Imperfect Foods Subscription Box Review

After moving to Seattle, one of the first things I did was re-start my Imperfect Foods subscription box! I had been without it for a few months while in the middle of the move, and I missed it so much! I originally started my subscription in 2017 (read my then review of the box HERE), loved it and been a big supporter of Imperfect ever since! Not only am I getting fresh produce and pantry staples straight to my door, but with every box I am helping to fight food waste.

You see, Imperfect sources produce with minor cosmetic imperfections that would otherwise be discarded by grocery stores as well as other groceries that are short-coded, have a label change, or some other reason they aren't able to be stocked in stores. In providing what most would consider "unusable," Imperfect helps support farmers by helping them sell more of what they grow, helps save product, water, land, and labor from going to waste, advocates that fresh fruit and veggies be affordable and accessible for everyone, and embraces beauty in all shapes, sizes, and colors!

How to Make Earth Day Every Day

Happy Earth Day! Though this is the one day a year where we acknowledge our commitment to making the earth a better place and preserving its beauty, wouldn't it be great if you could make Earth Day every day? Well, there is one simple lifestyle shift you can make that will help the Earth more than anything else you can do, and that is going vegan or adopting a more plant-based lifestyle. Now, before you click away from this article, I want you to seriously consider the positive impact you could make by going vegan - for example, did you know that going vegan has been shown to cut your carbon footprint in half?! And did you know that even if you combined all the greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trains, planes, etc. in the entire world that animal agriculture still produces more pollution (per this study)?! Or that on average a vegan person saves roughly 1,100 gallons of water every day? The water needed to produce a just a quarter pound of beef is 660 gallons of water and 600 gallons of water to produce a single gallon of cow’s milk.

Imperfect Produce Box Review

I recently signed up for my first ever Imperfect Produce box after deciding I wanted to try a produce subscription box to save money and trips to the grocery store. I researched several services offering subscription or CSA boxes in my area, and decided upon Imperfect Produce because they are fighting food waste and supporting a more sustainable industry by offering "ugly" food at a discounted price. This "ugly" food is simply produce that would usually be discarded due to having too much of it or due to imperfections. Rather than just tossing it, Imperfect rescues it from farms and offers it to the public at discounted prices. This way less food is wasted, and people can get nutritious, delicious produce directly from farms in a subscription box for less! How could I not get behind that?

Imperfect Produce offers several sizes and varieties of boxes. You can get organic boxes, veggie-only or fruit-only boxes, or a mix of both, and a variety of sizes is offered for each category of subscription box. You can adjust your box preferences at any time, and with every box you have the option to customize the box and decide the frequency you want to receive it (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). For my very first box I ordered the small organic box to be delivered weekly, which runs approximately $14 to $19. I was lucky enough to receive a referral discount code from a friend, so I saved money on my first box (if you want to save money, too, here is my referral link which will score you $10 off your first order!).

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

We celebrate Earth Day to honor our planet and to reflect on how we can better take care of it and preserve it for future generations. There are lots of things you can do this Earth Day (and every day) to make a difference - recycling, composting, reducing what you buy, volunteering to pick up trash along your local beach/parks, mindfully purchasing local products and food, and so on. However, the biggest impact you can make is to go vegan!

On past Earth Days (here and here), I've written about how going vegan can greatly reduce your footprint on the world, but I just like to reiterate the huge impact going vegan has on not just yourself, but our planet, and how it is the single biggest positive change you can make for the environment, for yourself, and for the animals!

Product Review: Hydro Flask Insulated Stainless Steel Beverage + Food Containers

I love Hydro Flask and have been using their products for years. Their beverage bottles and food containers are special because of their ability to keep liquids ice cold for up to twenty-four hours or piping hot for up to six hours. They are made out of TempShield, a double-walled, vacuum insulated technology that maintains temperature and stainless steel that provides durability, strength, and prevents flavor transfer. Hydro Flasks are indispensable to me on a day-to-day basis, and I use mine every day and take it with me everywhere!

New Vegan Bowls at Flame Broiler

You know it is definitely the year of the vegan when a chain restaurant makes a menu change for the first time in 21 years and it is to add a vegan item to their menu! The Flame Broiler, a fast-casual restaurant chain with locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma, made its first menu change since its founding (!!!) to include a brand new vegan option for its customers. The demand for plant-based entrees has sky-rocketed, and The Flame Broiler has wisely met this need with a healthy, vegan charbroiled tofu bowl that everyone, vegan or not, can enjoy.

Beauty Review: Pacifica Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash

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I have used Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash religiously for about two years now, and I still highly recommend that cleanser (read my full review). However, when Pacifica released their Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash specifically formulated for oily and/or acne-prone skin, I knew I had to try it!

Pacifica is a 100% vegan and cruelty-free line, and all of their products I've tried have been of the utmost quality. It is a brand I trust, and a brand I return to time and time again. Not only do they have face cleansers and other skin care products like moisturizers and makeup remover wipes, but they also have a full makeup line, perfumes (they make some of my favorites!), and they have also recently announced they are releasing more skin care products as well as hair products! The Kale Detox Deep Cleaning Face Wash is one of their newer products in their expanded skin care line.

Beauty Review: Goddess Provisions Box

The Goddess Provisions monthly subscription box was created by the lovely couple behind the awesomely successful Vegan Cuts subscription boxes (my reviews of the snack box and the beauty box). The Goddess Provisions box is geared more towards getting in touch with your self and the Earth while nourishing both, along with mind, body, and spirit. The monthly box features aromatherapy, crystals, superfoods, natural makeup, and other tools for spiritual growth! Everything is always cruelty-free and vegan, and there are about 4 - 6 full-size products in each box.

Earth Day is Everyday if You're Vegan

Happy 45th Earth Day, a wonderful day to be grateful for our home and reflect on how we might change our habits to preserve and protect the Earth and all the lives it contains. As Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day stated, “Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures.”

How can we achieve this "environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures"? Well, we can start by treating everyday like Earth Day! The simplest and most effective way to do this is adopting a plant-based diet! If you decide to ditch dairy, eggs, and meat, your impact will be tremendous. Not only will you help the environment and all those that live on this Earth, but with by focusing on a plant-based or vegan diet, you will also improve your own health and help save animals from unimaginable cruelties.

Product Review: Balanced Guru Energy Mists

Balanced Guru's Energy Mists

I discovered so many incredible new products at last month's Natural Products Expo West! One amazing company I came across was Balanced Guru, who makes aromatherapy scents/perfumes called Energy Mists to help elevate or regulate moods and feelings. I briefly discussed them in my best products of Expo West post (read here), but I wanted to give them their own full post, as they were kind enough to send me home from Expo with a travel kit of their Energy Mists, which I've been using ever since!

Food Review: NII Bars

Last month at the Natural Foods Expo West (check out my coverage here!), I was fortunate enough to stop by the NII Bars booth, where I got to sample their vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO verified nutrient-dense organic food bars!

While I sat there stuffing my face with all the flavors they had to offer, their founder Shanais Pelka told me all about her vision and her company. As a mom and nutritionist, Pelka was always looking for a quick and healthy to-go meal for herself and her kids. She didn't want to sacrifice nutrition for convenience, so she spent lots of time experimenting to create the perfect food bar. The end result is the NII Bar, which comes in five scrumptious flavors!

Product Review: Good Clean Love's Vanilla Chai Body Candy

I've been familiar with Good Clean Love's intimacy products for quite some time now, as their products are vegan, cruelty-free, safe, and effective. In fact, their personal lubricant was named one of the safest on the market! Not only that, but the company is woman-owned and socially responsible, committed to promoting sexual education and awareness while supporting green, sustainable love. How can you not get behind something like that?!

Food Review: Setton Farms' Pistachio Chewy Bites

There were so many products and companies at the Natural Products Expo I attended a few weekends ago (you can read about my coverage of the event here), it was just impossible to see them all! Which is why I am eternally grateful to companies that go out of their way to send me products to review if I missed them at Expo.

Setton Farms is one such booth I missed at Expo, so I was thrilled to receive their Pistachio Chewy Bites to try! With everything going on I didn't have a chance to write about these delectable little snacks until now, though they have been the perfect healthy, to-go snack for these insane last couple of weeks!

Top 10 Vegan Products at Natural Products Expo West 2015

This past weekend I attended the Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center to scope out all the new vegan goodies coming out this year! I attended last year (check out my report!), but this year was even bigger and better, and I was ecstatic to see so many vegan or vegan-friendly companies rolling out exciting new vegan products!

Over the few days at Expo West, I got to try oodles of vegan food, beauty/health products, drinks, and got to visit with some of my favorite vegan companies as well as discovering new ones! It was a blast, and I already can't wait until next year!

There were SO MANY awesome products launching, so it was really tough to narrow it down to my top 10 favorites. I finally did, sorta, and below you will find my top 10 favorite products from the Expo, plus some honorable mentions. Not all of these are available in stores or available in the US, yet, but most should either be coming soon or already in some stores.

Beauty Review: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter

The glorious return of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter!

Last year, Trader Joe's came out with decadent Pumpkin Body Butter, which sold out in like 2.5 seconds. I bought two tubs last year, and by some miracle I made them last until this September. Smelling like Halloween year-round was pretty fricking incredible, but I was in despair when I used up the last tub.

Luckily, Trader Joe's just stocked their shelves again with this magical Pumpkin Body Butter, so the day it came out (September 29th) I rushed to the store and literally made them go into the back and pull out the box of pumpkin body butters! I grabbed four tubs, because the employee who was nice enough to fetch them from the back said they only get one small box for the season, so when they sell out they don't get any more. When I got home I realized I should have just bought the whole box of 50 or so tubs and sold them on the black market to make a small fortune...oh well!

Tricks and Treats to Beat the Heat (Guest Blog on Cowgirls and Collard Greens Site)

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

When the adorable vegan cowgirl Kayle Martin of Cowgirls and Collard Greens asked me to guest blog on her site, I jumped at the chance! I have been a long-time admirer of Kayle, adore her site, and even got to meet her in person at Expo West (yes, she is as sweet in person as she is online!). I was truly honored/excited to guest blog on her site, so please giddy-up on over to Cowgirls and Collard Greens to read about my tricks and treats to beat the summer heat.  

Please check out my article on Cowgirls and Collard Greens or continue reading below. And in the immortal words of the vegan cowgirl herself, Yeehaw!!  

Beauty Review: Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I am always on the hunt for a face wash that can multi-task. I need something that not only removes my makeup (including lots of dark eyeliner) and cleanses, but is also gentle on my face and tones and moisturizes. I've never seen a cleanser than can handle all these tasks, and I generally end up using different cleansers for different tasks – I use makeup-removing wipes to get rid of makeup, then a cleanser to wash my face, then toner and/or moisturizer.

Food Review: Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips

Beyond Meat is a new plant-based protein that is said to look, taste and feel exactly like chicken! This vegan protein was created to perfectly mimic animal protein so going meat-free would be easier than ever. If people switched to Beyond Meat and stopped eating animal protein, think of the environmental benefits (reducing pollution, saving water, saving land, etc.), the health benefits (no cholesterol, more nutrients, etc.) as well as ending the cruelty of factory farms (just Google "chicken factory farming" to get an idea of the horrific lives these poor creatures live in order to end up on people's plates). With all these benefits, who wouldn't want to try Beyond Meat?

Being vegan, of course I couldn't wait to try Beyond Meat! Just think of all the cruelty-free chick'n dishes you could create with something like this! Well, I finally found some Beyond Meat at Whole Foods (they were $5.29 a package) and was very excited to try it! I especially couldn't wait for my omnivore boyfriend, Mister Spooky, to try it and see what he thought.

I bought the grilled variety (there are also lightly seasoned and southwest varieties I need to try!), sauteed them with some onions and bell peppers to make fajitas with them. Mister Spooky and I even had a few uncooked pieces (they are fine to eat straight out of the packaging, so you could even use them in salads or other cold dishes!) because we just couldn't wait!

Both cooked and uncooked they were pretty darn amazing. They have the same texture and bite as chicken animal protein, yet none of the cruelty! Woo hoo! I really liked how they were seasoned, too, and they didn't even need any additional salt, pepper or any other spices. It tasted so good that I didn't even get to take a picture of the dish...we ate it too fast! If you want to see a video of me preparing the dish, just check me out on the Vine app (just search The Spooky Vegan...for some reason it won't let me embed the video here).

My favorite part of trying Beyond Meat was that Mister Spooky (an omnivore) remarked how good it was and that he didn't need to eat chicken anymore since he will be buying Beyond Meat instead! Score!

The only fault I found with the Beyond Meat strips is that they tend to get a bit rubbery once they cool off after cooking. Still, despite this they still tasted amazing! I can't recommend these enough and found them to be the best plant-based chick'n I've ever tried.

Beyond Meat is a revolutionary and delicious plant-based protein that I think will encourage more people to adopt a more sustainable, plant-based diet - and rewards those that already live cruelty-free with delectable flavors and endless options!

For more info, please check out Beyond Meat's website.

The Most Effective Way to Go Green on Earth Day (and Everyday)

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Happy Earth Day 2013!

Since everyone’s focus today is on making the world a better place by going green, I wanted to bring to your attention the single easiest and most effective thing YOU can do to save our planet – adopt a mostly plant-based diet or go entirely vegan! It is easy, simple and not only helps the environment, but will also improve your health. Choosing a plant-based vegan diet (or at least reducing your reliance on animal products) is certainly the most “green” thing you can do not just on Earth Day but everyday!

Even if you simply decrease your consumption of animal products (say, minimizing your dairy, egg and meat intake) you can do a lot to help the Earth and yourself! Truth be told, raising animals for food is polluting our lands, our water and our air, not to mention our bodies. Factory farming is the leading culprit of gas emissions, which contribute in large part to global warming and climate change. The chemicals that factory farms emit are a public health hazard and get into both the air and water. Not to mention that the actual animals who are slaughtered are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics that people end up ingesting. And take a moment to think about all the living, sentient animals that are slaughtered just because people like the taste or tradition of eating meat/diary/eggs. These poor animals are needlessly exploited all their short lives and the abuse they suffer is shocking. I could go on at great length about this, but if you’d like to read more about any of these issues all that is needed is a simple Google search to discover the truth.

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This can all be changed if people opened their eyes, accepted some responsibility in caring for the Earth, lived more compassionately and took action to save the planet and their health! All that is needed to start are simple dietary changes that will result in helping solve environmental, ethical and health issues.

If you think eating a plant-based diet is too drastic, difficult or just too different, you can always start small. Small is always better than nothing at all! A few ways to do this would be to participate in Meatless Mondays or cut out a few animal products from your diet at a time. Also, there are so many plant-based alternatives out there that easily replace milk, cheese and other animal products. Most grocery stores carry plenty of vegan products as well…once you start on your plant-based diet you’ll be surprised how many products are “accidentally vegan”. I promise you, it isn’t hard and you’ll be on the road to a plant-based way of life in no time! Even if that isn’t your aim, reducing intake of animal ingredients will help a lot – you’ll feel better and will also be helping the Earth.

If you decide to go on this journey, your eyes will definitely be opened to a better and healthier way of living, both for the Earth and for yourself!

Today also kicks off US Veg Week – pledge to go veg this week and you’ll receive free recipes!

You can also find tons of vegan recipes, advice, etc. with a simple online search. There are countless online vegan communities, blogs, forums as well as films, documentaries, books, etc. on the benefits of going vegan.

I can also answer any questions you might have about adopting a plant-based diet, so feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns below! I would be happy to send you recommendations for sites, films, books, etc.

Happy Earth Day and I sincerely hope you consider adopting a plant-based diet for the planet’s health as well as your own!

The No-(Sham)Poo Challenge

Recently I was reading up on DIY household items and came across an article on Bonzai Aphrodite about going “no-poo”. No, this isn’t about limiting time on the toilet, but instead about giving up harmful, chemical-laden shampoo for something more natural, not as damaging and less expensive.

The “no-poo” method relies on simple baking soda (a natural cleanser) to clean your scalp and hair and apple cider vinegar (a natural softener) to condition it. The rational for this is that store-bought shampoos strip your hair of its natural oils and actually cause many scalp and hair problems (i.e. build-up, dryness, oiliness, limpness, etc.) and our hair would be better off if we didn't use shampoo and conditioner. Also, lots of store-bought shampoos/conditioners contain harmful chemicals like parabens, phthalates, carcinogens and nasty animal-derived products (read about these chemicals in cosmetics on Bonzai Aphrodite's article) that you definitely don't want to use on your body or add to the environment!

Using the "no-poo" method will eventually allow your hair to self-regulate meaning you will only need to use baking soda/vinegar about once a week. The rest of the time water will be the only thing needed to cleanse your hair! Sounds pretty cool, huh?!

The advantages of the no-poo method include: softer, more manageable hair, no harsh chemicals stripping your hair or going down the drain to harm the environment and huge savings as you won't be spending your moola on shampoos and conditioners anymore (I've been known to spend $60 on "luxury" shampoo!).

The disadvantages are that it will take a while (at least a week or two and up to a few months) for your hair to adjust to the "no-poo" method. During this time it may be a bit oilier than usual...but I hear you just need to tough this period out to get to the good results!

I'm taking on the "no-poo" challenge (though I am a bit late - the original post over at Bonzai Aphrodite was done 3 years ago!) and will be no-poo'ing for the month of May!

Anyone care to join me? If so, the directions are below (reposted from Bonzai Aphrodite's post):

In the shower, mix 1 tbsp baking soda into ~1/2 cup water to form a thin paste. Apply to hair at the roots, massaging thoroughly into the scalp. Remember that this will not foam up (no poo!) but that doesn’t mean it’s not cleaning. Rinse. Follow with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar diluted in ~1 cup water. Massage into roots and shafts, and then rinse.

I'm super-stoked to try this and will give you updates as I go!

UPDATE 5/7/12: Ugh, sorry fiends, but I've thrown in the towel on this challenge! My hair did not take too kindly to this experiment and I had so much build-up from not shampooing that I couldn't take it anymore! 

While my hair never got too greasy and the baking soda/vinegar left my hair pretty clean and manageable, it was the itchiness and build-up on my scalp that I just couldn't deal with. I'm bummed cuz I was so ready to go no-poo! I guess I'll either have to try again or just stick to my regular vegan shampoos!

Did you try this challenge? If so, what were your results?