5 Burger Buns Worth Buying
It’s burger bun time! Until recently, trying to find a great-tasting bun made of wholesome ingredients was nearly impossible. The buns in the bread aisle or bakery section of the grocery stores tend to be white, contain unheard of things, and taste like a big, dry, chewy nothing. But, recently bread makers have taken notice and jumped in to fill the void by offering delicious and nutritious burger buns.
Among the offerings are buns made with sprouted whole grain (grains that have been allowed to sprout and are then dried and milled or turned into a mush) and simply whole grain (where all the parts of the grain have been milled), both of which offer a nutritious and tasty alternative to the white processed buns that have dominated the market. Read more 
Sunfood Super Foods: Nut and Trail Mix
I wonder if the person who invented trail mix actually thought of it as they were cleaning out their car and moved their kid’s car seat? ~TheRat
Trail mix has come a long way in the past decade. No longer is the choice between a monster sized container filled with peanuts, raisins and chocolate candy or just plain GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts). Today, the selection is vast with some of the best options offered by Sunfood Super Foods – a San Diego based company dedicated to providing nutrient-dense, non-GMO, raw, organic super foods to consumers, including two incredibly wholesome and natural trail mixes that also happen to be delicious. Read more
Lilly Handmade Chocolates
Has your mouth danced today?
Walk through the Tremont area of Cleveland, Ohio and visitors will quickly learn the historic neighborhood is home to 29 churches, 31 bars, and 1 amazing chocolate shop known as Lilly Handmade Chocolates. Situated among historic homes (Tremont is one of the oldest parts of Cleveland and once housed a large German and Ukrainian population that has since expanded to include young families, empty nesters, hipsters, and visitors who come for the shops, galleries, restaurants, and cafes) at 761 Starkweather Avenue, Lilly Handmade Chocolates is a destination point for those who appreciate chocolate, fine wine, and craft beers. Read more
Top Picks at Trader Joe’s
With more than 430 stores across the United States, Trader Joe’s offers a shopping experience that keeps customers loyal: great products at competitive prices. Most of the retailer’s packaged products are under their own private label although some well-known manufacturers (i.e. the French chocolatier Valrhona) are also available.
Smaller than the average grocery store (12,500 square feet compared to 50,000), Trader Joe’s has a limited selection but one that brings shoppers back time after time. Some of the best products available at Trader Joe’s include: Read more
The Green Veggie Burrito
A Green Veggie Burrito is comfort food at its best: broccoli, zucchini and onions all bound together by sweet mashed potatoes within a sprouted grain tortilla. The Japanese Sweet Potato – a large potato with dark pink skin and a white exterior that turns a pale shade of green when cooked – is the key ingredient in this recipe. Sweet and creamy, the Japanese Sweet Potato is available at most Whole Foods Markets or large farmer’s markets this time of year. Read more
Raw Crunch Bars
Just when I think there couldn’t be a better tasting, nutritionally sound bar on the market, along comes one that blows me away. That would be the Raw Crunch Bar: a handmade, unprocessed, uncooked energy bar made with a core of four types of organic seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, flax), three types of organic nuts (cashews, pecans, macadamia), raw honey, and Celtic sea salt. Read more
Asparagus and Mushrooms with Teriyaki Tofu
Spring is the perfect time to enjoy fresh asparagus (although available year-round, the largest asparagus crop is harvested from late February to June). Stem thickness indicates the age of the plant with the young, thin stalks the most desirable and tasty. The thicker stems indicate the plant is older and can be tough and woody although a peeler can eliminate the rough outer skin. The tips are the most tender and flavorful so look for firm stalks with dry tips. Read more
Raincoast Flats
Raincoast Flats are the newest creation by Canadian extraordinaire food maker Lesley Stowe Fine Foods. Well known for their Raincoast Crisps that redefined the cracker market by using dried fruits, seeds, nuts,and spices in their recipes, Lesley Stowe Fine Foods continued that same idea to come up with a flatbread that is flavorful, crunchy, and just plain delicious. Read more
Theo Coconut Bites
Theo Chocolate of Seattle, Washington recently introduced Coconut Bites: three distinct types of sweet and chewy coconut bars that seem to be the Pacific northwest’s answer to the sibling duo (Almond Joy and Mounds bars by Hershey) that originated in the northeast.
Talk about taking something from good to great. That’s Theo Chocolate. Last year the organic fair-trade certified company did it with the rollout of peanut butter cups made with CB’s Nuts Peanut Butter and their own homemade chocolate and this year the Seattle chocolate maker combined coconut and chocolate to create Coconut Bites. Read more
Twenty-Four Blackbirds Chocolate
Five years ago, a visitor to Santa Barbara, California would have thought that the seaside town had nearly everything: great weather, lovely beaches, perfect sunsets, a creative vibe, aromatic coffee shops, artisan grocery stores, and a fabulous farmer’s market but one thing was missing: a bean-to-bar chocolate maker.
It’s not that visitors couldn’t buy chocolate in Santa Barbara – a wide variety of chocolate could be purchased at various retail stores including Chocolate Maya; instead, the town lacked a hometown chocolate maker who was willing to take on the monumental time-consuming task of making chocolate from fresh cacao beans. Read more
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