Yay! I had the pleasure of trying another raw sprouted product – Better Than Roasted’s “Just 4 Nutz!” This is a yummy combo of certified organic almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts. The process of soaking and drying nuts and seeds at low temps, releases the enzyme inhibitors, preserves the natural enzymes and the result is a totally crunchy, fresh-tasting nut – even tastes slightly sweet especially the cashews. The pecans tasted caramelly!

When I first started eating germinated nuts years ago, the taste took some getting used to. I think that the fat content is reduced as the nut begins to come out of “hibernation” and sprout, resulting in a lighter taste. Now when I taste an unsprouted nut, they just don’t seem as fresh and “alive” to me, especially the ones out of store bulk bins where the oxidize quickly.

The best of course of action is to crack fresh in-shell nuts yourself & then sprout and dehydrate them, but THAT is a lot of work!  So it’s nice that Blue Mountain Organics offer a ton of different sprouted nuts and nut butters. It’s a bit more expensive obviously than regular nuts and butters, but I think it’s totally worth it.

Check out the Blue Mountain Organics website. They have some really interesting items like Sprouted Hazelnut Butter (hazelnut + raw cacao = awesome dessert possibilities!) and Black Sesame Seed Butter rich in iron, magnesium, manganese and copper. I bet that would make a killer delicious and nutritious hummus. They also have a range of different products like raw cashew ice cream, raw spices and superfoods like sunflower lecithin, maca, cacao and lucuma. ALL ORGANIC – good stuff!

Blue Mountain Organics has offered to give Healthy Simple Living readers a 20% discount from today until May 17 when you use the coupon code NUTTY. That is really generous – thank you Blue Mountain!

And just for the record, I did not receive any compensation nor was I under any obligation to write this review. I wrote it because I like to support companies that are creating healthful products and I also love to extend special deals to my readers when I can.

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Besides my beloved professional Blendtec blender, I like to have a mini personal blender handy. It comes in useful when making small portions (since my full-size blender requires a minimum of ingredients in order to blend) – like a quick smoothie, a dressing or a little dish of key lime mousse – yum! The travel mugs are great too because you can blend right in the mug, seal and go.

Having moved often, I’ve tried a few mini blenders during my travels. So when my Magic Bullet was on its last legs, I researched my options. Here are my findings.

Mini Blender Facts & Features:

Magic Bullet

• 17-piece high-speed mixing system
• Includes base, 2 blades, 2 cups, 4 mugs, 2 sealed lids, 2 vented lids, recipes
• Microwave and freezer-safe cups and mugs; dishwasher-safe parts
• Measures approximately 4 by 4 by 10″; 1-year limited warranty
• Amazon price – $51.99

Tribest Personal Blender

• Lightweight, portable, compact blender
• PBA-free blending container
• Includes one commuter lid
• 200 watt motor
• Manufacturers Limited 1 Year Warranty
• Amazon Price: $57.99

Back to Basics Blender

• 11-piece system with 350-watt motor base, 2 speeds, plus pulse
• 2 blades: 1 with quarto cross blades & 1 with dual flat blades
• 2 24-ounce plastic travel mugs
• 12- and 18-ounce plastic blending containers
• 2 sealable sipping lids; 2 drinking rims; recipes included
• approx 6 by 5-1/2″ by 13-1/5″; 1-year limited warranty
• Amazon price; $34.99

Pros and Cons:

Magic Bullet Pros:

• The “cyclonic” cycle was strongest & blended best of the 3
• It’s a nice size width cup to work with
• Lasted 3 years of heavy use with minor wear & tear

Magic Bullet Cons:

• Can’t find single replacement parts easily

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Tribest Personal Blender Pros:

• Optional glass containers
• The plastic jars are bps-free
• Good customer repair service

Tribest Personal Blender Cons:

• Narrow diameter makes it hard to reach contents at the bottom
• Due to narrow long container, blending can be uneven
• Broke after 2 months of light use, but fixed & returned in 2 weeks

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Back to Basics Blender Pros:

• Nice wide cup diameter makes it easy to work with
• The extra cups are large with no-spill travel lids
• Best price of the three blenders

Back to Basics Blender Cons:

• Ingredients not well incorporated together sometimes
• Doesn’t seem as powerful as the other two

My Mini Blender Recommendation:

I have yet to find the perfect mini blender. If I could shrink my Blendtec, THAT would be ideal. But since I can’t, the best of the above three for me is the Magic Bullet. The power is decent, the items blended well, the cup width is workable and it’s lasted quite long (still working actually) considering how much I use it.

My second choice would be the Back to Basics blender. Not as powerful as the other two blenders, so takes longer to blend but I really like all the size cups and the travel lids.

Coming in last is the Tribest. I like that the plastic is bpa-free and that they offer optional glass containers, but the narrow long jars just don’t allow the ingredients to be incorporated well unless they are all liquid. Plus mine broke after minimal use.

So my somewhat reluctant vote goes to the Magic Bullet, but if there are any Blendtec or Vitamix reps reading this, I think there is a huge hole in the market. Please make a decent mini blender with the power of the Magic Bullet, the bpa-free containers of the Tribest and the large, secure travel mugs of the Back to Basics blender – my recipe for a dream mini blending machine!

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What a treat! From time to time, I receive products to review on my website without obligation or compensation. If I like them, I post a review. If I don’t, I don’t say anything (momma always said if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.) So I was delighted when I got two sample bags of Brad’s Raw Chips – the red pepper and kale flavors – and took my first bite.

These chips are 100% raw and gluten-free made with veggies, sprouted flax seeds and buckwheat. I usually don’t buy raw chips because most are made with WHOLE flax seeds which I don’t particularly like and they tend to crumble easily and fall apart. But the flax seeds in Brad’s chips are ground with the buckwheat making a nice texture. The chips are sturdy enough for dipping and have a nice CRUNCH.

I like the red pepper flavor better because it’s slightly spicy. The kale is good, but neutral so it would probably pair up nicely with a flavorful salsa or guac. I LOVE that Brad goes the extra step of sprouting the seeds. This releases the enzyme inhibitors and makes them more nutritious and digestible.

I think right now these chips are only available in stores on the East Coast, but you can order them online at Brad’s Raw Chips website. Good job, Brad! Thanks for bringing a quality product to the raw food arsenal especially when I’m feeling too lazy (often) to sprout, mix and dehydrate my own homemade raw chips.

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I had a jam-packed weekend! How was yours? Wish these weekends were longer BUT I do have some VERRRY exciting news on the horizon that will free up some of my “me” time. Wheeeeee! More on that later.

Also since I’ve received a few emails requesting the recipe for the raw Pistachio Cardamom Burfi, I will be posting that soon as well as another giveaway! But first, a weekend recap is in order.

Giving Blood for the First Time

"Give Blood"

I don’t know what took me so long, but this is the first time I have ever given blood. There was a blood drive in town, so I thought ‘why not?’ Besides helping someone out, I’ve read that giving blood is healthy (especially for men to reduce high levels of iron) plus you get a free mini physical including blood pressure check, heart rate, temperature and iron levels. I learned that my body temp is quite low, so I need to look into that but all else was good.

The needle was just a pinch and the blood draw took 7 minutes. As long as I don’t SEE any blood or needles, I’m good to go. I brought my own food to eat afterwards – coconut water and walnuts because I knew they would be offering sugary snacks. Why is that? I just don’t understand why they can’t offer fresh whole fruit, nuts or dried fruit instead? Anyway, I got a $15 gift card for BP gas station too! I had no idea they gave out tokens of appreciation. Sweet! In a few weeks, I will get my donor card in the mail with my blood type and cholesterol level. It felt really good to donate blood, both physically and spiritually.

2010 Biodynamic Cherry Tomato Challenge

"Cute Cherry Tomatoes"

Spirtual Gardening mailed free heirloom tomato seeds to 250 growers this past week! Their goal is to get as many people as they can to start learning how to garden. These seeds are from a plant that has been grown with biodynamic principles, in the best soil, and with the most love for over 20 years. Awwww…

I joined the challenge and got my cherry tomato seeds in the mail on Friday and planted them right away. I’ll keep you posted on my “babies.” What a great idea. The seeds are all gone, but there’s drawing for some free raw unpasteurized honey if you sign up midnight Sunday March 28th. Go for it!

Stainless Steel Lunch Bots

"LunchBot Rainbow"

I have a growing aversion to eating out of plastic containers, but when toting my lunch for the day, it’s been the most practical solution. My glass containers are just too heavy, not to mention the lids are plastic. Soooo I was very happy when I found a set of Lunch Bots! They’re stainless steel containers that come in different sizes and some with two compartments.

The big one is great for my salads. They are food-tight, but not water-tight. The lids seal on ok, but I wish they were a little bit more secure. I put a rubberband around them just to make sure they stay put. Yeah it’s not ideal, but I think it’s a better alternative to plastic which can leach toxins and never feel completely clean unlike stainless steel. The Lunch Bots lids are different colors too and they fit nicely in my jungle tote. They’re a bit expensive, but I think it’s worth it. So far I love ‘em.

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The Raw Food World has just launched a new website and it’s a beaut! Everything produced by the Raw Food World creators, Matt and Angela Stokes Monarch is now in one “galaxy.” All the raw stars are here – the store, a new q&a forum, articles, the tv show and the radio show. It’s  sleek and easy to navigate. The old website was functional, but this one is a pleasure to hang out, kick off your vibrams and stay awhile!

One of the best features is the state-of-the-art forum. If a forum and Yahoo! Answers had a love child, this would be it. As people discuss a topic the best answer as voted by the readers, rises to the top like raw cream. Genius!

"Nutty-tasting chlorella tablets"

I’m getting ready to place an order because they’re having a launch party and everyone is invited! Huge Raw Food World 13% discount off of all orders until Sunday, March 21 midnight PST. Just copy and paste the coupon code – NewStore – when checking out.

I’m thinking of trying the shilajit (does anyone have any experience using this?) It’s said to “strengthen the immune system, fortify cells and muscles, and can be used as an anti-oxidant.” I could use some of that. I also love the chlorella tablets because they DO kind of taste like nuts and they satisfy me.

Check out the new Raw Food World site. I seriously think it’s now the best source for all things raw under the sun!

HOT TIP!

The GlassDharma giveaway ends tonight March 19th at midnight EST! Take a second now to enter for a chance to win $25 gift certificate at Glass Dharma and get some beautiful ecofriendly glass straws and accessories.

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