Tag Archives: natural

The Future’s So Bright…

by Julie Posted on March 11, 2012

We had a wonderfully productive week at the Village.  We were lucky enough to attend the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim.  It was a truly motivating experience, meeting like-minded activists and entrepreneurs while discovering innovative new products to share with our readers.

We attended a press breakfast where chef Tyler Florence of the Food Network (and so much more) gave us the lowdown on Sprout, his organic baby food line and discussed his views on getting children to eat healthier whole foods.  Don’t worry, we’ll let you in on his secrets!

At a breakfast hosted by Nordic Naturals, we also connected with the lovely and inspiring Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Executive Director and CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, a favorite children’s advocacy organization here at Takes a Village.  We are super excited to announce that we will be joining their blogger network so we’ll be able to give you the inside scoop on how they’re helping to remove toxins from our children’s lives and what you can to do to help in your home and in the outside world!

Stay tuned for more on Tyler, Healthy Child Healthy World, and some fantastic reviews and giveaways we have in the works!

We’re looking forward to working together with all of you to ensure that each next generation learns to be more socially and ecologically conscious than the last.

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Quit Your Bellyachin’ (and other general illnesses): Honey Ginger Syrup – Delicious Cure-All

by Julie Posted on December 20, 2011

Recently, at a local farmer’s market, I came across a vendor selling Ginger-Honey Tonic, among other wholesome deliciousness.  Short on cash, I decided to buy some more exotic items from the stand and to experiment at home with making my own syrup.

Happy to say, I made the right move.  This stuff is so easy to make and as it turns out- it has endless benefits and uses.  Honey, you see, has antiseptic, antibiotic, and antimicrobial properties ~ good for you inside and out ~ it even speeds the recovery of wounds! It also has the more obvious benefit of coating a raw scratchy throat and since it is so sweet, even most kids will gladly take this “medicine.”  I like to use local honey, obviously to support community beekeepers, but also because it is known to help with allergies.  I believe that the ingestion of pollens native to your area helps your body develop an immunity to them; some disagree, but in my experience it seems to work!

Now, ginger is commonly known as a great digestif and helpful for all sorts of belly maladies.  Lesser known, is that ginger also works as an expectorant and helps with congestion and breathing issues.

So, when you go to your local pharmacy and read the bottles of cough and cold medicine chock full of a bunch impossible-to- pronounce mystery ingredients; what benefits do these products allege to provide?  Decongestant, expectorant, throat and cough soother.  Why swallow a mysterious chemical concoction when you can get the same results from delicious natural ingredients?

Easy Make-Your-Own Honey Ginger Syrup:

Ingredients:  Honey, Ginger, Water.

1. Scrub your ginger under warm water til nice and clean.  No need to even peel it!  Chop into medium to large chunks and toss into a stock pot.  Cover with water by a couple of inches.

2. Bring water to boil and then simmer, covered for at least a few hours.  I’d imagine the longer it boils, the higher the concentration of ginger.

3. Strain ginger, squeezing out the juices.

4. Add ginger water to a jar or so of honey.  Depending on how sweet and thick you want the syrup, you can eye it and make to taste.

5. Allow mixture to cool and then refrigerate, shaking a couple times daily for a few days and then before each use.

Easy as that!  I made a couple large batches and have been taking a teaspoonful here and there for my immunity. This syrup is amazing served hot as tea; throw in a green tea bag to boost the antioxidants!  It also makes for excellent homemade ginger ale when mixed with bubbly water.

This could make a great holiday gift in a pretty bottle or jar tied with a bow… oops may have ruined my surprise for next year!

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Vegan Truffle Giveaway! Nicobella: Low Sugar Heaven

by Stephanie Posted on December 11, 2011

You all know I’m on a mission to control my gestational diabetes without completely depriving myself.  I’ve learned quite a bit these last few weeks.  I’ve learned that rice (brown or white) is not my friend.  I can tolerate things like Ezekiel Bread, corn tortillas, and so far a piece of fruit every now and then.

One decadent treat I’m really excited about is Nicobella truffles.  These extraordinary truffles are: vegan, organic, natural, fair trade, dairy free, soy free!  With a healthy and socially conscious list like that – what’s not to like?  Oh, and they are also utterly delicious, even better than a lot of non-vegan varieties out there!

An awesome thing I’ve noticed about Nicobella truffles is that they don’t make my blood sugar sky rocket.  Now granted I’m not eating 5 a day — I’m only allowing myself one each day, after a meal.  These truffles are so rich and yummy you only need one to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Let’s face it, I’m only human and even a girl with the dreaded GB deserves a little something sweet now and then.  To be safe I also follow this meal/truffle ritual with a 30 minute walk.   I’m not saying it will work for everyone; that’s just what works for me.

I was lucky enough to meet Nichole of Nicobella at the Green Girls night out event by Eco Stiletto a few weeks ago.  Not only is she crazy talented in making tasty truffles, but she’s also a dietitian that works with women who have gestational diabetes (SCORE!).  She was sweet enough to warn me that GB is a very sensitive form of diabetes.   I didn’t know that before as I only had my mother’s type 2 diabetes to compare it to.  Her little piece of advice has worked wonders for how I approach my GB.  She has saved me a ton of frustration and has given me some peace of mind.

Nichole kindly warned me to be careful and not get carried away with the truffles (sorry Nichole, but not even you can scare me away from chocolate!).  Luckily, I’ve been ok.  I think it may have something to do with the fact that Nicobella’s truffles don’t have any of the artificial crap most conventionally made chocolates do.

Savings

Nichole was also kind enough to offer a coupon code to our awesome subscribers.  Visit Nicobella, load up your cart with healthy yummies, and enter coupon code: Village 13 to get 15% off all orders through Dec.31st.  Woot Woot!!

Giveaway

These truffles have truly been a god-send.  They are so fantastic that we have worked out a giveaway with Nichole!  Enter to win a 6 piece box of truffles!!  The lucky winner gets to choose 6 of any flavor or a variety box (drooling).  To enter go to Nicobella’s website, take a look at the flavors and comment below about your favorites.

Ginger Green Tea Truffles!

So for those of you looking for a healthier way to get your chocolate groove back – this is it!  Enjoy!

For extra giveaway entries, be sure to comment for each one completed:

1. Like Takes a Village on Facebook.

2. Like Nicobella on Facebook.

3. Follow Takes a Village on Twitter.

4. Follow Nicobella on Twitter.

5. Tweet or Blog about this giveaway. (1 extra entry per day).

6. Sign up for the Nicobella newsletter.

7. Join the Village on Google Friend Connect.

8. Click to Vote for us on Picket Fences on the right sidebar.

Winner will be chosen via Random.org midnight PST on December 23rd!  U.S. only please.

Congratulations to Deborah Rosen!  She is the lucky winner of the 6 piece box of Nicobella truffles! Enjoy Deborah.

Posted in Coupon Code, Dessert, Food, Giveaway, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 126 Comments