Smiles, Backlogging of Vegan Finds, & Community Happenings

I'm still trying to catch up on posts.  I really have to stop doing that.  Life gets in the way, sometimes.  This photo of my darling niece was taken a while ago but I thought it was too cute NOT to post.  That AND she's wearing one of her many unicorn shirts.  Yup!  I'm totally getting her into BOTH unicorns AND dinosaurs!

I've had this Rebel Kitchen Mylk before but recently found it at our local Tops Market and it was on sale and I had to grab it!  I found the chocolate one and the chai one there!

I want to say I grabbed this a while back when we visited the Whole Foods in Buffalo but I'm 2nd guessing myself.  I've never been a cereal person but this looked interesting.  Heck...I have never been much of a breakfast person but I'm REALLY trying to change that.  So far...I'm failing.  I still have this unopened.  Hopefully, SOON I will crack into it!

I finally got my hands on 2 of these plant-based burritos from Alpha Foods.  I know a lot of people absolutely LOVE these.  I thought they were 'ok' but I didn't find them mind-blowing.

And speaking of burritos...I was also able to locate one or two from Daiya recently.  These were also just 'ok'.  I found the texture of the burrito itself a little weird.  The taste wasn't bad...it just wasn't as awesome as I had hoped it would be.

This was another Whole Foods product I forgot to highlight on my blog when I got them several months ago.  They were tasty!  They had a nice medium strength spicy kick to them, too!

This was something I was really surprised about when I first saw them at my local Tops!  They are pricy but because I had never seen them before I HAD to try them!  They were really yummy!  I also had their little dessert cup thingies, too!  YUM!

My husband thinks it's weird that I eat waffles plain and like toast or pop tarts with my hands instead of a fork.  I hadn't had these in a LONG time and found them on sale a while back at the Lakewood Wegmans!

I was able to find these again at my local Aldi.  When they first came out I saw them but it's been a while in between.  I think they are pretty good.  They also have a root vegetable one, too!

Back in early March our local Zonta Club had it's Annual Lucky Numbers Luncheon which is a crazy day of fun and fundraising!  I was thrilled to see THIS vegan handbag as one of the prizes.  I'm not into fashion or accessories usually but I did throw my tickets in this one!  I didn't win but it was all in good fun and we did raise a lot of money that day.  There were over 120 LARGE prizes!

In other community news, I'm part of a group who is trying to wrangle up volunteers in our county.  We are organizing an annual weekend of volunteerism in the middle of May.  It's called Warren County Serves.  More on that in coming posts.  I think this photo was from our February meeting and since we live in the snow belt you can see we even wear hats inside sometimes because the heating systems couldn't keep up with the frigidly low temperatures.

During our Mid-March Zonta Meeting not only did we do another collection and shipment for Free The Girls we also took part in My National Freedom Day.  

Here are some of the photos from our shipping party!  We shipped another 400 bras to Free The Girls!  That is the 3rd shipment we have done since joining to be an official drop off location.  1,264 bras have been shipped in the 3 shipments so far!

Giveaway/Contest ~ His & Hers KIND ORGANICS Multi-Vitamins!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Earlier this week I wrote about my experiences with KIND ORGANICS (from Garden of Life) and their Multi-Vitamins.  I've had a lot of great feedback about this post and so I decided to give you the opportunity to WIN this product special thanks to Kind Organics & Garden of Life!  All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter Entry Form...and leave a comment on my blog.  If you tell me how you follow my blog you will get an extra chance to win.  If you list more than one way of following me you get another chance to win from each one you list.

Winner will be chosen Monday the 3rd.
Winner will receive His AND Hers Multi-Vitamins! 
Remember these are made from WHOLE FOODS, are vegan, and organic
(among other fabulous things!)

Thanks for all of the positive feedback on the giveaways!  I'm setting up several additional blog giveaways for November!

KIND Organics - Organic Whole Food Multi Vitamins for Women - First Impressions

KIND Organics - Certified Organic Whole Food Women's Multi-Vitamins. 

This may be UNLIKE most product reviews you come across.  I'm not going to write about the results I have experienced with these...because I honestly don't know what to report on that end.  The before and after - I guess.  I didn't get official tests done and have no official result to share.  But I will be writing about why I think these are different from other vitamins.

I must start off by saying I'm NOT a pill taker.  I just don't like taking them.  I forget about them.  I'm not consistent with them.  Some of my fellow vegetarian and vegans will surely say - why are you taking supplements - if you eat a diverse diet you won't need to take supplements - which I still believe to be true.

I wanted to try these for a few reasons.  First and foremost...

They are made from nature - using thoughtfully and scientifically selected REAL FOODS, Kind Organics Women's Multi is a whole food multivitamin that's Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified.

ORGANIC fruits, veggies and herbs such as lemons, annatto, amla berry and holy basil. 

This is a gentle power-packed formula provides the nutrients you need in only two organic tablets per day.  HOWEVER...I am not taking 2 full tablets per day.  I 1/2 tablet to 1 tablet a day for the first week.  Just to see how it went.  I think it went 'well' but that's all I can really say about it...since I didn't take the suggested two full tablets.  NOW...I'm taking 1/2 to 1 tablet on the days I feel I am not eating as healthy as I should.  Such as...while traveling...or if I eat at a restaurant over the weekend and only have a salad...or on days where I'm getting low on fresh produce in my house and 'cheat' and eat grainy-carbs VS carbs from fruit (ie breads).  

The only 'con' I have found with these Multi-Vitamins is really just a personal preference or a personal pet peeve of sorts...or maybe it's just because stubborn...but these vitamins are LARGE.  Because I don't take pills - I'm not used to swallowing them.  Instead...I have been cutting them in half and taking them that way.  I'm curious if one could also smash them up and put them into a smoothie, too!?  Hummm...

BUT...one thing I MUST point out - as part of my first impression of these vitamins is that they smell very pleasant.  An aroma combo of fruit (like berries) and whole grains...at least that is what they smell like to me.

Other ways THIS Multi-Vitamin is different from others on the market?

Clean, Right Down to Our Patent-Pending Tablet Technology: Where many other vitamin "tablets" use unrecognizable things such as magnesium stearate, stearic acid and lac-beetle resin (shellac) to bind and fill the tablet, Kind Organics are uniquely formed using ORGANIC, WHOLE FOODS.

• Certified Vegan, Gluten Free and NO Synthetic Binders or Fillers
• 16 Vitamins & Minerals with Greater than 100% Daily Value
• Certified Vegan D3 from Lichen for Immune Support^†
• 10mg of Iron for Blood Support^†
• 500% Daily Value of Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin) for Extra Energy^†
• Targeted Levels of B Vitamins, (from Organic Guava & Organic Holy Basil) for Radiant Skin & Nails 

 I've mentioned above that I'm thrilled the contents of these vitamins are filled with WHOLE FOODS but it also excites me that some of the ingredients are FOODS that I don't usually have the pleasure of consuming such as Guava because it's not (usually) found in my region (not even in stores).

Methylcobalamin: Vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) is a water soluble B vitamin that is essential for energy, metabolism, formation of healthy blood cells and DNA synthesis. Methylcobalamin is the active, natural form of B-12 (equivalent to the B-12 in your body).

Kind Organics from Garden of Life^® offers a full range of Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project verified supplements made only from real food - over 30 fruits, vegetables and herbs. Absolutely free of synthetic binders and fillers, meaningful amounts of vitamins and minerals are carefully combined to benefit specific dietary needs. All of this goodness is wrapped up using Garden of Life’s patent-pending Clean Tablet Technology^™ - an entirely new way to make vitamins using only Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project verified foods. None of our Clean Tablet Technology ingredients come from soy or corn. Kind Organics - made only from real, nutritious food.

And...YES...that is actress Alicia Silverstone you see above.  Many people are aware that she is vegan and promotes products that ARE vegan.  Well, she is the 'face' of this product that is available thru Garden of Life.

Just because I am referring to the Women's Multi - I have to add they also have a Men's Multi-Vitamin following the same principles.  

I have to say I even LOVE the glass bottle they come in and once I have gone thru all of the vitamins I will be reusing the glass bottle.  It's heavy duty and seems as tho light will NOT go thru it.

My first impressions of this product are very positive.  I don't think I would be a person to regularly consume or purchase because I am NOT one to take supplements but I thought I would try them...so I could tell people about them...if they were interested...that there IS a Multi-Vitamin that is vegan and made from WHOLE FOODS on the market.  I'm very excited that this is available and I think it will wake up a few other companies out there to pursue like-options and alternatives.