All Good April with Carrington Farms

**Disclosure: Carrington Farms sent me the products in my photo below, in exchange for my social media promotion and a blog post with my honest review.

 

 

A few of my girlfriends recently turned me on to Coconut Oil. Before that, I used olive oil whenever I could, but was still using vegetable oil (when I needed a large quantity - like to fry something). I could not believe how fast I fell in love with Coconut Oil. I had not full on made a switch, but I was trying to incorporate it where I could.

When Carrington Farms contacted me about being one of their All Good April Ambassadors, I jumped at the chance.

Carrington Co. is a natural and organic food company founded in 1999 providing tea, flax, chia, hemp, coconut oil and other natural food products to the health conscience
consumer in the supermarket /natural food, club and mass market trades.
Natural, organic, non-GMO ... y'all know that's what I'm all about lately. (And those plastic jars they use are even BPA free!)

Even the kids were excited when we got the package. They weren't too sure about the flax seeds, but they knew the coconut oil meant I would be doing some baking! Over the last two weeks, I think I have lost track of just how many things we have cooked with coconut oil!

For starters, any veggies I roasted in the oven for dinners? Went in coconut oil with just a little sea salt. I swapped out veggie oil for coconut oil in my boxed brownie mix and my girlfriend thought I made them from scratch. (The power of coconut oil!)

One night for dinner I was standing at the stove totally winging it. Mushrooms sautéed in a little bit of coconut oil on the stove. Sweet potatoes in coconut oil roasted in the oven. Another little bit of coconut oil to sauté the onions before I added the turkey cutlets and some broth. I finished off the dish with some flax seed on top of the meat before I served it.

We made popcorn on the stove with coconut oil. I added the flax seeds to my homemade banana bread. The kids didn't know the difference - and told me it was amazing. I have even been throwing the flax seed into oatmeal, cold cereal, and even a stir fry.

 

I am actually nearly out of BOTH the tub and the bottle of coconut oil. Which means this weekend I will be adding it to my shopping list! For my New England friends, Carrington Farms products can be purchased at your local Whole Foods. (Can't find some near where you live? You can order online with Carrington!)

In addition to their website, you can also follow up with Carrington Farms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Carrington Farms will be hosting a twitter party this coming Tuesday, April 29th from 8-9pm!

Our new snacking faves

*Disclosure: We were sent coupons to try these products in exchange for social media promotion. I don't promote things I don't like, I promise.

You all know by now that I am on a constant quest to get my family eating better. I'm giving it a good try all across the board, snacks included.

Last summer my friend Laura turned the kids on to Popcorn, Indiana. She packed a bag on one of our many beach trips and the boys were immediately addicted. (So was I.) We started picking up a bag every time we went into Whole Foods. Their favorite flavors are Original Kettle Corn and Cinnamon Sugar Kettle Corn. All certified gluten free. There are so.many.flavors. to choose from, but my boys know what they like so we stick with those. (I have no photos of the boys enjoying popcorn because they tore right through the bag before I was ready ... and then it was gone.)

I am also completely in love with their Fit Pop. Shopping at Stop and Shop (yup, I'm everywhere) a few weeks ago, it was right by the front door and we grabbed a few to try. I'm not a big calorie counter, but seeing just 37 calories a cup ... I was in.

And did I mention it's:

• All Natural
• Gluten FREE
• Whole Grain
• Non-GMO
• Zero Trans Fat

LOVE! So good!

At Whole Foods, we also picked up some Ciao Bella Gelato. Something I pass by all the time but have never tried. It took awhile to pick a flavor with so many choices, but we settled on Coconut sorbetto.

Y'all? It contains actual coconut pieces! GMO free, dairy free ... uses organic cane sugar. I can not only pronounce each ingredient ... but there are only seven of them. I love knowing exactly what goes into a product. Ciao Bella is about to be my new choice over ice cream any day.

But it looks like I will have to fight the boys for it.

 

They are in love with it too.

 

Ciao Bella even has some cool ideas for what else you can do with their sorbetto and gelato. Think Happy Hour. Sorbetto cocktails. Try a scoop of your favorite Ciao Bella sorbetto over a bubbly glass of  Prosecco. (Putting that on my spring/summer list now and paging my girlfriends!) 

 

Or have a Gelato Bar! Host a get-together featuring a Ciao Bella gelato bar, complete with toppings and sauces from fruits and nuts to caramel and strawberry reduction. My kids would love that. Such a fun idea.

 

I'm hooked. And so are the boys.

Veggie Patch

It's no secret lately that I have put my family on a health kick. I'm still easy going with the sweets for the kids, but I'm subbing in more fruits and veggies wherever I can. And I feel like I am making so much progress. In less than two months, the boys are eating so many more veggies than before. We still have meals where they fight me here and there, but I have noticed such a difference.

And I love it.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by someone with Veggie Patch about trying their products. In the interest of disclosure, they sent me a few coupons to try their product for free in exchange for a blog post and social media promotion. I was excited to give them a try after looking at their website and finding that this was not a frozen product.

Veggie Patch can be found chilled in the produce section. Choices include:

- Broccoli Bites
- Buffalo Wings
- Chick'n Cutlet
- Chick'n Nuggets
- Falafel Chickpea Balls
- Meatless Meatballs
- Mediterranean Spinach and Chickpea Patties
- Spinach Nuggets
- Ultimate Meatless Burger

The boys and I looked everything over and decided to pick out the Spinach Nuggets ... (OK I was the one that decided on the spinach) ... but they agreed with getting the Falafel Chickpea Balls and Broccoli Bites.

When we got home, the boys had me heat up the falafel right away. You know how much they love falafel. They have come a long way since the first time they tried it and now ask for it frequently. It was a hit. I actually liked the falafel more than the ones we purchase from both our local Whole Foods and some restaurants.

I only have one child who likes broccoli, but all three boys agreed that the broccoli bites were 'sort of good Mom'. (Progress!) These were my favorite. My husband and I couldn't stop eating them.

And then there was the spinach. More honesty. I have no love for cooked spinach. I can put it in a smoothie or a salad. But once I cook it? Not a fan. I do like spinach pies but you will find me scooping out more than half the spinach inside first. Well ... these spinach nuggets were actually delicious. The boys don't eat spinach either, but they all tried (and ate) a nugget the day we opened that package.

Here's what I love about Veggie Patch. Not only are they fresh, but they are GMO free, Trans fat-free, and free of artificial flavors or preservatives. And a great source of protein which I can always use more of. These are items I would never take the time to make for myself at home. Picking it up from the refrigerated section makes all the difference for me.

One of the biggest challenges I have lately when it comes to eating healthy is the days I am on the go. Audition for the boys, sports practice and more. That is when my healthy goes down the tubes because I'm not home long enough to cook. This is so easy to grab out of the fridge and get ready in a few minutes. And it's healthy.

I know I've found three favorites already, but I am looking forward to trying their other products as well. I highly recommend Veggie Patch. In addition to their website (where they have some recipes as well as a section just for kids), you can check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Veggie Fries - So good the kids will never know it's healthy!

**Disclaimer: We were given coupons for 4 bags of Veggie Fries to review, in exchange for social media promotion and a blog post. Opinions are all our own. (Stick with us for a giveaway at the end!)



It's sort of funny. My boys will not touch a potato, unless it happens to be in the form of a French fry. And out of my three guys? Only one will willingly eat his veggies. Even when he doesn't like one I serve, he will still eat it because he understands that it is good for him. The other two? Try not to touch them with a ten foot pole.

So I have to get sneaky sometimes.

Have you heard about Veggie Fries yet?

Veggie Fries are a potato and vegetable based French fry made with all-natural ingredients. Made with USA potatoes and select farm-grown vegetables, these fries are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and come in four delicious flavors:

Carrot - Broccoli - Chickpea & Red Pepper - Tuscan Bean & Herb

 

I only told the boys that we were trying out a new kind of fries I picked up at the market. The first kind we tried were the Tuscan Bean & Herb flavor. I'll be honest, that one was not exactly a big hit. They didn't love it, BUT they ate it ... so I call that a win. Because something else they won't ever touch with a ten foot pole? Beans.

The next flavor we tried was Broccoli. They really liked that one. They asked what the light green tint to pieces was, and I told them seasonings.

While we still have to try the Carrot flavor (the store was out of that one), the boys did also love the Chickpea & Red Pepper flavor. It was my husband's favorite as well. Not too spicy for the kids, just a little kick of extra flavor.

Veggie Fries make me happy not just because it helps me get some extra servings (two to be exact) of vegetables into my kids, but because they were started by a local family from Boston who created them in their home kitchen using all natural real potatoes and vegetables. Even better? They use non-GMO canola and sunflower oil. That is huge with me.

All ingredients used are certified gluten-free, non-GMO and Kosher.

In addition to their website, you can follow up with Veggie Fries on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Veggie Fries are sold at Dave's Fresh Marketplace, suggested retail price $4.49 per bag.

We love them and we think you will too! (If you see my kids, don't let them in on the secret!) We get to give away coupons for 4 free bags of Veggie Fries to TWO readers! To enter, comment below with which flavor you would like to try. Giveaway open to US residents only. Giveaway closes Friday, March 7th at 8pm. Winners will be notified by email.