Posted by alisa on January 13, 2010 | 6 Comments
When we moved back to Lake Tahoe I was elated to return to our old doctor. He brings decades of emergency room work to the table, but he merges his medical training with the studies he acquired over ten years ago in alternative medicine. I love that he looks at the whole person, seeks out causes rather than just treating symptoms, and how he doesn’t frown upon Eastern or Western medicine. He uses both. All that matters to him is what is effective in bringing people to a true healthy state.
But, what he emphasizes most is that people need to take an active role in managing their own healthcare. When they rely too much on doctors, that is when things go wrong. His wisdom feeds my desire to learn, which led me to discovering the most awesome deal on a book that I must share.
Last week I ordered “New Medicine: Complete Family Health Guide” for $3.18. This is a $25 book that was published in April of 2009 and it was just $3! I wanted to make sure it was okay before suggesting it, and wow, it is better than okay.
This is a BIG book that gently covers so many different health topics, concerns, and diseases / disease prevention in an encyclopedia-type format. It explains each topic (in layman’s terms) along with treatments using diet, herbs, alternative medicine, prescriptions, and/or surgeries. Whatever is effective and available. The authors don’t instill their opinions, rather they give you a good baseline of information to help you understand all of your options (whether Eastern, Western, or plain old diet) and feel knowledgeable enough to manage your own health. I am impressed. Of course, I have only had time to skim it since my husband has already swiped it to read himself, but at $3, I really don’ think you can go wrong.
Honestly, I have no idea why such a new and thorough book has been marked down so dramatically – we are not talking out-dated material here! I am also not sure if the price is temporary, so if you are interested, I would jump on it.
What does this have to do with a food blog? Well, not a lot. But I have noticed that most of us foodies seem to take a higher than average interest in health, and really, where else could I share such a good deal?
So, while we are on the topics of food and health, are there any books you recommend?
Posted by alisa on January 4, 2010 | 18 Comments
I love it when the holidays just keep on giving! Four days into the new year, and what should arrive, but a wonderful gift package from Maggie at Dog Hill Kitchen. Out of the blue this lovely lady sent me a gift of homemade treats, including caramels, jams, and almond cookies (for taste-testing the jam!).
And these aren’t just any jams …
Is she amazing or what? Of course, I am not going to leave you all hanging. Though I don’t yet have my own recipes for preserves, Maggie can definitely tell you how to do it. See her posts on:
“The nitty gritty of making grape jelly“
“Autumn olive jam and leather“
Thanks Maggie!!
Posted by alisa on December 15, 2009 | 15 Comments
In my inbox today, I received an email from Mambo Sprouts with information about, and a coupon from Florida Crystals. You can get the coupon yourself and print it at floridacrystalscoupon.com, but it is a wee bit different from your average coupon.
They offer you the chance to “donate” a portion of your coupon to the Jaguar Conservation Fund. Yeah, I know, playing the guilt on us foodies trying to save a nickel during these hard economic times … while supporting organic sugar nonetheless! But it does look worthwhile, and it got me to thinking about my “sugar” choices (which seem to be evolving in recent years), and curious about yours and any insight you might have.
This week was the first time all year that I bought white sugar (to top these awesome Snickerdoodle Blondies, after all, who could resist?), but my husband was grateful. It is still the only sweetener he really likes in his coffee. It was organic, but still white sugar no matter how you rationalize it. I do often keep a bag of Trader Joe’s organic brown sugar on hand, and use it in small amounts when needed (it is so frickin’ good!).
In all cases, I do choose organic sugar, and for the longest time I couldn’t remember why. But the other day, while in the grocery store, I saw a small reminder - pesticides and genetic modification. Sugar is a top pesticide crop, and it is increasingly being added to the GMO list. While I do my best to minimize our pesticide load, I am firmly against GMO’s, and work oh-so-hard to avoid them. Luckily, since we use sugar (I am including evaporated cane juice/sucanat in this term) so seldom, it doesn’t eat into my budget.
The three sweeteners we use most often in my house are honey, maple syrup, and fruit. In our day to day lives, I really prefer just making fruit-sweetened goodies, like our favorite Banana Bread and our breakfast smoothies. But, here and there I use a little honey or maple syrup to jazz up a salad dressing, make a sweeter treat, for a recovery drink or bar, or simply to mellow out a sauce. As you probably already know, I mostly buy honey and maple syrup on Amazon when the deals pop up, and I certainly don’t use these by the glug, so again, not a problem using these slightly higher end natural foods without breaking the bank.
I do have some pure stevia on hand, which I got for an insanely good price on clearance, that I use very, very sparingly. If the fruit in my smoothie isn’t quite sweet enough, a very small dash of stevia brightens it up. Otherwise, I really don’t like the stuff. It is used so much in natural foods these days, and both my husband and I can really taste it no matter the medium. Does it taste funny to anyone else?
Many people love agave, and while I have used it in the past, it was only to use up the quantities I purchased for such a good price. Again, we aren’t big fans; and yes, we have tried a few different brands. Raw honey still wins hands down for us any day.
So what about you? Are you a sugar-aholic (like my husband) or weening yourself off (like me)? What types of sweeteners do you use and why? Is there a perfect recipe that you have discovered/created for your favorite sweetener?
Oh, and in case you were wondering, I took the middle ground – 25 cents for me, 25 cents for the Jaguars. It seemed fair.
Posted by alisa on December 14, 2009 | 3 Comments
Last month I posted about a $3.00 off coupon for Hain Celestial products, but some of you have trouble with the printing. Well, I finally have a source page that should work for everyone (hopefully you can still find the items on sale too for even more value!). Plus, it looks like a pretty cool site on holiday entertaining from that mega-natural food corp. They have the printable coupon, sweepstakes, and recipes here – www.entertainingnaturally.com. Enjoy!
Posted by alisa on December 1, 2009 | 15 Comments
Believe it or not, we have never thrown a holiday party. Our first home was quite remote, and since our more centralized friends had a party every year, we just never bothered. But this year, the key party-throwers not only have two little ones in tow, but they are also planning a three-week trip to Germany for the holidays to be with family. So it is up to us and our new centrally located home to throw a winning holiday party and bid them a relaxing bon voyage.
So here I am asking all of you wonderful readers for some recipe advice!
This week I am going to test out a dairy-free and light version of Hot Buttered Rum for the event (will definitely be posting if all goes well!), and we are planning on some crockpot pulled pork with homemade soft-baked rolls. But really, we need so much more. What are your favorite holiday party recipes? And do you have suggestions for any of the following …
- Kid-friendly bites – There will be a good handful of 2 to 3 year olds there. Some all natural / from scratch recipes would be best since my good friend is doing her best to start her little one out without processed foods or candy.
- A Vegan Recipe or Two – Just in case there is a vegetarian or two, I want to make sure I have some suitable options.
- Dips and Noshes – We keep a dairy-free household, but I seem to be able to convert most recipes with ease, as long as it isn’t a three-cheese dip or something!
- Hmmm, a semi-traditional German recipe might be a nice gesture too!
Sweets, savories, beverages, what do you love to see at parties? Thanks in advance for your ideas! More recipes and giveaways to come …
Posted by alisa on November 21, 2009 | 7 Comments
Hain Celestial has been emailing around a printable coupon for $3.00 off 3 products (that link should take you straight to print it) from there Spectrum, Hain Pure Foods, Imagine, Sunspire, and Arrowhead Mills product lines. The coupons are also affixed to several of their chicken broth packages in stores.
Since it is the holidays, many of these products are also on sale (Sunspire chocolate and carob chips, broths, flours (gluten-free and regular), etc). I used two of the coupons today and got Imagine Organic Creamy Soups (the new ones are dairy-free and soy-free with a potato base) and Organic Chicken and Vegetable Broths for just $1.00 each! Plus, I picked up a Hain Sea Salt for just $.19. I will be going back to use another coupon to stock up on the sea salt (I had completely run out!) and some more broth (it is our favorite brand for flavor and ingredients).
Also, I have noticed Good Earth Tea and Coffee has been on sale a lot, and they have a printable coupon for $1.00 off up too. I can highly recommend their White Tea – Vanilla Blend (it is actually lemongrass, not a big vanilla flavor), Sweet & Spicy Red Tea, and Mint Tea. I just printed another coupon and will sample a couple of other flavors (since the teas are on sale for $2.50 a box at my local Raley’s Grocery) when I go back for that broth.
Just wanted to give you all a heads up!
Posted by alisa on November 14, 2009 | 10 Comments
Is it just me, or did Black Friday hit early this year? My inbox is flooded with special offers from just about everywhere. Perhaps I shouldn’t sign up for quite so many e-newsletters!
Speaking of deals, I have a few things to share for the upcoming week. Stick with me here, I will jump onto a few different things in this post …
I am going to be hosting “A Week of Favorite Cookbooks“ Giveaway, starting on Monday, and lasting through Friday (giving away a different surprise cookbook each day). Keep in mind, this is just some of my favorites, I have many more! If the response is good, I may be coaxed into doing this giveaway again. So each weekday of this coming week you will receive:
- A giveaway of a “surprise” cookbook with a mini-review of the book (there will be options for gluten-free, whole foods, and vegan foodies too!)
- A recipe either from that cookbook or inspired by that cookbook
Five days, five books, five reviews, five recipes, right here. Be there, enter, enjoy, win.
Also, there are two more fundraiser cookbooks that were just released:
Kid-Friendly Recipes: The Blogosphere’s Best (ebook)
Cost: You Decide. Proceeds are donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and you can purchase this e-cookbook of 49 recipes for any dollar amount. You choose how much you are comfortable donating. I did contribute a favorite recipe to this e-cookbook that I think you will enjoy!
The BloggerAid Cookbook: Recipes from bloggers around the world making a difference (full color book)
Cost: $30. Proceeds go to the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP). Honestly, I am not sure if I have a recipe in this book or not! I submitted on time, but didn’t follow the proper procedute. So I assumed I was out, but I keep getting all of the BloggerAid Cookbook “insider” emails. Either way, I am sure it is a fantastic book and for a great cause.
Finally, before I forget, the Cooking Light dealio ends today. And as I found out, you can order it even if you have a subscription. As long as you use the exact same address that is on your subscription they will simply tack on another year – no overlap. So of course, I ordered!
Also, I received an email about $5.00 worth of printable coupons from Cascadian Farms. They have tons of good products, but I like their organic frozen fruit (a must for making smoothies in winter!) when on sale … and I have coupons. They are pricey otherwise. Anyway, I wanted to pass these gems on, click here to print them.
Oh yes, one last deal mention. If you do live near a Whole Foods, be sure to pick up their Whole Deal Flyer/Booklet this month too. They are starting to be better about putting items on sale while the corresponding coupons are on. They had a fair price on Tazo tea, which turned into a good price with the $1.00 off coupon on the Whole Deal.
Did I miss any great coupons, deals, or fundraisers? Do tell.
Posted by alisa on November 9, 2009 | 11 Comments
I have a few super-duper recipe-related offers and fundraisers to share:
Cooking Light Subscription (one year) is JUST $5.00 – this week only!!! – http://tinyurl.com/yafobda
While you are on Amazon, I highly recommend the Good Earth Tea deal (comes out to just $2 a box, I bought the Cool Mint Tea and the Sweet & Spicy Red – Love the White Tea too, but have ample supply). They’ve also got a pretty sweet deal on Dr. Kracker products (didn’t buy any myself since we are cutting back on the wheat, but love them!) and Bob’s Red Mill products have been added to Subscribe & Save. See all of the November Sales and Specials here.
A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving E-Book was just released for $8.95. In the giving spirit, all profits from the project will be donated to humanitarian charities concerned with hunger, microfinancing for women in developing countries, and the alleviation of human trafficking.
The e-book was created by Nava Atlas, but several of us authors had the opportunity to contribute! You will find one of my favorite holiday recipes (Tender Squash Dinner Rolls – trust me, amazing!) from my book, Go Dairy Free, in this e-book (which has 65 recipes in total!).
Pumpkins for Pink E-Book is now available from Megan’s Munchies. Yes, you guessed it, this one is all about pumpkin recipes, 45 pages of them in fact! To get your copy, simply donate any amount (big or small). All donations go directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Unfortunately, my dairy-free/soy-free pumpkin pie recipe wasn’t ready when Megan was putting the recipes together, but you will find my Pumpkin Pancakes recipe in this ebook … I hope you enjoy!
Posted by alisa on October 30, 2009 | 16 Comments
I haven’t created many unique and stellar recipes this past week … in fact, since we have been quite busy, I have been enjoying simplicity a bit. Don’t worry, this isn’t just a “what I ate” post. Think of it like a collection of mini recipes.
Lunch all week has been two poached eggs atop whatever vegetables need to be eaten most urgently. But, I did fit in a “new to me” veggie. What could that be nestled in that pile of cabbage? …
Why kabocha squash of course! I finally gave into the food bloggie peer pressure (and the fact that organic kabochas were on for $.49 a pound!). Since I was a kabocha virgin, I didn’t experiment, I used this tested recipe for Japanese Style Simmered Sweet Kabocha. I didn’t have dashi, so I just used water, and it still came out delicious! The only thing I couldn’t figure out was if I was supposed to cover the pan as it cooked. I did, and ended up with tons of liquid left, so if you try it, don’t cover. I ate the squash skin and all (my first time for that too!) and it was wonderful.
For some reason, I was obsessed with making a Pumpkin Pecan Pie Spread for our morning rice cakes. After three mornings of trials, I was satisfied, but never did get what I would call perfection. Nonetheless, since the husband was getting a bit burnt out on pumpkin, I called it a day. Here is where I left off …
- 2 Tablespoons Pecan Butter (I used some Artisana I was trialing, but you can also make your own)
- 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (I took the middle ground with 1-1/2)
- ½ Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Generous Pinch of Salt
- Protein Powder (optional)
In a small bowl, whip it all together. If desired, stir in protein powder to your desired taste and consistency. I like to add a little egg protein powder; it also thickens it up a bit.
This spread really is so simple that you could easily customize it to your tastes by tweaking an ingredient or two, or even simply subbing the maple syrup for your sweetener of choice. This yielded enough for four rice cakes, two each, perfect!
Now, for my sweet treats of the week, I seemed to have a bit of a graham cracker obsession … cinnamon graham crackers to be specific …
This is nothing more than a cinnamon graham topped with lusciously creamy cashew butter (seriously, this stuff is like frosting!) and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Mmmm.
But the following may have even topped that one …
Maple-Pecan Graham-wiches
- 1 Tablespoon Pecan Butter (would probably be awesome with any nut butter!)
- 1/2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil or Coconut Butter, melted
- 2 Whole Cinnamon Graham Crackers (each broken in half, so you have four squares)
Combine the nut butter, maple, and coconut oil or butter in a small dish. Refrigerate it for just a few, allowing it to thicken just a bit as the coconut oil cools and solidifies. Top two cinnamon grahams (cinnamon-side up) with the butter, top with remaining graham. Enjoy the oozing goodness.
If you don’t like messy sandwiches, try this snack open faced.
Hopefully you have found some delicious inspiration amongst this haphazard post! I have just a few quick shout-outs to end with.
- Thank you to All Access Pass to Jack for the Lemonade Award. I will have to pass this on very soon!
- Zesty is having another blog makeover giveaway! I want to win so bad that I am telling you all to enter just to get myself one more entry. Logical?
- I have another big giveaway coming up too. Stay tuned, it will be up in just a couple of days! (I have to go write it up now).
Oh yes, and Happy Halloween!!
Tags: dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy-friendly, gluten-free, milk-free, quick & easy, recipe, soy-free, sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes, Tips, Ideas, and Deals
Posted by alisa on October 22, 2009 | 9 Comments
Lately we have been using mostly liquid sweeteners in our household, but they can be pricey … unless you shop around …
I received a wonderful gift of homegrown honey from Shirley at Gluten-Free Easily (from bees in her own backyard!), but needless to say, that treasure was devoured quickly. With my husband growing cranky for a sweetener for his coffee, but not willing to sacrafice the “raw, unfiltered, and domestic” status or pay an arm and a leg, he set out to find the best value he could. (vegans read on too, there’s something in this post for you too!)
The result? Four convenient bottles of Ambrosia Pure Honey From Colorado’s Western Slope (4 lbs in total) – raw and unfiltered, delivered to our door for just $11.77. I was a bit skeptical, but it turned out to be darn tasty honey, flavorful but relatively mild and pure tasting. We used the Subscribe & Save for this one (gives you 15% off and automatic free shipping). If we change our mind on reordering the honey, we can cancel the Subscribe & Save at any time, but we get to keep the product and discount and there are no fees! What a deal. My honey definitely hit a winner with this sweet purchase.
You say you are vegan? Before I forget, the Maple Syrup dealio is going on again this month (October 2009) on Amazon. I stocked up last month (I buy the Organic Grade B – more flavorful), but if you missed the discount or have already used up all of your maple syrup, you can get 64 ounces of Coombs Organic Maple Syrup delivered to your door for just $26.00 total using this month’s coupon code and Subscribe & Save (see my above notes for this discount). See the Coomb’s Sale Page for the coupon code and list of maple syrup options available. They say this offer ends on October 31, 2009. They did extend last month’s discount through this month, but who knows, this might be it!
Note: Amazon has been shipping out those Subscribe & Save orders lightening fast; I am getting them within 24 to 48 hours of ordering!
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