Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Barack Forest Berry

A new day and a new president. One way to toast this occasion is to enjoy a bottle of Black Forest Berry tea. This non-caffeinated, organic beverage is one of President Obama's favorite refreshments. Obama is allegedly not a coffee drinker. All Honest Tea products contain half as much sugar as most other iced teas and sodas, and some contain no sweeteners whatsoever. Honest Tea relabeled & renamed a few cases to honor President Obama.

Read more: NY Times, LA Times Blog, Telegraph

Friday, January 16, 2009

Marshmallow Treats & Lollipops

Glenny's Marshmallow Treats are relatively new at my local grocery store (Star Market). They are 100% organic. They come in 4 flavors: vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, and raspberry jubilee. They're also vegan, so there is no gelatin in the mallows. There are 5 in a box for about $4. Not cheap, but a worthwile treat. I ate the shiny blue prepackaged Kellogg's brand ones during my teenage years, but promptly stopped when I started reading ingredients. Last time I checked, the Kellogg's ones were made with partially hydrogenated oils and contained a slew of artificial flavorings and ingredients. Am I suggesting that these new brown rice ones are health promoting? No, but they're less detrimental to your health than the ones you get at 7-11.


YummyEarth Lollipops are the best lollipops I have ever had. My 5 favorite flavors in order of my liking are: Wet-Face Watermelon, Sour Apple Tart, Pomegranate Pucker, Googly Grape, & Very Very Cherry. Keep in mind that here are 14 flavors of the pops & 20 flavors of drops! One challenge I like is to see how long I can make 1 lollipop last in my mouth. My record is 10 minutes (timing begins once off the stick). I am a cruncher, so this is a good patience exercise for me. I'd also buy a bag of these for someone who is looking to quit smoking. Substitution is a good first step.

Who said organic food had to be boring? Marshmallow treats, lollipops, and even frosted toaster treats! Who said it can't be done?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Cotton

I read that nearly 10% of pesticides and 25% of insecticides used in the world are used for cotton growing alone. That is quite a bulk for a single plant. In my mind that's enough of a reason to start buying some organic cotton products. Just think of all the dirty runoff seeping into our soil and water! Organic cotton also just feels softer to me.

  • Did you know Nike plans to use 5% organic cotton in all their products by 2010 and that they are one of the biggest buyers of organic cotton in the world? They also have 100% organic offerings as well.
  • My favorite spot for plain colored organic t-shirts is American Apparel. $18 is a fair price in my mind, and cheaper than other places I've seen.

  • The most affordable organic sheets I've found are at Target. They carried organic dish towels last year, but I haven't been able to find them this year. I even noticed that Pottery Barn Kids currently sells organic Dr. Seuss sheets!
  • Gaiam.com is kind of like the organic cotton Amazon.com. They sell organic cotton bath towels, pajamas, socks, sheets, and much more.

  • Finally, Patagonia and Gap are additional companies which offer organic clothing products.
If you haven't bought organic cotton, I encourage you to take a test run, even if just for the sake of comfort. Please let me know of any other places to find organic cotton-