I recently reviewed Yogachips by Yogavive, and they got a pretty good score, although I was questioning their ‘natural flavoring’. Oddly, the company got back to me stat about my concerns – rare, but I love that so here’s the update.

My concern was that their packaging noted only, “natural flavoring” a vague term at best, and at worst one that green folks are leery of (or should be). The company responded back in record time with this…
“Yogavive’s Apple Chips are made using only natural ingredients. Our Caramel, Peach and Strawberry varieties are what is called, “WONF” – with other natural …read more

Today a snack you can pop into reusable lunch sacks or take on the go to the park or playgroup that offers crunch without the salt and calories of chips.

PRODUCT: Yogachips by Yogavive – Organic 100% apple chips in 5 different varieties including Original, Apple Cinnamon, Caramel, Peach and Strawberry. Yogachips are made using a two part drying process where the apples are oven baked and then popped to a light airy chip-like snack.
INGREDIENTS:

Apple: Organic …read more

Santa Cruz Organic has been selling various organic foods for over 30 years. They carry teas, peanut butter, juice, fruit sauce, sodas, dessert toppings and more. My son Cedar LOVES their organic juices and recently they sent me some of their fruit sauces to review so he was excited. I was too because this kid eats organic applesauce like it’s going out of style.

PRODUCT: Santa Cruz Organic Fruit Sauces- we got four flavors to review – apple blackberry, apple cinnamon, apple apricot, and apple raspberry. 

BASICS: These fruit sauces all start with a base of certified USDA organic apples. The …read more

I’ve served Cedar cloudy juices for most of his life, mainly because many of the co-ops and natural grocers only recently started making clear organic juices. In the past, when Cedar was a babe, most of the organic juices at the store were simply cloudy as a rule. I’ve had play groups at my house in the past and some parents freak a little about cloudy juice. I’ve had parents tell me, “I don’t give my baby unpasteurized juice!” Which seems to be a common misconception of organic juice.

Santa Cruz Organic Fruit Juices
The 411:

Unpasteurized juice is not normally considered safe …read more

Product: R.W. Knudsen Family Sensible Sippers from R.W. Knudsen Family
Basics: Kid-friendly juice boxes for lunches or on-the-go. Available in four flavors apple, mixed berry, tropical and banana.
Ingredients: 50% USDA certified organic juice and 50% water. The water addition is meant to reduce sugar content. reducing the amount of sugar in each serving without compromising taste. Contains filtered water, organic juice concentrate, and organic natural flavor. Each box of juice is about 30-35 calories. There’s nothing funky in these juices like fake colors or preservatives, and ingredients for each flavor are listed in full at the website.

Cost: Comparable to other …read more

Way back in 2007 I complied a list of foods for a post – Best Foods to Buy Organic. Lately there’s been some controversy in the news about organics and also some lively debates in the blogosphere about whether or not eco-products are worth the cost. Later I’m going to post my thoughts on some of these current debates (hint – I do think most eco-products are worth the cost), but before that I figured I’d update the organic food list.

Over the years organic versus conventional rules have changed over and over. Hence the new list. However, over the years …read more

In honor of both National Berry Month and National Ice Cream Month going on this July, Driscoll’s Berries sent me this awesome recipe for a healthy Blackberry Chocolate Frozen Yogurt. This is easy to make, and less fatty than typical icy treats. Plus now Drscoll’s Berries offers organic berries via loads of stores, so this is also pesticide free treat. Yay.

Here’s the yummy scoop…

2 (16-ounce) cartons vanilla low fat organic yogurt
2 ½ cups Driscoll’s Organic Blackberries
½ cup light-colored corn syrup
¼ cup organic sugar
½ cup coarsely chopped semisweet organic chocolate (3 ounces)

In a blender container or food …read more

If you’re buying organics you likely give a hoot about your family’s health, the environment, or both. However, these values come at a cost. While it’s possible to save money on organic foods, typically they do run on the more expensive than conventional side, which is why a new report about organic food at the Washington Post is so alarming.

The piece point out that relaxation of the federal organic food standards, and an explosion of consumer demand for organics, have helped push the organics market into a $23 billion-a-year business. That makes the organic market the fastest growing segment of …read more

This is the absolute last day you can enter the Earth Mama Angel Baby Giveaway here at Tree Hugging Family, and to end this giveaway event, I’ve got one last product review for you…

PRODUCT: Mama-To-Be Tea Sampler, comes with a mix of 16 tea bags – Morning Wellness Tea, Heartburn Tea, Third Trimester Tea, and Peaceful Mama Tea.
USE: To help treat common aches and pains of pregnancy plus help you relax.

INGREDIENTS: Various ingredients (all organic) in each tea type. See the following for a full run-down of all ingredients…

Morning Wellness Tea
Heartburn Tea
Third Trimester Tea
Peaceful Mama Tea

COST: $5.97 per box (16 …read more

How much thought are you giving to your milk purchases? You should be thinking about your milk, both for the sake of your health and the environment.

First of all, containers aside, milk is one of the foods that should be on your ONLY buy organic list. Organic milk (and all dairy products made with organic milk) won’t contain antibiotics, pesticides, or synthetic hormones, among other junk you don’t need in your body. Of course some folks think that organic milk doesn’t win out over conventional; that’s a choice you need to make on your own. However, no matter the milk …read more