Articles with the Reviews Tag

Hi, y’all!

Just wanted to let you know I’m still around – I’m just lost in Chobani Heaven.

Oh. So. Good.

I’m reviewing a case of different flavors and documenting my thoughts on each.

In-depth review coming soon!

Have you tried Chobani? Have you tried Greek yogurt? I LOVE It!

Until then, check out my latest at Mainline Gardening: Hemp-Honey Donut Holes. Yum!

FTC Disclaimer: The Yoga Body Hip Opening Flow DVD mentioned in this post was sent to me by Stacy McCarthy, free of charge. I was not paid to write this review. The opinions in this post are my own thoughts and were not bought. Links to Amazon are affiliate links, should you want to shop through my affiliate link and help keep Raw Juice Girl blogging.

As I mentioned in my Shame on Me post, I’ve been neglecting yoga – to the point that I’m stressed and stiff. I need yoga in my life to ground me. It calms me. Sooths me. Makes life’s stresses melt away.

And of the various yoga videos I’ve tried, Stacy McCarthy has become my favorite. I love the way she teaches. Her voice – and the music – is so calming.

She’s a very positive person and is just delightful to practice yoga with! It’s just a DVD after all, but Stacy has a way of making you feel as if you’re in the room with her. It’s awesomeness.

This morning, I woke up with pep in my step and knew it was the day designated to return to my yoga practice – with all my heart, body, mind, and soul!

I rolled out my pink Aurorae Yoga Mat, tossed my Aurorae slip-free rosin bag on the mat, grabbed my laptop and a cold water bottle from the fridge. I was set to go!

Stacy has sent me three yoga DVD’s so far:

Yoga Body: Lean & Defined Total Body Workout

Yoga Body: Hip Opening Flow

Busy Mom Yoga – Core & More

That’s a pretty awesome selection right there. How can a girl choose?!

Well, I’ve already practiced using the Yoga Body: Lean & Defined Total Body Workout – numerous times. The Busy Mom Yoga speaks to me because I definitely need to strengthen my core and hey, it’s always great if we can save a few minutes, eh?

But…

I chose Yoga Body: Hip Opening Flow this morning. My hips are definitely tight and since it’s been so long since I’ve practiced yoga, I knew this would be a good place to start.

My hips have always been tight. I was never one of those youngin’s who could plop down into the splits.This is an area I really need to work on. I’m not saying I’ll ever be able to do the splits, but open hips sounds nice.

This is how the screen looks when Yoga Body: Hip Opening Flow comes up on your computer (or TV). 

I’ll admit, I started to give up half-way through the DVD – not because it’s so difficult it’s impossible or anything, but just because it’s been so long since I practiced yoga and I’ve allowed myself to get so stiff.

But I stuck it out.

When it came time for poses I couldn’t follow through with, I just rested in child’s pose until I could move on. I think I skipped two poses.

Let me tell you, the yoga poses Stacy teaches in this DVD are absolutely hip opening – you feel it for sure!

It’s a nice feel, though. The long, slow stretches are telling the hips to open and they work beautifully.

I couldn’t be more pleased with this video. I absolutely enjoyed it!

Before I knew it, the 45 minutes were up – and I was lost in shavasana.

I had forgotten how good shavasana feels. It’s such a peaceful feeling. It’s also a feeling of accomplishment and great joy!

I’m so happy with the DVD and I will be using it ‘till it’s worn out, I assure you.

Bonus Mini Maintenance Practice!

Stacy included a mini maintenance practice at the end of the Hip Opening Flow because she says it’s “better to do a mini practice regularly (only takes a few minutes!) than to do a lengthy practice once a week.”

Great advice, Stacy!

I’m going to be following that advice. I’m tired of being stiff! 

A HUGE thank-you to Stacy for her generosity. That DVD will NOT collect dust, promise!

Have you ever practiced yoga using Stacy McCarthy’s DVD’s? What did you think? So far, I’ve had the privilege to try out two – and it’s an A+ on both!

And…

Don’t forget to enter my SWEET GIVEAWAY!!!!

There will be FOUR winners!!!

Hi, y’all!

So glad you enjoyed reading about my day out and frugal shopping practices – plus my cute new shoes!

And I’m absolutely thrilled that you’re loving the new design so much. Rebecca Laffar-Smith is such a joy to communicate with and does a fantabulous job of making her clients HAPPY.

I teased you in my last post about the upcoming review I was bursting at the seams over. That review is for a Spiral Vegetable Slicer from CSN Stores! Eeeeekk!!!

As you can tell, I’m super excited about this. I’ve been seeing spiralized veggies all across the blogosphere for a while now. So I’m tickled pink that I’ll finally get to go crazy spiralizing myself!

I think I’m most intrigued by the long, thin noodles this piece of RAWsome equipment creates. Of course, I can think of all sorts of fun ways to use the ribbon pasta (as garnishes or just fun salads with different veggies and/or fruit).

Sweet potatoes (as shown in the photo below) would be fun for sure!

I just had to share my excitement with you. My spiralizer should be here within a week or so – can’t wait to get crazy with spirals!

I think I’m most anxious to spiralize zucchini and enjoy raw spaghetti. Of course, I cannot wait ‘till my garden is flourishing and I can spiralize my own heirloom, organic beets, zucchini, yellow squash, and more! What are your favorite spiralized recipes? If you have one, please share it in the comments (or a link to it) and if I make it, I’ll feature it in an upcoming post – and link to you if you have a blog!

Oh, and are YOU the winner of the $40 Sunlight Blvd Gift Certificate? CLICK HERE to find out!

Contest Alert

Tropical Traditions Certified Organic, Raw, Wild, Unprocessed Honey

If you’re just tuning in, be sure to check out my review of E3Live and also my thoughts on BrainOn. And a huge thank you to the folks at www.E3Live.com for sponsoring the first contest where one LUCKY reader will be receiving a prize valued at over $200!

Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Mission

This post is in honor of Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Charity Page View Drive: Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness

Katie is doing a fantabulous job of spreading kindness. Let’s help her out!!

In honor of the chocolate theme (and y’all know how much I love chocolate!) I thought I’d share a few recipes. Only one is mine, but I think you’ll like the others I mention, too!

Chocolate-Covered Recipes

Katie has a long list of chocolate-covered recipes on her blog. You’ll want to browse through ‘em all! Not only will you come across delicious treats you can whip up for yourself and your family and/or friends, but you’ll be helping Katie raise money for charity while you’re looking!

For starters, you might enjoy perusing her Fudge Babies. Oh, yeah! If that isn’t enough to drive you chocolate bonkers, feast your eyes on All Things Oatmeal, Pancake Pandemonium, The Pudding Files, or the Most Popular. Of course, there are tons more. Enjoy!

Oh, and you might want to grab a napkin before you dig through her recipe archives – you just might drool!

Averie’s Chocolate Fudge Balls

The amazing Averie is always, always whipping up the most RAWsome Vegan desserts over at Love Veggies & Yoga. She creates the most decadent, sinful looking (yet healthy!!!) treats over there. She’s an incredible inspiration, from her years of yoga practice, to her ability to juggle day-to-day chaos with a toddler, she manages to be wife, momma, blogger, reviewer, keeps a spotless home, and even hosts contests for her readers! But back to those delicious desserts…  Her latest: 3-Ingredient Dark Chocolate Fudge Balls

I haven’t tried Averie’s chocolate ball recipes yet, but I will soon.

Jocelyn’s Brownie Batter Balls

Jocelyn blogs at Jocelyn Eats Fresh. I’m sooooooooooooo proud of her because although her blog posts are often upbeat and inspiring, she’s worked very, very hard at overcoming an eating disorder. She is finding a beautiful balance of healthy foods and also allows herself to splurge sometimes on the not-so-healthy stuff so she won’t find herself feeling the need to go back to those old, harmful habits. She has an “everything in moderation” mentality and it’s working wonders for her body, mind, and soul. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out, and is losing weight the slow, right way. You’re doing a great job, Jocelyn. Keep up the great work!!!

Anyway, I knew I had to try out Jocelyn’s cool creation when I happened upon her Raw Chocolate Brownie Batter Balls. I didn’t have the exact ingredients she used, so I switched it up a little. Or, well, a lot!

And Raw Juice Girl’s version…

Chocolate-Covered Raisin Hemp Balls

This recipe made 14 chocolate balls. It probably would have made 16 or 17. Um… Oops!! *giggles*

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 6 tablespoons Dark Chocolate Hemp Powder (www.manitobaharvest.com)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon agave (or so)

I had to add a dash more almond flour and a little water to try to get the right consistency. I should have used the food processor, I think. I used the blender instead. Hmmmm…. Or, I needed to start with more liquid.

No worries… they turned out YUMMY!!!

Manitoba Harvest Chocolate Hemp

Oh my goodness y’all… The dark chocolate hemp powder from www.manitobaharvest.com is DIVINE!!! So far, I’ve enjoyed it in a smoothie and these chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls. It’s fantabulous to get your hemp protein in via chocolate. YUM-O!!!!!

You can expect a full review on the product itself in an upcoming post.

Roll the dough into balls

Then wash your hands!

And enjoy! Yum!!!

Good, and Good For You!

And that’s it! If you love chocolate-covered raisins, you’ll LOVE these chocolate-covered raisin hemp balls. You’re getting a chocolate (and a snack) fix!

AND hemp is full of whole food nutrition:

“ALL Essential Amino Acids (Protein), Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), and both soluble and insoluble dietary fibre.”– www.manitobaharvest.com

You’ll also be gobbling up antioxidants, boron, calcium, vitamin C, iron… (from the raisins). And the almonds are giving you manganese, vitamin E, magnesium, tryptophan, copper, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), phosphorus…

My goodness, that little chocolate-covered raisin hemp ball packs a powerful punch. I could take a beating (or two!) from these yummy treats. Yep, I could!!!

Don’t forget about Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Charity Page View Drive: Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness

Contest Alert!!!!

Katie (as in, Chocolate-Covered Katie I mentioned above) is having a Your-Choice Giveaway

Leslie (from Leslie Loves Veggies) is also having a contest: KALLARI Chocolate {Giveaway} 3 Winners

Win a mixed case of Chobani Greek yogurt over at The Actor’s Diet Blog.

And… don’t forget about the awesome giveaway I’m hosting. Prizes are valued at OVER $200!!!!

Latest Package for Review!

I have lots of awesome posts planned for these yummy products!!!

Visit www.NuNaturals.com to learn more about their line of sweeteners, extracts, and other health supplements.

Thank you, NuNaturals!!!

Resources:

WHFoods: Raisins

WHFoods: Almonds

If you’re a first-time visitor, you may have missed my recent delivery of packages and upcoming reviews, Sunday fun and news or ShimmerOrganics. You might also enjoy A Package and a Story – this one is dear to my heart…  Be sure to check ‘em out!

Note: E3Live sent me samples, but I have not been paid to write this review. The thoughts I share in this post are my honest opinions.

Why E3Live?

As most of you know, I talked quite a bit about E3Live during my 30-day juice fast (and some afterward).

It wasn’t my intentions to “up and stop mentioning this fantabulous product” – I’ve just had a lot going on and got swamped with all the incoming packages and other freelance projects I’m obligated to.

There’s actually a story about me and E3Live….

A few years ago, I met a raw foodist. I was fascinated by this man. His skin was pure perfection. His hair was dark and shiny and luscious. His eyes were clear and bright. Totally amazing.

And, no, not that kind of fascination – he was married! I’m talking about just being mesmerized by the overall picture of perfect health. I still can’t get over it!

We talked about how he’d lost a significant amount of weight and improved his health dramatically, and how I’d done the same. While I was a LOT healthier than I used to be, I still didn’t have that pristine appearance he did, and I still wasn’t as healthy as I wanted to be. The difference? You’re thinking it was the raw food, right? Nope. I had been a 100% raw foodist off and on and was high-raw, even then. So, while raw food plays a HUGE role in my health improving, there was something more.

So… what was the difference in our health journeys? E3Live. Yep. That’s it. He was a dedicated E3Live customer; I wasn’t. Actually, I’d never heard of it until he introduced me to it that day.

There was another difference in us, though: He was able to spend money that I didn’t have. He was a successful business man and I was climbing my way out of financial ruins (due to barely surviving domestic violence and enduring so many health issues I wasn’t able to work).

And THAT’S why I was sooooooooooooo very honored to have the opportunity to receive samples of E3Live and BrainOn – what a blessing!

Now, on to the review of E3Live (BrainOn review will be next)….

About the Company

E3Live was founded in 1991, by President Michael Saiber. Dr. Ann Wigmore introduced him to the raw lifestyle over 30 years ago — he’s 67, but certainly doesn’t look it! (See, I’m telling you… it’s that LOOK of pristine health!)

President

Michael enjoys a variety of exercises. He’s huge on health and fitness, is a lecturer, and has a genuine heart for helping people – particularly those suffering from chronic illness and birth defects. He thrives on consuming the blue-green algae he’s so passionate about, and is known for truly “walking the talk.”

In a world filled with deceit and people who don’t practice what they preach, I’d say that’s quite the honorable man who lives what he says he does!

CEO, Owner

Tamera has over 20 years of business management experience and has had the amazing opportunity to work closely with Dr. Brian Clement (of Hippocrates Health Institute), Dr. Gabriel Cousens, and Dr. Fred Bisci, and others.

She also lectures and is the creator of some of the best-selling green health products out there. Well-known doctors and clinics use Tamera’s formulas. (How awesome is that?!)

Oh, and Tamera is 46 – and radiantly beautiful!

E3Live’s blue-green algae is harvested from Klamath Lake in Oregon:

“Upper Klamath Lake is free of adverse bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. The lake receives an average 300 days of sunlight per year which provides a perfect growing environment for the world’s richest strain of wild AFA blue-green algae, scientifically known as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. The alkaline lake water provides more than 60 times the nutrients needed for the algae to grow to its full potential each year. Under the right conditions, AFA algae can reproduce every 20 minutes, which provides a plentiful abundance of this organic, high life-force, miracle super food.”– www.E3Live.com

From my research and my experience with E3Live’s customer service, I have found them to be passionate and kind people who strive to not only represent themselves in a professional manner and create quality products, but they genuinely care about us wholeheartedly!

Read it out for yourself:

“Thanks to you, over $250,000 worth of products have been donated to clients and patients of our clients. The recipients of these donations have serious illnesses rendering their financial condition unable to purchase anything not covered by medical insurance. By supporting our products, you can help us continue this effort.” – www.E3Live.com

E3Live was mentioned in People Magazine!

E3Live

This blue-green algae is overflowing with goodies for our bodies to gobble up!

I love that the company is so dedicated to quality:

“We are very critical and selective when it comes to harvesting, filtering, testing and formulating all our products. Our harvesting and purity testing is of utmost importance to us. We not only meet, but exceed quality and safety standards for harvesting processes.”– www.E3Live.com

Pros

The pros of E3Live are endless, really. It’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and all sorts of healthy goodies our bodies are crying out for.

From E3Live’s website:

1. Increase endurance and stamina
2. Lift and balance mood to reduce stress
3. Increase mental focus and concentration
4. Balance blood-sugar levels
5. Speed up recovery time
6. Restore overall biochemical balance ⁽¹⁾
7. Enjoy long-lasting energy boost ⁽²⁾
8. Grow healthier skin, nails and hair
9. Truly enhance overall well-being

That’s a LOT of pros!!

(1) Dr. Gabriel Cousens, Director, Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center
(2) Dr. Fred Bisci, nationally renowned health lecturer

Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids!

For Pets!

The caring people at www.E3Live.com didn’t forget – you can share the benefits with your furry friends!

E3Live is fantabulous for your PETS!! Pet lovers, I know you’re happy right now!!

Cons

The only cons I can find that you might not see as “Pros” are three things:

1. The price. Now, while I absolutely believe in this product and have seen for myself how taking it daily enhanced my health, energized me, and just made me “feel better,” I do absolutely understand that $150 isn’t pocket change. And, honestly, I couldn’t have enjoyed its benefits if I hadn’t received samples to review. However, you DO get 5 bottles for that price. Because of having to make special shipping arrangements, the company has found that shipping 5 bottles in each box results in the best freshness and transport success.
2. The taste. I’m personally used to the wonderful “green” taste health products often have. I’ve chugged potent herbal tonics, teas, and all sorts of concoctions. So, some of you may not like the taste. But the good news is… you can disguise it by tossing a serving into a smoothie or other recipe and enjoy its health benefits while your taste buds enjoy something yummy!
3. The preparation. I freelance, so I’m at home, but I can understand someone who works outside the home a gazillion hours a week being afraid they might not have time to thaw and prepare the upcoming week’s servings. To ease your conscience, I’m sharing directions below to show you this isn’t really a con – you just might think it is…

How to Thaw E3Live Products

You don’t have to be nervous about how to thaw and consume E3Live. It only takes a few minutes to prepare your servings for the week.

1. Simply take your bottle out of the freezer.
2. Pop it in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes.
3. Then pour 7 tablespoons of the melted liquid into a small jar or container with a lid.
4. Put your bottle back in the freezer, and your small jar in the fridge for easy access during the week.
5. That’s it!

See, I told you it’s easy!

How to Take E3Live

I personally just take a tablespoon straight up, but I’ve also added it to my green juice (as shown above) – especially during my 30-day juice fast.

You can also add it to smoothies or other recipes (think: raw fudge, etc.)

The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination and ingredients!

Verdict/Grade?

I’m sure after reading all this, you know I’m going to give E3Live an A+ grade. I have to, ya know? With such dedicated, caring people striving to help make the world a healthier place, only the highest grade applies. I give them extra points for donating their products to the less fortunate, who’d never be able to afford them. That speaks loudly of their character and what their business is all about. That, to me, shows they care more about us than they do about sales.

Thank you, E3Live, for being generous with samples – and with your heart!!

Have you ever taken E3Live supplements? What did you think of the taste? What kind of results did you have? Would you like to try it, but don’t have the extra money to? Stay tuned…

The Surprise?

After my review of BrainOn, E3Live is sponsoring a contest so one lucky winner can be rich with FIVE bottles of their awesome, blue-green algae (3 bottles of the original formula; 2 of BrainOn + a shaker cup—over a $200.oo value!!!). Get ready!!!

If you’re just tuning in, you might want to check out some of my Favorite Fall Recipes or read about Pink Ladies Day Out (to benefit breast cancer awareness). And congrats to Melissa, who just won TWO containers of Amazing Grass in my recent contest! Hurry, while you can still get your 15% discount using the code hwj (J as in JUICE).

Hi, y’all! I do hope you’ve been having a fantabulous Fall so far! It’s been pretty cold and rainy here in Amish country, but we’ve had some beautiful days, too. And the leaves have such vibrant hues—so pretty!

Raw Juice Girl has been SWAMPED, let me tell you! Packages are arriving fast and furious, like crazy! Don’t get me wrong, I’m tickled pink. But it will take me a little time to wade my way through the upcoming reviews. The ones in this post I’m sharing today, are just the most recent arrivals!

I’m honored to have the opportunity to review products from the following companies…

LARABAR

The kind folks at LARABAR enjoyed my first review of their bars so much, they sent a bigger variety of their original LARABAR line – and the JOCALAT line! Eeeek! 

They also sent this cool T-shirt. Thank you, LARABAR!!!

URBAN MOONSHINE

I also received a sample of Urban Moonshine Bitters (which help our digestive system). I’m excited to give this a try! I know bitter herbs like dandelion, blessed thistle, etc., are excellent for our health and a wonderful, natural way to soothe an upset tummy. Thank you, Urban Moonshine!

NuHemp for Pets

I was excited to learn about this company. They’re focusing on hemp for pets. I’m a hemp-lovin’ gal so I’m thrilled to share my hemp passion with the many pets rompin’ around this Amish farm! Thank you, NuHemp! My pets are already loving these treats and bath products!

Manitoba Harvest

Chocolate? Chocolate hemp? Are you kidding me??!! I’m in – seriously! You can’t imagine how excited I was to get some chocolate hemp in the mail. That’s a BIG tub! And there’s also some single serving packets of other hemp powders and seeds. Thanks to the folks at www.manitobaharvest.com – you RAWK my hemp world!!!

SHAMAN CHOCOLATES

More chocolate??!! Just what Raw Juice Girl needs! Seriously, if I keep gobbling up chocolate and snack bars, I’ll have to start running to burn some extra fat off! Thank you, SHAMAN CHOCOLATES, for being so generous with your products!

Grandy Oats

Grandy Oats sent me a 13 ounce tub of their Goji Agave organic granola. I can’t wait to share this review. It’s a good thing they didn’t send more than this one tub! Thank you, Grandy Oats organic granola for a fantabulous sample!

GT’s Synergy Kombucha

There’s lots of talk about Kombucha all over the Web. A while back, I did try a Passionberry Bliss Kombucha. I took a giant sip and almost spewed it out all over the place – I was expecting it to taste like TEA. It was quite strong and more like soda. It grew on me, though, and I ended up liking it. I’m excited to try other flavors. Thanks to Synergy Drinks for the opportunity!

Catch All That?

Phew! I’m going to catch my breath and dig into all these amazing products. Thorough reviews coming soon!

Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more?  Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ve also been working on a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!

If you’re just tuning in, be sure to enter Healing With (Raw) Juices’ latest contest for TWO containers  of Amazing Grass – one is CHOCOLATE! (Thursday, October 22 is the last day to enter.)   And a BIG thank you to Amazing Grass for sponsoring! And don’t forget to check out my chocolate ice cubes — they’re super easy to make, and so fun!

A HUGE thank you to LARABAR for sending me samples!!!

You might remember I recently reviewed the Cashew Cookie LARABAR. As I mentioned in that review, LARABAR also sent me a few other flavors – Apple Pie was one of them.

It’s American. It’s a staple from most of our childhoods. The taste and aroma brings back memories of mom’s or grandma’s apple pie pulled fresh from the warm oven and cooling, as crisp leaves danced around the yard in the cool Autumn breeze – yay for memories of apple pie!

And here’s that Apple Pie bar…

Apple Pie Larabar

Looks Good!

Tastes Fantabulous!

Look at those Nuts!

Sooooooooooo Moist!

Six Ingredients??!!

Dates

Walnuts

Unsweetened Apples

Almonds

Raisins

Cinnamon

It’s Healthy!

Nutritional Info (from the site):

It’s RAW!

From the site:

LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices – energy in its purest form. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than eight ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.

GLUTEN FREE * DAIRY FREE * SOY FREE * NON-GMO * VEGAN * KOSHER

LÄRABAR REAL.
Sweet with no added sweeteners. Sustaining with no added fillers, supplements or flavorings. LÄRABAR is what your body needs – real, whole food loaded with nature’s own minerals and vitamins.

LÄRABAR RIGHT.
All of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, good carbohydrates and healthy fats are derived exclusively from the whole, raw food used to make LÄRABAR.

LÄRABAR RAW.
Uncooked and Unprocessed. The essential enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion and utilization of nutrients, remain completely intact in their most natural, powerful state. A diet abundant in raw, unprocessed foods is important for health and longevity.

For LÄRABAR, we source the best possible ingredients. Every time. Every bar. Enjoy

Want apple pie for breakfast? Go ahead and have it – LARABAR style!

Verdict/Grade?

I totally wanted to run around like a school child when my taste buds met this bar. Seriously. It’s moist, delicious, sweet, and there are bursts of cinnamon and yummy pieces of apple and do you see those NUTS in the photos? The ingredients are healthy, there’s only a few of ‘em, and this bar is just totally AMAZING! It is like apple pie – fantabulous!

I have to give this bar two thumbs up and an A+ because it’s healthy, and it tastes out-of-this-world delicious!

Again, thank you to LARABAR for sending delicious samples! Be sure to visit www.larabar.com to learn more about this yummy company!

Bring Eli Home for the Holidays!

In my previous post, I shared information about a boy, Eli, who is on his third heart. He wants to be able to spend the holidays at home – instead of in the hospital. Let’s help him do that!

More Contests

Check out my friend, Averie’s, latest contest for RAW, Vegan Blondie Macaroons!!

Mysti, at Dining Family,  is on a mission to help Eli be at home, with his family, for the holidays – and be healthier, too! She’s hosting an awesome contest, and there are SIX ways to enter! Get over there, quick!

Lots more reviews and contests are coming right up, so you’ll definitely want to stick around for upcoming, juicy details!

Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more?  Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ve also been working on a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!

Comments are now closed as this contest is over. Thanks!

First, I’d love to thank the folks at Amazing Grass for sending me lovely samples. Not only did they generously share a variety of their Amazing Grass products with me, they are also sponsoring this contest so that one lucky winner will have the opportunity to try a “Green SuperFood Best of Both Combo” which provides you with a two month supply of  the Amazing Grass Green SuperFood and Chocolate Green SuperFood drink powders.

AND Amazing Grass has given Healing With (Raw) Juice readers a fantabulous discount: Just use the coupon code ‘hwj’ at check out — you’ll save 15% off your order!!!

Chocolate Green SuperFood

I’ve mentioned before that you can just call me Chocolate Girl. I’m a HUGE fan of chocolate, always have been! So, what is there NOT to like about a chocolate powder that’s also healthy for you, that you can add to smoothies, oats, or other recipes? Chocolate Green SuperFood is a fantabulous way to get your daily dose of chocolate – and consume a powerhouse of nutrition!

Now, this Chocolate Green SuperFood wasn’t included in the samples Amazing Grass sent me, but I have had the opportunity to sample their Chocolate Amazing Meal – it’s DELISH! I absolutely loved it and can totally see myself using it daily. (See my review HERE.)  So, I have absolutely no worries about recommending this Chocolate Green SuperFood powder. But, this Chocolate Green SuperFood powder has more to offer than a girl’s best friend – let’s talk nutrition!

Nutritional information (from the site):

Mix a tablespoon of Chocolate Green SuperFood with dairy, rice or soy milk or add it to a smoothie. One serving gives you the antioxidant equivalent of 7 servings of fruits and vegetables and helps you hit your daily quota.

Chocolate Green SuperFood: All natural and organic ingredients include organic wheat grass, organic barley grass, organic alfalfa, organic spirulina, organic spinach, organic chlorella (cracked cell-wall), organic broccoli, organic dutch cocoa, organic redwood cocoa, organic cacao, natural chocolate flavoring, organic acai from Sambazon, organic maca, organic carrot, organic beet, raspberry, organic rose hips, pineapple, green tea, acerola cherry, organic flax seed powder, organic oat fiber, apple pectin fiber, F.O.S. (from chicory root), L. acidophilus, alpha and beta amylase, protease, lipase, lactase, cellulase, siberian eleuthero root, peppermint and organic sea salt. 100% Vegan

Green SuperFood

I have enjoyed this All Natural Green SuperFood powder. I’ve used it in smoothies and juices and love, love, love the taste of health it provides! I also love my Amazing Grass shaker cup. I use it all the time!

Want to increase your daily intake of veggies and fruits, but aren’t loving the idea of gobbling ‘em up raw until your jaws are exhausted from chewing? Why not whip up a smoothie or juice and toss some Amazing Grass SuperFood powder in? You’ll be pretty amazed at how much nutrition you can squeeze into a glass with this stuff. Seriously!!

Nutritional information (from the site):

Mix a tablespoon of Green SuperFood with juice, milk, a smoothie or your favorite beverage. One serving gives you the antioxidant equivalent of 7 servings of fruits and vegetables and helps you hit your daily quota.

Green SuperFood: All natural and organic ingredients include organic wheat grass, organic barley grass, organic alfalfa, organic spirulina, organic spinach, organic chlorella (cracked cell-wall), organic broccoli, organic pure acai from Sambazon, organic maca, organic carrot, organic beet, raspberry, rose hips, pineapple, green tea, acerola cherry, organic flax seed powder, apple pectin fiber, F.O.S. (from chicory root), L. acidophilus, alpha and beta amylase, protease, lipase, lactase, cellulase, siberian eleuthero root and peppermint. 100% Vegan.

How AMAZING Is This Stuff???

It’s easy to see why this company is called AMAZING GRASS – it truly IS amazing!!

Verdict/Grade?

Raw Juice Girl gives Amazing Grass TWO thumbs up and an A+ for sure! Any time you can pack this much nutrition into a scoop that can be added to our favorite juices or smoothies, you’re a winner in my book! I had a scoop of the All Natural Amazing Grass SuperFood powder in my green smoothie this morning – I just LOVE how it makes me feel!!!

Remember my 30-day juice fast? The WheatGrass samples Amazing Grass had sent me were a LIFE SAVER one some of my weaker days – it felt like it shot right through my bloodstream and pepped me right up!!!

And… Amazing Grass gets EXTRA points for offering you this:

Don’t forget: Amazing Grass has given Healing With (Raw) Juice readers a fantabulous discount: Just use the coupon code ‘hwj’ at check out — you’ll save 15% off your order!!!

Let the Contest Begin!

Here’s what you’ll win:

You’ll receive one 8.5oz bottle of Green SuperFood drink powder and one 8.5oz bottle of Chocolate Green SuperFood drink powder.

This combo pack gives you a two month supply of our Amazing Grass Green SuperFood and Chocolate Green SuperFood drink powders. If you’re like many of our customers you will be hooked on both. Try one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, or mix them together for a delicious supercharged dose of greens!

You’re allowed FOUR FIVE SIX entries for this contest:

Note: Please leave a comment for each thing you do (tweet, plurk, etc.) because each comment will be counted as a number when I enter the total number of comments at Random.org once the contest ends. (DO NOT just say “thanks for the contest” or something like that–I do not publish those type of comments because they seem like spam and aren’t fair to the other contestants who leave a thoughtful, genuine answer.) Thanks!

1. Visit the Amazing Grass website (by clicking on the above photo) and take a look around. Leave a comment sharing  any of their other products you’d like to try–and why, if you’d like to add a reason.
   
2. Do you Twitter? Tweet about this contest and then leave a comment with your Twitter name. You can swipe this tweet: RT @RawJuiceGirl is hosting a contest for @AmazingGrass Chocolate & Green SuperFood powders! http://tinyurl.com/ykcpwh5 Hurry & enter!
3. Do you Plurk? Plurk about this contest and leave a comment with your Plurk URL.
4. Share this contest on your blog, linking back to this post. (The pingback will be counted as an extra entry.) If you don’t see your pingback, just email me at healingwithjuices@gmail.com and let me know. It may have gone to spam for some reason.
5. Add Healing with Juices to your favorites on Technoratori. Comment again to let me know, with a link to your technoratori profile to show you added us.
6. Are you a Stumbler? Stumble and review any post you want to–just leave the link to your SU review in (its own) comment.

NOTE: REMEMBER TO LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY SO I’LL KNOW YOU DID THEM.

ANYONE can enter this contest. You DO NOT have to be in the United States. Oh, and I’ll be using Random.org to choose the winner….

Contest ends Thursday, October 22nd, at 9 p.m. (Central Time) so you have TWO WHOLE WEEKS to get all your entries in. Have fun trying to win!!

And a HUGE Thank You to Amazing Grass for sponsoring this contest!!!

What are you waiting for – get your entries in and start spreading the news about this AMAZING contest!! Eeeeek!!

Bring Eli Home for the Holidays!

In my previous post, I shared information about a boy, Eli, who is on his third heart. He wants to be able to spend the holidays at home – instead of in the hospital. Let’s help him do that!

More Contests

Mysti, at Dining Family,  is on a mission to help Eli be at home, with his family, for the holidays – and be healthier, too! She’s hosting an awesome contest, and there are SIX ways to enter! Get over there, quick!

Lots more contests are coming right up, so you’ll definitely want to stick around for upcoming, juicy details!

Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more?  Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ve also been working on a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!

Hey, y’all!

Sorry I’ve been MIA so much lately….

Those of you who follow me regularly know I had a 3-day festival this past weekend so I was super-duper busy! And for those of you who are just tuning in, I usually spend my weekends helping my mom run her booth selling herbs for her herb business.

So, anyway, I got TWO deliveries this weekend I want to tell you about!

First up: A 6-pack of Zevia soda and a cool T-shirt I won in Averie’s Zevia contest over at Love Veggies, Yoga, Running, + Chocolate. I’m SO excited to try ‘em all (I got one of each flavor they carry) and I’m totally excited to wear my green Zevia T-shirt! (Pictures are coming, promise!)

Second package: LARABAR samples! Eeeek! They sent me a few different varieties–cashew cookie, peanut butter & jelly, apple pie, and fruit and nut. Today I’m sharing the review of the cashew cookie ’cause I gobbled it up yesterday morning for breakfast. Yes, breakfast!

LARABAR

Cashew Cookie

TWO Ingredients!

YUM!

Verdict/Grade?

Let me tell you, folks, this Cashew Cookie LARABAR is DIVINE! Oh my goodness, is it EVER totally delicious and yummy and tasty and soooooooooo good for you, too! I cannot–simply CANNOT–believe that there are only TWO ingredients in this chewy, crunchy, fantabulous snack bar. I seriously could eat one every. single. day! This one definitely gets an A+ from Raw Juice Girl!

Check out the nutritional info–it’s amazing!

From the site:

“Two ingredients, one incredible flavor! The unprocessed, creamy cashews are rich in iron, zinc and B Vitamins. The chewy dates have more potassium than bananas. Together they form a bar rich in fiber with 2 grams of heart-healthy Omega-6 fatty acids and 15 essential vitamins and minerals. So much sustaining nourishment in such a simple recipe.”

How is that for a healthy snack? Thank you, LARABAR for creating this tasty treat for us!

Y’all be sure to check out www.larabar.com to see all the different flavors and combos they offer.

So, how was your weekend? Have you ever tried LARABAR? What’s your favorite flavor? Do you wish they’d create a new one? If so, spill the beans and leave some juicy comments!

Now that the festivals are slowing down and I’ll have a little extra time, I have a LOT of reviews and contests coming up. I’ll also be posting my experiments with my new Excalibur Dehydrator. So, if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe!

Want to keep up with Raw Juice Girl’s adventures + more?  Subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. I’ll also be making a recipe page where you’ll be able to easily locate recipes for raw juices, smoothies, and now dehydrator creations!

First, I’d love to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone involved with this amazing film, and for FoodMatters.TV kindly sponsoring this contest. Not only were they gracious enough to send a copy for me to review and glean wisdom from, they were generous enough to send TWO extra copies so TWO of you would have the opportunity to have the same experience as me and own a copy (a $24.95 value!)! Thank you!!

“Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates

The Father of Medicine

The people behind Food Matters believe that Hippocrates truly paved the way and laid the foundation for caring for our bodies–and so do I. Sadly, though, his natural approach to health has slipped through the cracks and is a distant memory for many, and is not yet known for others. Modern medicine has evolved to a place where the vast majority of our medical world focuses on prescription medicine, handing out scripts for bottle after bottle of pills that merely mask symptoms–when they even do that. You’re left with side effects you don’t know how to handle, so you go back to the doctor and you’re prescribed more pills. Treating illness now consists of chemical therapies that kill out our immune systems. We’ve reached a place where it’s “normal” to pop a dozen pills before we walk out the door to go to work and are on a schedule to take that many sometimes a second, and even a third, time within 24 hours.

Yet, so many in our world still ignore the fact that Hippocrates was right. His theory was right on: Our food is absolutely our medicine! Ever heard that phrase you are what you eat? I’m sure you have. I know almost everyone I talk to has heard it. Some live by it; it’s their creed. Others despise it, detest it, rebel against it, and downright refuse to believe that what they put into their mouths, their bodies, has anything to do with the way they feel, what their blood pressure levels are, or how their clothes no longer fit. Go figure…

Chapters

When you insert your DVD, you’ll notice there is a Chapters section. I love this because it gives you a sneak peek of what you’re in for! Don’t cheat, though. Start at the beginning and watch it all the way through. You’ll be so glad you did.

You’ll learn all sorts of awesome things! This film really makes you reflect on what you put in your mouth, how old it is, whether it’s really feeding your body–or if it’s feeding disease.

Note: You’ll also learn about natural cancer therapies and how to detox, lose weight, and keep it off!

Inspiration

I love the strong message of hope and healing Food Matters brings. As someone who has lost over 100 pounds and steadily improved my health by living a high-raw (and at times, 100% raw) food lifestyle + raw juices, smoothies, and juice fasting, I am extremely aware of how food is not only my medicine, but my strength, my healing, and literally my future–or the lack, thereof!

It excites me that as the film proceeds, anticipation about being healthier increases and you truly take away a sense of hope that it’s not too late to turn your health around in the right direction. Sure, it may take a while. Yes, it may be hard most of the time. But as long as we have a breath in our body, there is hope for better health! (I do realize there are situations that may be irreversible, where the patient is too near death to make a U-turn. So, I’m not preaching miracles here–although I do believe in ‘em! )

Experts

You’ll hear Experts chime in on why the quality of and type of food we eat truly matters. Here’s a glimpse of what each of them have to say about the medical industry, our non-organic farming methods, raw foods, and more…

“Good health makes a lot of sense, but it doesn’t make a lot of dollars.”–Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D, Therapeutic Nutrition Specialist and Author

“Dr. Paul Kouchakoff was the first to show in the 1930′s that if  you ate a diet that was more than 51% cooked food, that your body would react to the food as if it was being invaded by a foreign organism. Dr. Kouchakoff was the first to demonstrate that if 51% of your meals were raw, you’d have no leucocytosis; you’d actually have no white blood cell reaction, so your immune system would not be activated with a false alarm. Because we’re dealing with so many immune system issues today, we have to make sure that at least 51% of every meal that we have is raw so that we don’t overburden that already-overburdened immune system.” – David Wolfe

First, I’d like to send out a huuuuuuge thank you to Mic and everyone at Navitas Naturals for not only sending delicious samples for me to try, but for sponsoring this contest so you can try some, too! Thank you!

Navitas Naturals Goodies

Check out that eco-friendly canteen! Now you can re-use your water container and help preserve the environment! And look at those delicious cashews and goji berries. Eeeek!

I was super excited when my package from Navitas Naturals arrived. I absolutely love cashews and I was pleasantly surprised by the freshness of this brand. I had never tried goji berries and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I liked them at first! They grew on me, though–and there’s so many ways you can incorporate them into your meals or snacks:

• smoothies
• oatmeal
• granola
• cookies
• or just by the handful

Navitas Naturals: The Company

It’s nice to know a company has the health of their consumer in mind when they’re creating and selling their products. Here’s what Navitas Naturals shares on their About page:

“Health conscious consumers choose our nutrient-rich products because they are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Our premium quality “superfoods” are always free of additives and trans fats; the absence of these elements speaking to the purity and effectiveness of the products.”

Do you know what “Navitas” means?

I learned what it means when I checked out their website: The “Navitas” in our name is the Latin word for energy.

How awesome is that?! Healthy snacks from a healthy company–and the root of the company is based on energy! Who couldn’t use a little more energy in this crazy world, right?

What do I mean by “healthy company”?

Look what else I discovered on their About page:

“And like our name implies, our mission is to provide premium organic functional foods that increase energy and enhance health. Part of this effort is to continually search for the world’s most beneficial natural foods. Navitas Naturals is a certified organic, green business headquartered in Marin County, California.”
Healthy for our bodies–and our world? Now that’s a winning combo in my book!

And…. you can follow them on Twitter! @NavitasNaturals

Navitas Naturals Contest!!

What you’ll be winning:

• 1 eco-friendly canteen
• 1 package of raw cashews
• 1 package of goji berries
  

You’re allowed FOUR FIVE SIX entries for this contest:

Note: Please leave a comment for each thing you do (tweet, plurk, etc.) because each comment will be counted as a number when I enter the total number of comments at Random.org once the contest ends. Thanks!

1. Leave a comment sharing why you want to try Navitas Naturals products. (DO NOT just say “thanks for the contest” or something like that–I do not publish those type of comments because they seem like spam and aren’t fair to the other contestants who leave a thoughtful, genuine answer.)
2. Do you Twitter? Tweet about this contest and then leave a comment with your Twitter name.
3. Do you Plurk? Plurk about this contest and leave a comment with your Plurk URL.
4. Share this contest on your blog, linking back to this post. (The pingback will be counted as an extra entry.) If you don’t see your pingback, just email me at healingwithjuices@gmail.com and let me know. It may have gone to spam for some reason.
5. Add Healing with Juices to your favorites on Technoratori. Comment again to let me know, with a link to your technoratori profile to show you added us.
6. Are you a Stumbler? Stumble and review any post you want to–just leave the link to your SU review in (its own) comment.

NOTE: ANYONE can enter this contest. You DO NOT have to be in the United States. Oh, and I’ll be using Random.org to choose the winner….

Contest ends Monday, June 15th, at 9 p.m. (Central Time) so you have FOUR DAYS to get all your entries in. Have fun trying to win!!

After this contest ends, you’ll be competing for more raw nuts, raw nut butters, books, DVDs, and lots more–so don’t miss out on upcoming posts!

Be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.

Yes, you read that title correctly.

After all, not all of Healing with (Raw) Juices’ readers are Raw Foodists and this is a wonderful meal for any of you who are wanting healthier meal options, or if you’re wanting to phase meat out of your diet.

Anyway, here’s the deal: before I decided to go back to 100% raw foods, I had agreed to review Buitoni’s new Wild Mushroom Agnolotti pasta. I’ve been eating 98-100% raw and what happens? I get a package compliments of FoodBuzz and Buitoni with this pasta to sample and review. What’s an honest gal to do? A gal who is no longer eating cooked foods? She (um, that’d be me!) calls in the troops!

That’s right, folks.

I called in some trustworthy, honest people I know and they tasted it for me! So, here’s the low-down on Buitoni’s Wild Mushroom Agnolotti pasta….

The next dilemma:

How to serve this new pasta!

I let the official taste testers choose how they’d like to gobble up the wild mushroom pasta and here’s what they decided on: a veggie stir fry combo of broccoli, peas, green beans, onions, and mushrooms, a veggie burger, a piece of bread, and the pasta itself with simple tomato sauce.

The pasta only takes 4-6 minutes to be done!!

Toss your choice of veggies in to a skillet and stir fry ‘em right up!

Here are those veggie burgers….

That beautiful Wild Mushroom Agnalotti pasta all “plated up”!

And all together:

The verdict?

They all rated this Buitoni’s Wild Mushroom Agnolotti pasta 10 out of a possible 10!

Thanks so much to FoodBuzz and Buitoni for the opportunity to receive (and share) this pasta. I trust my family and friends’ opinions. We pretty much have the same tastes/opinions of foods so I’m confident and pleased with this review!

Keep watching for more contests: you’ll be competing for organic coconut oil, raw nuts, goji berries, raw nut butters, more books and DVDs, and more–so don’t miss out on upcoming posts!

Be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life.