Category Archives: Healthy Household

Betcha Never Done THIS with Your ‘Bucha!

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Good things come in small packages!

I cannot believe I’m putting this face on the internet for you readers. Please do not Pin this, for heaven’s sake. That’s what the picture of the KB jar is for!

Do not be afraid! This is only a kombucha blog post! I have not turned into a zombie from Walking Dead!

For those who may have been living in Woodbury lately (that’s a WD reference for those who are fans of the hit TV show, and it implies living isolated from the rest of the world!), let me first introduce you to what kombucha is, before I tell you something you can do with it (besides drink its heavenly goodness!). Kombucha (endearingly referred to as ‘buch by some) is fermented tea. It’s been around “forever”, often seen in traditional cultures the way many fermented foods are. It has skyrocketed in popularity in modern times because of its health benefits (probiotics & lots of other goodies are in fermented foods supposedly, but I’m no fermentation expert) and because it tastes great (of which I AM an expert)! There are a zillion different brands, each one different, and many more home brews. So you can’t (seriously, don’t!) try one kombucha and say, “I don’t like kombucha”, based on the tasting of one. That’s dumb. That would be like trying one eel roll, and saying “I don’t like sushi”. There are only about one million other kinds of sushi you would need to try before you could say you didn’t like it (and who in their right mind would ever say that anyway?!). Yeah, that’s exactly what it’s like, so don’t do that! Try many before you make a decision, and one you should try is KB, Kombucha Brooklyn. I love them for using organic teas, and for also supporting the home-brewers out there, of whom I hope to be a part someday! KB even has a home-brewing kit for those who may be interested in starting their own, and want it to be as simple as possible to start! That definitely looks like the easiest way to get started with doing this at home. But, back to the zombie face…

KB sent me a Kombucha Beauty Clay, after our meeting at Expo East in Baltimore, MD. I can’t believe I’m going to share these pictures with you guys, but here goes. You add Kombucha to a little bit of this KB bentonite clay to create a mask!!! It furthered my belief that anything that goes ON, should be able to go IN, because it’s all going IN you either way! It was amazing! I loved it, and I have to forego my vanity and share the experience in all of its “beauty” with you guys! The label calls for 2 TBS of clay, but unless you have a ginormous face, I think 1 TBS should do just fine. Mix it together and rub it on your face, and leave it until it dries, if you can take it that long. It can get intense when you feel it sucking the yuck outta your face. For real. I was surprised at how awesome it felt! Then I washed it off with warm water. I’m going to show you the picture of my “red skin” after the mask was washed off, because I want to warn those who may have particularly sensitive skin. This is a wonderful process, but it’s not for lightweights. It’s some serious beauty regime. I LOVED it, but I wanted to warn those who may have super sensitive skin. I would also recommend NOT using the kombucha with the chia seeds in it as your elixir for this beauty mask! (don’t ask)

It starts out pretty light. It gets darker in color and tighter in skin sucking tightness, the longer you let it dry.

Oh, the things I do for a good post!

I could barely move my face at this point, and it was only about half dry.

See, pretty red, but it didn’t last for long.

So, now you have something brand new to do with all that lovely kombucha you’re making and buying across America these days! If you haven’t tried it yet, go get some! I’m going to add links below so you can read lots more about the health benefits of kombucha. And if you order the mask and try it, please let me know!

What other unusual things have you used kombucha for??? Anyone want to admit to being a WD fan? It has a great story line, really!!

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

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Pharm Country on Vimeo

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In an effort to be known for what I am FOR, I am sharing a 6 minute video preview because I am FOR educating yourself on what you’re eating. Find out what most Americans are ingesting on a daily basis, and most people have no idea. Please spread the social media word on this, as often as possible.

Pharm Country on Vimeo on Vimeo

via Pharm Country on Vimeo.

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

Second Half of My Top 10 at Expo East (kinda)

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Well, friends, it’s clear I’m not going to be able to only do a “top 10” from Expo East. I loved too many things there! So, I’ll finish out this second half of the Top 10 list, and the others will be written about in their own posts. So, here is the second half of my (still not finished) Top 10 List of products from Expo East 2012:

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REED’S ORGANIC KOMBUCHA: this is only the second store-bought kombucha that I really loved the taste of. They are organic (bonus!) and low sugar. Fantastic. I need not say more. Love me some ‘bucha! www.reedsinc.com for a store locator. IF you have a ginger allergy like my sister, you are out of luck here, since every kombucha flavor has ginger in it.

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INBAR: I hope to do a full product review on this new bar, so I’ll keep it brief for now. Great taste and low sugar. Made especially for people with diabetes, and everyone else too. Brand new product just launched, so you may not be able to find it in stores yet, but I’m sure it won’t take long since it fills a great niche! www.inbalancehealthcorp.com

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THE ORANGE OWL: all natural body products made in Vermont. The owner of The Orange Owl, Akshata,  gave me a cinnamon & spice lip balm that I have loved. It smells like autumn every time I wear it! This is also a new company, and you will probably need to order from www.theorangeowlshop.com for now. Besides being an “all natural 100% chemical free” line, they use green packaging, and the owl is too cute!

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VERMONT Soap ORGANICS: this family owned organic company has many different wonderful organic products and I hope to do a full post on them. They were mentioned in LivingMaxwell’s blog for his Top 5 non-food products from Expo East, so you know they’re the real deal! We have tried their body soap and toothbrush sanitizer and have enjoyed them both. You can see a full list of products and where to buy them at www.vermontsoap.com

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THREE TWINS ICECREAM: Wow! Was this a yummy treat! And organic, even better! I think they gave me a coupon (I really need to go look through that pile of paperwork!), so when I use it, I can write a post with more specifics. All I remember is that is tasted amazing and they had very unusual flavors! From the response I got from you guys on InstaGram, you love this product too!  www.threetwinsicecream.com

So, there it is! The second (and last) half of my “Top 10 at Expo East 2012”, but I will post SEVERAL other great products (which are also in my “top 10”) later. They will receive their own individual product review and maybe even a few give-aways! So, I guess I really will end up with more like a Top 20 list, but that’s OK! There were thousands of great products at Expo East! If there is something you are specifically looking for, let me know!

Lastly, I want to include some trends I noticed at the Expo, and I will just bullet point these quickly:

– gluten free is huge, and will probably only increase in the years to come. I have met so many people who have recently been diagnosed celiac, so I am sure there will be a large enough demand for these companies  to increase their product lines.

–coconut oil is hot hot hot! The world is opening its eyes to the nutrition and safe cooking aspects of coconut oil (stable at high heat), and it’s only going to get bigger. I saw flavored coconut oils, and flavored liquid options, and some refined products that will not have the coconut flavor that some just can’t tolerate. Also, it’s used in beauty products and other foods as well. I am so happy to see it expand in many ways!

–nuts and seeds were huge too! Quinoa, hemp, and chia seeds were sprouting up everywhere (hehe), and nuts covered in everything from chocolate to spicy seasonings.

–labeling is important and consumers are educating themselves on reading labels & ingredients, and looking for “organic”, “kosher”, “GMO free”, and others. If nothing else, consumers want ingredients they can read and know what’s in there. We (in America anyway) are starting to wake up to reading ingredients and paying attention to what we’re eating and giving our children to eat. I applaud every minute of it! I believe this trend is here to stay, and will only improve the quality of foods offered by manufacturers and farmers.

–organic is expanding in EVERYthing and I couldn’t be happier!!:) Of course! Not only at the end-product, but even at the manufacturing plant itself. There are companies going to extremes to be cleaner and greener and organically certified in their buildings. Organic cleaning products, foods, clothing, body products, tea, energy drinks, protein powders, supplements, and the list goes on and on. I hope to introduce you to many of the organic product lines coming out soon. This was the highlight of my Expo trends! (not that something HAS to be certified organic for me to like it, but it’s always a nice bonus!)

If you try any of these amazing products, be sure to let me know. Many of you already have, and I appreciate it so much! Even more importantly, let these companies know how you heard about them and what you like about their product line. Let’s cast our vote at the cash registers and let farmers and manufacturers know we want more truly natural and organic and GMO-free products! They keep making/selling what we keep buying. It’s simple economics: Supply and Demand.

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

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Charlotte’s first! Fresh Expo 2012

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Being a native of Charlotte, and an Organic Eater, this is very exciting news for my beloved Queen City! The Fresh Expo, Charlotte’s FIRST “Healthy, Natural, and Green Living” event, is happening this Saturday, October 13th and I can’t wait!

The expo will host healthy living presentations from celebrities, bloggers, and doctors. Delicious cooking demonstrations, yummy product samples (my personal favorite as you saw at Expo East!), and swag bags to a few hundred lucky ones.  Exhibitors will include Healthy Home Market, Edible Charlotte, Food Matters, Coconut Bliss, Earth Balance, Luna’s Living Kitchen, Earth Fare, and many more, all with the common goal of making Charlotte a healthier city through foods, products, and health & wellness services. (That awesome quote was from the  Fervent Foodie blog.) If you are interested in any/all things natural, you should come too! The tickets are extremely reasonable. Seriously, they’re cheap tickets! (Some expos cost hundreds of dollars per ticket! I know, I just went to one!) I’m really excited to attend this inaugural event! It’s going to be a fun and healthy way to bring Charlotte together. Hope to see you there!

The Fresh Expo

October 13, 2012
Saturday: 10:00am to 6:00pm

Charlotte Convention Center
501 South College Street, Area 217
Charlotte, NC 28202

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater

Organic Eater’s Top 10 at Expo East (in two Top 5s!)

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I had so wanted to get this post out earlier, but a friend called with an unexpected trip to a gorgeous beach house, for FREE, so I had to get all my beach preparations taken care of before I could blog. (Blogging is not a paying gig for me, so I had to prioritize. I love y’all, but you don’t pay me to do this. hehe) So you are getting the first installment of 5 of my favorites, with another 5 coming soon.

Here are a few of my awesome finds from my Expo East 2012 experience! And my Top 10 is NOT in any order because it’s too hard for me to do that!! I loved them all!!

OUTTA THE PARK BBQ SAUCE:  

This little gem of a sauce comes in original/mild, which is spicy enough for me, and a hot (and vegan) version too! They use clean ingredients, nothing fake. There is organic sugar in it, so I have to watch my portions, but the flavor is so amazing I don’t need much anyway! My 8-year-old was persuaded to try some new vegetables because he was allowed to have this sauce with them! He loves this stuff! Heck, we ALL do! It’s delicious and although it isn’t USDA Organic, they use mostly organic ingredients, and I have spent enough time with the owners to know they care about clean ingredients in their sauce! You can find them in Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Healthy Home Market, and many other stores. You can also find them on the web to order at www.outtatheparksauce.com, and their website has a “where to buy” link of each state and store they’re in, so it’s easy to get! Go now!


NOURISH skin care:  I fell in love with their “look” as soon as I saw them, and then they told me they were USDA certified organic and I knew it was true love. Then they BLEW ME AWAY when they told me their price point of less than $10. I literally said, “What??!!! Get OUT!!” when the CEO of the company told me that. You can find them at www.nourishusda.com, they’re in lots of stores too. Can’t rave enough about them because when I find organic and affordable, I’m all about it! And they smell really good too!:)

HARVEST BAY COCONUT WATER:

I’m gonna be straight with you and admit that I’m not crazy about the taste of coconut water. I mean I WASN’T crazy about the taste of coconut water, until I found this one! If ever an Oh my! was appropriate, it’s here. Oh my! I can’t explain it, except that possibly where they’re sourced makes a difference. I can’t remember where she told me they come from. And if their coconut water is this good, I’m praying I can find their coconut oil asap! (where is that business card I got from them anyway???!!!) They are at www.harvest-bay.com and in many stores, easy to find. No idea what the price point is, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Yes, that good. Sersly.
FLAX SEASONING:
If you follow me on Instagram, you already know my love for this organic seasoned salt since finding it at Expo East. I add it on everything that I can’t use the BBQ sauce for, haha! Just kidding, but it really is “clean” and oh so tasty!! Again, I used it to coerce the boy to eat some more roasted veggies. It worked. This stuff has just stayed on the kitchen table (for easy access) since I brought it home from the Expo. It is now a staple of the OE kitchen. I’m even including a back-view picture of it, so you can see the list of organic ingredients in it. The also have a salt free seasoning, and a sweet maple that I have yet to try, but maybe Darren (the owner) will see this post and send me some! It’s just recently in Whole Foods (congrats Darren!), but other stores carry it too, so go to their website to find it. www.flaxseasoning.com
and last (only for this post, but not least by any means)……
IF YOU CARE kitchen products:
Green products galore! Love what the company’s about, and don’t know of another company quite like them. They have unique products to help your kitchen be more environmentally responsible, as well as healthier for YOU! Their parchment paper is the ONLY one I ever use because it’s not covered with chemicals or waxes that could easily be getting in your food when you bake. Ew. You can find them at many natural food stores and on-line at www.ifyoucare.com  If you care, go to their site to read more about their unbleached paper and other unique qualities (oh, you know I had to do that!). I heart them for caring.
OK, that HAS to be it for now! It’s so late and I’ve got so much to do! I can see now, there’s no way I’ll be able to do only 10 of these. I love too much!:) If you buy any of these products, please let me know, and more importantly, let the owners and/or marketing departments of these companies know where you heard about their great produts!! More next week my friends, so make sure you’re following the blog so you don’t miss it!
Encouraging Health,
Organic Eater
(I have no idea why the “enter” key is not making those lines “go down” where they’re supposed to be above. I like spaces, and this is not giving me spaces. Grrr)