{Product Review} Bob's Redmill Trio

Note:  The items in this review were provided to me by Bob's Red Mill for the purpose of this review. However, the opinions expressed here were in no way influenced by Bob's Red Mill. This review represents my honest opinion about the products.

Man! I l-o-v-e trying new fun ingredients! So, you can imagine my excitement when Bob's Red Mill offered two of their new ancient grains and coconut flour for testing. My last post was a recipe with Bob's Red Mill Farro (Greek Farro Salad), and I've actually made it a couple more times. It's a great to-go lunch option! The texture is perfectly chewy and soft and wonderful! It's a new-ingredient must-try.

I played around with the other grain, sorghum, for a few weeks. There are so many uses! You can grind it up as a gluten free flour option (or buy it already ground), put it in a hot pan with some oil for the CUTEST little popcorn snack, or use it as a rice-like ingredient. I added a cup to my taco soup last night, and it was so yummy! It does take a quite a bit longer to cook than rice, so I might soak it overnight next time.





I haven't done much (read: anything) with coconut flour before, so there was a considerable amount of googling that transpired before I settled on a first-time recipe. I ended up making gluten/grain-free blueberry-orange muffins for dessert tonight. I was so surprised at the yummy texture of the muffins. They weren't mealy or gritty or squishy like other grain-free pastries I've had before. I didn't get the recipe perfect, so I'll try it again tomorrow and get it posted for y'all super soon!

And, are you ready for the best part? Bob's Red Mill is giving one awesomely lucky reader a trio of the farro, sorghum, and coconut flour - YUM! Enter to win here: 

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Greek Farro Salad

Note:  The items in this review were provided to me by Bob's Red Mill for the purpose of this review.  However, the opinions expressed here were in no way influenced by Bob's Red Mill.  This review represents my honest opinion about the products.

Bob's Red Mill graciously sent me a three pack of fun (and new!) products to try out. I'll get the recipe posts together this week and end the week with a giveaway!

First up is Bob's Red Mill Organic Farro.

When I opened up the pack of goodies from BRM, I was super excited to get to try new ingredients that I wouldn't normally have bought. Farro. Hmm. It looks like wheat berries (and Husband even said something to that effect once it was cooked), and is apparently the original ancestor to modern wheat. Since it's an heirloom variety, it's (sort of) wheat the way God intended it to be eaten. 

There is a Farroto (a play on risotto) recipe on the bag that looks amazing, but it involves soaking and quite a bit of attention. I had neither the time nor the patience for something that involved (I was hungry!), so I decided on a warm greek salad.

Ingredients

2 cups farro
¼ to ½ cup chopped olives
¼ to ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
6 to 8 ounces feta cheese
a few handfuls of greens (spinach or baby kale are yummy!)
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup unrefined olive oil
salt to taste

Directions

1.  Rinse the farro and add it to a pot with about 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil.

2.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

3.  Drain the farro and return it to the warm pan.

4.  Add remaining ingredients and stir over low heat until the greens are wilted.

Serve warm or chill and serve cold. 

The Farro is soft and chewy and absolutely delicious! Husband said he could eat the dish once a week and Little Bear finished all of his at dinner and ate it cold for lunch the next day. 

{Product Review} Rootology Natural Allergy Remedy!

Note:  The items in this review were provided to me by Rootology for the purpose of this review.  However, the opinions expressed here were in no way influenced by Rootology.  This review represents my honest opinion about the products.

I got a free sample of Rootology last fall, but didn't have a need for it, since my allergies tend to flare mostly in the spring/summer. But, as soon as I started getting stuffy and icky this spring, I dug it out. I only had one dose, but was hooked immediately!

I emailed Rootology and asked if they would sponsor a giveaway for y'all. They happily said 'yes' and sent me a whole bottle to try and some samples to hand out. 

I generally refuse to take OTC/Rx meds unless I'm on death's door, so the idea of a natural option that actually works is so exciting! This one's an herbal blend with some vitamin C and D mixed in (not my favorite form of VitD, but you can't win them all).

My allergies have been strange this year. My nose has been stuffy and my ears have had a lot of pressure (drainage, yum!). The past couple of years, I've just suffered through the symptoms, but within 30 minutes of taking the 2-pill dose, I'm all but cleared up! LOVE it! 

I handed the sample packets out to several different people, and only one said she didn't feel a difference. One of my friends called me a few hours later to ask where I got those "magic pills" I gave her! Luckily, a 20-dose bottle costs about $15, and you can get free shipping through Amazon!

ALSO, the folks over at Rootology are giving y'all a couple of free bottles to try for yourself! I can't wait to hear if it is as amazing for you as it is for me!


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{Product Review} Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil

I'm so happy that you've found my little corner of the Internet :) There's quite a bit here to explore, so please have a look around! Also, I'd love it if you would join us over on Facebook:

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I love coconut oil. Ok, love may not be strong enough. I ADORE coconut oil! We eat it on toast instead of butter, I sub it for butter in recipes (popcorn, carrot cake, chocolate cookies, burger buns...), I use it as a hair mask, I slather it on as a moisturizer, and I've even replaced my face wash with it - but more on that later.

Tropical Traditions came across my hair treatment post (which went super viral on Pinterest!), and offered to send me a jar of their fancy coconut oil. They said I was under no obligation to review the product, write a positive review, or sponsor a product giveaway in return for receiving the free product, but they wanted me to give their coconut oil a try. Not being one to say not to freeness, I accepted :)

I didn't really expect there to be much of a difference in the Tropical Traditions coconut oil and the brands that I usually use, but it actually was a nicer product. The texture is creamier, and the smell is a bit more potent. I'm not sure if I'm crazy about it for frying eggs, but it makes a heck of a toast spread and is really nice for cosmetic uses!


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Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA doesn't let us discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is a great website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.