Alaffia Lotion

Good Morning! It's Monday!!! I love Mondays, it's a fresh start, a chance to start over again if you need to and the beginning of another wonderful week!



I am always looking for new products that not only are good, but also help others in the process. I have found a great company, Alaffia.

Alaffia was founded as a way to empower communities in West Africa through the fair trade of shea butter. Fiar trade is the fundamental foundation of our organization, which is made up of the Alaffia/Agbanga Shea Butter Cooperative in Togo, West Africa and Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care in Olympia WA.

The cooperative handcrafts the indigenous raw ingredients; the Alaffia Team in Olympia creates the finished products. Proceeds from sales of our products are then returned to communities in Togo to fund community empowerment and gender equaltiy projects.

Some of the community projects include: Alaffia School, Reforestation, Bicycles for Education, and Women's Equality and Health Care Projects.

I tried the Vanilla Almond Shea Butter and the unscented Shea Butter Moisturizing Body Lotion.
Both of the lotions made my hands/body very soft. They are a bit greasy when you first put them on, but the result is worth it. I liked the body moisturizer the best! I can't wait to see what this does for my dry heels :)

Please take a moment to check out the great products that go for a great cause at Alaffia!!

Valslide Workouts

I have found a new fun workout!! Valslide is a great workout for everyone. You can be at any level and use these!!

Valerie Waters is the Creator of the Valslide and a trainer to Hollywood's hottest stars!!
(Jennifer Garner and Poppy Montgomery and Cindy Crawford!)

From the Valslide website:

Valslide®, created by Valerie Waters, personal trainer to Hollywood ’s elite was created with every level of fitness in mind. Valslide® makes lower body exercises smoother and easier on the body with more effective and immediate results. The simplicity of movement makes this exercise tool an obvious addition to all workout routines. The Valslide® is specifically designed for flowing, controlled range of motion that activates the muscles that lifts your butt and slim your thighs. While other programs use bulky, expensive equipment and fancy footwork to try and entice the exerciser, simplicity is what gives Valslide® the edge.

This is one of the most simple exercises, but it is so effective!!! You will know that you worked out for sure. It needs to be done on a carpeted surface. If you don't have carpet you can put a rug or bath mat (rubber bottom is suggested) down on hardwood or tile floors.

The DVD comes with Valslide amazing Seven, Valslide 20 minute workout, and Valslide 40 minute workout! I love the Amazing Seven. It is quick, but you will get a good sweat going and you work all muscle areas. Your heart rate gets going too! In the Amazing Seven you do reverse lunge, side lunge, curtesy squat, modified leg curl, modified push up fly, mountain climber and plank with one-arm slide. You get a 1 minute break between 3 sets. Perfect quick workout!! AND, you will feel it!!

Head over to Valslide today and check out her amazing products! There is something for everyone.

These are great for travel. It doesn't take up much space and it all goes into a convenient travel bag.

I know that this will become part of my weekly workout routine. I want those buns to look better and this will get me there!

You can also sign up for Valerie's newsletter at http://www.valeriewaters.com/ for amazing information!!

Great News!

I know that I talk about Shakeology quite a bit! I really do believe in this product! I just wanted to pass along the great news I got yesterday. My dad called to tell me that he had gone to his dr. He is now able to get off ALL his blood pressure medication since he has been using Shakeology daily for the last 3 months. This is HUGE!!!! I am so excited for him. His cholestrol is also down. All from just drinking one meal replacement shake every day.

Simplify nutrition with Shakeology. Each chocolate or greenberry shake contains protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes to help you achieve optimal health, increase energy, become more regular, and lose weight. Choose Home Direct to get a 30-day supply delivered every month right to your door! This works out to be $4 per day. You would spend that much going through the drive-thru for a meal, or a speciality coffee at Starbucks. Why not spend your money wisely and get ALL the nutrients you need for the day. 23 vitamins and minerals.

Shakeology is like eating:

10 cups cauliflower
4 cups broccoli
4 cups mushroms
4 cups radishes
3 cups lettuce
1 cup peas
7 carrots
3 raw onions

My friend Jason, lost 12 lbs in one month using Shakeology! The only changes he made was to give up snacking and having the shake for breakfast daily.

Order on home direct and you get shipping and the Shakeology workouts for free!

If you have high blood pressure or know someone that does, or just want to have a healthy meal with all the nutrients you need in a day this is the product.

Order here

Reed's Ginger Ale

I love ginger ale! It is just too good. Reed's Inc. makes the BEST ginger ale!
Who is REED'S, Inc.?

REEDS, Inc. is making extraordinary beverages and confections using very old-fashioned, natural methods and wholesome, fresh ingredients. We are a growing family of passionate entrepreneurs who have developed food and drink, which in our opinion exceed any products within their categories in taste, quality and imagination, as we are certain you noticed by now!

Long before modern soft drinks existed, people brewed their own beverages. In the Caribbean, home brewed ginger beverages are a part of life. Reed’s brews six carbonated ginger combinations using only the finest ingredients. The six flavors are: Original Ginger, Extra Ginger, Premium Ginger, Raspberry Ginger, Cherry Ginger and Spiced Apple.

These award winning, top selling beverages are found internationally in gourmet and natural food stores. Reed’s passion for ginger comes from its incredible flavor and health giving properties. Ginger is traditionally used to improve digestion, cure motion and morning sickness and for general health. The latest research is showing ginger to be anti-cancer, to lower cholesterol, and in Europe it is used as an arthritis medicine.

Reed's love for ginger has expanded to creating some of the finest candy and ice creams ever. The ice cream flavors include Original Ginger, Chocolate Ginger, and Green Tea Ginger. So go to your local store and get a delicious dose of health giving ginger with Reed’s!


Back in the early log cabin days, the pioneers couldn't go to the store and buy soft drinks, they made their own. They didn't make them the way modern commercial soft drinks are made, even the so called natural ones. They brewed them in their kitchens, directly from roots, spices and fruits. These early soft drinks, besides being delicious, were also used as herbal tonics.

Reed's brews are delicious revivals of this lost brewing art. Each batch is hand crafted with pride, carefully brewed and aged like fine wine in small batches by our expert brewmasters. They choose only the finest fresh herbs, roots, spices and fruits. They won't let sugar, preservatives or artificial anything spoil Reed's natural taste.

Journey through our web site and experience our unique process, our variety of ginger brews, our international awards, the traditional health benefits of ginger, our Reed's Crystallized Ginger candy, and other information that will initiate you into the growing ginger culture that Reed's award winning beverages has spawned.

Currently, we make six flavors of Reed's Ginger Brew: Original, Extra, Premium, Raspberry, and Spiced Apple. Non-alcoholic, all are freshly brewed in a brewery using fresh ginger root, spices, and fruit juices. All of our beverages use filtered sparkling water.Other soft drinks use flavor crystals, chemicals, or other flavorings to maintain an inexpensive and consistent taste. That's why some "natural" drinks have no color! All the flavor and health benefits of Reed's brews are from the actual ingredients. The use of fresh ingredients leads to slight variations in both flavor and the heat of the ginger.

Reed's Original Ginger Brew was our first creation, and is a Jamaican recipe for homemade ginger ale using 17 grams of fresh ginger root, lemon, lime, honey, fructose, pineapple, herbs and spices.

Reed's Extra Ginger Brew is the same recipe, but has 26 grams of fresh ginger root for a stronger bite.

Reed's Premium Ginger Brew is the wholesome ingredients version of Reed's Original Ginger Brew, sweetened only with honey and pineapple juice.

Reeds Raspberry Ginger Brew is brewed from 17 grams of fresh ginger root, raspberry juice, and lime. It is 20% raspberry juice and sweetened with fruit juice and fructose.

Reed's Spiced Apple Brew uses 8 grams of fresh ginger root, the finest tart German apple juice, and such apple pie spices as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Spiced Apple Brew is 50% apple juice and sweetened with fruit juice and fructose.

Reed's Cherry Ginger Brew Our newest addition to the Ginger Brew Family. Freshly brewed from: sparkling filtered water, fructose,22 grams of fresh ginger root, cherry juice from concentrate, and spices.

As soon as the box from Reed's arrived, we tore into it and drinks were snatched up quickly!! Cherry Ginger was the first to go and it was a BIG hit! I liked the Spiced Apple. Tasted a bit like apple pie in a glass - YUM!! The Raspberry Ginger was another favorite. The Extra Ginger made a VERY TASTY Dark and Stormy adult beverage.

Find a store near you and pick up some Reed's Inc. great tasting beverages today!

Congratulations to the Winners!

Clueless Mama is the winner of the Stevia Extract in the Raw giveaway and Cheryl F (The Lucky Ladybug) is the winner of the Nature's Path Organics Cereals! Big congratulations to you both and I hope that you enjoy them!!!


It's been a while since I've posted one of my favorite recipes. I haven't been doing a lot of cooking lately, just been throwing things together for dinner. I did make this amazing Cheeze last week. I've been putting it on all kinds of things: pizza, burritos, beans and rice just to name a few. It's really tasty and so easy to make. Just throw all the ingredients in the food processor or the Vita-Mix (one of my all-time favorite things!!) and you are done!

Black Pepper Cheeze
Ani Phyo - Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

Makes 4 LARGE servings

2 cups cashews
Juice of 2 lemons, about 4 tablespoons
3 loves of garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup water

Process cashews, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and salt until smooth, adding only enough water as needed to make a smooth, creamy texture.

Will keep for four days in the fridge.

This has made a lot more than 4 servings for us. Just a tbsp or so on a dish adds a GREAT flavor!!

Shakeology is now available in single serving packets and you can get a combo box - greenberry and chocolate!! I can't tell you enough how much I LOVE my shakeology every day. I love that I get all the nutrients I need for the day in one glass. It truly is the healthiest meal of the day!

Sure you could eat more exotic fruits, vegetables and legumes to get the same amount of nutrition that comes in one glass of Shakeology. But how much food would you need to eat? And how much would it cost? And what is a legume? One shake is easier!

MimicCreme

Oh My Goodness!!!

I gave up dairy several years ago. I know that at times, probably eating out at restaurants, I get a little dairy in my diet, bur for the most part I avoid it at all costs. I was so excited to find Mimic Creme.

MimicCreme is a dairy substitute for cream. I have missed cream in soups and ice cream. Brian likes it in his coffee! I'm not a coffee fan, but I just bet it tastes divine!!

The MimicCreme Story: Rose Anne Jarrett, our company founder, couldn't believe it. She was pretty knowledgeable about food, having worked in the restaurant business and then later catering to professional musicians, but when doctor's orders called for eliminating dairy products from the family menus, she was unable to find a single substitute for cream that didn't ruin her favorite recipes, including those for ice cream and semifreddo.

She tried many different non-dairy substitutes (none of them approximating that consistency of cream.) Soy products. Rice products. All kinds of different grain products. All just inferior.

So, Rose Anne figured there was nothing else to do but create that perfect CREAM substitute herself.

And that's just what she did. By trying a series of combinations and permutations with a variety of ingredients she finally arrived at the right blend of flavor, taste and texture.

And thus, MimicCreme, the product, and our company, was born.

Since then, we've had the chance to share MimicCreme with the most demanding of chefs. They've tried it in their own favorite recipes. The conclusion has been unanimous – MimicCreme really does mimic the taste of real cream.

It's the product we've all been waiting for.

I've used the unsweetened in soups and sauces and the sweetened makes for VERY good ice "creme" and smoothies!

Be sure to try some today for a healthier alternative to regular cream! Find a store near you or order online.

An Award!!!

I am the proud recipient of the One Lovely Blog Award! Jessica and The Daily Dose were so kind to present this to me!!! Getting it once is an honor, but twice in the same week makes me do the happy dance :)

The rules for the One Lovely Blog Award:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

These are a few of my favorite blogs:

Brown Paper Packages

Mark and Kathryn

Too Many Heartbeats

Fair Dinks

Naturally Jules

Passionately Curious

Carma Sez

Ellyphant

Ruffles and Stuff

Guessing All the Way

Itsybitsyknitsy

Bobbi in La La Land

My Big Fat Super Super Obese Blog

Sweet Serendipity

Sassy Chica