Tempt Living Harvest Hemp Products
Several moths ago, I was sent some coupons from Tempt Living Harvest. Tempt is a line of Hemp based products, from a company out of Portland, OR (one of my favorite cities in the whole world!). I was excited about the opportunity to sample this line for several reasons. First, when my husband was on tour with his show RENT, traveling around the country, he relied on a daily shake made from TEMPT original protein powder to get him through the day. This really did happen before I was sent free coupons! 
So they sent me the coupons, and then I forgot about them for a few weeks, was traveling, and am now finally writing my review. I was able to find the chocolate hemp milk, the original hemp milk, the hemp “ice creams” and the protein powders. I was not able to find their hemp oil, which I was really disappointed about! C’mon Whole Foods, get up to speed!
First, a little bit about this line. This is a line of dairy-free, soy-free vegan products that are also nut-free, and peanut-free. Please check the ingredients labels for manufacturing conditions to decide whether this product is safe for you or your family. One of the coolest things about this environmentally sustainable product line is that they use sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin. I love that such an ingredient now exists for the soy allergic and soy avoiders. How cool, right?
Now, on to flavor. What I love… I love these “ice creams”. They are smooth, with fantastic flavor. There is not a hint of ropey hempiness in them. They have everything an ice cream should, indulgent creaminess, and that “yum” feel as they melt in your mouth. My son Monte, who can’t eat dairy, was literally in love with the Chocolate Fudge. He said, “It’s frickin’ awesome!” That’s probably not appropriate language for a six year old, but it’s better than the alternative, right?
I really liked the Mint Chip as well. It’s light and refreshing, and I could probably eat the whole container pretty easily in one sitting, because hemp products have the perfect ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 essential fatty acids, making this frozen dessert, almost a “Health Food”!
While I liked the Vanilla Spice protein powder, I actually prefer the less sweet Original. It has a more neutral flavor and blends well with fruit. The Vanilla Spice has a distinct flavor, which is good, but pronounced.
My kids liked the Chocolate Hemp Milk, but not the original. I don’t think I’d drink it straight either, but it’s certainly great for baking with. It’s a protein-rich vegan milk for all your baking needs. It is also great in your smoothie along with the Original Hemp Protein powder, and a banana.
I am still hoping to find that Hemp Oil, and the Coconut Lime Frozen Dessert. Until then…. Happy hemp! What are your favorite non-dairy products? Do you use soy, or rice, or hemp? What do you pour on your cereal? I’d really love to know.
Surf Sweets: Allergy Friendly Candy!
I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for the sweet stuff. Particularly that amazing taste sensation of sweet & sour. But most sour candies (sour patch kids, for example) are full of artificial color and artificial flavor. Not only that, but there’s no allergy-safety assurance, and forget about organic.
Well, not anymore. There’s a new gummy bear in town! Bert Cohen (best known as the co-founder of Enjoy Life!) has brought us Surf Sweets, a fantastic new organic gummy candy line, that covers all your bases for bears, worms, swirls, and jelly beans.
Surf Sweets offers seven unique varieties of its mouth-watering organic and natural gummy candies and jelly beans, all of which are made with organic fruit juice and sweeteners:
In addition to using natural, organic ingredients, Surf Sweets organic gummy candy provides 100% of you daily Vitamin C per serving. (And the Gummy Swirls are calcium fortified too!) All of their products are free of trans fats, GMOs, corn syrup, gluten, artificial colors and flavors. But best of all, these little cuties are made in a peanut-free facility that is free of other common allergens as well (wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, tree nuts, shellfish, and fish). What’s sweeter than that?
100 % of your daily dose of Vitamin C? Calcium fortified? Allergy-friendly and GMO-free? Who is this miracle worker? Now you can feel virtuous, and downright self-satisfied sneaking a little bag of candy into your kids lunch box.
My favorite? The Sour Worms, hands down. My kids’ favorite? Any kind of Bear. Yours’? You’ll just have to sample and see.
New Allergy Friendly Cooking iPad and iPhone application hits the market!
cook IT allergy free Review
cook IT allergy free
First, let me begin by saying how happy I am that Kim, who founded “cook IT allergy free” has launched this product. And let me follow by saying, I am a heel! I’ve been promising to review this great new app for almost a month.
It all began when I got excited because I saw somebody tweet about its approaching release. I then tweeted to twitterland, having no idea who’d hear me, “WHO DID THIS?!” And Kim tweeted back, almost immediately, “I did!” I was really impressed. It’s such a challenge writing a cookbook (or even a recipe, sometimes), I couldn’t imagine what enterprising person would take on such an extensive project. Creating an app, with literally hundreds of Gluten-free recipes, is no small task. So this mother of a child with Celiac Disease needs, first and foremost, to be thanked for all her time and effort.
Kim also needs to be thanked for taking a marginalized type of food, and mainstreaming it. Thank goodness for Kim, for advancing gluten-free (allergy-friendly) recipes into the modern age, with the most modern technology available.
Now about that technology. Part of the reason it took me so long to write about this new app, is I got waylaid by my lack of iPad or iPhone. Thankfully, Kim has a firm grasp on current technology, and reminded me that I could use my iPod touch! After a few more false starts (my husband took it w/him out of town, I couldn’t figure out how to download directly onto touch, etc.), we finally got the app off iTunes, onto my computer, and then onto my iPod. I swear I was all set to review it then, but my husband once again left town with the iPod, this time to Seattle. Important thing to note, about this app, steel away your i-pods, pads, and phones, and keep them to yourself! Right now, mine is sitting on the desk, directly in front of me. I am watching it like a hawk.
Now about this app. It took me a few tries to figure out how to navigate, but that is only because I’m new to this. In fact, all of us are new to navigating recipes in this format, so hang in there, you’ll get the knack of it. After a few stumbling attempts, I was cranking through the table of contents, and checking out the recipes. Kim has compiled a very thorough collection, that will take you through the day, from breakfast to dinner, and anything in between. The recipes are a solid sampling of comfort foods, and healthy fare. It is an excellent resource for anyone with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance. The recipes can also be tailored, with substitutions, to avoid other allergens, such as dairy, and eggs. Of particular note, is the apps ability to save your customized recipes to your grocery list and recipe box. I love it when a recipe includes a shopping list! Here, you can create one, for every single recipe, without writing down a single word. The app compiles it for you, and you just whip it out and let your fingers do the walking at the grocery store. I also love that ones’ customized grocery list is organized by aisle. I’m a sucker for order, and this app has it! Check it out, it won’t disappoint. For more info, please visit cookITallergyfree. And out of curiosity, have you used a recipe app before? This was my first. And a fun way to begin. Thanks, Kim!