Vegan Contest & Giveaway ~ Garden of Life's Marley Fit!

You've heard me talk about my love for the Garden of Life Products that I have tried - but this is yet another reason I LOVE them...their efforts around conservation, sustainable framing, green practices, organic disciplines, and philanthropy.  It only made sense to me when they teamed up with the MARLEY Family as the Marley family shares most - if not ALL - of those principles with their lines of products as well.

Garden of Life’s commitment to sustainability begins with organic farming. CERTIFIED ORGANIC plant protein from sprouted grains and legumes is truly good for our planet, unlike conventional farming practices that utilize 150+ synthetic pesticides leaching into our water supply and soil, promoting genetically modified seed crops and reducing our planet’s biodiversity. In addition to CERTIFIED ORGANIC farming practices, Garden of Life uses recyclable packaging, vegetable inks, sustainably farmed papers and 100% certified renewable wind energy credits to run our company’s operations.

That's why TODAY I am starting a giveway for this...

• Support healthy blood sugar levels and burn fat naturally with the power of Svetol^® Green Coffee Bean Extract, RAW Food Created Chromium, Organic Cinnamon, and Organic Sprouted Grains†
• Help regulate your cortisol levels and manage stress related cravings with RAW Organic Ashwagandha†
• Build lean muscle mass, help repair it after work-outs and sustain it on a sensible meal plan with 28g of RAW certified organic plant protein—a complete protein with 13 organic sprouts and a biological value of 98.2%!
• Naturally filling and satisfies hunger with RAW Organic Soluble and Insoluble Fiber from certified organic grains, seeds, legumes and fruits
• Promotes healthy and comfortable digestion and elimination with live probiotics and enzymes†

THIS CONTEST is for US Residents ONLY.  It runs thru 8am THIS FRIDAY so don't wait!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OR

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2006be7f3/ 

EcoJarz Wide Mouth Drink Top & Stainless Steel Straws, Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie, Mason Jar Madness!

I mentioned earlier this week I received a package in the mail of EcoJarz and I have to say I already LOVE them!  The items I want to blog about today - specifically - is their Wide Mouth Drink Top as well as their Stainless Steel Straws!  I'm sure you will be seeing a LOT of photos in the future of me using the EcoJarz Products and will surely try and mention each time I post! 

In this first post you will see I did some water with Lemon Peels in it.  This works 'swimmingly' because the peels can be right in there and won't fall out or splash you in the face!

Now...if you have visiting my blog before you know I use Mason Jars for SO MANY things!  I'm so grateful to add this to my list of things to use Mason Jars with!  They are so trendy, stylish, and FUN!  And more importantly "GREEN"...they are VERY good for the Earth!

According to EcoJarz:

• Perfect for all your Pint-and-a-half sized sipping
• Sleek stainless-steel style for your wide-mouth to-go cup sets
• The first stainless steel wide-mouth drinktop 3-pack on the market 

Our wide-mouth stainless steel lids are entirely non-reactive and can be used with hot or cold beverages without any worry of chemical leach.  They are completely BPA and phthalate free.  We recommend washing your new Ecojarz lids thoroughly with soap and water before use.  Dry your stainless steel lids and jar bands well after washing and store in a dry place.
You can choose to ship your lids in their lovely retail packages (pictured on the left) or save paper and select “Ship WITHOUT Retail Package” from the drop down menu at the right.
A “Jar Band” is the metal ring which threads onto a glass jar and is necessary to attach an Ecojarz top.  It works just like a canning jar lid.  If you already have wide mouth jar bands you are good to go, but if not you can add them to your order for just $2.50 using the second drop down menu on the left.  Add 3 stainless steel straws for only $8.50, or 3 sets of straws and bands for $11.

Now when it comes to the Stainless Steel Straws...I must say I think they are great, too!  I've only ever had 1 heavy-duty re-useable straw and it was still plastic and I'm sure contains dyes and chemicals...but NOT this one!  This is HARDCORE AWESOME!  They are quite TALL, too, but I'm cool with that!  They even have Straw Cleaners...something I have been lacking...and I'm so HAPPY that I can now clean my straws!  Woot!  A little bit more from EcoJarz about their Stainless Steel Straws...

• Strong, durable, reusable drinking straws
• Elegant shape with small permanent bend 
• Easy to clean
• Work with all Ecojarz lids

Disposable straws are so out-of-style; all the classiest hippies sip through stainless steel!  For a glamorous green juice on the go, show how much you love the earth and add some bling-bling, stainless steel sustainability to your drink.
Featuring a sleek and slender design, our drinking straws have a slight bend that resemble the familiar flexible disposable straws (though ours are not flexible).  Best for sipping liquids like fresh-squeezed juice or tea, this drinking straw fits both our silicone and stainless steel Ecojarz lids.  If you need a great straw that can handle thicker drinks like smoothies check out our Smoothie Straws.
We recommend to wash your new stainless steel drinking straw thoroughly with soap and water before use.  Cleaning your drinking straws is easy with our excellent stainless steel straw cleaners!

I'm VERY happy with BOTH of these products!  I love the way they look, too!  Here's another look at the lid when I put it on the wide mouth Mason Jar.  As you can see there are 2 holes.  One for the Straw and the other for something I will be posting about down the road!  Oh the suspense! LOL

The special tops sit right on top of the rim of the Mason Jar and then on top of that you put the ring on and secure!  It's clever!

So far I've tried flavored water, juices, smoothies, and Flavored Soy Milk in it.

Here's a photo of the very first smoothie I did in it, too!

Recipe for this smoothie...

1 C Frozen Strawberries
1 C Coconut Milk
1/2 Scoop of GoL Apple Flavored perfect Food
1 Meyer Lemon
1 tea Hemp Hearts/Hemp Seeds

It was simple and flavorful!

Here's another look at the Smoothie itself!  I took the peel off the Meyer Lemon and threw the whole thing in there.

Usually Meyer Lemons don't have very many seeds present - but this one apparently DID.  That's ok...it was still yummy!  I just had to blend it for longer.

Another optional addition for this would be Banana - I still have a few other frozen - I just didn't feel like the sweet at the moment...I was looking for a Strawberry Lemonade type flavor this time around.

I hope you enjoyed reading about these EcoJarz Products!  I know I'm having a BALL with them!  I am sure to be posting LOTS more in the very near future about their products, too, so stay tuned!