believe this.  If you just google "why is milk bad?" you can turn up hundreds of results and check it out yourself.  I am not a nutritionist and in no way have I researched all there is to know on the subject, so please do your own. I should note- I am not totally anti-dairy- I don't judge you if you drink it/eat it, etc., I just prefer to stay away from it (and so does my body :)) Here are a few reasons for avoiding it though:

To start- the fact that most of the world is lactose intolerant is definitely something to consider... perhaps our bodies were not meant for cow's milk and that it was just meant for baby cows??

Milk increases the amount of mucus in your body- definitely not good for you when you're sick and contributes to you getting sick.
Some say that since dairy products contain lactic acid it causes bone erosion. This is related to why statistics show that women who consume dairy products are more likely to develop osteoporosis. It has also been linked to numerous other diseases and illnesses - diabetes, stroke, etc...

My main reason- it's just not necessary.

American culture thrives off of unhealthy eating and is what people love to promote. I hear all the time how people get excited about how much junk food they ate and how their kids love it so much- and I hear pride in that.  It will take a lot to shift our minds to being excited about things like how we grew great veggies and made our own food out of it instead.  Because of unhealthy eating, milk has become a great way for kids to get their nutrients- vitamin D and Calcium in particular.  Were kids to eat a well balanced diet, this would really not be necessary.

Vitamin absorption in veggies is actually better than in milk, and you can get all of the nutrients necessary out of diet- no pills, no drinks.  Vitamin D might be the only exception if you're not in an area of the world that gets enough sun (and spending enough time outside). To deal with that, I give my daughter a few drops of Vitamin D each day (except during the summer).  Fish, liver, and egg yolks do provide a good source of vitamin D as well.

So what are good sources of calcium to replace that milk?  Spinach, broccoli, collard greens, molasses, tahini, and more. 
 
Here is a link of the top 10 veggies for calcium.

I really like this Canadian list of food sources as well as intake recommendations for both calcium and vitamin D as well.

So I never like to dismiss something without giving alternatives, so stay tuned for my next post about how to make your own nut and seed milks! (Found HERE!)
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