Category Archives: Organic

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

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An Italian lady that I work with fixed me a plate of organic multicolored carrots roasted in olive oil earlier in the week.

She knows that I am vegan and took it upon herself to fix me lunch.

The carrots that were in their natural shades of golden-yellow, creamy white, deep burgundy and jeweled orange tasted pretty good.

I liked the yellow carrots cooked the most.

They had a flavor like a cross between potatoes and yellow squash.

I have always been fond of fresh orange carrots. So, I am a carrot-eater in general.

It feels good to enjoy a healthy meal.

An Herbal Delight: Lemon And Ginger Tea

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I had a hot cup of lemon and ginger tea yesterday at work.

It was the Bigelow Organic Steep Lemon Ginger Tea brand.

The beverage was potent with natural ginger, giving the tea a peppery taste, yielding the pleasant bursts of vibrant lemon flavor.

I love it when my herbal tea literally tingles the tune of tasty nutrition.

So nice to the spice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrots And Carrot Juice

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I love fresh carrots! I always have, they are just so darn tasty and a great snack to crunch and chew on. Not only are they delicious, but highly nutritious!

I keep carrots in the house. Every time I go grocery shopping, I purchase this healthy vegetable and I eat them practically every day.

I remember during my teens when I juiced carrots for the very first time. The taste of the beverage was unbelievable. My mother and I gulped down our carrot juice with such pleasure.

Be sure to incorporate a generous serving of carrots or carrot juice into your diet or daily routine and get plenty of that vital beta carotene along with a heap of other vitamins and minerals to fill up your body with.

If one can afford to, buy and eat organic carrots and other vegetables and fruits as well!

Fresh Pears

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I had some fresh organic pears yesterday. I bought them last week. Six came in a bag. I ate five since one had fell to the floor.

They were firm, crunchy, and delicious. I had not eaten any pears in a very long time. So long I can’t even remember. I love pears, they were the brown ones with tint of green.

I always buy and keep fresh fruit, especially apples, cherry tomatoes, oranges, tangerines, carrots and bananas.

Pears are highly nutritious they are rich in dietary fiber, plant compounds, and essential nutrients! This favorite snack of mine is also said to be able to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes when consumed regularly in a well-balanced diet.

Most fresh fruit and vegetables are excellent at combating and preventing many health issues anyhow.

 

 

Breakfast Cereals And The Two Healthiest Cold Cereals

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As a child my favorite cold breakfast cereal were rice krispies and corn flakes. Cheerios was good too.

In addition, I experimented with plenty of other cereals specifically geared toward children- Frosted Flakes, Captain Crunch and etc….

In my adult years, I rarely ate cold cereal, and if occasionally I had a taste for some, I searched for a healthy vegan alternative compared to the traditional junk on the market nowadays.

Most cold breakfast cereals are loaded with unnecessary amounts of added sugars along with a host of other rotten ingredients not beneficial to the health.

When looking for a quality cereal it should be one that is high in fiber, minimally processed, very low in added sugar (no added sugar if possible), non-gmo and whole grain.

I use to like Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes the last time I had a box I was turned off by the flavor and texture of the flakes. Prior to that I had already decided not to purchase them anymore due to the sugar content.

The Heritage Flakes don’t have a sweet taste but I prefer cereals now without added sugars (Nature’s Path Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise is far too sweet for me. I don’t know how I occasionally ate them to begin with).

It’s very hard to find a legitimate healthy cold breakfast cereal. There are quite a few out there advertised as being nutritious when in reality they’re genuinely not.

I was shocked when I found one that I could actually trust and like. Yes, I found Uncle Sam Raisin Bran Toasted Whole Wheat Berry Flakes & Raisins cereal.

This cereal has only four ingredients: whole grain wheat, raisins, barley malt and salt.

In my opinion, this cereal is delicious. I truly love and enjoy eating Uncle Sam raisin bran.

The other genuinely healthy cereal out there I forgot to mention is the original Grape Nuts (which I use to be hooked on during my teenage years).

Grape nuts also only consist of four ingredients without any added sugars. The contents of healthy Grape Nuts are: whole grain wheat flour, malted barley flour, salt and dried yeast.

Grape Nuts are also fortified with acceptable vitamins: reduced iron, niacinamide, zinc oxide (source of zinc), vitamin b6, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin b1) and folic acid.

These two cold breakfast cereals are two of the healthiest on the market and the only ones that I eat when I have a taste for some.

I’ve even changed my brand of soymilk.

Silk use to be my only vegan choice of milk and I still consider Silk to be top rate. I would continue to drink the milk if they took out all the extra added ingredients such as the vitamin a palmitate, calcium carbonate and other particular additives.

I like that Silk has a delicious organic unsweetened vanilla with no added sugar,  but it is still fortified and contained with other undesirable additives that I do not want to consume.

I fortunately came across unsweetened WestSoy Soymilk months back. I prefer the plain-tasting version over the vanilla. The plain has only filtered water and whole organic soybeans.

Pickles Delicious!

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I never liked pickle chips in any type of burger or sandwich or alone for that matter, but I always loved kosher dill pickle spears by themselves.

They were also so good to eat on the side while eating a hero sandwich; crispy potato chips always went well with a sandwich too.

Anyhow, over the weekend, my mother opened up a jar of pickles that I had bought from my local stop & shop a few weeks ago. They’d been inside the refrigerator all of this time nice and cold.

I found these particular pickles in the vegan/organic aisle of the supermarket and I could tell by the packaging and by the look of the pickles that they were of good quality. I wanted to pick up a jar for my mother also, yet there was only one jar of spears left. The others on the shelf were the pickle chips and my mother liked pickle chips but not to eat alone as a snack, so I was only able to purchase one jar of this specific brand. I just decided that my mother and I would share them.

This was my very first time ever buying these organic Woodstock brand and I must say that these kosher dill pickle spears were extremely delicious. I couldn’t stop eating them. I love them! These pickles are on the expensive side $6.99; however, they were well worth the money!

Since I was a child, I had always loved raw cucumbers. I use to go and pick our own home grown ripe cumbers from our backyard that my grandmother had planted, peel them, and sprinkle a little salt on them. Cucumbers/pickles are such a naturally healthy treat.

Here are the list of contents within the Woodstock brand:

Ingredients: Organic cucumbers, water, organic distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, organic garlic chips, organic dill weed oil, organic gum arabic, organic natural spice flavors, xanthan gum.

 

 

Sandwiches And Cold Cuts

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I was up and about early yesterday morning trotting around in Manhattan, New York

I had gotten my hands on a heated, cutely packaged, and healthily prepared sandwich.

The roasted onion, garlic, tomato, kale, olive oil and mozzarella melted on chicken layered inside of hero bread was what I picked out to bring as a treat home to my mother.

She praised the sandwich. “It’s on the style of a vegetarian type of sandwich”, she had said to me after eating the food.

My mom loves her sandwiches and I often inspire her to eat healthy.

I buy her boar’s head cold cuts to put on whole wheat bread or the stonefire brand of roasted garlic naan flatbread I introduced her to, though, I’ve never actually eaten the product myself.

I have an eye for what I know she’d probably like and she really enjoyed the flatbread so I continued to get it for her from time to time.

I always read ingredients before making a purchase, however, my mother isn’t as picky as I am when it comes to certain food, and she isn’t vegan, vegetarian, or pollo pescetarian, but she does like vegan and vegetarian dishes.

What I appreciate about boar’s head is they don’t use animal rennet for their cheese only vegetable rennet.

They also have an organic non gmo selection of natural crafted cold cuts to choose from. I purchased the “Simplicity” mild cheddar cheese and roasted turkey breast once.

 

Nature’s Path Cereal

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The early part of last year I had tried Nature’s Path cereals for the very first time and I was not disappointed.

I tried the Sunrise Crunchy Maple and I loved the taste. I knew if I liked the maple I’d love the vanilla.

What attracted me to the product was that is was organic, vegan/vegetarian, non gmo, and made with an array of wholesome ingredients.

I’ll be buying more of these two flavor cereals within the future.

Sunrise Maple Crunch:

INGREDIENTS:

Brown rice flour*, whole grain corn meal*, cane sugar*, corn meal*, yellow corn flour*, inulin*, maple syrup*, quinoa*, natural maple flavor, flax seeds*, sea salt, buckwheat flour*, amaranth*, molasses*, tocopherols (vitamin E). *Organic. Produced in a facility that uses tree nuts, peanuts and soy.

Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla:

INGREDIENTS:

Whole grain corn meal*, brown rice flour*, cane sugar*, corn meal*, yellow corn flour*, inulin*, quinoa*, natural vanilla flavor, flax seeds*, sea salt, amaranth*, buckwheat flour*, molasses*, tocopherols (vitamin E). *Organic. Produced in a facility that uses tree nuts, peanuts and soy.

Olive Oil

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Real olive oil will leave a specific recognizable tingle within the back of the throat I’ve experienced this numerous times. It is a sign of the purity and pungency of the oil.

I continuously prepare and use olive oil in a lot of my foods. I first began using olive oil during my teenage years. I had got it in the tin can it use to come in.

I don’t just buy any olive oil displayed on the shelves of the supermarket because I know for a fact all oils labeled as 100% pure olive oil are actually not legitimate.

There are many popular well known brands who claim to sell authentic olive oil yet their statements are false and have been proven so.

There are only two olive oil companies I have trusted and bought from for over a long period of time now and they are California Olive Ranch, and Lucini. I had researched them prior to purchasing their oils. They both have the harvest dates as well as expiration dates located on their glass bottles.

Of course, there are other legitimate brands out there who do sell authentic olive oils these are just the particular two I frequently buy.

I also look out for the seals and certifications such as Non Gmo, Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil Associations, USDA and so on.

Dole Organic Bananas

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I went and did a little grocery shopping this past week and purchased two bags of bananas by Dole and they were organic.

The bananas tasted so good and fresh. They were a little bit more expensive than the non organic bananas. I was aware Dole sold organic bananas yet I had never came across them within any of my local grocery stores.

As now the circumstance has changed and the bananas are available at one of my particular neighborhood supermarkets I’ll continue to buy and eat them.

Vermont Bread Company English Muffins

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Of course, one can’t always judge a book by its cover though I usually have a good eye and judgement for what is of quality.

As living the life of a vegan or vegetarian at times gets quite expensive I often catch and look out for sales.

There was some Vermont Bread Company brand english muffins that are constantly priced at $5.00 for two packs at one of my local Stop and Shops.

I had never purchased or ate any of the Vermont company breads and would pass up on their items. About three weeks ago, I had a relative shop with me and convinced me to try out the English muffins due to the price of five dollars for each that were six in a pack.

I only relented because it’s hard to commonly find vegan non gmo breads unless you’re at a store which specializes in those type of products.

So she bought two packs, one whole wheat and one white, I bought two whole wheats.

Those muffins stayed inside my fridge for two weeks before I went to open them up. I was hesitant as something within me just didn’t have a desire or attraction for them. If they had have been Dave’s Killer Muffins I would have been all over them the instant I brought them home.

On the day I finally decided to give the Vermont whole wheat English muffins a go I dolled them up with some herbs and olive oil and when I put them inside the toaster oven to heat they gave off an unpleasant smell which stunk.

I was even more hesitant to eat these muffins after that. After I took two or three bites of those disgusting english muffins I threw them into the trash.

I read reviews (which, of course, is not wise to always go by) about how good the Vermont Bread Company english muffins were even though I personally doubted I’d like them from the way they had appeared. I honestly don’t know what those people were talking about maybe they were paid to post that shit.

They’re always 2 for $5 for a reason.

Sometimes one has to pay a little extra for the good stuff when it’s not running a course of a discount.

I was so happy to recently get my usual Dave’s Killer Bread organic classic english muffins that smell and taste so good I even bought my relative a pack and she loved them and agreed that they were much better than that nasty tasting Vermont shit.

 

Juicy Fruit

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The weather has finally begun to mimic summer temperatures lately here in Queens, New York and usually when it gets hot and humid I like to eat light.

The fruit I had bought came in handy during the weeks. I picked up these big and beautiful bag of oranges from my local Stop And Shop they were worth the $7.99 that I paid as they were flawless, sweet, and juicy. I ate the oranges ice cold. I left them in the refrigerator a few days before I began to consume them.

Along with them I had purchased some Granny Smith green apples which I also let get ice cold before eating.

Everything taste so good cold especially in the heat of the environment. When I was thirsting for something other than water I drank ice cold apple juice. All soothing and healthy to the body.

 

Popcorn Galore!

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I just got finished popping kernels in olive oil. I love popcorn and whenever I get the taste for some I prepare it myself instead of purchasing pre-packaged.

Popcorn is a healthy snack.

I’d usually buy Bob’s Red Mill white or yellow kernels. Before that I had tried Arrowhead Mills brand.

Right now, I have in my home Jolly Time white kernels.

All of them are non gmo, vegan, or organic and the products are of excellent or outstanding quality. The popcorn smells and comes out so fresh tasting and delicious to the point where I have to pop out a couple of batches just to satisfy my appetite.

I highly recommend these three kernel snack brands as they are far better than any store bought and movie theater pre-popped popcorn.

 

Wow! For WowButter!

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I recently wrote a post that mentioned wowbutter, a peanut butter substitute that is plant-based and how the product was good but a little runny within the consistency and that I wished the butter made from soy was thicker and stiffer.

Well I just purchased another jar of wowbutter yesterday and just opened it up today and noticed how thick and stiff the texture was and I was thrilled.

So either the product was improved or I just happened to buy a particularly oily batch last time around. It could have also been the temperature during shipping or within the supermarket that had made it runny and drippy.

Nevertheless, I spread the wowbutter on lightly toasted thin vegan slices of Dave’s Killer Organic multi-grain bread and enjoyed every bite.

I like the wowbutter better than peanut butter I love how it’s not sweet or sugary tasting. The product has its own unique similar taste, and like I said before, the soy within wowbutter has more protein than actual peanut butter making it an even healthier choice of preference.

My Killer Muffins

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Dave’s killer bread products are one of the healthiest on the market and the only primary bread that I purchase for myself.

There is also an interesting back story about how Dave’s Killer Bread developed.

The breads are organic, whole grain, vegan, and non gmo project verified.

I love the classic organic whole grain english muffins and organic whole grain plain bagels.

When I prepare my muffins I split them, sprinkle garlic, onion, oregano and rosemary on them, drip olive oil on them and toast them in the toaster oven!

American Flatbread Vegan Harvest Pizza

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I travel frequently around New York through my occupation in the health care field.

When I worked In Manhasset, New York I’d stop off at a Whole Foods that was located in the area before going to my job or heading on home.

This particular market is a nice size but not large as the ones I’ve visited within other areas.

One day I stopped off, wheeled a cart through the aisles waiting for anything in particular to jump out and catch my eye, then I spotted the American Harvest Vegan Flatbread Pizza that I had read about online.

My local Stop and Shop carry’s the American Harvest Flatbread pizza just not the vegan kind so it had been hard for me to find.

I had been looking for a non dairy pizza for some time because most imitation cheese won’t cut it for me. I haven’t tried too many, however, the few I did sample wasn’t appealing at all.

The Field Roast creamy original vegan chao slices were the only brand to come close to the real thing with a suitable taste. To me, It was on the style of swiss cheese when it came to flavor. I only purchased that once upon a time, though.

The Daiya cheese slices were disgusting to me that is why I was so surprised when I bit into the vegan harvest pizza (as I read on a later produced box daiya was mentioned as the source of alternative cheese texture).

I must have had a different version of the daiya, maybe the mozzarella shreds are better or more tolerable than the cheddar slices.

Anyhow, I brought home four boxes of the pizza. It tasted like a delicious appetizer. The regular price is usually around $7 a box in the frozen food aisle.

I’ve caught it on sale a couple of times and stocked up on them. I can eat the whole cute pie all by myself!

American Flatbread Vegan Harvest pizza is preservative free and GMO free! Here is a list of the ingredients:

Ingredients: crust: 100% organically grown wheat, good mountain water, organic wheat bran, kosher salt, fresh yeast. toppings: tomato sauce (organic tomatoes, fresh organic onions, fresh organic carrots, fresh organic celery, organic garlic, organic red wine, organic maple syrup, organic extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, fresh organic herbs, organic black pepper, organic red pepper flakes), vegan mozzarella style shreds (filtered water, tapioca starch, coconut oil, non-gmo expeller pressed: canola and/or safflower oil, vegan natural flavors, sea salt, potato protein isolate, tricalcium phosphate, lactic acid (vegan), whole algal flour, konjac gum, xanthan gum, yeast extract), fresh parsley, herbs, kosher salt. Contains: wheat.*

 

 

 

 

Pure Fruit Juice

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There are quite a few good juices on the market to choose from.

What I look for in particular is all natural fruit/plant derived ingredients with no added sugars.

I’ve often purchased the Honest Kid’s Organic juices packs. The juice now comes in 59-ounce plastic bottles. I noticed that the ingredients to the larger size container differed a little compared to the pouches and small boxed juices.

I wanted to purchase the product but was concerned about the “natural flavors” listed on the label. So I called up the company while at the supermarket.

The representative put me on hold but was unable to give me an immediate response and I was too impatient at the time to wait to receive an email from customer service as I was ready to make a purchase.

So I went for the Apple and Eve Organics. I purchased four containers, two of the Apple and two of the orange pineapple flavors. I’ve already been purchasing their 100% apple juice for my mom.

Apple and Eve also are forthcoming and explain where their natural flavors are sourced from:

“Our Organics line of juices contains only certified organically grown fruits. The fruits in our other juices, while not organically grown, do not contain any detectable pesticide residues.

Pesticides are either not being used on the fruit we purchase or the vigorous washing and scrubbing process they receive leaves no detectable residue.

Natural flavors contain the natural essences, extractives, essential oils, distillates and proteins derived from the fruit. They do not contain MSG or any artificial ingredients”.

All of Apple and Eve’s juice are Non GMO:

“No.We do not use any ingredients that have been produced through biotechnology.”

So I felt more comfortable and confident in choosing the product and I was not at all disappointed. The juices were so delicious, especially when served icy cold.

I also love Dole brand products. Their pineapple juice is 100% natural and non gmo.

Alternative Plant Based Yogurt

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I was a kid when I first tasted yogurt back in the eighties. I wasn’t crazy about it back then and never became a fan of the product.

I also didn’t like strawberries as a child but sometimes as life goes on our taste buds change and as I got older I came to love what I now consider a delicious piece of fruit.

It was Dannon and Light and Lively yogurt that was popular when I was coming up and I didn’t like the particles of fruit mixed in with the dairy blend.

Last year, as I shopped at Target I saw a display of Silk dairy free vegan alternative yogurt all on sale. It was something new in their line of products.

I’ve already been hooked on their vanilla and organic vanilla soy milk for a while now so I was curious to try out these desserts.

I bought the vanilla, peach mango, and pineapple flavors and they were all delicious!

I don’t make a habit out of eating them but I take advantage of the fact that it is a tasty product made for vegans-and of course, non gmo that I can eat happily.

The item is always sold out at one of my neighborhood groceries, especially the vanilla. You have to grab it when you see it!

Luckily I don’t have to go too far to find it elsewhere.

I’ve also tried the Forager project vanilla cashew yogurt made with organic plant-based ingredients.

What attracted me to the product was their company’s stance on contributing to the betterment of our planet through promoting a more natural way of living to keep us healthier and more sustainable according to what I’ve read up on at their website.

However, their alternative yogurt was a bit on the watery side for me, just my opinion, but cheers to what they set out to accomplish and the options they have made available to us vegans, vegetarians and health fanatics.