Manna from the Blogosphere

MannaTech wellness

So it’s not manna from heaven (read the Bible)—what is it? Catch that?

It’s MannaTech! A wellness company, they are a global pioneer in the development of high-quality health, weight and fitness, and skin care solutions based on nutritional science.

giveaway: ONE BOTTLE of MannaBears (x4)

These MannaBears are designed for children, with three sweet* flavors. (Out of orange, grape, and lemon, my favorite is the orange.) This really tastes like some type of candy, but it’s not empty calories for the kids.

I also have 2 bags of PhytoBursts and 4 boxes of Optimal Support Packets that I could give away, but I thought the MannaBears would be received the best. Maybe in the future?

*These are sweetened with tapioca syrup, natural evaporated cane juice, and xylitol. Take a comprehensive look at all the ingredients.

about MannaBears

• Deliver glyconutrients (from 10 different dehydrated fruit and vegetable powders) designed to support proper cellular health and communication
• Designed to help protect cells from free radical damage
• Supply vital nutrients to young people during their growth years

I’m giving away one bottle of MannaBears to FOUR different readers!  That means you’ve got quadruple the chance of winning this!

Sorry the embed function doesn’t work. Enter here. 

I will randomly select winners using Random.org. Results will be posted June 19, 2010.

CONTEST ENDS JUNE 18, 2010

Please note that this giveaway is only available to residents of the United States.

I hope you guys enjoy this giveaway! I’m excited.

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…and tell me for the giveaway!

To summarize: shampoo, iHerb, giveaways.

Remember my how, thanks to my new haircut, my hair is lightning-fast to clean?
This is how I clean. I recently received an order from iHerb.com which included Hugo Naturals Lemon Verbena shampoo, for my thick, oily hair. I only require the tiniest squirt of soap. This shampoo, according to the website, is free of sulfates, parabens, petroleum products, animals fats, alcohols, synthetic colors and fragrances. Read about harmful ingredients by clinking on the links.

I also ordered Alba Botanica sunscreen—free of parabens, oxybenzone, phthalates, synthetic colors, and animal testing. The vanilla lip balm was a free sample!

Giveaways and specials…

* Learn more about iHerb and enter for a $50 shopping spree at Choosing Raw.

* Who grew your lunch? WeAddUp  “Buy Local” t-shirts are 20% off for the week. That’s the shirt I have! Enter coupon code CommunityFood at checkout.

Look for more giveaway links on my blog, as they come up!

Food Inspiration

I love sweet potatoes!

It’s April 1 – but no fooling here!

I was inspired by Caitlin of Healthy Tipping Point (for example: she pictures a delicious sweet potato and makes sweet potato and peanut soup) to get some organic sweet potatoes and microwave-bake them! I just scrub the potato (no peeling because they are organic!), stab it several times with a fork, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave it for about 7 minutes or until soft. Mmm!

Then I mash it with maple syrup, eat it sprinkled with peanuts, and/or roll it into a wrap for lunch. Peanuts go very well with sweet potatoes, as I discovered at Erin’s Restaurant last week.

I want to make that peanut and potato soup soon, too! Actually, I just made soup this evening – Raw Tortilla Soup from Gena at Choosing Raw. I don’t want to steal the recipe; you can find it on her blog.

I made it totally UNraw by heating it after blending it – I’m not used to cold soups, and I wanted to enjoy what I was eating! I also added a spoonful of sour cream to thicken it, a handful or so of cheddar cheese, and some corn chips—all foods I don’t eat regularly, and since the soup was basically a bunch of nutrients and water (and flavor!), I felt I needed to add some substance. I could have blended up an avocado to thicken it instead of the sour cream, but it was too late at that point!

To add credibility, my mom also ate and liked this soup!

EDIT: Eaten for lunch cold, with no sour cream nor cheddar cheese = even better! I still added crushed-up corn chips and pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) for texture.

Praise the Lord for SPRING BREAK!

Dreaming of Coconuts

I picked up my first-ever can of coconut milk at Trader Joe’s. This is much more than a can of milk, however.

Coconut products seem to be a huge trend in the health-conscious blogging world right now: coconut oil, butter, milk, cream, dried flakes, etc. Probably because there’s so much you can do with coconuts! (And I’m not just talking about food.)

Seeing so many uses for coconuts, I wanted to try some. I haven’t had coconut since I lived in the Philippines! There we would drink fresh buko juice (young coconut water) and eat buko pie.

So when I opened this can of coconut goodness, the smell of it took me back to the Philippines. It brought back memories I didn’t know I had.

I used it for the following recipe:

Curried Potato, Spinach, and Garbanzo Bean Soup

adapted from Bon Appétit magazine

1 15.5-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2.5-3 teaspoons curry powder
a dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 pound small red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes [I used big brown potatoes.]
1 14.5-ounce can (2.5 cups) vegetable broth/stock
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk (mmm…)
1 cup (packed) baby spinach leaves (about 1 1/2 oz.)

EDIT: I also added a can of diced tomatoes.

Transfer 1/3 cup garbanzo beans to small plate. Using fork, mash beans to paste.

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add onion and sauté until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add curry powder and cayenne, if using; stir 10 seconds. Add potatoes and stir to coat. Add broth, coconut milk, whole garbanzo beans and mashed garbanzo beans.

Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until potatoes are
tender, about 18 minutes. Add tomatoes. Add spinach; stir until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with
salt and pepper.

*************************

I drank it with a juiced grapefruit.

PS: Just Audrey is having a giveaway: Zevia, completely natural, zero-calorie soda.