From the category archives:

Organic Food & Drink

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, you may be looking for eco-friendly treats. My family recently sampled some YummyEarth gummy candy, and here’s what we think…

yummyearth organic gummy bears

PRODUCT: YummyEarth Organic Gummy Bears and Organic Gummy Worms from YummyEarth. Gummy Bear flavors include; Pomegranate Pucker, Sour Apple Tart and Strawberry Smash. Gummy Worm flavors include; Pomegranate Pucker, Sour Apple Tart, Tangy Tangerine.

INGREDIENTS: Organic rice syrup, organic cane sugar, gelatin, organic carrot juice, organic aronia juice, organic black currant, organic curcuma, natural flavor, citric acid, ascorbic acid, organic sunflower oil.

COST: $8.97 for three 5oz bags.

Eco & health perks:

  • No Artifical Dyes
  • No Corn Syrup
  • Tree Nut Free
  • Peanut- free
  • Soy-free
  • Dairy-free
  • GMO-free
  • no MSG
  • Fat-Free
  • Gluten-Free
  • 100% all natural
  • USDA Organic
  • 100% Vitamin C per serving
  • Less than 90 calories per serving

WHAT WE THINK OF THE TASTE:

Taste-wise these were a huge hit at my house. My VERY picky 8-year-old son Cedar loved them, and he rarely loves food products of any kind. He said they were “juicy sweet” and tasted like fruit – fruit and veggies are his favorite food so for him to say they actually tasted like fruit is a big deal. He wanted to know if they had high fructose corn syrup because his school banned it, and since, no these don’t have corn syrup, he was thrilled because that meant he could take some in his lunch.

My boyfriend’s 11-year-old daughter who loves candy but who unlike my son doesn’t love many fruit or veggies really liked these too, saying, “Hey they taste fruity but really good – not too sweet!” I was surprised she liked them because they were natural and not as surgery tasting as other candies.

My boyfriend who doesn’t eat gummy candy, because he doesn’t like the sticky factor, also liked them stating that they weren’t too chewy or sticky like most gummy candy.

As for me, I’m a chocolate person and I don’t really like any fruit candy, but if I had to eat some, these are pretty good. Not too sticky (as my boyfriend said) and they had a great fruity flavor that was a little sour and sweet but not overly so. Not that I’ll be switching to fruit candy over chocolate anytime soon, but these were so much better than other fruit candy.

OTHER PROS: Keep on reading this post!

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DIY Healthy Organic & Fair Trade Hot Chocolate

by Jennifer on December 9, 2009

The weather is getting more and more chilly which makes it the perfect time for hot chocolate! However, you do want to green it up and try to make it a little more healthy right? Here are some ideas…

homemade organic hot chocolate

THE HOT CHOCOLATE:

Harvesting cocoa beans for chocolate poses large threats to communities and children. Global Exchange notes that at least 284,000 children are involved in abusive labor conditions in West Africa’s cocoa fields and that conventional cocoa companies pay prices so low that many cocoa farmers cannot meet their families’ basic needs. Fair Trade certified chocolate ends this. Ends forced child labor, ends insufficient prices for cocoa, and means that sustainable production methods are met.

You can buy sustainable, Fair Trade hot chocolate from a number of retailers. Or you can buy Fair Trade cocoa and make homemade hot chocolate.

MAKING HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE WITH WHOLE CHOCOLATE: Keep on reading this post!

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Choose Your Green Shade of Grocery Shopping

December 9, 2009

Green living happens in different shades for different people. Grocery shopping is a great example. Some grocery shopping steps are super mega green while others are mildly green. The best plan, if you’re new to green living, is to start small, taking green steps that are easy to manage. Eventually work in more and more [...]

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Organic food is categorically worse for the planet

November 27, 2009

Or so says Michael Mack, chief executive of Syngenta, a Swiss agribusiness giant that makes pesticides and seeds. According to the New York Times, Mack notes, “Organic food is not only not better for the planet… it is categorically worse.”

His reasoning…

Organic farming takes up 30% more land than nonorganic farming
You can’t feed the [...]

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Green Product Review: HAPPYBABY The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months

October 29, 2009

PRODUCT: HappyBaby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months by the founders of HAPPYBABY, Robert W. Sears, and Amy Marlow (September 2009, Harper Collins)

COST: $11.55 softcover / $16.99 ebook
BASICS: From HAPPYBABY; “HappyBaby The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months, focuses on the most crucial and confusing time for growing families: the beginning. This [...]

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Organic Foods Your Family Should Buy All the Time

October 18, 2009

Organic foods do more than help keep toxins out of our soil, water, and air. They also keep dangerous toxins out of your family’s bodies and help keep farmers (and farmers children) safe which yes is better for everyone’s health in spite of recent news that claims otherwise. Organics better support a local economy and [...]

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