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Canning and Freezing Veggies – The Labor of Love

Posted by Brande on September 13, 2012
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Gardening, Health and Nutrition, Home, Organic, Seasonal Stuff

Well, I did it! I accomplished canning and freezing veggies! My first canning season in the new place with most of my own veggies! The other veggies that we didn’t grow I bought from a local stand. The kitchen heats up awful fast in the middle of August, but it will be so nice in those cold months to make my family meals with vegetables from our own garden! Here’s what I canned: pickles, crushed tomatoes, 3 pickled beans, pickled grape tomatoes, salsa, BBQ sauce, pickled hot peppers, white peaches, and bruschetta! In all that makes exactly 50 jars of wonderfulness!

I also blanched and froze bags of corn, cut peppers, whole red peppers, peas, beans, cucumbers, and zucchini!

I looked up most of the recipes on the internet with a few out of an old Ball Canning Book I found. I received and email from Grit Magazine awhile ago with the “Ultimate Guide to Food Preservation”, that would have been VERY handy a few weeks back! There is a wealth of information on their site, including sweepstakes! Go and check them out!

~ Brande

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GoPicnic Review & Giveaway

Posted by html404 on August 24, 2012
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats

GoPicnic is a company that sells all natural, mostly gluten free, pre-packeged meals for the whole family. They sent us out their Super Best Selling Meal Variety Pack to review.

Sunbutter + Crackers- This meal contains creamy sunflower spread, multi-grain crackers, seed and fruit trail mix, tropical fruit bites, and a double chocolate chip cookie. My kids loved everything inside this box. The butter was yummy and the sides were delicious.

Peanut Butter + Crackers- This meal was a huge hit with my little guys. They loved the peanut butter and crackers, the apple sauce, the cheddar bunny crackers, and the gummy airplanes.

Salami + Cheese- My older girls loved this box. It was the perfect size for them and they loved that everything was natural. It included beef salami slices, olive oil & sea salt cracker, Asiago cheese spread, fruit + nuts, and a chocolate cookie cruncher. They weren’t expecting the cheese to taste as creamy as it did. Everything in this box was a nice balance.

Tuna + Crackers- I was surprised that my kids actually really liked this box, usually they don’t like tuna, but they enjoyed the mix of applesauce, chocolate, seed crackers, taun spread, and the fruit & nut mix.

Turkey Stick & Crunch- Another huge hit was this box. It was sweet and spicy. A perfect mix of turkey sticks, Popchips, a double chocolate cookie, fruit & nuts, as well as tropical fruit bites.

A quick note- Not all of GoPicnic’s meals are gluten free. Therefore it is important to read the product packaging and labels because several meals contain gluten.

GoPicnic wanted to create affordable, yet healthy solutions for families or individuals who need to eat and run. We love the concept and will be purchasing their products in the future. They are great for traveling, school lunches, or even for work. With a variety of flavors and packs there is sure to be something that everyone in the family will love.

GoPicnic’s food receives a thumbs up from us! I love that everything is all natural and balanced. Everyone in the family loved the products and the idea is genius.

Want to win two meals from GoPicnic? Enter below!!

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Back to School Giveaway With Pirate’s Booty

Posted by html404 on August 10, 2012
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Giveaways, Reviews, School

It’s back to school time and that not only means school supplies and school clothing, but also packing school lunches! I can’t imagine the morning school routine we’d have if I had to get 6-7 school lunches, school bags and children ready to get out the door! Hats off to you ladies with multiple children! What do you do to make sure their school lunches don’t get boring? After all you are packing lunches for at least 180 days in most states.

Growing up I always seem to have a sandwich, apple, granola bar or sweet for my bagged lunches. My mom wasn’t heavy into convenience foods back then and made nearly everything from scratch. Nowadays, there are so many packaged snacks to choose from, healthy and unhealthy. Our family prefers to eat organic (as much as possible), all natural foods and snacks without artificial flavors etc.

One snack we have enjoyed is Pirate’s Booty Corn Puffs. They are made from aged white cheddar so they are similar to other brands of cheese puffs, only better because they have half the fat! They taste very good and are gobbled up in no time at all by our children. Love the little bags, perfect for little hands and great for travel treats too!

Consider adding Pirate’s Booty snacks to your child’s lunchbox. Their products make a wonderful “Snack Swap!” (we all know kids do this, right?) Pirate’s Booty is a deliciously baked, all-natural snack we can give our children guilt-free. Pirate’s Booty is less fattening and has fewer calories than regular fried potato chips. Pirate’s Booty is safe for kids with allergies as it is gluten, peanut and tree-nut free. Pirate’s Booty contains easy to pronounce ingredients and are made without trans-fats. Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar half-ounce size multi-packs have only 65-calories per pack! A convenient lunchbox treat! You can find Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar half-ounce 12-packs at retailers nationwide. They retail for about $6.99.

Back to School Giveaway With Pirate’s Booty!

You can enter to win the Pirate’s Booty Treasure Box in the above photo. It includes 2 12-packs of corn puffs, a chip clip as seen clipped to the box, 3 Pirate’s Booty tatoos, 2 pirates eye patches and two foam pirates swords. For some reason YouTube doesn’t like videos from my iPhone. And I cannot even get QuickTime to work today. Boo, I had wanted to share a video of my boys with their eye patches and swords.

Enter the giveaway!

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Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Buddy Bear Review

Posted by Professor on July 31, 2012
in All Natural Products, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Health, Kids Stuff, Reviews

New Warming Bear Provides Natural Kid-Friendly Pain Relief

Bed Buddy Bear^® Features ThermaTherapy^® to Provide Comfort and Targeted Heat

Far more than a plush toy, Buddy is the latest in a series of breakthrough ThermaTherapy® products in the Bed Buddy line that provide warmth and comfort to soothe aches and pains.

Made with 100% natural materials, Buddy Bear’s warm feet, tummy and paws provide deep penetrating moist heat ideal for reducing pain associated with arthritis, fibromyalgia, back problems, ear aches, tooth aches and stiff necks. Living up to his name, Buddy can be counted on to do what any good friend does – provide comfort on a cold night or eliminate stress after a long day. For penetrating heat that will last up to an hour, place Buddy in the microwave. He can also be hibernated in the freezer to create a cold pack for fever relief and to relax restless sleepers.

Buddy Bear Review:

This is another great product that we were sent from Carex. I cannot express my adoration for their Bed Buddy line enough! We were sent the BED BUDDY warming bear to review…and boy is he cute and cuddly! When I opened the box my children instantly fell in love with this cute little bear…it took much coaxing for me to explain that he was not an ordinary stuffed animal. I had to “warm” him up and show them how he was used for them to understand…what a learning experience for all!

This is a great product…so easy to use and most surprisingly it can be used hot or cold! Pop the bear in the microwave for soothing heat or place in the freezer for cooling relief!

During this portion of our lives we have been blessed with our fair share of ear infections in our children. So of course during the course of this review one of our little ones was having ear pain. Usually the remedy for ear pain is a warm wet washrag that usually has to be rewet/warmed every 10 minutes to soothe the ache. This product did wonders for my sanity … I used the bear in place of the wet washrag for ear pain. My child was more comfortable resting their ear on the bear than on a wet rag and the heat lasted so long that my little one fell asleep and did not complain the rest of the evening. Yes this bear is my new friend!

Overall, this is another WONDERFUL Bed Buddy product that I cannot live without. What did I ever do before the Bed Buddy Bear…oh yeah warm wet wash rags (YUCK!)

You can find this product and many more at carex.com. I would definitely consider perusing the site the company has so much to offer in moist heat and home healthcare products.

Bed Buddy Product Link http://www.carex.com/products/Bed_Buddy/93

Bed Buddy Bear Product Link: http://www.carex.com/products/detail/635

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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All-Over Comfort Pack Review

Posted by Professor on July 31, 2012
in All Natural Products, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Gift Ideas, Health, Home, Personal Care Products

Bed Buddy® Herbal Naturals™ Targets Pain with Moist Heat

New Plush & Lavender-Infused Line Includes Neck Pillow, Wrap & All-Over Comfort Pack

The line is comprised of three distinct products (highlighted below), each of which feature the company’s proprietary Moist Heat ThermaTherapy^® penetration system, which is shown to be better for treating muscle pain, chronic aches and pains, and arthritis than “dry heat” because it allows quicker, deeper heat penetration into the joints.

The Neck Pillow easily drapes over the neck and shoulders to provide deep moist heat to sooth aches, pains, tension or arthritis in the neck and shoulders.
The Neck and Hand Wrap, which features a unique design that includes warming hand pouches, minimizes aches and pains in such chronic problem areas as the neck, hands and shoulders.
All-Over Comfort Pack targets a wide array of chronic pain areas such as the back, hip flexor, shoulders and abdomen with a large, universal shape that easily molds to the body for indulgent comfort.

The Herbal Naturals™ products are soft, lined with luxurious real lavender and chamomile; contain only 100% all-natural ingredients; warm quickly in a microwave; are fully reusable with a machine washable cover; and remain heated for up to an hour.

A member of Carex’s global family of premium-quality brands, Bed Buddy® offers a versatile and premium-quality line of reusable hot and cold packs that support individuals suffering from aches, pains and arthritis and are designed to fit most body types and to help people of virtually all ages and health profiles.

All-Over Comfort Pack Review:

Let me say this is an AWESOME product. This is the first product of its kind that we have used. Prior to using this product we have used traditional heating pads, which offer heat, but not MOIST heat as this product does. My husband suffers from severe osteoarthritis in his knees (5 operations) and has chronic back problems (1 prior operation) …let me tell you this is SO, SO WONDERFUL for his “aches and pains”…we have iced and heated so many times over the past 17 years of marriage that it has become part of our lives. The moist heat provides soothing relief …and since it stays warm for over an hour it is just right for therapeutic relief!

One great thing (can I say great enough in this review?) about this product is that it is ready in minutes! Just pop it in the microwave and voila instant moist heat.

Another factor that is a wonderful additive is that the product comes with a velvety WASHABLE cover. I LOVE this feature! If the product gets sweaty or dirty…just pop the cover in the wash and it is clean, so convenient!

The scent is WONDERFUL! The product is lightly scented with lavender and chamomile…what an aromatic sensation! I feel like I am at the spa as I breathe in the luxurious scent and drift away in moist heat!

So far my husband has been monopolizing the product…but I do know that this product would be AWESOME for stomach cramps…especially menstrual cramps. When I was a young girl I used to get horrible cramps….how I would have LOVED to have this product…I cannot imagine the relief this would have given someone with those painful cramping episodes!

Overall, I can honestly say my family has fallen in love with this product. The All-Over Comfort Pack has so many uses I cannot wait to go out and shop for the rest of the line. I intend to buy more of this and the other products in the line for Christmas gifts…I know a few people in my family that will adore the products!

You can find this product and many more at carex.com. I would definitely consider perusing the site the company has so much to offer in moist heat and home healthcare products.

Bed Buddy Product link http://www.carex.com/products/Bed_Buddy/93

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Kernel Seasonings Review

Posted by Professor on July 28, 2012
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Reviews

No More Naked Popcorn! Kernel Seasonings is a great way to flavor popcorn!

Kernel Seasonings is an all-natural way to flavor popcorn.

Kernel Seasonings currently offers 22 different flavorings.

OUR REVIEW:

I was excited to have the opportunity to review Kernel Seasonings popcorn flavoring. My children LOVE going to the movie theatre and using the seasonings…NOW there is an at home alternative! We loved that there were so many different varieties of flavorings to choose from…we received White Cheddar, Kettle Corn, Parmesan & Garlic, and Nacho Cheese flavorings. All of the flavors were tasty…my children especially loved the Nacho Cheese!

Overall Kernel Seasonings is a neat way to flavor popcorn. While perusing their website I noticed that there are recipes to use the flavorings in everyday cooking. I have to admit that I have not been that adventurous as to use the flavorings in my cooking… but it is something that I am mulling over. Maybe I will get bold and try the Parmesan garlic with my next spaghetti dish!

Check out the Kernel Seasonings website at www.kernelseasoning.com and see what they have to offer.

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Goat Milk Yogurt vs. Cow Milk Yogurt Review

Posted by html404 on July 17, 2012
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Health and Nutrition, Reviews

Redwood Hill’s Goat Milk Yogurt Review

We were excited to try two different brands of yogurt. Green Valley and Redwood Hill Farm yogurt and kefir. Our store only had Redwood Hill blueberry yogurt in stock so that is what we got to try. And to clarify Redwood Hill Farm makes the goat milk yogurt, kefir and cheese. and Green Valley Organics Lactose free makes cow milk yogurt, kefir and sour cream.

See? All natural organic yogurt. It’s really hard to find in stores, but I love that you can pronounce all the ingredients and that it is healthy and good for you. As organic farmers and a mom of eight children it is important to feed my family food that doesn’t contain ingredients that could harm them.

My family was eager to see how goat milk yogurt would taste. In the past we haven’t really liked goat milk products that we tested out, but this brand was different.

A few children thought that they could taste the goat milk, but the majority thought that it tasted just like regular yogurt. My kids could eat yogurt everyday and they really enjoyed Redwood Hill’s. Even my pickier eaters liked it.

Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Yogurt – Cow’s Milk Yogurt Review

My husband loved the Green Valley Organics Lactose Free strawberry yogurt, which is made from cow’s milk. He thought that it was the best strawberry yogurt he had tasted – we have tried many brands and my husband can be very particular when it comes to food! He thought this strawberry yogurt was creamy and very good. The strawberry flavor really popped and it’s affordable as well. My husband eats yogurt almost daily and he is rather picky about what brands he will buys, but this one hit the spot for him and he would buy it in the future.

The Redwood Hill Farm Kefir was yummy. My oldest daughter who is very health conscious, loved it and thought it was the best kefir she had ever had. She typically doesn’t care for goat milk products, but loved this one. My other kids really enjoyed it too. We could not even tell it was made from goat milk due to the yummy flavors and fruity texture.

You can find Green Valley and Redwood Hill Farm’s products at Whole Foods stores nationwide as well as Jewel-Osco. Organic, all natural, and free from harmful chemicals and additives – sure to be a family staple at our house.

Visit Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery or Green Valley Organics Lactose Free on the web to find out more information about their farm and their products.

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Ningxia Red Part 5 of the Slique™ Kit & Giveaway

Posted by html404 on July 3, 2012
in All Natural Products, Giveaways, Health, Health and Nutrition

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I am going to finish up my Slique™ series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4) that I started months ago and just dropped. The last product to give an overview and review of is Ningxia Red. It is a drink made of Ningxia wolfberries, which is a berry full of antioxidants. It is native to the Ningxia province in China and is thought to prolong life since the residents of the Ningxia province are known for their longevity.

Ingredients in Ningxia Red are:

It took us a little time to get use to the taste of Ningxia Red as it has a different taste. It tastes much better chilled. I think all of us drink it now except one of our boys, but he’s a pick pot anyways.

Since January, I have experienced slightly better vision. I got glasses when I was 16-17 years old for driving, sports and reading the chalkboard at school. Once I had my glasses I never wanted to have blurred vision so I just wore my glasses all the time, even for reading. Now I have been taking my glasses off to read, use my iPhone or journal because my sight is blurry for close reading. Hard to believe, but even my husband said that he’s never known me to have to do that in the 20 years he’s known me.

“The Slique™ Kit is a compilation of products designed to maximize weight-management success and improve overall health. Each of the five products in this kit—Slique Tea, Slique Essence, Balance Complete™, Essentialzymes-4™, and NingXia Red®—work together to enhance nutrient absorption, supply required nutrition and fiber, increase energy, and control appetite by reducing cravings.”

The retail value of this kit is $275 and you can enter to win your own Slique™ Kit below! Due to the value of this giveaway, I will run it for four weeks and you can tweet and do the bonus entry every day!

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Annie’s Homegrown – Bernie’s Summer Road Trip!

Posted by Brande on June 14, 2012
in All Natural Products, Animals, Contests, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Organic, Parenting

Annie’s Homegrown wants your pictures with Bernie the Bunny! They will choose 1 winner each week to win a road trip snack pack. If you one of the early entries you could get a Bernie decal! The contest ends July 31st – Don’t Forget to download Bernie!

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Stonyfield Organic Sweeps – Win a Kitchen Makeover!

Posted by Brande on May 17, 2012
in All Natural Products, Appliances, Contests, Food and Treats, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Organic

Anyone need a kitchen makeover? I know I could use one! Here’s your chance!

Register for the “Great Food Find“, find the products from various organic companies put them in your “tote”. If your one of the first 50,000 entries, you’ll receive coupons! Then be entered to win a $15,000.00 new kitchen and food to fill it up!

Good Luck in the Stonyfield Organic Sweeps!