Be Strawesome!

If you follow my Facebook page, twitter or instagram, you've probably seen me post a few photos with a fancy straw.  If you haven't heard of Strawesome yet, you've been living under a rock. It's only the most amazing glass straw company out there.

Why a glass straw, you ask?  Because plastic sucks.  It's no fun to drink out of a plastic straw, not when you have glass as an option! And, there's no harmful BPAs to think about with glass.  And no worries about breaking...these straws are extremely durable. But, if you do happen to break yours, they have a lifetime guarantee!

Details:

• Type of glass discovered in the late 1800s
• Main ingredients: silica and boron oxide
• Non-porous and hypo-allergenic
• Super durability - more resistant to breaking than other glass, colors stay brilliant after each use and wash
• Used for high-quality beverage glassware and kitchenware (like measuring cups, coffee pots)
• Both microwave and dishwasher safe
• BPA-Free and toxin free
• Borosilicate glass is even used on the Space Shuttle!

The company:

"Founded in 2009, Strawesome is a family-owned and operated Michigan-based green company with a commitment to health and the environment. We offer fun, safe, and reusable glass drinking straws to people of all ages - making it easy to go green!  Our straws are all hand-made in our workshop in Michigan and we take pride and care to offer the best products and service possible."

There are tons of designs and sizes for you to choose from. Classic styles, bold colors, artistic...you can't go wrong!  Get several!



So, there you have it!  Don't be boring with your plastic straws. Be awesome with your Strawesome!

Review: Emmy's Organics

I am a small business owner, so any story that involves a small business that makes it big always excites me.  And Emmy's Organics is no exception!  Started by Samantha and Ian (out of Ian's mom Emmy's kitchen), this little business idea began with coconut macaroons and expanded to include trail mix, granola, sprouted foods and even chocolate sauce!  All of their products are not only super delish, but also vegan, raw and gluten free!  You just can't get better than that.

When I opened the box from Emmy's, I was first immediately impressed by their packaging. I am a packaging snob and a former advertising designer, so I always look for great logos, color combinations and overall brand feel.  They had very clean and crisp labeling, with vibrant, but natural, colors and I always love the matching packaging designs, with just a little color variance. I received 4 flavors of macaroons and one small sample of chocolate sauce.

I should probably say that I had *just* come off of a modified juice fast when this box arrived and all of the flavors just popped like crazy mad on my poor, neglected taste buds! ;)  But, I saved some of each and tried them again yesterday and they all still tasted amazing. So, no juice fasting required!

Ok, down to business...

Coconut Vanilla - If you like coconut, but don't like too many other crazy flavors, this one is for you!  I was obsessed with the subtle vanilla flavor these had. Very coconutty, but that's sort of the point with macaroons, huh!?  These are perfectly sweetened with seriously the most amazing vanilla flavor, and ingredients you can live with.

Dark Cacao -The chocolate flavor of these was intense and perfect.  Again, a little coconutty, but duh. Seriously. Amazeballs. Rich, decadent, to die for, and still a healthy treat!

Lemon Ginger - I am kind of a lemon freak. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors in anything, and these were perfectly flavored. Not too sour, but you could definitely taste the lemon, with a slight hint of ginger. I really liked these.

Mint Chip - So, I'm not going to lie. These were MY FAVE. I nearly ate all three at once because they were that good. But, instead I just ate half of them. Such. Restraint!  The chocolate and mint didn't seem like they'd be a good combo with the coconut, but they were perfect. Still very coconutty, so if you DO NOT LIKE COCONUT, then these are not for you, but seriously. Why ya buying coconut macaroons if you don't like coconut anyway, amiright?   If you like anything chocolate/mint, then you MUST order these pronto.  The mint was a combo of spearmint and peppermint, which is what made these the chicken dinner winner.  Unless you're vegan, which means these were the "chicken" dinner winner.  But either way, winning.

Chocolate Sauce - This was just evil. Here I am on a juice fast and there's this little pot of chocolatey, drippy goodness for me to try.  How is it possible this is still healthy??  It's like magic, or something.  I wish you could taste this for yourself....oh wait!  You can.  Hop on over to their shop and get yourself some of this!  It would go perfectly on some homemade almond flour brownies, fresh fruit, or coconut ice cream.  Or a spoon....not saying I did that, but it could be an option for you!  

Overall, I am very pleased with this product.  So, if you're looking for a sweet treat that won't send you into sugar coma or make your jeans shrink, then you definitely need to give Emmy's a try!  And check out their facebook page while you're out here on the interwebz.  Tell them Whole to Healthy sent you!!  xoxo

Review: Simply Hemp Milk

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know a few things about me: a.) I love me some hemp seeds, and b.) I am infatuated with the documentary Average Joe on the Raw. So, needless to say, when these two things came together in one yummy package...I had to try it!

The owner/creator of Simply Hemp Milk is none other than Seth Hayhurst, the "Average Joe" the documentary was based on.  He changed his life and his health when he began eating a Raw foods diet. I was even inspired to do the Raw foods diet study after watching the documentary.

One thing that intrigued me the most about Simply Hemp Milk, was that it came in a powdered form.  That eliminates the need for any preservatives, or other unnecessary additives that most shelf-stable milk alternatives have.

When I received the samples, I was immediately impressed by the packaging.  The milk powder comes in a very natural, simple package, but still very attractive and fun.  It's also unbelievably easy to make!  All you do is dump the contents of the package into your blender, add water, and blend.  It took no time at all to have some fresh, delicious hemp milk, without the worry of unwanted sweeteners, chemicals, and other junk.  Of course, that also means the milk won't last for weeks, like some pasteurized versions will, but that's ok.  It won't make it that long anyway!

I tasted it plain, and really enjoyed the subtly sweet, somewhat cinnamony taste of the milk by itself, but my very favorite way to use it was in my smoothies. Hemp is an excellent source of protein, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and phytonutrients, so by adding it to my smoothies I was really getting a great boost of nutrients, while adding a super yummy dimension to my smoothies.  It would make a great after-workout drink, fo sho.

So, do me a favor and head on over to Simply Hemp Milk and order a sample pack (or more)! You can thank me later. <3

Review: Barre. A real food bar.

I am so excited that I got to try these bars! I've been following them on Facebook for quite a while, and even though I'm not a ballet dancer, or any kind of dancer for that matter, I just LOVE the idea behind these bars. Barre, the name, comes from, if you haven't figured it out by now, the bar that is used during warm up exercise for ballet dancers. It was created by two ballet dancers out of necessity for a quick, but extremely healthy, snack. They have a great story. Check it out here.

I absolutely love the play on words, and as a huge fan of packaging, I really adore the delicate beauty of the colors they chose: pink, peach, and espresso. In addition to that, the names they picked for each bar perfectly match the sweet, ballerina-esque vibe of the rest of the packaging: Ballerina, Pirouette, and Black Swan.  See what I mean?  CUTE!

As a nutritionist, I am 100% on board with these bars! They are the real deal. All of the ingredients are clean, simple, and packed with nutrients. I love the use of hemp in these bars, too.  Y'all *know* how much I love my hemp seed products!

The first bar I tasted was the Pirouette.
Ingredients: Dates, walnuts, pecans, agave nectar, hemp seed, rolled oats, hemp protein, ground flax seed, brown rice protein, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, peanuts. You just can't get much better than that.
Verdict: I really liked this one. You definitely get the light, cinnamony flavors coming through with the crunch of pecans. I didn't think it had an overwhelming flavor, and was very filling! I would definitely keep this one in my purse and/or car for quick noshes!
 
The second bar I sampled was the one I was least looking forward to trying: The Ballerina. Why? Because it has spirulina in it and is green-ish in tint. As much as I love my green veggies, I am not a huge fan of spirulina. It can be toooo much like eating grass if done wrong. Well, they did it right!
Ingredients: Dates, walnuts, pecans, agave nectar, hemp seed, hemp protein, rolled oats, ground flax seed, dried coconut flakes, brown rice protein, spirulina, vanilla, sea salt, peanuts.
Verdict: This ended up being my favorite one! The spirulina is very light and barely detectable, and the coconut flakes add a perfect bit of crunchy sweetness. Again, just like the pirouette, it's very filling and would be excellent for after workouts or to keep handy for those unanticipated starvation moments when you need a quick, healthy snack before you take a left turn at a fast food place.  Not that I've ever done that.

The third bar, the newest in their collect, and the one that has the cutest name in my opinion: The Black Swan.
Ingredients: Dates, agave nectar, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seed butter, (sunflower kernels, sunflower oil, molasses, salt, citric acid), cranberries, cocoa powder, hemp seed, hemp protein, oats, ground flax seed, brown rice protein, sea salt, peanuts.
Verdict: This one reminded me of chocolate covered cherries. I am not a fan of those, so this is not my favorite flavor, but if you like chocolate covered cherries, this is your bar! It was still just as lightly sweetened, chewy and filling as the other two, and the pink and black colors of the packaging make you feel pretty. Or is that just me?

Overall, I highly recommend these bars. If you can't find them in your local co-op or health food shops, go in and ask them to start carrying these!  Who knows, they might even inspire you to become a ballerina!  I know I'm ready to join the Nutcracker!  I just need to get longer legs real quick.  And maybe some flexibility.  That should do it. :)


Barre.  A real food bar.  See also: Nom.  <3