Product Review and Giveaway- Tsp Spices - Spice Sets

The first things that struck me as soon as I opened up the parcel and caught sight of the Organic Sun Shine - lemon zest and orange zest spice set and the Organic Herb Sampler was how wonderful these to would be to give or receive. It has gift written all over it. The packaging resembles that of a CD or small book box set. The lines are clean and I'm fond of the chocolate with white trim on the boxes.

Inside the Organic Sun Shine spice set is 2 tins, one containing 12 - 1 tsp packets of Lemon zest and the other containing  12 - 1 tsp packets of Orange zest.

Inside the Organic Herb Sampler are 24 packets in total of 6 different spices: Basil, Dill Weed, Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme

First of all I have to say that I find the whole idea behind tsp spices really interesting, because they are individually wrapped, the spices keep their potency longer. So there is a lot less wasted spice. I find the spices much more flavourful than any conventional spices I have recently purchased. It has a homegrown taste and I know any gardener will be pleased with that notion. I learned while browsing the tsp spices website that not only did a spice need to be free from pesticides and insecticides, but to be considered organic a spice had to be pure... or free from debris like twigs, fillers and other foreign matter. Tsp Spices supports sustainability and healthy farming practices. Actually, I have really enjoyed browsing through their website and I encourage you to do the same.

Tsp Spices have generously offered an Organic Herb Sampler to a Music and Mommies reader!

Product Review: Eden Foods - Organic Sencha Mint Green Tea

Those who have graced my door know all too well how big of a tea drinker I am... every few months I stock up my cupboards with classic teas and current favorites and a couple new treats to sample. When I have company over I'm quick to make everyone a hot beverage and yea I can be a bit of a tea pusher. When I approached Eden Foods about doing a product review, they offered me a selection to choose from and as soon as I seen the words "Sencha Mint Green Tea", I instantly became excited. In case you are wondering, Sencha Mint is a unique blend of Japanese organic green tea leaves, with Egyptian organic spearmint and organic peppermint leaves.

This box arrived last week and it is almost gone. I have made pot after pot of this tea and shared it with friends. I haven't encountered one tea drinker yet who didn't care for it. I serve it without milk or any kind of sweetener. The sweetness of the spearmint and mint are enough. The brew is very strong and I can re-steep the same bag a few times.

One thing I noticed about the packaging that caught my eye and made me feel all warm inside was that not only was the box printed on recycled cardboard, but it was printed with vegetable ink!

 

 Their catalog has over 250 items listed and you can download a .pdf or request a print copy here. With that large of a selection, I wonder what their other products taste like!

Product Review and Giveaway: Dhuni Incensi Sticks [Canada]

I received two packages of Incense to review from Dhuni, a company in the UK to review. At Dhuni, they individually handroll their incense sticks out of barks, flowers and resins over slender threads of bamboo. It is traditional and true.

The package of Nag Champa contained 7 extra large incense sticks. Each stick burns for well over an hour and sometimes to keep them a little longer we snuff them out about half way. This Nag Champa is completely free of chemicals unlike most incenses that you find on the market these days. Did you know that Indian incenses containing Plumeria have Champa attached to their name?

The package of Kashi also contained 7 extra large incense sticks and it was my husbands favorite. He enjoys it so much he wants to save it for a special occasion. I however have a thing about saving things for special occasions. They never seem to get used that way. The aroma brings him such pleasant feelings whenever he smells it. I really enjoy the smell of it as well, in fact both were extremely pleasing and aromatic.

Giveaway:
Dhuni also shipped a package of Lotus incense for one lucky Music and Mommies reader! Enter to win on the Rafflecopter form below.  The lotus is thinner than the Nag Champa and Kashi and comes with more although I'm not sure how much more.

Happy Holidays to all!

I hope the holiday season brings all of you lovely people everything your heart truly desires and that it is met with love and gratitude. May the kindness in your hearts live in everything you do, every day you live.

GoGo Quinoa - Minestrone Soup

Over the last few weeks I have reviewed a couple different side dishes from GoGo Quinoa. Today I am going to review one of the soups I received. Minestrone Soup is a gluten free, vegan soup with 70% organic ingredients

With 15 to 20 minutes cooking time, this makes a wonderful meal for a family of four, if you have an appetite like I do. I eat small frequent meals. The hubby on the other hand, eats larger meals so this was a suitable appetizer for him. Well at least it would have been had he been able to try it. He requested some, I put it aside for him. He went on about how delicious it smelled and he was excited to try it. But then I think he forgot. Jessi was down from the city and she got to try it and she absolutely loved it. It was leftovers by then so the flavour really had time set in.

The picture below is about 5 minutes away from completed cooking time. It thickened up a bit more. This was so yummy! The flavor was similar to the Paella and it is also very low in sodium. The red beans give it a bit of fiber without being too hard on my digestive system. I'm sensitive to certain legumes and sometimes it is a tough compromise between sensitivities and bodily demands. After eating this I felt very content and satisfied.

Read my previous GoGo Quinoa reviews:

Granissimo Paella
Granissimo Pilaf

Wordless Wednesday: Cat Feet

Product Review: Hugo Naturals - Essential Mist

I received a lovely amber bottle of Essential Mist in Calming French Lavender to review. You might remember my review of the Indonesian Patchouli & Sandalwood Massage and Body Oil. Hugo Naturals also sent that wonderful product.

The Essential Mist is a great all over body spray for after bath or shower. A few spritzes cools down my skin and is a great way to add quick hydration. This blend of purified water and essential oils can also be used as a fabric refresher. Consider spritzing a few pillows, a stuffed animal or a babies blanket in a nursery with this calming lavender scent. Even spritzing the furniture in the living area to give that calming effect throughout the house. You can even spray your hair with it if you like. Since there is no carrier oil you do not need to worry about greasy hair. I really love the quality of the products at Hugo Naturals. I love that they are cruelty free, vegan and gluten and Soy free.

One thing that I really love about the product is that they do not use any artificial colors or synthetic fragrances. I am allergic to yellow #5 and it bothers me to no end when companies needlessly add cheap synthetic dyes to a product that is going to be placed on the skin and absorbed into the body or ingested into the body. More and more people are developing sensitivities to these ingredients and suffer side effects from an accumulation of these toxins in the body over a period of time. So, I embrace companies that are conscious of that.

Product Review: Nature Balance Wellness - Part 3 of 3

Over the last few weeks I have posted 2 different reviews about various products from Nature Balance Wellness. You can read the review for the facial collection here and the second review can be found here. This is the third and final installment of this review series. I have been thrilled with the quality of these products and would have no objection to working with these company in the future. They have been a privilege to work with and I really encourage everyone to pay them a visit.

The Marigold Magic Body Butter is one of NBW.ca's best selling products. It is great for eczema sufferers and those with sensitive skin. It is remarkable on really dry and even cracked skin. I get really dry feet in the winter and this did a fantastic job of breathing some life back into those tired feet and elbows. I like to put it on after a bath, my skin just soaks it right up. The sweet orange softens the skin and the calendula heals the skin and promotes skin growth.  Sweet orange oil also promotes optimism and calendula helps heal stretch marks! This cream is even gentle enough to use on babies

The Love Me Lavender Body Scrub is one of my favorite products hands down. Lavender is amazing for the skin. I use this product nearly every time I shower and a little goes a long way. I especially love to use this product on problem areas on my legs and bikini area. Some areas need a little more love, especially if you are a frequent shaver. Speaking of shaving, I was told that this product also doubles as a shaving oil. Use it first to exfoliate and then wait and you can use the extra moisture to shave. It really does keep the skin terrifically moisturized and give you a close shave without all of the ingrown hairs, but the downfall is that it gunks up the razor quickly. Perhaps I need to adjust the time in between exfoliating and shaving. Immediately after using this product I watch as the water beads right off of my skin. The smell is so calming, I'm in love.

Product Review: Eden Botanicals - Essential Oils

I received a few samples of essential oils from Eden Botanicals a US company located in Hyampom, California. The samples included:  Sandalwood, Lemon, Lavender and a tiny Sample of Jasmine Absolute.

The samples included a note about how each oil was collected, its place of origin and the plant part that contains the essential oil. In the case of the tiny sample of Jasmine, the oil is collected from the flowers. In the case of lemon the oil is collected from the peels. The potency of these oils is impressive, I can distinctly smell each one through the tiny sample vial without opening it. Since the samples were shipping in clear containers I have been storing them in a dark spot in my home where the light won't reach them.

Certain methods of extractions are more costly then others but these costly methods help preserve more of the plants essential oils. These things help determine the cost of the oil. The Jasmine for example is a more expensive oil so the sample size was much smaller than the Lemon, Sandalwood or Lavender oil.

I recommend stocking up on some oils because not only to they offer terrific aromatherapy benefits but certain oils also have medicinal properties. Tea tree for example is a powerful antiseptic... Thyme oil is a wonderful disinfectant. Look to Eden Botanicals as a source for pure wholesale essential oils and even rare ones!

Tsp Spices - Spicy Nachos

I received a few different products from Tsp Spices to sample and I was very fortunate to have been sent some organic mild ground chili pepper. So, I decided to make nachos. I did use ground beef in this recipe, you can substitute the ground beef for ground turkey or opt out of the meat portion of this recipe all together. If you choose to opt out of the meat, might I suggest adding the chili pepper and splashes of hot sauce to the salsa. The salsa can be homemade or store bought, it is entirely your preference.

I used ingredients that I had on hand and I did not put any sour cream on my nachos because sour cream holds my hand and carries me into a world of pain. As you can imagine, "world of pain" isn't a prime vacation spot.

Ingredients: ground beef, 1 package kettle nacho chips, Salsa, Jalapenos, Choice of Olives (we used green and black), Cheddar, onions (green and regular), hot sauce, 1 tsp pkg of ground chili pepper.

While the ground beef was cooking we added the Chili Pepper courtesy of Tsp Spices and some hot sauce to taste. Spicy foods are high in request in this house during the colder months of the year.

Afterwards the children helped me scatter the prepped ingredients (except the salsa) onto 2 baking pans. I don't include the salsa in this step because it really does make the nachos too soggy. So I usually put the salsa on the side as a dipping sauce for the nachos or over them after they have been baked.  

 I bake them in the oven long enough for the cheese to melt and the chips to get warm and a little crispy. Allow to cool temporarily and enjoy.

These nachos were very spicy and that is to be expected when you put jalapenos on your nachos. I managed to sample the chili pepper when I first added it to the hamburger and I must say. There is a distinctive freshness to this product like no other in my spice cupboard unless it is homegrown and has been dried properly.

Product Review: Hugo Naturals - Massage and Body Oil

Have you ever heard of the company Hugo Naturals? If not I recommend that you take a peak at their product line. They have a wonderful selection of products for both mother and baby and even products for the men in your life. I received a couple products from Hugo Naturals to review. Today I am going to write about the Indonesian Patchouli and Sandalwood Massage and Body Oil.

While I am not a masseuse, (someday!) I absolutely love giving massages. It brings me great joy to help people heal their physical and even emotional pains and stresses whether it be in council or just in providing a calm, relaxing atmosphere for the people in this home and our loving guests. This oil is the perfect blend of masculine and feminine scents. Sensual is indeed the perfect description of this scent experience, the patchouli is strong but the sweet woodsy notes of sandalwood provide a delicate balance. I often find myself dabbing a drop of this oil on my wrists to use it as a nice perfume. Sweet Almond and Jojoba oils are the base oils so this product is great for skin. Naturally, to protect the oils from sunlight (which causes it to rapidly oxidize) it comes in a lovely amber bottle to filter out some sunlight. What I love about this product is it doesn't leave you feeling like you immediately need a shower like many other massage oils on the market.

My Kinder Moments - #kindermom

Have you visited the Kinder Canada Facebook page lately? They have an application on their page called My Kinder Moments. This application allows you to jazz up some of your special memories big and small. There are frames for everyday experiences and frames for special memories like a visit from the Tooth Fairy and every a theatre or dance performance and even a haircut.

I think the tooth fairy frame is really cute, imagine your child's toothless face with this frame around it. Or even a photo of them placing their tooth underneath their pillow. They also have a frame for the fall season and since it still looks like fall around here, it would make a lovely frame for an outdoor scene.

If you love how your memory looks framed, share it with your friends and family! Or invite them to build their own albums. What are you waiting for? Head on over to Kinder Canada and start building a Kinder Moments album.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Kinder Mom campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received special perks as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Gift Ideas - Atlantic Lottery Holiday Mega Pack

Are you living in the Atlantic Canada region and looking for last minute gift ideas for the adult in your life? The Atlantic Lottery offers the perfect, quick gift idea to ease your frantic mind. Whether it be your spouse, mother or father, aunt or uncle, brother or sister, the Holiday Mega Pack might just be the best solution for you. A a cost of $20, the Holiday Mega pack includes 10 games of chance with a guaranteed winner in every pack. A chance to win up to $125,000 is just plain exciting.

So that takes care of family, what about that supervisor at work? Or the person you drew in that gift exchange? Let's not forget about our civil servants, and it might even be a good idea to have a couple on hand for those "oops" people... it happens! Whether we would like to admit it or not!

Remember lottery tickets should NOT be purchased for children this holiday season, or anyone under the age of 19. Santa will take care of the children... but if you want to leave Santa a holiday mega pack I don't think he would object. He's always looking for additional income sources to help fund his endeavors at the north pole. He might appreciate a chance to win as well, along with his cookies. These ipods, game consoles and cell phones all the children want these days are much more costly to make then the wooden tops of days past.
 
Disclosure – I am participating in Atlantic Lottery’s “Holiday Mega Pack” campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Product Review: GoGo Quinoa - Granissimo Pilaf

As you know I received a few different products from GoGo Quinoa to review. Last week I reviewed the Granissimo Paella and this week I am going to review the Granissimo - Basmati & Wild Quinoa Pilaf.  Did you know that GoGo Quinoa is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization?

A quick rundown on the Pilaf. It is organic, gluten free and vegan. A great source of Iron, the Pilaf contains 5 grams of protein per serving. This 200 gram box has a suggested serving of 4.

We actually used this as a side dish and in hindsight I regret that decision. Don't get me wrong. It was delicious, although the kids didn't care for it nearly as much as I did. In their defense it is bland and they probably won't appreciate that as much as I do for another 10 years. Not to mention the oldest has been tremendously picky as of late. I blame his current tween phase for this finickiness. I added a little bit of homemade Greek vinaigrette for flavor and I really enjoyed it, of course that inspired me to think about how delicious this would have been mixed with a Greek Salad and stuffed into a nice giant pita. I'm drooling just thinking about it. You could stretch it further that way too. Again, like the Paella, I loved the consistence.

Product Review: Nature Balance Wellness - Part 2

A little while ago I reviewed the facial collection for oily skin by Nature Balance Wellness. I had also received a few extra products at that time that I decided to review separately. So I could pay a little extra focus to each of these well deserved products without having a ridiculously long blog post. Today I'm going to review the Beach with Lime Body Wash, the Desire Body Lotion and the Healing Balm for Burns, Scrapes and Rashes.

Crisp, refreshing and lightly foaming, Beach with Lime Body Wash is the perfect embodiment of the ocean and the scent of that lime wedge on the side of whatever your drink of choice might be. I love using this in the shower and the smell has an invigorating effect on my spirit. I feel so uplifted and fresh every time I use it no matter how funky my mood might be at the time. Nature Balance Wellness seems to have a masters degree in developing luxuriously potent scent-scapes.

The Desire Body Lotion is absolutely amazing. It is very hydrating and not greasy whatsoever. It is gentle and it smells divine.  Unisex, the hubby and I have both been using it regularly. He tried to claim dominance over it when he first smelled it. Cute. It is also gentle enough to use as an eye makeup remover. I have nothing but good things to say about this product and the scent combination is so brilliant. I am a big patchouli and orange lover to begin with the addition of Jasmine and Sandalwood this is a truly spectacular blend.

What a great little soothing stick of wonder. The Healing Balm for Burns, Scrapes and Rashes provides a protective barrier for those who may have dry itchy skin like my youngest boy. It smells good too! My neighbor and good friend Travis tried some and he found the scent very much reminded him of a balm from Burts Bee's that he used to use as a child. It brought back good memories for him. One of the main ingredients in this balm is Chickweed!

$100 Amazon Twitter Blast

Welcome to the Twitter blast! This wonderful event is hosted by the lovely Aimee from Madame Deals and Jen from all her blogs  (Kobiso, Makobi Scribe, Sason and Pobi, etc)... they have provided the $100 Amazon Gift Card to giveaway to one lucky winner. The event will end at 12:01 am EST on January 1st, 2012. What a terrific way to ring in the New Year... a chance at a gift card, and an opportunity to familiarize yourself with lots of great fellow tweeters!

Wordless Wednesday: Let it Snow

Upcoming Giveaway Event: $100 Amazon Twitter Blast

 

$100 Amazon Twitter Blast

Are you a blogger who would like to promote their Twitter account to increase their following? Why not participate in this upcoming Twitter Blast occurring over the holiday season.

What is a Twitter Blast? You the blogger can join for free with one account – Twitter. Then we will provide the prize-$100 Amazon card.

Aimee from Madame Deals and Jen from all her blogs  (Kobiso, Makobi Scribe, Sason and Pobi, etc) are the sponsors!!

Click the image above to find out how to sign up!

Organic Alert: Product Review: GoGo Quinoa - Granissimo Vegetarian Paella

I received a few different GoGo Quinoa products to try out! Among this products were the Granissimo Vegetarian Paella, 3 Grain Pancake Mix, 4 Grains Hot Cereal, Granissimo Pilaf (in Basmati and Wild Quinoa), Mushroom and Quinoa Cream Soup and Minestrone Soup.

Today I will be trying out the Granissimo Vegetarian Paella. The cooking instructions are fairly simple...

"Add 2 cups of water (or broth) to package contents and bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 3 minutes before serving. "

My first impression is that for only 10 mg of sodium it is extraordinarily flavorful... its so good! I'm burning my mouth because it tastes so good and it is still too hot to eat!  The smell is enticing and the texture of the grains is pleasing.

GoGo Quinoa are currently offering $5 shipping for the month of December for Canadians which I completely welcome. Any break on the pocket book, this time of year or any other is certainly appreciated by my household.

You can connect with GoGo Quinoa on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclaimer: I received this product free for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way.