Phenom Coconut Drinks Giveaway

This post was originally published as Phenom Coconut Drinks Giveaway by Laurel on Health Food.

Over the past year I became a little obsessed with coconuts. I’ve been using coconut milk in my soups and stews or anytime I need a milk substitute. I’ve been eating coconut ice cream for treats and even made my own chocolate ice cream last summer using coconut meat and cashews. I’m also crazy for coconut waters and rely on them to rehydrate me after long walks in the city or dance and pilates classes.

I recently tried a new brand of coconut drinks from GNC. Phenom is a little different than other coconut waters on the market because it’s fortified with GNC vitamins and minerals. It’s kind of like drinking a vitamin water and a coconut water mixed together. I tried 4 flavors: Blueberry Pomme, Pineapple Punch, Acai Peach, and Orange Guava Passion. Pineapple Punch was definitely my favorite. The pineapple flavor worked best with the flavor of the coconut water and also masked the chemical taste of the added vitamins and minerals. I could definitely see myself drinking this one again. The Orange Guava Passion was also good, having a similar tropical flavor that goes well with coconut. I have to say, I didn’t really like Acai Peach or Blueberry Pomme. The flavor of vitamins and minerals was too strong in these drinks, and I really couldn’t taste the coconut water any more.

I love that the Phenom drinks don’t have added sugars or preservatives. They’re also pretty low in calories. Check out the calories in coconut water here. Something I would love to see in the future? I’d like to see Phenom use pure coconut water instead of concentrate in their drinks. This is something many of us health nuts look for. You can really taste the difference.

Announcing a giveaway! To submit your entry to win two free bottles of Phenom coconut drinks, leave a comment on this blog post telling me why you’d love to try them out. I’ll choose two winners to each receive two bottles of Phenom drinks. All entries must be complete by Sunday June 5th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. If you’re chosen as one of the 2 winners, I’ll contact you by email to ask for your full name and address to send you the coconut drinks. Open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!

p.s. Be sure to include what flavors you’d like to try. If you win I’ll do my best to send you those flavors!

Crackers Giveaway

This post was originally published as Mary’s Gone Crackers Giveaway by Laurel on Health Food blog. 

A few weeks ago I was at Whole Foods doing some grocery shopping and got the chance to try some snacks from Mary’s Gone Crackers. I thought their name was cute, but I was instantly intrigued by their pretzel-type snacks flavored with curry. I love anything curry, so I tried the snacks, and instantly loved them. They were super crunchy and kinda spicy with that great curry flavor I am always craving. Since then I’ve had a chance to try all of the Mary’s Gone Crackers products, and am thrilled to share my review and a giveaway of 3 products.

All Mary’s Gone Crackers products are organic, wheat-free, and gluten-free. They are made with healthy whole grains and seeds such as quinoa, flax seeds, brown rice, sesame seeds, and chia seeds. Sweet!

Cookies
The cookies come in 4 flavors: Chocolate Chip, Ginger Snap, N’Oatmeal Raisin, and Double Chocolate Chip. My favorite is the chocolate chip, because let’s face it, I’m just a sucker for a chocolate chip cookie. My second favorite is the N’Oatmeal Raisin. They are dense, soft, and chewy. The Double Chocolate Chip flavor has a strong cocoa taste (for the dark chocolate lover). The Ginger Snaps were quite a bit crunchier than the other cookies, so I like them best with a glass of almond milk.

Mary's Gone Crackers, assorted cookies

Crackers
The crackers come in 5 flavors: Original, Caraway, Herb, Onion, and Black Pepper. All the crackers look about the same but have subtly different flavors that make each one unique. They are all thin and crunchy and taste great with hummus, bean dips, or mashed avocado and veggies. My favorite flavors are the Caraway and Onion. The caraway tastes like rye bread (yum) and the onion has a sweet roasted onion flavor that makes you want to go back for more.

Mary's Gone Crackers, assorted crackers

Sticks & Twigs
The sticks and twigs come in 3 flavors: Sea Salt, Curry, and Chipotle Tomato. They kind of resemble pretzels but are even crunchier thanks to lots of whole flax seeds and sesame seeds. I went crazy for the curry flavor which I dunked in hummus for afternoon snacks. The sea salt was also a favorite, with just a touch of salty flavor that’s not overbearing. The sticks and twigs are perfect for someone who loves super crunchy snacks.

Mary's Gone Crackers, assorted sticks & twigs

Announcing a giveaway! To submit your entry to win Double Chocolate Cookies, Chipotle Tomato Sticks & Twigs, and Black Pepper crackers from Mary’s Gone Crackers, complete one or all of the following actions (to earn up to 3 entries):

• Leave a comment here telling me which of the Mary’s Gone Crackers products you want to try the most (check out their website for a full list of products).
• Share this giveaway on Twitter and include @LaurelMoll and the link to the giveaway in your tweet. Please leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
• Share this giveaway on Facebook and include a link to this giveaway. Leave me a comment with a link to your FB post.

All entries must be complete by Wednesday April 27th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Each entry will be put in a bag, and I’ll pull out a name for the winner. If you win, I’ll contact you by email to ask for your full name and address to ship you the snacks. Open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!

Mary's Gone Crackers Giveaway (Double Chocolate Cookies, Chipotle Tomato Sticks & Twigs, and Black Pepper Crackers)

 

Sun Chlorella Giveaway

This post was originally published as Sun Chlorella Superfood Giveaway by Laurel on Health Food blog

I first learned about superfoods from nutrition expert David Wolfe at an lecture during my health coach training in 2009. David calls superfoods “the food and medicine of the future,” and they are just that—an exciting group of disease-fighting, nutrient-dense foods that people are only just beginning to hear about. My favorites have always been raw chocolate (cacao) and coconut, but recently I’ve been learning more about some of the microalgae such as chlorella, spirulina, and AFA blue-green algae. Luckily, I just got the chance to try a bunch of chlorella products from a company called Sun Chlorella USA.

Chlorella has more chlorophyll per gram than any other plant on earth! Like all nutrient-dense superfoods, chlorella has been touted by nutrition experts for its amazing health benefits including (but not limited to): improving digestion, relieving inflammation, strengthening the immune system, promoting healing, detoxing the body, and reducing symptoms of diabetes, cancer, arthritis, AIDS, viral and bacterial infections, hepatitis, and more. Chlorella is also a potent source of healthy omega-3 fats, making it effective at lowering cholesterol.

I’ve been taking Sun Chlorella’s tablets and granules as a supplement to my diet for over a week now, and I’m doing great so far. I love having the granules around to add to smoothies and fresh juice. See Day 4 of last week’s vegan blogathon for a picture of the berry smoothie I made with chlorella, coconut milk, blueberries, and strawberries. Yum. I got a major “buzz” after drinking that smoothie as I often do after consuming superfoods. By “buzz” I mean a burst of energy and a wonderful clear-headed feeling.

Announcing a new giveaway contest!

To submit your entry to win a box of free Sun Chlorella products (including a 20-day supply of Sun Chlorella A tablets, a 20-day supply of Sun Chlorella granules, and a gift bag of Sun Chlorella product samples), leave a comment on this post describing how you would use Sun Chlorella granules in your daily diet. For example, you could post a smoothie recipe or just list ideas for how you would eat them on a daily basis. Note: There’s a picture of the granules below. All entries must be submitted by Friday April 15th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. The person with the best answer will be chosen as the winner and contacted by email. If you win, I’ll need your full name and address to give to Sun Chlorella so they can ship you the products. Open to U.S. residents only. One entry per person. Good luck!

Sun Chlorella granules packets and box of tablet supplements

Sun Chlorella granules (left) and tablets (right)

Sun Chlorella Product Sample Gift Bag