My New Favorite Cooking Oil: Malaysian Palm Oil!

Screen Shot 2018-12-15 at 10.41.45 PM.pngAt The Moms Meet Wow Summit last month, I was introduced to Malaysian Palm Oil. As someone who cooks daily, I’m always looking for new, healthy ingredients to incorporate into the family diet.

I’d never tried palm oil before, nor had I heard of it, so here are some cool things I learned:

  • Palm oil comes from the fruit of a special species of palm tree grown near the equator. Oil palm plantations are incredibly high yielding and also provide an environment where native animals can thrive. You can learn more here.
  • Palm oil comes from the palm oil fruit, not the tree itself, so there is no deforestation. Also each tree produces fruit all year long for up to 25 years! In Malaysia, palm oil is only produced on legal agricultural land in compliance with Good Agricultural Processes. Fifty percent of Malaysia’s land area is mandated forest cover.
  • It’s better for cooking as it is stable at higher cooking temperatures, is free of trans-fatty acids, rich in vitamin E tocotrienols, and red palm oil is also an abundant source of pro-vitamin A carotenoids.  Red Palm oil has more carotene than carrots and tomatoes.
  • I recently used the Malaysian Palm oil in place of Olive Oil when making Pizza Crust last weekend. It didn’t change the crust at all texture-wise, but it did give it more or a golden appearance and a more buttery flavor.
  • Overall, Malaysian Palm oil have a very velvety, butter mouth feel and taste.
  • I like that Malaysian Palm oil is a Non-GMO. More than 90% of other cooking oils (soy, corn, rapeseed/canola) is made from crops grown with genetically modified seeds,
  • Malaysian Palm oil is a natural substitute for partially hydrogenated oils (the trans fats). That’s great news for me, since I cook a lot of scratch!

Screen Shot 2018-12-15 at 9.30.53 PM.pngI wanted to showcase the oils natural buttery taste and feel, so I whipped up some popcorn on the stove top, the old-fashioned way.

Screen Shot 2018-12-15 at 9.31.27 PM.pngAll you need is:

  • 3 T. Malaysian Palm Oil
  • 1/2 C. popcorn kernels
  • Whatever seasoning you like (I like salt and pepper)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot (6+ quarts, I have this one), heat the oil and add 3 kernels. Cover with the lid,
  2. Cook on medium-high heat until kernels pop. Remove the pot from the heat, scoop out popped kernels, and add in the rest of the unpopped popcorn kernels.
  3. Cover with the lid, and give the pot a good shake (use potholders!). Let sit off heat for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
  4. Put pot back on the heat (medium-high), set the lid slightly askew, so the steam may escape. Shake the pot a few more times. Once the popping starts, it pops quickly.
  5. Once the popping has slowed, remove from the heat and pour the popcorn into a bowl and top with desired seasonings, butter, etc.

A big thanks to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council for the bottle of Palm Oil and Popcorn to try out this recipe. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated.

I can’t wait to substitute Palm Oil into my favorite recipes!

 

Review: Truth Bars

When I was at the Moms Meet Wow Summit last month I was introduced to Truth Bars. I also posted about Truth Bars on Instagram the other day.

Screen Shot 2018-12-13 at 3.40.26 PM.pngThe Truth Bar is a great on-the-go snack for hectic mornings, to include in your child’s lunchbox, or for whenever you need a midday pick-me-up.
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Afternoon iced coffee and Truth Bar.

I’ve been enjoying them with my coffee in the morning before we head off to the school and gym. The kids love to share a Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch bar with their morning milk.

Truth Bar is a nutrition bar that gives you your daily dose of prebiotics and probiotics to balance your micro-biome, boost your immune power, give you sustained energy, and promote gut health. Truth Bar focuses on building strong gut health because there are so many great outcomes as a result, such as: shedding toxins that clog your metabolism, treating inflammatory disorders, and improving your digestive system. The Truth bar is perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth while remaining nutrient-dense and completely free of “junk” that does not serve the body well.

There are five available flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter CrunchMint Chocolate ChipChocolate Almond CrunchChocolate Raspberry Coconut, and Dark Chocolate Coconut. Truth Bar has vegan options and all of their bars are gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher, and under 200 calories — so there are choices to fit virtually every lifestyle.

It can be hard to achieve balanced nutrition in the midst of a busy life, which is why Truth Bar aims to be the quickest, most convenient way to get you what your body needs.

I love that the vegan bars are as satisfying and rich as the others.

By using purposeful ingredients such as chia seeds, coconut oil, and chicory root, you can rest assured you’re making a nutritious choice that the whole family will enjoy. With five varieties, there is bound to be a flavor everyone in your family will enjoy.

If you are looking for a way to save money on Truth Bars, order them via Amazon Subscribe and Save. You can save 5% or 15%, depending on how many you order. If you want to buy them in stores, CVS, Gelson’s, and Lazy Acres, all sell them. Check out the Truth Bar website to find the store nearest you.

Updates, and Giveaways, and Favorite Things!

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Thanks to the awesome stylists at the Dove Dry Shampoo and styling bar, I left MommyCon with an Awesome ‘Do!

Hey all! I’ve been busy, busy, busy lately and I wanted to let everyone know what’s going on. Two weeks ago, I went to Moms Meet Wow Summit, and this last weekend I went to Mommycon. Both weekends were full of learning, fun, and meeting so many new moms and brands. Mommycon was a great time to meet moms, and learn all about momm-ing, baby wearing, and women’s health. If you missed it this year, they’ll be back next year!

Screen Shot 2018-11-13 at 10.02.47 AM.pngRight now I’ve got an awesome giveaway for a prize pack of Sticky Lickits over on Instagram! I’m picking a winner on 11/14/18- so there is still time to enter.

I’ll be celebrating the upcoming holidays with giveaways over the next few months,  make sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter so you can keep up to date on the next giveaways.

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Crafting with our BFF!
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Mugging for the Camera!

We’ve also been doing the super fun Mall Stars monthly crafts at our local Starwood Branded Mall. Every month there is a fun craft for the kids, sponsored by a local business/childcare center, and snacks provided by one of the food establishments in the mall. This month it was decoupage candle lanterns, with mini-bons and lemonade from Cinnabon.

IMG_2424.jpgBesides that, I recently helped style a Marty McFly costume for the New Children’s Museum Gala. It was tons of fun to do, and the best part was it cost less than $30 out of pocket! I spent a few days combing through thrift stores and looking online, but I found a puffy vest and jean jacket for a steal! Sears is a great place to find lots of new costume staples that may be harder to source in thrift shops- That’s where the puffy vest  came from!

If you’d like to learn more about costuming on the cheap, check out my articles here and here.

I haven’t shared my favorite things with you in a while, and I’ve got a batch of them!

Everything Bagel Seasoning. It’s soooo good on avocado, poached eggs, cream cheese on top of a plain bagel. I’m pretty sure that this stuff is good on damn near anything. You can also get Everything Bagel Seasoning at your local Costco on the seasoning aisle.

 

Screen Shot 2018-11-13 at 1.26.56 PM.pngPlus CBDoil – CBD Spray (in Peppermint). I have friends who use CBD oil for a lot of reasons and I was interested in trying it, but I wanted to learn more without a hard sell, so while I was at the Wow Summit, I took a class all about CBD- How it works, what it can be used for, and even how to gauge dosing. If you follow my on Instagram, you know that Bitty broke my bottle this morning. I’m bummed, especially since it was really helping me with the anxiety I’ve been feeling that my prescription meds haven’t been able to touch. Thank fully I have some gummies to tide me over until I can order more.

 
True Lemon I love True lemon- It’s a great way to make all the water I drink taste like something without adding calories or weird faux sweetness.  I was worried about all of the waste from the packets. I found this big 10.6 ounce bottle on Amazon. And the bottle is recyclable!

 

 

The Field Agent App– Ok, so this isn’t a tangible “thing”, but I’ve been doing a lot of audits and secret shops with Field agent over the past month. I’ve earned a few hundred dollars with less than 2 hour work. I time the work to line up with my errands and other trips out of the hose, so no additional gas is wasted. You can learn more about Field Agent here.

Talk Back: I’d love to hear about what you are up to lately, or what your new favorite discovery has been!

Giveaway: Gift Pack of Natural Goodies from Wow Summit!

Ok, so if you follow me in Instagram, you saw all my pictures over the weekend of the fun and excitement that was Moms Meet 6th Annual Wow Summit.

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Looking refreshed after a mid-afternoon nap!

One of the perks of the summit, besides learning how to be a better blogger, and listening to great speakers like Dr. William Sears, was to meet with new brands and sample products. The brands loaded us down with tons of awesome goodies to bring home to sample in our families- and of course to share!

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So many goodies!

I filled one of the reusable shopping bags they gave us with all kinds of stuff: candy, food, samples, beauty products, healthcare samples, personal care, and more!

There are samples, full size products, and/or coupons from the following brands:

Solgar, Table5 Pizza, National Peanut Board, NestfreshPlusCBD Oil™ by CV SciencesSambucolVitamin Friends, Wild Planet, Boiron, Bundle Organics, Child Life, Flora, Herb Pharm, Hippo Sak, Lindsay, Malaysian Palm Oil, Mum-Mum, Natracare, Organic OCHO Candy, Regular Girl, Don’t Go Nuts, Earth Science, Little Duck Organics, Mabel’s Labels, MacroLife Naturals, Scholarshare529, Sola, TruthBar, Motherlove, The Honest Kitchen, NOW, Stork Bites, & Juicy Jems.

Entering is easy: Leave a comment on this post. I’d love to know what Natural Product from the list above you are most excited to try. This contest is open to the US only. I’ll chose a winner on 11/12/18!

This is NOT a sponsored post, I am paying to ship this package to the winner. I just want to share the goodies with you guys!

 

Checking in from #Wowsummit2018!

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Pre-coffee selfie!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen my pictures this morning of the Moms Meet Wow Summit!

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I’m meeting with tons of moms and brands today and tomorrow, and I’ll be bringing home tons of goodies- Expect an amazing giveaway next week.

Never heard of Moms Meet? Here is my post all about it!

Talk Back: What kind of goodies would you like to see in my prize pack next week?

#wowsummit

Moms Meet Wow Summit 2018 60% off All Tickets This Weekend Only!

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Uh, yeah… This is INCREDIBLE NEWS! I love Moms Meet, and the Wow Summit was a blast when I went 3 years ago- which is the last time it was in San Diego.

It’s coming back to So Cal, in Anaheim, November 2-3, 2018. I couldn’t be more excited, and now tickets are 60% off this weekend only!

Friday is bloggers only- There are networking opportunities, workshops, meeting with brands, plus lunch from Table5 Pizza, and an evening cocktail party.

Saturday is for everyone! Get ready for a full day of learning and connecting! Moms in attendance will hear from guest speakers, attend educational workshops, and sample tons of free products in the exhibitor room. At the end of the day, you’ll walk away with an amazing goody bag!

 

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There are some amazing sponsors that I can’t wait to meet and learn more about: Table5, Solgar, CV Science, Lindsay, Don’t go Nuts, and True Made Foods, just to name a few.

If you want to buy tickets, here is the link. at 60% off with code: LABORDAY. Honestly if you live in OC/LA, it is worth the goody bag to go. Tickets for Saturday only are $39 before the 60% off!

And if you aren’t able to come, don’t worry, you can live vicariously through me, as I’ll be posting a ton of photos on Instagram!

Review: #KABRITA Toddler Formula (Thanks #MomsMeet!)

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Recently I received a neat little box on my porch from Kabrita and Moms Meet.

It contained a canister of KABRITA Goat Milk Toddler Formula and fruit & yogurt pouches.

Immediately, Lil’ Man snagged one of the three pouches (well, not until I got this photo), and he retreated to the table to enjoy it. I gave the mixed berry to Itty Bittums, and she gobbled it up!

In the afternoon, I gave her a bottle of the Goat Milk Toddler Formula after she had some puffs and banana slices. She loved it, and I loved that it didn’t give her a rumbly tummy or gas. She’s got a sensitive tummy, and we had tried countless formulas to find one that made her tummy happy. Now that she’s getting older and is branching out to table foods, we are finding that some cow’s milk based products don’t agree with her.

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Someone did not want their photo taken today while enjoying her “milkies” as we call them

That is not the case with the KABRITA Goat Milk Toddler Formula! She is a happy little girl, and I’m a happy mommy! It’s super easy to mix up- Just one scoop per ounce of water. There is a handy little scoop in the canister.

What I love about the fruit & yogurt pouches is that they are great cold, frozen or at room temp. They come in three yummy flavors:Banana and Natural Vanilla Bean, Mixed Berry, and Mango Peach. I toss them in the freezer and slip one into Lil’ Man’s lunch bag, by lunch time, it’s nice and slushy! A perfect, healthy way to finish up lunch.

Did you know that Kabrita has a trial offer? You can learn more about it here.

Disclosure: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.

Review and Giveaway- ASPCA kids: Rescue Readers Books

Screen Shot 2015-11-27 at 9.25.29 PMRecently, rad folks at Moms Meet and Studio Fun sent us a box that Lil’ Man could hardly wait to get into.

Studio Fun International, a Reader’s Digest company, has teamed up with the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), the first animal welfare organization in North America and the nation’s leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services.

Screen Shot 2015-11-27 at 9.25.02 PMThese books are ADORABLE!  Lil’ Man is getting to the age where he wants a pet, and these books are a great learning tool for him.
Each story is inspired by a real-life animal rescue story from the pet’s point of
view and includes facts and photographs of the actual pet that inspired the story. Each book creates a fun and educational hands-on experience written at a Level 2 reading level for early readers. While he can’t read yet, he recognized most of the letters and I can see that these books will definitely get a lot of use as he starts reading.
I really like that the importance of care, protection, and love of animals is incorporated into each
tale with a focus on the joyous outcome. Lil’ Man wanted a dog, but when he saw how much work came with it, he quickly asked for a fish (Because, he told me, “Mommy, you don’t have to walk a fish!!)
For those of us who like our purchases to help others, fell good knowing that four to five percent of the purchase price of every book goes directly to the ASPCA to help continue its mission.

These incredible stories are available in paperback, library binding hardcovers, and e-books. The paperback books are priced at $3.99 (each) or $15.96 (for all four) everywhere books are sold, Including Amazon!

IMG_2249We sat down to snuggle on the couch with some soft blankets, cocoa, and read our new books tonight! Lil’ Man said, “NO pictures, please mommy. I has the no-feel-goods!” But I did snap a photo of our soft blankies and books!

Now it’s your turn to share these fun, heartwarming books with your special littles. Thanks to #momsmeet and #Studiofun I am able to give away a set of the four ASPCAKids books pictured above: I am Daisy, I am Picasso, I am Nibbles, and I am McKinely. Entering is Easy: Leave a comment with what your first pet was! When I was a kid we had a Keeshond named Arthur.

I’ll choose a winner on December 7th. This prize would make a great gift for any young reader on your list!

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.

 

Giveaway: Sharing the Bounty of the Wow Summit!

Over the weekend I took part in the Moms Meet Wow Summit here in San Diego. I got to meet and network with tons of awesome moms and brands. I got to learn about how we can live more naturally with just a few small (and easy) tweaks! I met Lisa Bronner of Dr. Bronner’s Soap fame and learned a lot of how to start my own journey to green (which I’ll be sharing with you later in the week).

If you missed out on the Wow Summit, you can still enjoy all of the awesomeness of Moms Meet by signing up to be an Ambassador. You’ll have access to great new green and natural products, sampling opportunities, and high value printable coupons. I’ve been a Moms Meet Ambassador for a few years now, and I love it!

Part of the event was meeting brand ambassadors and sampling their products. That means tons of swag. IMG_1667I came home with an assortment of goodies, and I am sharing my bounty with you! I pulled together a box of goodies! In addition to all of these awesome goodies, I’ll also include a few coupons for free products.

A few highlights of this goodie box include:

Entering is easy… To get started leave a comment with your easy go green tip! It could be something like turning off the water when you brush your teeth or carrying reusable shopping bags in your car at all times! There are additional entries too. Just check out the Raffle copter widget here or on the giveaway tab of our FB page (it’s NOT mobile friendly- FYI).

I’ll choose a winner on November 4th!

 

WOW Summit in San Diego, CA 10/23 &10/24!

Ya’ll know I love Mom’s Meet (I’ve written about them before here), well they have an AWESOME event coming up next month, the WOW Summit!

summit2015_badge_attending_250x250_2I’ve got my tickets and I can’t wait to go! This year’s WOW Summit is sponsored by Solgar, Veri, SmartFlour, and Dr Bronner’s (check out the full list of sponsors here). There will be  plenty to do and learn about!

The Moms Meet WOW Summit will take place in San Diego, CA on 10/23 and 10/24. This annual conference brings healthy-minded moms and bloggers together to attend expert-led seminars and workshops, sample amazing products, build lifelong connections, and have fun!

Friday’s events will be all about bloggers! The day kick off with several workshop sessions, where you’ll learn from successful bloggers about building your brand, boosting your social media presence, and more. Then, there will be a special networking event (think speed dating!) where bloggers and brands can connect one-on-one. The day concludes with an awesome cocktail party where you can unwind and have a fun night!

summit2015_social_sponsors (1)On Saturday, get ready for a full day of learning and connecting! Moms in attendance will hear from guest speakers, attend educational workshops, and sample tons of free products in our exhibitor room. At the end of the day, you’ll walk away with an amazing goody bag!

Learn more here http://greenmosmeet.com/summit2015

 

If you are going to, don’t forget to RSVP on their FB page and leave a comment on this post. I’d love to connect with my readers at the event!

If you can’t make it, don’t worry, I’ll be reporting back with TONS of photos, and hopefully a giveaway or two!!