Best Raw Snack On The Go!

I don’t know about you, but I find that it’s easiest to slip and eat something unhealthy when you get the snack munchies in between meals, and instead of going for an apple you head straight for the vending machine or the nearest Starbucks. That’s why I say it’s always good to be prepared. I even advise having a whole cupboard in you kitchen dedicated to daily on the run snacks.  Just grab and go, put in you bag, eat on the bus – you get the jest.  I know, I can go a bit overboard about these things once in a while!

Cranberry Apple Granola

My favorite and easiest snack used to be my own custom made Trail Mix, which I would bag in individual serving sandwich bag portions. The problem was that I couldn’t always find raw nuts, and preservative free dried fruits to mix in.  And don’t even think about all those sugar packed pretend-to-be-healthy hydrogenated bars you find in your local deli or grocery store.  I don’t see the point of having a ‘healthy snack’ that’s packed with added oils, salt, and sulfites. Everything changed when I came upon the most pure, super healthy and delicious snack, made only with organic RAW ingredients. Two Moms In The Raw vegan and gluten-free Granola and Sea Crackers will have you converted in no time too.  This real mom-made granola comes in blocks in bags yielding about 4 servings, unless you decide to gorge yourself and eat the whole thing at once.  A small warning: once you start you might not be able to stop.  If you thought vegan and gluten-free meant tasteless food think again.  Picture crunchy nuts like almonds and pecans, mixed with coconut, flax seeds, sesame seeds, dried fruit and agave syrup to form a brittle granola bar to die for! Go straight to www.twomomsintheraw.com to find out locations near you.  Leave it to a mom of three kids to come up with something so elemental it can only be delightfully good and nutritious.

Happy healthy snacking!

Eco-Love Products To Put You In The Mood

Spring is finally here!  That means that Love is in the air!  I can’t think of anything sexier right now than luscious and organic lotions, oils, and lubricants for the gal with a little bit of mischief on her mind. Unfortunately, so many women suffer from skin sensitivities and allergies, and when you think of all the irritants, parabens, and other toxic ingredients in most  feminine care products it’s easy to understand why.  It’s nearly impossible to aggravate a rash or a cut by merely applying some anti-microbial honey to affected skin, or by cooling off a burn with fresh aloe vera or soothing yoghurt.  But those are not the kind of wholesome ingredients one  finds in body care products reserved for the most intimate parts of a woman’s body.  Why use a toxic and unnatural product like KY Warming Gel which contains glycerine, a well-known irritant known to cause extreme burning sensations, and the infamous methylparaben preservative which affects estrogen levels?  It’s time to smarten up ladies!

That said we’re lucky that love products have gone environmentally friendly.  Not the big brands yet. But then again, who’s still into buying mass chemically induced, animal tested, preservative filled products that not only harm us but are bad for the earth as well? Companies like KY and Johnson & Johnson put millions of dollars into their pockets by marketing and promoting harmful brands geared towards the rather naive consumer who’s still buying what he or she sees advertised on TV? If you are that consumer you can now rest assured that for every wildly popular, unhealthy commercial brand there is a natural, organic, or eco-friendly equivalent.  And what is better, especially for us at IndieWoman, than to introduce you to a company that is not only woman-owned but also aims to bring out the Love Goddesses in each and every one of us!  So get ready to kick your femininity up a few notches and treat yourself to an array of ‘love sustainable’ products that will make you a proponent of  Good Clean Love for years to come.  The company was founded by ‘Loveologist’ Wendy Strgar, whose mission was to create and make available organic and eco-friendly products that benefit women’s health and sexual enhancement. According to Strgar, ninety percent of OTC lubricants available are composed mainly of chemicals designed for cars and oven cleaners.  Talk about a mood killer!  Wendy also runs a blog where she discusses all matters of love – from commitment, to intimacy advice, to positive thinking, and much more.

Cinnamon Vanilla Lubricant $16 4oz

Here are some great products worth mentioning that are sure to put you back in the mood.  If you’re looking for an organic lubricant that will have you singing rather than send you dousing cold water down in the southern parts, take your pick between the yummy Cinnamon Vanilla or Lavander Rose Personal Lubricant. They are both so pure, in fact, that they claim to be actually edible! That takes care of my rule: if you can’t eat it don’t put it on your body (especially down there)!  Other delectable and one of a kinds you’ll find on the site to spoil yourself and your partner are Body Desserts, Pleasure Butters, Love Oils, and Passion Candles, not to mention certain grown-up toys that might keep you locked in the bedroom for days.

You can also find some Good Clean Love products are your local WholeFoods.  For further love ideas on how to keep your love eco-friendly you might want to check out Stephanie Iris Weiss’ book, Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable.

Have fun, and let us know what other things put a spring in your step and make you feel like a Love Goddess!

The Oscar Winner for the Most Amazing Cracker on the Planet!

And the Cracker Oscar goes to…. If I were to wish upon a star and come up with the perfect cracker and health snack, I would want it to be thin and crunchy, versatile for spreading or for dipping, without a drop of flour, and made with the most delicious organic super-grains packing an incredible burst of yummy-ness.  Just as I had given up my search for the perfect cracker vowing to forever snob all refined and carb infested products a miracle happened: Mary’s Gone Crackers!!!

www.marysgonecrackers.com

No need to panic – that’s actually the name of the company that has improved the quality of my hors d’oeuvres, salads, hummus dipping and cheese loving snacks for years to come.  I only wish I had discovered the Winner of the Most Outstanding Cracker of 2008 ten years earlier!  An incredibly clever and savvy middle-aged lady, Mary Waldner devised this recipe in her kitchen after being diagnosed with celiac disease which prevented her from eating certain grains and anything containing wheat or gluten. Thus was born the most ingenious cracker made with organic brown rice, organic quinoa, organic flax seeds and organic sesame seeds. And I kid you not – the taste is to die for!  Think sesame seeds mixed with all the latter nutty grains and toasted to perfection in tamari sauce, with a savory crispy bite that will send you through the roof.

And there is not a shred of evil flower, eggs, butter or oil in these things, but as much as 450 mg. of Omega-3 per serving.   These little guys are also kosher, vegan and dairy-free, and just in case you didn’t know, quinoa is one of the most nutritionally rich grains on the planet, providing all nine essential amino acids and being a source of complete protein.  My favorite way to eat them is to dip them in guacamole, top them with organic cheese for an easy snack, or simply crumble them over my salad for a crunchy bite. If I’ve made your mouth water and are feeling super snack needy and crave more adventure for your taste buds, look no further than the delicious Chipotle Tomato or the Curry Sticks & Twigs, a twirly variation on the cracker.

www.marysgonecrackers.com

For a list of distributors or store locators go directly to www.marysgonecrackers.com, oh…and don’t forget to drop me a note from snack heaven!

My Favorite Yummy Find & Beauty Secret: Chocolate Coconut Butter!

Okay, I’ll get straight to the point: this baby makes you burn fat and gives you energy! Combine the amazing benefits of coconut with the antioxidant power of chocolate, and you have an unbeatable ‘super friends’ pair and the most un-guilty pleasure!

distributed by premierorganics.org & sold at select shops

Let me first exolt the coconut for a minute, because I’m simply mad about it!  The flesh of this beautiful God sent nut especially in the delicious incarnation of organic butter is anti-aging, it makes your skin glow, and it packs up a whopping amount of Lauric Acid (among other essential fatty acids) which fights off viruses with its super-power antiseptic properties.  If you don’t believe me go to Coconut-Info and see for yourself!  Artisana also makes the Goji Bliss Coconut Butter spread version for which I’m also simply nuts (sorry I couldn’t resist the pun!).  I alternate between the chocolate and the goji butters for breakfast and spread either on toasted Ezekiel Bread then top off with some banana slices, and I’m off to conquer the world!  Go to one of my favorite health goodie online stores and Artisana products distributors, TheRawFoodWorld, and have a blast treating yourself to real deal in super foods.   I love the above site because it’s started by a young couple in California, and with every product you order you actually get a hand-written note to thank you for your support!

Peanut butter is so yesterday’s news – so say good bye to the little nut and hello to the new superstar in town!

Raw is Best! A raw food enthusiast shares yummy & easy to prepare recipes!

Are you ready to take the challenge?  Don’t look at it as a science project but rather a great fun way to discover something new! Get a few friends together and have a Raw Food Night Cook-Off!  And don’t forget the organic wine!

Raw Collard Green Salad/www.rawglow.com

Here’s to another great lady who embarked on a life changing journey and is now changing the lives of other people by bringing health and awareness through her knowledge of raw foods!  What I like about her website, RawGlow.com, besides her inspirational story and how she got to where she is today, is that the recipes are actually simple to make.  Okay, and delectably yummy too!  That said, I think you would spend much less time making a raw dish than baking or cooking something which also involves prepping and chopping in advance.   Let’s be honest…what’s puts most people off from preparing raw foods is the ‘fear factor’ followed by (and I’m going to be really blunt about this my friends) the ‘laziness factor.’  Cecilia Kinzie might just make you change your mind because if the sound of Basil Lime Ginger Avocado Soup followed by a Pear Delight Smoothie doesn’t awaken your overly cooked taste buds, then you might as well get on a raft and sail to Antarctica.

Bon Voyage!