Living Kitchen Cookie Bites
Living Kitchen. Always Organic. 100% Plant Based.
Seven years ago when Juli Luna opened up Luna’s Living Kitchen, an organic, plant-based mostly raw restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina, the response was overwhelming. Today, there are four Living Kitchen locations (two in Charlotte, one in Raleigh, and one in Chapel Hill) making wholesome, delicious meals and snacks for those who seek out healthier dining out options. For those who can’t visit a Living Kitchen in North Carolina, many of the signature snack foods including the Cookie Bites can be purchased on-line (www.livingkitchen.com) directly from Living Kitchen. Read more 
Vortex Doughnuts
Every once in a while, a girl just needs a doughnut because there’s something totally decadent about biting into a light airy yeast-raised doughnut with a cinnamon sugar or glaze topping (subsequent bites may take you into doughnut euphoria). But, for those following a plant-based diet, finding a delicious vegan doughnut is often challenging.
Whenever I visit cities or towns, I always google “chocolate,” “farmer’s markets,” “restaurants” (because most will make a plant-based option), “vegan restaurants,” and “doughnuts.” Although doughnuts are not exactly wholesome and nutritious, they are pure comfort food for special occasions, like a Sunday morning! Read more
Magnificent Bedding: Yves Delorme
Talking about the thread count (the number of threads per square inch) of a sheet doesn’t generally get me too excited because there are so many other factors to consider when buying bedding including the type of cotton (i.e. Eygyptian, Pima, and Supima), threading, where the fabric is from, and the type of finish. Thread count simply doesn’t always represent quality – it’s like looking at a chocolate bar and considering the percentage of cocoa as the only factor that matters when in reality the type and quality of all the ingredients matter. Read more
Postre Sea Salt Caramel Lollipops
Say the word “lolly” or “lollipop” and visions of everyone’s favorite childhood treat – big, round, rainbow-colored, tangy, fruity-flavored multi-colored lollipops – comes to mind. Mitch Hedberg, the stand-up comedian once said “a lollipop is a cross between hard candy and garbage,” but he didn’t quite get it right. Sure, there are lots of lollipops made with artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives but the traditional, magnificent lollipop made with simple ingredients and no artificial anything is also out there for the taking. You just have to look. Read more
Dimples (the fruit, not the adorable result of a smile)
A Dimple is a sweet, easy-to-eat seedless Mandarin orange that is nutritious and delicious. With an easy to peel flesh (the whole orange can be peeled in one piece, a Dimple is a hybrid (the “gold nugget”) of the Mandarin variety with a bright orange bumpy “dimpled” rind which is how the fruit got its name.
It’s not a coincidence the name of this fruit shares its meaning with the adorable result of a smile. Peel and eat a Dimple and you can’t help but smile, which if you’re lucky enough, will show in those cute dimples! Read more
Livionex
We all know that good oral health is critical for our overall well-being so we brush our teeth two or three times a day, floss, and see a dental hygienist once or twice a year to professionally clean our teeth. Walking out of the dentist’s office with sparkly clean teeth is a great feeling but it never lasts long. So what can we do to maintain healthy gums and teeth? The answer: use Livionex: a tooth gel that removes more plaque than other commercial toothpaste.
Several months ago, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about a certain traveler’s must-haves. On that list was Livionex dental gel. Intrigued, I went to the company website and read about the benefits of using Livionex compared to regular commercial toothpaste. The website told me that Livionex: Read more
Gummies without the Gelatin
Never trust an adult who doesn’t like gummy bears, worms, or sour crawlers.
There is something special about gummy candy that brings out the kid in all of us. When a friend asked me “What do gummy bears, worms, cinnamon hats, sour crawlers, jelly rings, jelly slices, and hundreds of other gummy-type candies on the market have in common?,” my answer was “sugar,” which is not necessarily true (there are sugar-free gummies). Read more
The Servus Northerner Series Boot
Whether you wear boots to walk in the rain, work in a garden or to simply protect your feet from the cold and muddy elements, there’s one boot that does it all: the Servus Northerner Series Boot. Never heard of it? Neither did I until a few years ago when I bought a pair in a vet’s office in a small town in central Iowa.
Back then, I needed a pair of durable boots to navigate the fields and muddy roads of a farm and didn’t want a pair of boots that looked like they came from the children’s shoe department at Target. What I found was a boot that turned out to be great looking, comfortable, and durable….. and yet outside of the midwest farming community, many people haven’t heard of them. Read more
649 Bars of Soap
What is elegance? Soap and water. ~Cecil Beaton
A bar of soap seems like one of the simplest things in the world. Just add water, lather, and wash away dirt, germs, and oil but soap can do so much more than leave skin clean. A truly great bar of soap can also make skin soft and smell wonderful for many hours making creamy, lightly scented soap one of life’s true luxuries.
At Smallflower (www.smallflower.com) – an on-line apothecary (pharmacy) established by the 140-year old Chicago-based Merz Apothecary, shoppers can choose among 649 different bars of soap. Choose among 115 brands and 135 different scents from 24 countries. Read more
Mystic Knotwork Bracelets
The nautical look is a style that seems to be timeless whether it’s the quintessential French sailor’s shirt or the American nautical rope bracelet. Back in the early 80’s, I remember purchasing my first Breton red and white stripe long sleeve sailor shirt for $26 in Newport, Rhode Island along with a white nautical rope bracelet that I wore on my wrist for most of the summer until sand and dirt mixed with water (and probably spilled beer) pushed it into retirement. The preppy look reigned at the time and although briefly threatened by the flash of disco fashions, the nautical look persevered and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity today. Read more
Paddock Post 