Trusii Premiere Package

The new complimentary trusii PREMIERE package is here and it is amaaaaaazing!  trusii really outdid themselves with this one.

It includes:

(1) tru.meal (ch, vn, or sb) – single serving
(1) tru.fuel (ch, vn, or sb) – single serving
(1) tru.juice.gr – single serving
(1) tru.mist – full size
(1) tru.cleanse – full size
(1) tru.serum – sample jar (5ml)
(1) tru.hydrate.am – sample jar (5ml)
(1) tru.hydrate.pm – sample jar (5ml)
(1) tru.scrub (cacao or citrus) – full size
(1) tru.dust – full size

It is valued at $300 but all you pay is $17 (to cover shipping costs)!

This is an amazing way to try a variety of our products. Email me if you'd like an invitation or if you have any questions! 

Premiere packages are also available to international clients, shipping cost depends on location.  Email me your address to receive a shipping quote.

As always trusii products are....products:

100% organic . raw . vegan . non gmo . gluten free . cruelty-free . fair trade certified and contain NO artificial flavors . NO artificial colors . NO artificial sweeteners . NO natural flavors . NO preservatives . NO fillers . NO added sugar . NO GMOs . NO dairy . NO gluten

You can view all of the available trusii products here.

Guide to Buying Dark Chocolate

I LOVE dark chocolate. Thank goodness there are a lot of vegan options so I never feel like I'm "missing out". Actually, becoming vegan really opened my eyes to all of the higher quality chocolate bars out there- screw Snickers and Kit Kat!

Here's the thing though, not all dark chocolate is created equally. Some is by far healthier than others.  That's why I'm writing this post, to help you know how to shop for the healthiest dark chocolate (although, I'll be honest and say I don't ALWAYS go for the healthiest option haha).

First, let's talk about what makes dark chocolate healthy. Cacao. Cacao beans are the raw, whole food form that chocolate is made from. The darker the chocolate, the higher cacao content and therefor the better it is for you. Why? Because cacao is a superfood! The cacao bean contains some really awesome super antioxidants that help decrease inflammation, lower your risk of heart disease, increase your mood (thanks to anandamide), balance mood swings (thanks to serotonin), fight fatigue (thanks to melatonin) and so much more. Good stuff!

Here's the catch though. Cacao on its own is very bitter. I mean, it's not sweet at all. So in order to make chocolate taste yummy, sweeteners are of course added.  So when you're buying chocolate, you want to see which sweeteners are used and how much.  I recommend going with a chocolate that is 60% or higher, that way you know it contains a fair bit of cacao and less sugar. Dark chocolate can still be very high in sugar so just remember that it is a treat and to enjoy in moderation. 

Those labels you see above are some of the ones I like to look for when I buy dark chocolate.  You may look for different ones but here's a breakdown of these ones.

• USDA Organic.  This refers to how the ingredients were grown and the sort of pesticides used. It also ensures that the product is non GMO since organic ingredients are not allowed to be genetically modified. 
• Fair Trade Certified.  When it comes to coffee or chocolate, I try to look for this label.  This lets me know that the workers were treated fairly, that environmental regulations were followed etc. I know that there are problems with children working in fields in other countries that are owned by US companies so buying Fair Trade Certified can be a way to avoid supporting that.
• NON GMO: I do my best to avoid GMOs when shopping. I don't trust 'em. 
• Certified vegan.  I will buy "accidentally vegan" things too (meaning I don't see any animal products listed in the ingredients) but of course, I do prefer certified vegan!

That's a very very simplified explanation of each. Feel free to Google them to learn a lot more!

Okay, what else...   Well, there are a lot of ingredients that can be added to chocolate (like any processed food).  What I always suggest is to look for ingredients as close to their natural state as possible.  I don't really like "natural flavour" as an ingredient because it's very vague and while it comes from a natural source (like bugs or beavers) the end product is anything but.  If the product isn't certified vegan than I definitely avoid "natural flavour".  I also do my best to avoid soy lecithin. I eat soy products like tofu, tempeh, edamame etc but I avoid the really processed ones like soy lecithin that do more harm than good. 

So let's recap...

Two of my favorite healthier dark chocolate bars are Alter Eco and Pascha Organics.  Not ALL of their bars are vegan so make sure to check!  

Alter Eco Organic Dark Chocolate Blackout 85% Cocoa contains cacao beans, cocoa butter, raw cane sugar, vanilla beans. It also only has 6g of sugar per serving (2 servings per bar). 

Alter Eco Organic Dark Chocolate 60% Cocoa Quinoa contains cacao beans, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, quinoa-rice crisps (quinoa, rice, raw cane sugar), vanilla beans. This one has 20g of sugar per serving (2 servings per bar).

Alter Eco Organic Dark Chocolate 60% Cocoa Mint contains cocoa liquor**, raw cane sugar**, cocoa butter**, peppermint crunch (cane sugar**, peppermint essence*, cocoa powder**), vanilla**.  It has 18g of sugar per serving (2 servings per bar)

.Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao contains Organic cocoa mass, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla. It has 7g of sugar per serving (2.5 servings per bar).

Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate Arabica Coffee contains Organic cocoa mass, organic cane sugar, organic deodorized cocoa butter, organic ground roasted coffee and organic vanilla. It has 10g of sugar per serving (2.5 servings per bar). 

Pascha 85% Cacao Organic Bitter-Sweet Dark Chocolate Chips contains Organic cocoa mass, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter and organic vanilla.  It has 3g of sugar per serving (1tbsp. 17 servings in a bag).

Another option is to make your own! It's actually really easy! My favorite way is with cacao powder, coconut oil and liquid Stevia!  Superfood, healthy fat and sugar free! Maple syrup works well too. If you want a less coconut-y taste, use a refined coconut oil.  Check out this recipe.

Midori Spring’s Ceremonial GOLD CLASS Matcha Review

Midori Springs recently reached out to me, asking if I'd review their green matcha powder. I took a look at their website and was happy with what I saw so I said yes! So here's my review.

Midori Spring’s Ceremonial GOLD CLASS Matcha contains only 1 ingredient: organic matcha green tea powder. It is certified GMO free, vegan, organic and made in Japan.

This stuff is GORGEOUS and smells delicious.  I mean, look at that vibrant green color! And it's all natural; colour comes from high amounts of chlorophyll!  You can read about how they get their matcha powder here. I love how much info their website has.

I originally brewed it according to the directions but yuck! Way too strong. I prefer a lot more liquid. My favorite way to enjoy matcha powder is in a smoothie or as a latte!

On this particular day I made a delicious latte. Yum!! Definitely loved the flavour of the Midori Springs matcha and would recommend it.

Here it is compared to the Vitacost matcha powder I had. Whoa.

 MATCHA 101

1. What is Matcha?

Matcha is a fine green tea powder used for drinking or cooking. It is different from loose leaf teas because the whole tea leaf is consumed instead of just the infusion. Matcha comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis. To learn more about the production process please click here.

2. What are some health benefits of Matcha?

• Increase in energy – Matcha is an energy booster due to the combination of caffeine content and other natural properties.
• Reduce stress and improve mental alertness – Matcha has an abundance of the unique Amino Acid L-Theanine. Matcha may contain up to five times more of L-Theanine than the common green teas. L-Theanine creates alpha waves in the brain to promote relaxation and alertness.
• Improve metabolism and help with weight loss – Matcha is close to zero calories and helps burn calories four times faster than average. Matcha also lowers cholesterol and blood sugar and does not raise insulin levels.
• Boost immune system and reduce inflammation – Matcha has the highest rated ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) compared to many fruits and vegetables. Matcha also contains a specific Catechin called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCg). EGCg is most widely recognized for its cancer fighting properties. Research has found that Matcha contains over 100 times more EGCg than any other tea on the market.
• Help the body cleanse of harmful elements – When the tea leaves have shaded sunlight, this causes a tremendous increase in chlorophyll production. The resulting high levels of chlorophyll in Matcha acts as a powerful detox machine capable of naturally removing heavy metals and chemical toxins from the body.

3. How much caffeine is in a cup of Matcha?

A cup of Matcha (using 1g of Matcha powder) has 35mg of caffeine compared to a cup of coffee sitting at 95-200mg of caffeine. Since Matcha contains L-Theanine, drinking Matcha has a calming and relaxing effect.

SOURCE

You can purchase this product here!

Quick Eats

CSA. Hachiya Persimmons!

Smoothie with chocolate protein powder, goji berries, chia seeds, frozen banana and frozen blueberries. 

Smoothie with frozen banana, frozen mango and goji berries. 

Burrito with roasted broccol, cauliflower, rice and chickepeas 

Archer Farms thin crust topped with marinara, Yves salami, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, bell peppers and black olives. 

Veggie sandwich with Yves salami 

Gluten free blueberry muffins

Simple pasta with tomato sauce and garlic toast. Oh and some Gardein Scallopini "chicken".

Burrito with sauteed zucchini, eggplant, squash and lentils. 

Blended frozen banana, frozen pomegranate and carob powder. I love that it sorta looks like neopolitan! 

Carb Overload

This was another week without my husband being home. I ate a lot of pizza and burgers...but they were pretty healthy! Still, I feel like I need to cut back on the bread type carbs. 

Oh, also, I blogged some of my favourite online recipes here. Check it out!

Groceries:

CSA delivery this week. I added on the oats, potatoes and onions. There are nectarines, watermelon, lettuce, herbs, corn, green beans, turnips, tomatoes, garlic...

Breakfast:

I bought some Vans gluten free waffles this week so I had those a few times. Here they are with banana and nectarines.

And my favourite with peanut butter, banana and chia seeds

Of course I also had oatmeal. This is made with goji berries and topped with some peanut butter and this chocolate butter stuff.

Lunch/Snack:

Fruit is my favourite snack. The CSA stone fruit is to die for.  The watermelon was tasty too, just a ton of seeds!

When I got hungry at the mall I opted for a Robeks smoothie. I was impressed by all of their options. You can make any smoothie dairy free for 50cents extra. So I made the "super green" smoothie vegan by leaving out the yogurt and doubling the fruit. It was super yummy, pricey though.

You can never go wrong with almond milk, frozen bananas and unsweetened cocoa powder.

Dinner:

This was from a food truck at a brewery. I asked if their crust was vegan and they said yes so I got the veggie without cheese. They even wrote "vegan" on my box hehe

I made this dough and loved it! It was very easy and turned out great. Here it is topped with Yves pepperoni (freakin' tasty!), zucchini, this "cheese", tomatoes, spinach, tomato sauce and BBQ sauce.

I topped the second pizza with black beans, corn, tomato sauce and avocado. I whipped up a quick macaroni salad.

This was like a McDonalds McChicken but WAY better. I used a Gardein "chicken" (the ones meant for making chicken parm. They are really tasty) and had it with lettuce, avocado, mustard, veganaise, tomato...  

Another night I made eggplant burgers. I used this recipe again but I don't actually fry them.

Leftover eggplant patty and salad

Gardein "orange chicken" with red quinoa, eggplant, bell peppers, onion and squash. Yum. 

Dessert:

I used the oreos I made last week to make this shake. Oh, heaven.

Lemongrass Spa and Take Wing

I have swatches for you today but first I wanted to mention the party I had yesterday, for Lemongrass Spa! We got to do facials, foot baths and smell/try some other products as well. It's a small company of only around two thousand consultants in the US right now. They make all natural products which are made fresh (when you play your order they literally make it then) in Colorado. It's all organic and the ingredients are found in the US except the sea salt which comes from Israel. There are no parabens, fake dyes, artificial scents etc. How awesome is that? And believe me, the products work so well!

I can't buy some things because they contain beeswax or honey and as a vegan I don't buy any animal products but my wish list is still pretty long.  I plan on getting the body polish in lemon sorbet (amazing at exfoliating! and you will have the best shave after using it), the walnut foot scrub (tried this and loved it. the foot cream is great too!, candy cane bath crystals (have healing properties, great for colds etc), pomegranate facial mask (probably my favourite thing I tried. my skin felt amazing and still does the next day) and the cucumber eye creme (I need a new eye creme and really liked this one). If you want to place an order, you can do so HERE. Shipping is only $3! The party closes Friday night so you won't be charged until then. If you are wondering about ingredients and don't see it listed, just message the consultant Jessica! She has them all on hand and is very sweet and helpful.

Okay, onto some swatches. This is the Color Club Take Wing collection. I got it at Burlington Coat Factory for just $6.99. I had a few of these on my wish list so it was worth it to just pick up the entire set. I'm glad I did. These are really gorgeous and unique with glass flecks, duo chrome effects etc.

"Sky High"

"Sparkle and Soar"

"Daisy Does It"

"Fly With Me"

"Wing Fling"

 

"Metamorphosis"