Newmans Own: Snack Organic (and Giveaway!)

Hello Darlings!

Newman’s Own Organics spoiled me. As well as sending a box of treats to little miss Tinkerbelle (treat my dog nicely and you’re automatically on my good side) they sent along a giant box of treats for me! I am a snacker with a giant sweet tooth, however I try to keep my sweets as organic and additive free as possible. Enter Newman’s Own with organic everything under the sun- yes, please! For the past few weeks I have been making my way through my organic sweets stash, picking out my favorites, and sharing the goodies with everyone who has come to visit.

Post-Yoga Products: Ora’s Amazing Herbal

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I am constantly running around popping from yoga class to yoga class attempting to feel fresh with each new set of faces, which is rather difficult as I often am running bouncing around like a bunny, or prowling like a tiger with the kiddos! When I found Ora’s Amazing Herbal I knew I wanted to try samples right away.

Tinkerbelle Reviews: Newman’s Own Organics for Pets (Giveaway!)

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I am completely obsessed with my Samoyed Tinkerbelle (note the smiling face in my blog’s header) and as such believe that all of our fur babies deserve the same healthy food and treats that we feed ourselves. So when Newman’s Own Organics reached out and offered a package of goodies for both humans (more on that next week!) and little miss Tinkerbelle, I was excited for Tink to try the all organic line of treats and food!

Meatless Monday: Vegan Rosemary-Olive French Bread

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I am incredibly fortunate to have wonderful friends who are just as passionate as health and wellness as I am. One of those friends (who really should have a blog but doesn’t- you know who you are!) met the Olea Estates folks at a Slow Food conference and said that we should get in touch, and I am so excited that we did!

Cookbook Love: Superfoods for Life, Chia

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I love books, in any way shape or form. In my very small apartment there is a very large bookcase chock full of all kinds of books from ridiculous romance novels (give me a cowboy/prairie story any day) to gorgeously bound books of Shakespeare, to foreign language novels I’ve picked up on my travels just because they have that ‘old book’ smell I love so much. And I have a very special place in my heart for cookbooks. I ADORE them, if they could think they would probably hate me though because I am the messiest cook on the planet and they constantly get covered in food (ask my poor canning cookbook- the number of different kinds of berries mashed into its pages is just silly.)

What I Ate Wednesday: Skinny Limits Juice Cleanse

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So, ‘ate’ might be a bit of a stretch here in terms of What I Ate Wednesday, but I was fortunate enough to receive a Three Day Skinny Limits Juice Cleanse for review, which in my mind is SO much better! The 18 juice cleanse (six 16-ounce juices a day for three days) is an incredible way to jumpstart your spring detox, ridding your body of toxins built up over the rather lethargic winter season.

Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea: Two Ways

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I am a tea connoisseur. From loose leaf and DIY herbal tea, to tea bags and lattes I love it all, but am very picky about which kinds I choose to allow into my body! This Organic Matcha Green Tea by Kiss Me Organics is wonderfully versatile!

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Mother Earth’s Healing Review and Prize Pack Giveaway! (Closed)

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When it comes to my body I believe that all natural everything is the way to go. From the detergent I wash my clothes with to the scrubs I wash my face with, I do not want any weird chemicals I can’t pronounce making their way into products that interact with my skin. So when I discover all natural products that are made by hand right here in the USA I get quite excited!

Mother Earth’s Healing on Etsy fits the bill. Handmade in Florida, the products carried by Mother Earth’s healing are all natural, full of organic ingredients, essential oils, and herbs- never anything artificial. The Etsy shop carries everything from body scrubs to wood polish- something for everything! The darling owner of the shop sent over a package of products for me to test out and has graciously decided to sponsor a giveaway for you lucky readers as well! (Details in the Rafflecopter Widget below!)

EcoTrek Fitness Whole Food Bars Review and Giveaway (Closed)

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If you’re anything like me, one of your New Year’s resolutions is one that revolves around healthy living and fitness. Whether it be skiing more, hitting the gym, or getting more acquainted with a yoga studio, all of these resolutions require a bit of fuel. I like to throw a protein bar or two into my gym bag and backpack when I head out, just in case I need some extra energy! When the darlings at Eco Trek Fitness Whole Food Bars reached out offering samples of their bars, I was excited to try them!

Udi’s Limited Edition Fall Line

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I was never really in the loop when it came to gluten free products until one of my best friends was diagnosed with celiac disease. He, in typical college-male fashion was terrible at cooking anything aside from burgers on the grill. So being the ever-so-nice best friend I am took it upon myself to figure out ways that he could eat his favorite foods without the gut-wrenching pain after the fact. I then discovered Udi’s – truly a life saver! So when Udi’s reached out and told me about their new limited edition fall line I was really excited to try their fall spiced products and share!

Mix My Own Healthy Breakfast

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I adore breakfast; however I am not a morning person. Seriously, if you ask me to stay up until six am? I can do it no problem- wake me up at 6 am? I might try to bite your head off. So trying to get me to function enough to cook up a healthy breakfast is a challenge. And then in waltzes MixMyOwn, which is healthy, filling, and no cooking necessary! Heaven.

Trying Out Supplements: Best Price Nutrition Review

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I’ve never really been a supplement type of person. But with my current workout regimen (my personal trainer is trying to kill me in such a wonderful way) I thought I could use a bit of a boost in the nutrition department to kick up my workouts to the next level. I was wary about trying supplements because I had always thought that protein powder tasted like chalk and green food supplements like weeds. Boy, was I wrong. The darlings over at Best Price Nutrition offered to send along a few samples of healthy products that they thought I might like, and they chose wonderfully.

Meatless Monday: Blueberry Salsa Served with Food Should Taste Good Chips + Giveaway!

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I am loving prepping for the Fourth of July, so I knew I had to do a special patriotic Meatless Monday this week. And is there anything more American than red, white, and blue salsa made with blueberries grown in the US? I think not. This recipe is both super simple and very delicious, perfect for whipping together the morning of your Fourth of July Barbeque! (Giveaway at the end of this post! (now closed))

Ingredients:

- 1 Pint Blueberries

- 2 Red Peppers, Diced

- 1/2 Red Onion, Diced

- 2 Jalapeños, Diced (Wear gloves while cutting these- their oils can burn!)

- 3 Tablespoons Cilantro, Finely Chopped

- 1 Teaspoon Salt

- Juice of One Lemon

Combine all ingredients, mix well, making sure to squish some of the blueberries- it’s as simple as that!

The best way to serve a delicious homemade salsa is with a brand of chips known for being made with high-quality ingredients and by a health conscious company. I was lucky enough to receive a sample box of four varieties of Food Should Taste Good chips just as I was dreaming up the blueberry salsa, perfect timing if I do say so myself!

I served the blueberry salsa with Food Should Taste Good’s Cantina tortilla chips. Made with only three ingredients, they are simple but incredibly delicious and have a super satisfying crunch! Certified vegan, you know you’re not putting something harmful into your body.

Of course, I couldn’t just stop at serving one variety of delicious chips; I had to try the additional three flavors I was sent. Thank goodness I did! Here is a quick rundown on my thoughts on the Multigrain, Olive, and Kettle Cooked Sweet Potato varieties!

Multigrain:

This is the variety that that originally got me hooked on Food Should Taste Good chips. I tried them out at my local store and loved that they were certified vegan, gluten free, and all natural. I know that some people assume that when you take gluten and animal products out of some foods they can taste bland, but with Food Should Taste Good the opposite effect is achieved. The chips are flavorful, slightly sweet, perfectly seasoned, and like the other Food Should Taste Good varieties has that all-satisfying crunch.

Olive:

I hadn’t tried Food Should Taste Good’s Olive variety until this week. Boy was I missing out! These are my new favorite! Made with black, green, and kalamata olives, garlic, and sea salt, they have a delicious, savory Mediterranean taste that would go perfectly with hummus. (Or you can eat practically the whole bag, by yourself, plain, like I did.) This variety is also all natural, gluten free, certified vegan, low sodium, cholesterol free, and has no trans fats; how is that for being super healthy on top of being delicious!?

Kettle Cooked Sweet Potato Chips:

I am a bit of a sweet potato connoisseur. If I am going to eat something that is made with sweet potatoes it has to be top notch. Often, I feel that many brands of sweet potato chips I’ve tried have been overly greasy and not very fresh tasting. Leave it up to Food Should Taste Good chips to break the mold! Being kettle cooked cuts the grease, and leaves a crunchy, crisp chip. Made only with sweet potato, sunflower oil, and sea salt, the Gluten free, certified vegan chips taste fresh in their simplicity, really letting the sweetness of all natural sweet potatoes steal the show. These are, by far, the best variety of sweet potato chips I have ever tried. Officially addicted.

Now that I’ve raved about how great the Food Should Taste Good brand chips are how would you like to win a sample box of your own? The folks at Food Should Taste Good are graciously providing a sample box of chips for one of my readers (US Residents only, sorry!) to win! To enter follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter Widget below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was not compensated for this post, however I was provided with a sample box of Food Should Taste Good chips for testing. The opinions are all my own.

Garden of the Gods: My Dogs Cool Custom Dog Leash Review

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Have you ever woken up incredibly early and full of energy for no apparent reason? Strangely enough for a night owl like myself, it was one of those days. So I made the hour and fifteen minute trek down the Garden of the Gods, a gorgeous public park that sits just outside Colorado Springs, with Tinkerbelle riding shotgun sporting a very snazzy custom leash from My Dogs Cool.

Tiesta Tea: Kiwi Cherry Bonanza Review

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I am a bit obsessed with tea, and by a bit, I mean to the point that I collect teapots, obsessed. I love that you can moderate your tea’s caffeine content with blending and brewing methods, I love the smell, and I especially love loose-leaf tea and the gorgeous pieces of fruit and flowers you can find in different varieties. If you’ve been following ChickadeeSays for a while you might have spotted my love affair with Tiesta Tea, a brand whose signature is deliciously blended all-natural loose-leaf tea. From inclusion in my Weekend Warrior Detox, to showcasing my slightly odd cupboard of tea mugs on Instagram and Twitter, Tiesta Tea is a constant in my everyday life.

Sweetheart VoxBox Review

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I am a member of a fun social network-esque online community called Influenster. In Influenster’s own words, “Influenster is a place for culture junkies to come together and share their unique opinions of products and experiences.” From earning badges (I am a sucker for badges- Foursquare anyone?) based on your experiences, to snagging free products that you would like to try, it is an entertaining, interactive site that integrates well with the blogging experience.

7 Ways to Keep Your Pets Happy and Healthy Without Breaking the Bank

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While pets make our lives healthy and a bit more whole, they can be expensive to care for. Veterinary bills, grooming, food, toys, treats- paying for our furry little children adds up. But raising healthy and happy pets does not always have to be incredibly expensive. These seven tips will help keep a few of your costs down while still providing the best care you can give.

Weekend Warrior Detox : Healthy Hangover Cures

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So, you overindulged a bit this weekend, maybe had a few too many margaritas, and woke up feeling dead to the world. There is zero chance you are going to be able to hold a yoga pose, make it to the gym, or even just move with any semblance of grace.

We’ve all been there.

While it seems so easy to just reach for a leftover beer to wash down a handful of Ibuprofen, there are healthier ways to detox your body and re-enter the land of the living. Healthy hangover cures help fix the symptoms rather than mask them.

Tinkerbelle’s Ruff Wear Grip Trex All-Terrain Paw Wear Review

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As evidenced on my Instagram I was caught in Nemo, a blizzard last weekend that dumped nearly three feet of snow on my house here in Connecticut. When all was said and done, snow was abundant, as was salt on the roads, which is terrible for dogs’ paws. Rock salt, in both texture and composition, can erode your dog’s paws. The chunks of salt get stuck in the crevices of the pads on their feet, and the chemical additives used to decrease ice’s melting time, both harm the dog’s paws and can be ingested when a dog licks their feet to ease their discomfort.

Although at my home we use pet-safe road salt, I purchased what I call Tinkerbelle’s ‘city boots’ for her to wear on road walks when the snow is too deep to tromp around. These boots are a set of four RuffWear GripTrex all-terrain paw wear, and are fabulous. They protect your pup’s paws from the elements, debris, and in my particular case, road salt.

Hot Yoga Essentials

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I have been obsessed with hot yoga lately, and wish that I could be in class right now instead of watching the blizzard (which the Weather Channel has dubbed Nemo- the name is the only good thing about this storm) from my window. To warm myself up and get a bit of a hot yoga fix, I thought I would share my hot yoga essentials with you.