Purely Elizabeth: Pumpkin Fig Ancient Grain Granola Cereal

Purely Elizabeth makes the BEST granola around.... Yes, it may be sweeter than some others, however, it is in a class all by itself.  It is made with organic, certified vegan ingredients! 

I have to be careful with this cereal because I want to sit down and eat half the bag.  

I have read a few reviews and a couple of people had trouble with the hardness of the dried figs.  It is true that there are harder small pieces but I have not found it to be a problem.  Everything about this cereal is excellent.  I have also purchased the other flavors and like them, as well. I always come back to this one which is my favorite.  

These are the ingredients, which are listed on the Purely Elizabeth website for this flavor:

organic certified gluten-free oats, organic coconut

palm sugar, organic raw virgin coconut oil, organic puffed amaranth,

organic quinoa flakes, organic pumpkin seeds, dried figs,

organic sunflower seeds, organic chia seeds, organic cinnamon, sea salt.

Here is a link to the Purely Elizabeth website for you to review.

I usually order this cereal from the Vitacost website for around 60 cents less, however, you can order it directly from the company. 

If you want to have a wonderful, hand-baked granola with a terrific flavor, give Purely Elizabeth's vegan cereals a try...

Until next time... :-)

Endangered Species Chocolate: Natural Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds

Well, here I am again writing about something sweet... but, I had to share this wonderful chocolate bar which is vegan.  There are many excellent flavors but you must read the ingredients or website carefully to find the ones that are vegan.  This is one of them.  I have tried many and I keep coming back to the Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds.  

Check out Endangered Species Chocolate: Natural Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds.

If you get a chance and love dark chocolate, give this bar a try... plus 10% of net profits are donated to species conservation each year. 

NuGo Organic Double Dark Chocolate VEGAN bars

Most of my posts, to date, are sharing favorite products and this post is no exception.  NuGo vegan bars are my favorite meal replacement or snack bar when I need something to eat on the run.  I have re-ordered this box of 12 bars many times because not only is it my favorite bar but my family likes it, as well.  I love that they are also organic. 

NuGo has a line of bars but you have to look closely for the vegan symbol if you are buying them at the grocery or health food store where many are sold individually.  If you would like to look at all of their vegan bars, here is that link: NuGo Nutrition Vegan Bars. 

I have ordered these bars from Amazon, when I want them quickly, as I have Prime and can get them in two days.  But, if I keep up on my ordering, I have primarily used Vitacost, as they were about five dollars less than the listed price per box.  

As you can tell by my previous posts, I love chocolate and have a sweet tooth.  These bars have 10 grams of protein so they satisfy your hunger for several hours.  The chocolate is delicious!! Give them a try, you will really enjoy them.  This flavor is my favorite because of the heavier dark chocolate taste, but they have a nice variety.  Enjoy!

Favorite Vegan Skin and Face Products

As a person with mature skin, I'm always looking for great moisturizing products.  I also have sensitive skin, so many products will make my skin red or burn.  For that reason, I am always trying new products and when I find a new vegan product that works for my skin and makes it soft and healthy-looking, then I have to share.

First, the Cleansing Cream from Aubrey contains organic ingredients and is for normal to dry skin.  I loved it from day one because when you put it on your skin it feels cool and fresh.  It has organic menthol oils and this just makes your face feel so good.  In addition, it takes off my eye make-up without burning my eyes.  Most of the cleansing creams that I have burn my eyes but this does not.  It is made with aloe vera, camphor, coconut, jojoba and olive soap.  The product is vegan and cruelty free.  I really love this product and am now on my second container.  The only con with this product is the dispenser.  I don't want to waste a drop and I think I would prefer a tube.  It is 3.4 oz. I purchased it from Vitacost for around seven dollars.

Second, the C for Yourself from Nature's Gate is an exciting new product for me.  It is a clarifying lotion. It is for all skin types and I found it at TJ Maxx for under ten dollars.  I've seen it online for up to thirty dollars.  The best part is that it works on my skin.  When I use it, my skin has less red and the pores in my skin are reduced.  I can see a visible difference when I use it. The packaging says that it is paraben free and is also used to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.  I can tell you first hand that when I use it, I can visibly see the difference in my skin.  I cleanse my face and apply this first, then after it soaks in, I apply my moisturizer.  I take good care of my sixty year old skin so I'm always looking for great vegan products.  I love this product and I will be purchasing it again.  

Vegan Milk and Cookies

I am going to share two products with you that are vegan.  One I have been using for quite a while and the other I just found this past week.  That doesn't mean it is a new product, just new to me.

First, it is great to make your own almond milk and I have done this in the past with great success but most of the time, I want to go into my fridge and pull out a purchased almond milk.  At my local grocery, there are two brands of almond milk on the shelf and there was a time when I would purchase which ever one was on sale because they both say "dairy-free".  One day, I decided to go online and research both companies to find out which was the healthiest and I was amazed to learn that one was not vegan.  So, now I only purchase Blue Diamond Almond Milk from the local grocery because it is vegan AND dairy-free.  If you look at the photo below, you will see that vegan is the last item on the list.

Almond Milk - Original Unsweetened

Second, while searching online sites for vegan options last week, I ran across the vegan cookie made by Erin Baker at Amazon.  It is not a sweet cookie. It is advertised on their site as a breakfast cookie on the go with whole grains.  It is a meal replacement so if you are eating it for a snack, you may want to share with a friend or just break it in half because it is 300 calories for one 3 oz. cookie.  The first flavor I tried was Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk.  If you are thinking "sweet cookie" when you eat it, you will be disappointed.  But, if you are thinking "cereal bar", then you will enjoy it.  The first one I tried right out of the wrapper. It was okay and I was wondering if I would use this item as much as I originally thought. Then, after reading over their site, it suggests you pop it in the toaster.  This was when I was sold.  The chocolate chunks melt in the toaster but leave the outside crispy. Then I tried the Chocolate Chunk.  It is my favorite!  It has more chocolate and taken directly from the toaster is a real treat.  I'm a huge fan of peanut butter but the Chocolate Chunk gets my vote.

I ordered the cookies from Amazon.  They come 12 to a package and the directions from the site clearly state they should be frozen.  That is because they have no preservatives so the shelf-life is about 90 days.  Since you pop them into the toaster anyway, this works out great.  Plus, twelve cookies at once is a lot of meals on the go.  

So.... if you would like a quick meal of milk and cookies, check out Erin Baker's VEGAN breakfast cookies (be sure to search vegan because the company makes other cookies which are not vegan), see the specific link below:  

Chocolate Chunk - Vegan