Category Archives:product review

17
Feb

Product Review: Upton’s Natural Seitan Bacon

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More and more studies show that humans, animals and the ecosystem will benefit when we start eating more plants and less meat. But for many, this seems like a big sacrifice. Giving up favorite meats and animal products and replacing with vegetables is not something that everyone likes to tackle, but there are a lots of delicious vegan and vegetarian options out there to help make the transition to plant-based diets more appealing. Faux meats are one of the foods that make it easy to swap out traditional meat-based meals into one that is plant-based and planet-friendly. I finally tried some Upton's Naturals Bacon Seitan, and was pretty impressed with the deliciousness of it all.

Upton's Naturals has cute, sustainable packaging and a clever, hipster look on all their products. Like many faux meat foods, Upton's is made with wheat gluten. Gluten, while allergenic to some, is a great option for vegans and omnivores alike. Gluten is the protein found in wheat (also in rye, barley and spelt), and it's gluten that gives bread it's chewy, springy texture. It's about 80% protein, which means it's a great protein-rich alternative to actual meat. With multiple flavors like chorizo, chicken and crumbles, Upton's can be an option for your meatless meals.

More reasons to like Upton's? Here's the description of their products: "We keep our ingredients simple and clean – absolutely no artificial or "natural" flavors and no GMOs. Wheat, water, soy sauce, and spices are the only ingredients we need to make our seitan unique and delicious."

The bacon seitan was easy to cook: just a bit of coconut oil in my new non-toxic, non-stick pan and grilled until slightly browned. I served it simply with some healthy fried rice and a squeeze of lime. But it would also be delish in some wraps, chopped into chili or beans, or with a tofu scramble!

If you can't eat gluten, my other favorite options for fake bacon are Turtle Islands Smokey Maple Bacon Tempeh, or making homemade tempeh bacon, which is easier than you'd think! There are lots of other brands out there, but these are often made with lots of gunk that you don't really want in your body. Stick to the super natural stuff!

IMG_2187
Upton's Bacon Seitan, grilled to perfection

IMG_2189
Bacon seitan with fried rice! Yums!

Posted:   |   Categories: Food+Drink, healthy meals, plant-based, product review, vegan
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17
Feb

Product Review: Upton’s Natural Seitan Bacon

Picture 5

More and more studies show that humans, animals and the ecosystem will benefit from eating more plants and less meat. But for many, this seems like a big sacrifice. Giving up favorite meats and animal products and replacing with vegetables is not something that everyone likes to tackle, but there are a lots of delicious vegan and vegetarian options out there to help make the transition to plant-based diets more appealing. Faux meats are one of the foods that make it easy to swap out traditional meat-based meals into one that is plant-based and planet-friendly. I finally tried some Upton's Naturals Bacon Seitan, and was pretty impressed with the deliciousness of it all.

Upton's Naturals has cute, sustainable packaging and a clever, hipster look on all their products. Like many faux meat foods, Upton's is made with wheat gluten. Gluten, while allergenic to some, is a great option for vegans and omnivores alike. Gluten is the protein found in wheat (also in rye, barley and spelt), and it's gluten that gives bread it's chewy, springy texture. It's about 80% protein, which means it's a great protein-rich alternative to actual meat. With multiple flavors like chorizo, chicken and crumbles, Upton's can be an option for your meatless meals.

More reasons to like Upton's? Here's the description of their products: "We keep our ingredients simple and clean – absolutely no artificial or "natural" flavors and no GMOs. Wheat, water, soy sauce, and spices are the only ingredients we need to make our seitan unique and delicious."

The bacon seitan was easy to cook: just a bit of coconut oil in my new non-toxic, non-stick pan and grilled until slightly browned. I served it simply with some healthy fried rice and a squeeze of lime. But it would also be delish in some wraps, chopped into chili or beans, or with a tofu scramble!

If you can't eat gluten, my other favorite options for fake bacon are Turtle Islands Smokey Maple Bacon Tempeh, or making homemade tempeh bacon, which is easier than you'd think! There are lots of other brands out there, but these are often made with lots of gunk that you don't really want in your body. Stick to the super natural stuff!

IMG_2187
Upton's Bacon Seitan, grilled to perfection

IMG_2189
Bacon seitan with fried rice! Yums!

Posted:   |   Categories: Food+Drink, healthy meals, plant-based, product review, vegan
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06
Feb

Review: Gaia Natural Cleaners

Gaia Natural Cleaners

We love green cleaning supplies around here, but not everyone has time to make their own from scratch. When you can't create your own DIY green cleaners, your next best option is to buy your supplies from a small company. That's why I was thrilled when Karen Troutt from Gaia Natural Cleaners asked if I'd like to review some of her handmade green cleaning supplies. Heck yes, I would!

Karen sent me the dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent to try, and I was super impressed with both!

Gaia Natural Cleaners: Ingredients

Instead of using toxic chemical fragrance, Karen scents her lemony detergents with totally natural lemon peel oil. Here are the complete ingredients lists for both products, with links to their profiles on the Skin Deep Database:

Laundry Detergent: sodium carbonate, sodium carbonate peroxide, sodium bicarbonate, sodium cocoate, water, glycerin, sodium silicate, sodium chloride, lemon peel oil

Dishwasher Detergent: sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium chloride, citric acid, sodium cocoate, water, glycerin, lemon peel oil

Pretty much all green lights! The only ingredient I needed to dig a little bit more on was sodium cocoate. Skin Deep didn't have any data on it, though they did give it a green light. According to the Good Guide, it's not a toxic chemical.

The only non-greenlight chemicals were sodium silicate in the laundry detergent and lemon peel oil. Here's more on those:

  • Sodium Silicate - This was on the low end of the yellow scale, and it looks like the concerns are for cosmetics that go on the skin, especially around the eyes. So don't put this laundry detergent in your eyes, OK?
  • Lemon Peel Oil - The concern here is when there is too much of this ingredient in food products. So don't eat these detergents either.

Gaia Natural Cleaners: Review

Like I mentioned above, these both worked great! My dishes sparkled just as much as with the dish soap I'd been using, and my laundry came out just as clean as before, too. If you're looking to add handmade cleaning supplies to your regimen but don't have time to make your own, I definitely recommend these!

I should clarify that the dish soap is for use in a dishwashing machine, which is awesome. I have not had good luck finding a good, natural dishwashing detergent. This one worked better than the one I was currently using, and the ingredients are much, much better.

The laundry detergent also really impressed me. Last week my poor baby boy had a wretched stomach bug. This is seriously the sickest he has ever been, and he...er...generated a lot of very dirty laundry in the process.  The Gaia Laundry Detergent worked great! No smudges or stains. And I probably did four loads of laundry over the course of the week just to keep my poor kid in clean clothes, so consider this mom-tested and approved.

My only complaint about these products is the packaging, and honestly I'm of two minds about it. I love that she uses those reusable, recyclable cardboard tubes with fitted metal tops. Environmentally, they are so much better than single-use plastic bottles. I did find them very hard to open, though. I'm actually thinking about raiding my supply of glass jars and transferring the detergents to easier-to-open jars once I use enough up that they'll fit into a quart-sized mason jar.

The hard to open thing wouldn't bother me, but since I have an almost-toddler at home, I'm often starting a load of laundry or dishes with him on my hip. Opening those tubes with one hand is impossible.

I would definitely use both of these products again, and thank you so much, Karen, for letting me try them out! If you want to pick up any of Karen's green cleaning supplies, you can shop online at Gaia Natural Cleaners!

Posted:   |   Categories: buy handmade, cleaning supplies, green cleaning, green cleaning product, Home+Decor, Living, natural cleaners, product review, review
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18
Nov

Product Review: Numi Savory Teas

footerNumi, an organic, fair-trade tea company that I love has recently released a new type of tea: Savory Tea. To be sure, savory tea is a little bit different, but in a lovely way. Most teas lean towards sweetness; even if you drink plain black or green tea, they still seem slightly sweet. But Numi has turned this idea on its head with clever blends of decaffeinated green tea, herbs, spices and dehydrated vegetables.

As with all their teas, Numi chooses organic and fairly traded ingredients and blends them into beautifully rich concoctions. With combinations like Broccoli Cilantro and Carrot Curry, these drinks are similar to drinking a cup of homemade vegetable broth. Some of the flavors seem weirder than others, such as Tomato Mint, but they all actually taste quite similar. Numi says of their savory teas, "It's not quite a soup, but more than a tea." Other flavors include Spinach Chive, Beet Cabbage and my favorite Fennel Spice. They also offer a garden sampler so you can try two of each flavor!

Savory teas are warming and soothing, and can be especially delightful on those very chilly days or when you think you might be coming down with a cold. For a richer flavor, you can stir in a teaspoon of miso or a handful of leftover grains. Savory teas like this are gentle on the digestion and feel so good! And because they are decaffeinated, you can drink them all day long to stay warm and hydrated.

Numi is also offering a fun contest featuring their Artisan Tea Blending Kit. You can blend your own herbs and teas into a unique blend the Numi might adopt as their newest flavor. If your blend is chosen you can win a trip to San Francisco and a tea tasting ceremony in their headquarters. (Sounds like a dream trip to me!). Enter on the link above.

What's your favorite tea for the cold weather? 300

This is not a sponsored post, just my honest opinion about a company that I love!

Posted:   |   Categories: Food+Drink, herbs, product review, tea
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