Earthbound Farm – Products worth reviewing

When I think of the name Earthbound Farm, it conjures up images of lush green fields and tall, elegant apple trees shading nearby farmhouses. It makes me want to kick off my shoes, sit on the porch at the farmhouse and sip ice-cold lemonade. Well, it seems that their company name actually does live up to it’s portrayal of a sprawling farm with an extensive selection of organic vegetable fields and fruit orchards. They even have a farm stand open to the public where fresh fare is prepared on the premises and opened 7 days a week.

I love organic produce (as you can probably tell by my other posts) and the fresher they are, the more nutritious and delicious they are. Earthbound Farm is the largest grower of organic produce in the United States and the largest producer of organic salad greens. You can’t get any fresher produce than Earthbound Farm outside of growing your own fruits and vegetables. And because they are certified organic and carries the USDA Organic label, you know that you can trust their produce to be of the finest quality, unsurpassed by any other organic farms in the nation.

Earthbound Farm has a charming background. It all started with a young couple migrating from Manhattan who fell in love with the beauty and the splendor of a small, quiet town in Carmel, California. Their modest beginnings with a tiny farm of just 2.5 acres growing organic produce later became the nations largest organic produce growers with over 35,000 acres. And their dedication in providing the public as well as their family and staff  with healthy, non-toxic produce remains steadfast.  Their promise to themselves and to their consumers is straightforward – avoid the use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides; does not use genetically modified organisms (GMO’s); avoid the use of petroleum-based pesticides; fight global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide; provide constant food safety standards; uses only post-consumer recycled plastic for their salad packages; shipping cartons are made from 99% post-consumer corrugate; uses biodiesel in their farming equipment; uses 100% post-consumer recycled office paper for all their copiers, printers, and plain-paper; planted trees with American Forests every year to offset greenhouse gas emissions from their energy use and many other assurances to guarantee the safety and integrity of the planet and its inhabitants. With these strict guidelines set in stone, Earthbound Farm remain unwavering in their excellent production of organic produce.                                                                                                http://www.ebfarm.com/AboutUs/EnvironmentalStewardship/index.aspx

The company who started out small believes in giving back big. They believe that being a “catalyst for positive change” is the best way to promote a positive and healthier future for everyone. Earthbound Farm believes in helping their communities by supporting organizations that support healthy lifestyles; organizations that work toward a clean and healthy planet; award academic scholarships to local high school students who will pursue an education in environmental stewardship; and donates to charities nominated by their employees, and award academic scholarships each year to college-bound children of their employees.

As an avid organic produce consumer, I was given some free product coupons to try so I decided to try their dried fruit. I’ve already tried most of their packaged salad greens so I wanted to try something totally different – and I love dried fruit because it’s a great way to get some natural vitamins and fiber in your body with the convenience of eating it whenever you want to. Their dried fruit products include dried mangos, cranberries, plums, dates, and raisins.  All of their dried fruit are ripened on their vines or trees to their maximum ripeness to allow an abundance of natural sweetness and 100% organically grown. There are no preservatives used and the flavors and textures are exactly what dried fruit should be – sweet and tangy and just the right amount of “chewiness”. They come in convenient ready to go packages and they can be used in almost any recipe. I thoroughly enjoyed their organic dried fruit and plan on using some of them for baking in the future!

So why would you buy packaged produce? Well, because they are more convenient and easy to carry around or even placed in your picnic basket or lunch bag. They stay fresher longer than just placing your produce in the fridge. They’re more sanitary (you don’t have to worry about a million hands touching the produce on the shelf at your local market). And organic produce are usually packaged in environmentally-friendly plastic rather than the store-provided plastic bags available in the produce section.

So the next time you’re at your local supermarket or natural food store, pick up a bag of Earthbound Farm’s fresh produce. With an abundant selection of high-quality fruit, vegetables, and salads to choose from, you’ll always end up with the right choice. Earthbound Farm products can be found at most major supermarkets and natural food markets. For more information about Earthbound Farm, please visit their website: http://www.ebfarm.com. You can also order certain products online.

 

Disclaimer: The product(s)were sent to the author for review by the manufacturer/PR. All reviews on “Happymomblogger” remain unbiased and unpaid and are the sole decision of the author. The opinions of these product(s) were not influenced in any way, shape, or form. As always, please  read the labels carefully before trying any new products.

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Lundberg Farms – Products worth reviewing

My family and I are big rice eaters and when I need more selections of rice products than just your basic steamed rice, I turn to Lundberg Farms. There are few food product companies out there that promises to maintain their high-quality, eco-friendly way of business all the while keeping it in the family for continuous generations.

The vision of Lundberg Farms began in 1937 when the humble family moved to Northern California to establish their passion for farming rice. They soon led the way to become one of the largest organic rice producers of the world. They also developed Eco-farmed rice which is a special integrated rice growing system that is an improvement from many conventional rice growing techniques of today. It is a bit different from their organically-farmed rice but it does not stray from their respect to the land, farmers, and the planet.

All of Lundberg Farms rice products are not genetically modified which is an important aspect due to scientific studies regarding GMO products and its health dangers.  And since their farms are managed by the family, each member involved takes great pride in every factor of the company. Their company policy is as follows:

Soil Fertility – the lifespan of soil is very crucial to their farms. They implement practices that allow their soil to thrive every year which includes rotating cover crops, periodically leaving fields fallow, and encouraging water fowl to rest on their fields to help break down the rice stubble and provide needed fertility to their fields.

Egg Salvage and Wildlife Habitat – their fields of lush and healthy rice grains naturally attract birds. Lundberg Farms views wildlife as a natural occurance in their fields and ensures that the eggs left by such birds are not damaged and donates them to volunteer organizations who help hatch the birds and return them back to wildlife.

Planting – every April and May they plant their rice in dry lands so as not to damage their soil when wet.

Water Management – water is essential to any farm. For the past few years, Lundberg Farms has significantly lowered their water usage by measuring water levels with stakes and closely monitoring them. They curtail irrigation early in season allowing fields to dry often without releasing any water.

Weed Control – Lundberg Farms does not use any chemical pesticides or herbicides on their organic rice. Instead, they implement unique techniques developed by the company years ago. With their Eco-farmed rice, they do their best not to use any herbicides and only in extreme situations.

Pest Control – pest management is crucial on Lundberg Farms and they try to use natural methods of controlling pests including wildlife, dry planting, and planting certain varieties of rice that are somewhat resistant to pests.

Harvesting –  Lundberg Farms recruits members of the family during harvesting time to ensure rice is at its optimal maturity. The majority of rice sold by the company are brown rice to retain its purest form and to prevent polishing rice to its white color.

Saw Incorporation – At Lundberg Farms, the company does not burn their rice after harvesting. Instead, they use techniques to incorporate leftover rice straw and stubble back into the field.

Drying, Storing, Milling and Packing – important aspects of rice farming, the company does not use any chemical controls on their rice stored at their farms. Packaging and energy used on the farm are consistantly in respect to the environment.

Research and Innovation – Lundberg Farms is a full-fledged facility. They manage everything from their soil development to rice planting to harvesting to packaging and onoing research in developing new environmentally-friendly farming practices and rice varieties.

Lundberg Farms was kind enough to send me a couple free product coupons so I decided to try their Sesame Seaweed Rice Chips. Since we regularly enjoy their Seaweed Rice Cakes, I had a feeling that the Sesame Seaweed Rice Chips would taste just as fantastic. And I was right! The Sesame Seaweed Rice Chips had an intense amount of flavor and it had such a nice crispy texture. Rice chips taste very differently than potatoe chips and can be compared in texture to corn chips. But rice chips definitely has the distinct flavor of rice to it.  The chips aren’t very salty at all and the flavor of seaweed is mild but distinctive. Their rice chips come in the following flavors – Sesame Seaweed, Fiesta Lime, Santa Fe Barbeque, Original Sea Salt, Honey Dijon, Wasabi, and Pico de Gallo.

Regardless of whether you try their rice chips, rice cakes, risotto, brown rice syrup, or their brown rice, you’ll definitely find a great assortment of rice products to suit your everyday needs. Lundberg Farms products are wholesome, natural, contains no preservatives, and full of flavor so any product is well worth taking a trip to the grocery store to purchase. So not only are you supporting a family-owned company, but you are helping a company take major strides in helping to improve the environment while maintaining sterwardship of a healthy planet for all of us.

For more information about Lundberg Farms, please visit their website: www.lundberg.com.  They also offer coupons on their site periodically.

Disclaimer: The product(s)were sent to the author for review by the manufacturer/PR. All reviews on “Happymomblogger” remain unbiased and unpaid and are the sole decision of the author. The opinions of these product(s) were not influenced in any way, shape, or form. As always, please read the labels carefully before trying new products. 

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The Dirty Dozen; The Clean 15 – 12 Most Contaminated Foods

So you’re probably wondering why you should be eating organic food as much as possible. There are numerous reasons, but the most apparent reason would be to limit the amount of toxic pesticides residing in your body. Based on the study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) along with the USDA and USFDA, scientists has proven that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood.

But we are all aware that organic food can get quite costly – especially if you’re only buying organic food. So here’s an updated list of the 12 most contaminated foods that you SHOULD buy organic and 15 of the least contaminated foods that you can worry less about needing to buy them organically.

BUY THESE ORGANIC:

1- CELERY   (THE WORST)                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

2- PEACHES   (THE WORST)

3- STRAWBERRIES   (THE WORST)

4- APPLES

5- BLUEBERRIES

6- NECTARINES

7- BELL PEPPERS

8- SPINACH

9 – CHERRIES

10 – KALE/COLLARD GREENS

11- POTATOES

12 – GRAPES (IMPORTED)

LOWEST IN PESTICIDES:

1- ONIONS   (BEST)

2- AVOCADOS   (BEST)

3 – SWEET CORN   (BEST)

4- PINAPPLE

5- MANGOES

6- SWEET PEAS

7- ASPARAGUS

8- KIWI

9- CABBAGE

10- EGGPLANT

11- CANTALOUPE

12- WATERMELON

13- GRAPEFRUIT

14- SWEET POTATO

15- HONEYDEW MELON

So when you’re planning your next grocery shopping trip, print out this list and bring it with you. If you eat any of the 12 most contaminated food on a regular basis (more than 5 servings a day), then it’s best to buy them organically. Make sure that they are labeled as USDA Organic to ensure their quality and authenticity. Since organic produce has no chemical pesticides on them it’s not necessary to peel the skin since you’ll want the added benefit of the valuable nutrients but it’s best to give them a wash in the sink anyway since they were most likely handled by other grocery shoppers.

Since I’ve discovered this helpful list a few years ago, I keep a note of it whenever I purchase fruits and vegetables. Another good reminder when you’re shopping for fresh produce is that the thinner the skins are on these fruits and vegetables, the more likely pesticides and chemicals will seep inside – so no amount of washing and peeling can rid them of  those dangerous chemicals.

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Watch what you say!

Before my son was born, I often wonder at the strange and funny words and phrases that would spew out of the mouths of my nieces and nephews and friends children. I wonder where and how they learned those phrases and sometimes it’s laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes I grin politely.

Just the other day, when I was driving with my son to Target and a car stopped suddenly in front of us for no apparent reason, I exclaimed, “What are you doing!” My son, without missing a beat, said smartly, “that guy pissing you off, mommy?” I paused for a moment and laughed softly without letting my son know that it was okay to say the word “pissed”. And then I thought to myself – where did he learn to say that? And then the realization pounced on me like a 300-pound tiger. I had said the same phrase not too long ago at some oblivious drivers on the road who seem to think they are the only people on the roads. I recall exclaiming it quite profoundly and my son, who is intelligent beyond his age, most likely stored that lovely exclamation into his memory bank.

I can’t help but chuckle a bit at how innocently my son had asked me that question. I know ofcourse, that he doesn’t really know that the word “pissed” shouldn’t be used in any context by a child, let alone in public by a responsible adult. But at his age, his brain is like a data sponge and he’ll soak up anything he hears and sees. Which is great to some extent, except to the parts where he learns certain words or phrases that he should not be learning.

But what’s even funnier to me is that I used to watch what I say in front other people’s kids and now, it’s almost too natural to say whatever is on my mind in front of my son. I should probably watch what I say when it comes to drivers “pissing me off” or anything too provocative because I never know when he’ll pop out that word in front of other people. Nevertheless, it’s just one of the marvels of being a mom and learning and growing along with my child.

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Teach your kids that they “Kandoo” it with Pampers Kandoo!

If you teach your kids they can-do it, then let them use Pampers Kandoo. Pampers Kandoo is a unique kids line targeted for kids from toddler on up. They sell products such as flushable wipes to soaps to shampoo. Their Kandoo line is for kids who are learning how to potty train or are already using the potty on their own.

With the flushable wipes, you don’t have to worry about your kids (or yourself) getting dirty hands when they are just learning how to wipe themselves. The wipes dissolve quickly and are safe for sewer and septic systems. They are small in size and best of all – they are pre-moistened with lotion so it won’t hurt your little one’s behind like some toilet paper might.

The products are fun to use and fun to look at with an adorable little frog on the package design. You can also use the flushable wipes at public restrooms too and even use them instead of your regular diaper wipes.

Look for a $1.00 off coupon on all Pampers Kandoo products in this Sunday’s (9/26) newspaper inside the P&G’s Brandsaver insert.

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Disney vs. Nickelodeon

I have to admit – I’m a big Disney fan. I remember going to Disneyland for the first time when I was a kid and the initial memory of the entire experience forever stuck in my head. From then on, it was pretty much Disney here, Disney there, Disney everywhere. I don’t remember watching a bunch of Disney television though but I do recall watching Disney movies in the theaters. I even played with a few Disney dolls and probably still have them hidden somewhere in my parents house.

And then when I had my son, I got turned onto Nickelodeon. We used to watch Disney quite a lot and now there are only a few choice shows we watch specifically. But lately, our TV is turned to Nickelodeon all the time. Mind you, I don’t really let my son watch TV all that often and he’s not a big TV watcher as it is, but when he does watch television, it’s gotta be Nickelodeon. Or more specifically, Nick Jr. since the other Nickelodeon shows are geared  towards tweens and young adults. Except Sponge Bob and Squarepants – I really don’t know what age group or category that show falls under.

I think we grew tired of Disney after too many Hannah Montana reruns and whether she’s staying on the show, leaving the show, staying one more season, leaving altogether – it got to be a bit irritating. But we adore the Imagination Movers(and you’ve gotta check them out since they’re great for all ages), Phineas and Ferb, and the occassional Jonas Brothers (all right, I have to admit, it is I who makes my son watch that show).

As a mom, I think I’ve made many sacrafices when it comes to what my son wants to do. I no longer get to watch my soap operas or my crime shows and I’ve become best friends with the employees at the Disney stores. Now if only there’s a Nickelodeon store somewhere, then I’m all set. But honestly, there really isn’t much difference between the two companies. My husband even pointed out that some of the shows between the two looked familiar but you really can’t prevent that since both corporations target pre-K to teenagers. But then sometimes I wonder who had the idea first? Take for instance, The Imagination Movers – their episodes are geared towards problem solving and finding creative solutions in a funny and unique way. Then there’s The Fresh Beat Band on Nickelodeon who pretty much has the same concept, except where you have only 4 guys and an occasional “Nina” as the female counterpart with the Imaginatin Movers, with The Fresh Beat Band, you get the same 4 stars except there are 2 guys and 2 girls. And they pretty much problem solve in every episode and both shows use music as a guideline for problem solving. So to me, they’re both equally fun to watch, but my son seems to enjoy the differences between the two shows and can catch the difference and similarity without missing a beat.

Both shows have their qualities and their weaknesses. As previously mentioned, there were too many Hannah reruns and quite a lot of spin-offs as well. One great virtue of Disney is that almost all of their TV shows and movies will directly and indirecty teach the audience a lesson in the end. The movies are mostly tear-jerkers (in my opinion) and you’ll most likely cheer for the good guy but feel sympathetic towards the villain because the villain himself learned his lesson as well. Nickelodeon are known for their award shows and music shows such as the recently aired Mega Music Fest which featured John Leguizamo as the host and a mostly-annoying Sherri Shephard appearing frequently to “remind” John of his duties. It was a great “music fest” with their most popular animated cast members as guest stars and musical guest stars such as Colbie Caillat and Wyclef Jean as the highlights. Yet, it was still a bit disappointing to me in the way that it was only an hour long (probably to prevent the younger kids from getting bored) and that both John and Sherri were dressed way too casually for a musical extravaganza. Still, it was entertaining at its best for a first time music “fest” from Nickelodeon. And I have a feeling they’ll put on another one next year with even bigger names from the music industry.

So, as I was once a big fan of Disney, I think I’m really on the fence as to which syndicate I like the most. They both produce quality, fun, and family-bonding shows and they both have unique characters that children can relate to. But if Disney decides to take Jonas off the air, then there will definitely be a controversy!

So which company do you like and prefer?

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