An Earnest Loot!

Here’s a preview of what’s to come this week, since we just got a great shipment of products from Earnest Eats! Not only will we be reviewing a few new flavors, but we also have a giveaway in the mix for another of our lovely readers.

Stay tuned 🙂

Samai “Breath of the Rainforest” – Exotic Brand with Wholesome Values

by Ashley Morgan

I spend a lot of time in Publix’s produce section: wandering the aisles, checking different labels to see where something was grown and looking for inspiration for my next culinary endeavor. While I’m doing all of this, my fiancé is normally either in a different part of the store or standing there playing with his iPhone, bored. But this time he found a treasure for me, something that he originally planned on eating himself until I snatched it away from him once we came home. Samai, a brand that I’d never heard of before this weekend, is now one of my favorite snack brands. Their name enough captivates me, meaning “Breath of the Rainforest” in Quechua (a native language of Ecuador). But it was their values that really caught my attention. They procure all of their produce from independent farms, dedicated to maintaining the rainforest and therefore never cultivating from protected areas. I’ve never been to Ecuador, but I have been around other areas of Latin America and I know that a brand like this, which cultivates solely from small farmers, is a god-send. They also return their produce waste, i.e. plantain peels, to the farmers to use as fertilizer. That is truly thinking full circle.

The great part is that not only do they have an awesome business model, but their product really tastes great. There are many eco-friendly, locally procured and otherwise “greener” companies out there that fail to actually produce a product people want to eat. But Samai’s plantain chips are absolutely delicious. Even my totally omnivore, un-eco-conscientious fiancé picked them up off the shelf, just because he thought they looked tasty! I was nice and I shared the goodies with him. We both thought they were crunchy and had great flavor. He devoured the garlic ones, while I preferred the pacific sea-salt.

I’ve noticed on their website that they also carry other varieties and flavors, including banana and yucca chips. Their products are also 100% vegan and kosher. I applaud Samai for creating such a conscientious company without sacrificing flavor. They are truly one of a kind and I look forward to trying their other varieties.

Visit their site at http://www.theexoticblends.com/

The Importance of Being Earnest (Whole Food Bar)

By Jessica Michael

My lunch on Thursday was desperately lacking in calories, so by 2:30 I was ravenous.  I literally left work so I could get something to eat.  You know the kind of hungry: desperately searching for anything with chocolate, butter and sugar.

Thankfully, I ended up at Nutrition S’Mart and found this amazing little whole food bar.  It had all the ingredients I was searching for, but better for me.  It looked like a cookie but don’t let it fool you.  That bar was dense and packed with nutrition:
230 Calories (it’s a little high but because my lunch consisted of 140 calories, I was fine with this), Oats, nuts, nut butters, seeds, organic dark chocolate, and most importantly, vegan.

What a great little find, I didn’t feel guilty eating it and it carried me from 3:00 in the afternoon all the way till I left class at 9pm.    Thanks Earnest Eats!

For more information on Earnest Eats (formerly Honest Foods), go to http://www.earnesteats.com/.

Healthy Detox Snack: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

by Ashley Morgan

Day 2 and 3 of our Detox Diet (click here to see our Detox Confessions page) have so far been super easy with the help of advance planning and some creative snack ideas. Yesterday I decided that I needed some veggies to snack on, but I didn’t want the normal carrot sticks or celery, I wanted something with more taste and nutrition. So I picked up a few bags of Brussels sprouts and decided I would roast them, and then keep them around in the refrigerator for snacks.

The recipe is super simple, fresh and healthy.

Ingredients

1 lb Brussels sprouts

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp garlic powder

Olive oil spray, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and move the top rack to the highest position.  Spray to coat a baking sheet with olive oil spray, set aside. In a large bowl mix the sprouts, salt, garlic powder and a little olive oil spray until the sprouts are evenly coated. Pour onto the baking sheet and place on top rack in the oven. Bake 10-15 minutes, shaking the rack every five minutes to evenly roast. They are done once evenly browned.

Serves 4-6.

These are great as snacks or a side dish. For the past two days, I’ve kept a freezer bag full of them next to me for munching on my allotted snack times. While they are certainly best fresh from the oven, they are still good the next day.

Enjoy!

Delicious, Delightful and Sinful Plantain Tortas

by Ashley Morgan

I am in love with the Global Table Adventure blog. I am addicted to her recipes, her rich writing and her adorable daughter. Yesterday I saw her recipe for sweet plantain tortas and I just knew I needed to make them, the sooner the better.

I left work and went straight to the market, picking up the ingredients and rushing home to start making my little masterpieces. I am no stranger to empanadas, I’ve probably made at least a few thousand in my lifetime, between home cooking and working in several restaurants. But I’d never heard of making dough out of plantains for empanadas, or tortas, as they are called in some countries. So I gathered up my ingredients, setup my laptop in the kitchen on Global Table’s website and got to cooking.

I followed the directions religiously, taking time and care in every little step to ensure they came out perfect. And perfect they were. My boyfriend came home and devoured quite a few, and the next morning my coworkers and I enjoyed the rest. They are gooey, greasy goodness to the last bite. Are they vegetarian? Yes. Are they vegan? They certainly can be, just substitute Earth Balance for the butter and your favorite vegan cheese for the filling. Or you can try filling with vegetables, which would also be tasty.

Thank you, Global Table Adventure, for your amazing blog. I am your number one fan!

For the recipe, visit http://globaltableadventure.com/2011/06/16/recipe-plantain-cheese-turnovers-tortas-de-platano/

EnviroKidz Organic, Gluten-Free, Gelatin-Free Crispy Rice Treats

by Ashley Morgan

It’s rare to find a product that is sold nationwide, but still holds that family oriented, local farming mentality. Founded in 1985, but with much older roots dating back to the 1930’s, Nature’s Path (the owners/creators of EnviroKidz) have built a company through years of dedicated organic farming and family values. I was impressed reading through their quaint, but ample website that they have such strong connections with their workers and farmers. If you have a few moments, I would suggest you read through it a little too. I’ve included a link at the bottom of this post.

When you can place a story with the product you pick up in your hands, whether in a farmer’s market or in a grocery store, something special happens. The product is no longer just a cereal bar, just a piece of fruit, just a bag of rice – it becomes your connection with the hands that made it. And that makes enjoying the product just a little sweeter.

Opening the packaging of the crispy rice treat this morning, I was immediately greeted by the wafting scent of fresh fruit. I turned over the package and re-read the ingredients, noting that the bar contains both fresh freeze-dried raspberries and blueberries. Freeze-dried doesn’t always invoke the most pleasant of thoughts, but in this bar they are lovely. All ingredients are also USDA approved organic and gluten-free. While I don’t have children, I immediately thought why other products aren’t this health-conscious. This is what we should be feeding our children – not chemicals and preservatives, basically poisons.

Nothing artificial, almost vegan (it includes organic honey), made from gluten-free organic brown rice flour and tastes better than any other crispy rice treat out there. I don’t think a healthier sweet snack exists.

Visit http://www.EnviroKidz.com/ to check out their site, I really was impressed with the scope of their dedication to organic farming. Nature’s Path will also donate 1% of all proceeds to an environmental or children’s educational charity for every product you purchase.