Spices in convenient grinder packaging are not a new idea but organic spices are. I have been actively using the Garlic & Herb Sea Salt, the Chile Seasoning, the Italian Seasoning and the Rainbow Peppercorn Seasoning recently and they are all hits. I like the easily-fresh-ground spices, the fun lid for easy measuring and, of course, the flavor.
The Italian Seasoning contains the traditional Italian spices like basil, oregano, salt and pepper. It’s very fresh tasting and works really well in pasta sauce and salads. It is sort of salty, however.
The Rainbow Peppercorn is full of all sorts of peppercorns for a crazy pepper flavor. I like it, but it does not go well with everything like black peppercorns would.
The Garlic & Herb Sea Salt is very similar to the Italian Seasoning. It’s saltier and less herby, but the garlic is definitely present.
My favorite is the Chile Seasoning. From the mellow to the hot, you will find a wide range of chile spices in this little container. Add however much you want into the mix and you are all set for rice and beans.
There are more Organic Grinders from Melissa, but we’ll get to those reviews soon. Check back with us.
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Making salads is an art and I think I made a Mondrian with my creation. Mixed baby romaine and other greens with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, grape tomatoes, Equal Exchange Cranberries and Pecans and some Italian seasoning. No dressing is even required!
The pecans are salted minimally and the cranberries are sweet and juicy for dried cranberries. The creamy Gorgonzola and the crunchy, organic pecans are just so wonderful together that I ate this salad 5 days in a row. I only like cranberries when they are dried, and these are great.
I have not been disappointed with Equal Exchange’s fair trade product thus far.
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I love the softness of bamboo, especially shirts, and this is no exception. The breathable, lightweight, bamboo, organic cotton and spandex shirt is stylish and comfortable. Me To We, from Canada, produces many different styles of shirts for both men and women.
The Bamboo Shoots long sleeve shirt is what I’m talking about today. Bamboo seems like it would not be soft, but it is, so do not think otherwise. Like, ultrasoft and breathable. I like the print of the shirt and not just because of its trendy, irregular positioning of the design. Normally, I do not go for big and bold designs, but when it comes to green, I’m all for it. The shirt is good for spring or summer nights when there is a crisp breeze but you still want to wear shorts. The asphalt color is a good idea for the summer too.
Me To We is one of those companies, like Newman’s Own, who give back most of their profits to charities and that is remarkable.
We will be reviewing more of Me To We’s line soon too, so come on back.
Bake-dried organic apples and a touch of cinnamon makes this simple fruit snack both healthy and tasty. There is really not much to say with respect to the taste since there are just two ingredients. The baking process dries out the apples well enough, but they are not too crisp nor too soft. The healthy apple snack is 100% organic and worth trying out.
Bare Fruit offers many varieties so check them out.
Vegan, fair-trade and organic chocolate-coated sandwich cookies pretty much summarizes what Leafygreen.info is all about. People out there can produce amazingly awesome cookies with green ingredients and practices. Yes, these cookies are more expensive then the traditional Oh cookies but they are 100% worth it.
Dark chocolate that just melts in your mouth reveals a vegan stuff crème inside surrounded by more chocolate (as in the cookie). Such a treat! Maybe you should purchase some, send them as gifts, eat them yourself or just glance at their beauty.
The attention to detail and green is what separates Liz Lovely from other companies. Their packaging is green either by design or by reusability.
Can’t wait to have more!
Organic Fuel for the mind, body and soul is Steaz‘ tag line and I feel it’s totally appropriate. The lightly carbonated beverages are filled with green tea, yerba mate, acai and guarana, gives me the energy that I need on those slow days or before a long bike ride. Partnering up with Guayaki and Sambazon for instance provides fair trade and organic ingredients in this energyrific can.
Not only does the can provide 80mg of natural caffeine, but it also tastes great too. Check out Steaz all over the place like Wegmans, Whole Foods and your local health food stores too.
Try the plain and if you feel adventurous, the lime and orange are wonderful as well.
Equal Exchange offers a lot of fair trade products such as coffee, tea and chocolate. I recently sampled the Organic Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts and the Organic Dark Chocolate with Almonds.
Both chocolate bars are wonderful. The smooth chocolate blends really well with the other flavors. The hazelnut bar is not overly full of hazelnut. It is actually just a hint of hazelnut for a super chocolately flavor. The almonds are abundant and tasty, that’s for sure. The crunchy, gluten-free chocolate bar is a keeper!
Equal Exchange redesigned their website’s store and made it more web friendly, so go check it out.
Nau’s Loose But Not Slutty Jeans right off the bat have an office look. They are very casual with clean lines and no trendy holes or scrapes. Nau chooses their materials very carefully which can be seen in every piece of clothing they make. These jeans are made of organic cotton with raw denim produced in Turkey. The material is twice dyed with an indigo for the beautiful blue color saturation. Mike thinks the color is too dark, but for me, it is perfection. Without any tags to take away from the design of the jeans, there are no distractions and no snagging when putting a belt on. The natural, organic denim is stiff. This helps in the office as it will not crease and wrinkle that easily during daily wear but can also take the abuse of labor intensive jobs. The hardware is nickel free as to help people whom are highly allergic to some materials.
My favorite part of the jeans must be the wide belt loops. Usually it is hard to find nice jeans that will accept the abnormally wide belts, but these have no problems. In fact, it is actually better for your hip having the wide belt loops as it removes pressure sometimes felt. Inside the jeans is a small hanging band just in case you are in a changing room and need to hang up your pants. The right pocket contains a smaller insert for keys, change or a small cell phone.
Nau’s instructions state to wash inside out with cold water and line dry and never use bleach! However, I have been washing these on tumble low in my dryer and the jeans are holding up well. I have only one complaint with these jeans… sizing. The length is standard and may need to be tailored as do other premium denims. Premium denim costs more (obviously), but these jeans can take a beating and still look perfect.
Unfortunately Nau is closing shop. This makes me very sad, but you never know what can happen in the future!
Finding a really good backpack is a difficult process. Many bags are filled with plastics that contain PVC and other toxic chemicals. Some have certain features that are amazing and then unnecessary features as well.
Ecogear’s Ecotech line is a PVC free line of backpacks designed for common folk but with a green twist to it. I really like the Mohave Tui bag. The inside is large; the bag is sturdy and somewhat compact as well. I do like the small outer bottom pocket, it’ very convenient for keys or business cards. The main compartment is spacious; in fact, I’ve stuffed a MacBook, two days of clothing and a SIGG bottle in the external pockets of the bag. The top of the bag has a small compartment featuring pen sleeves and other useful separators. Finally, on the outside there is a large, water resistant zippered area perfect for things you need quickly. One feature that I love, but could use a slight modification is the music player pocket and port.
The full sized iPod (Classic) fits into the pocket, but it is VERY tight and the headphone jack is extremely difficult to insert into the iPod through the fabric-covered port. You physically cannot fit the iPod into the pocket if it’s inside a case, so forget about it. Other than that small (literally) issue, the backpack looks and feels great. The pockets are sized to accommodate many goodies for an overnight trip or a hike up the mountains and the padded shoulders are 100% comfortable. My arms and shoulders did not ache after wearing the bag for 4 hours straight. I have now brought this bag to a few green expos as well as my overnight bag and it will continue to stay with me as my backpack of choice. I really like the color and the design.
As I stated at the top of the review, not many bags are perfect and when you find one, you can’t let it go. Though this bag could use a few improvements it really is great.
Ecogear also has cute backpacks for little kids and other more eco-friendly bags like organic cotton messenger bags.
Organic and raw peanuts deep from the Ecuadorian Jungle have a strong resemblance to our peanuts, but taste much different. These nuts are woodsier and heartier. They take some time to get used to, but I do like them. They are heart healthy too and help to support a local tribe of farmers whose lands are being destroyed to mine for oil.
