Three lucky winners will score 30 Rock, Season 4!
I know I love my TV series sets when the weather outside is frightful and I’m feeling the urge to hunker down after kiddo bedtime…
To enter to win, name your favorite character in a comment below. If you’re not familiar with the show, just leave a comment below.
Look for 30 ROCK S4 on DVD in stores nationwide this fall! www.nbcstore.com
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My delightful cousin-in-law (is that the right term?) Cassidy André Barbeau, is a mompreneur living in beautiful Costa Rica with her cutie husband Paul and two darling children, Paisley and Satori.
She is the creator of Pura Vida Pantry, located on facebook, which provides delicious daily recipes for people who want to add more vegetarian and vegan meals to their lives. Many of her recipes are also made from raw, living foods.
She makes it look easy! And…she makes it easy, too. I have a big detector for needlessly complicated recipes–I won’t use them–and hers are simple, yet deliciously compelling.
I hit her up to be a part of an A la Mama giveaway, and she graciously agreed to give away one copy of her print cookbook and one digital copy of it two two lucky A la Mama readers. She is also going to sell her cookbooks for a 15% off for the next 24 hours, to give A la Mama readers a nice price break if they’re ready to get some Pura Vida goin’ on.
Print version: usually $25, now $21.25
E-version: $20, now $17
If you buy the book, but then end up being the winner, she will refund your money. So just know that. : )
You can order a cookbook by clicking HERE.
Here’s how you enter to win:
1) leave a comment below with your preference of print or e-version of the cookbook
2) for a second chance to win, click here to go to the Pura Vida Pantry facebook page, “like” it, and then come back and let me know that you did.
Pura vida! (as defined by Cassidy: “a common saying in Costa Rica, where I live. It literally translates to “Pure Life”, although it is a lot more encompassing of a phrase, meaning to live kindly, be happy, have no worries, and take time to ‘chillax.’ It is also a perfect way to think about the ideal lifestyle….PURE LIFE. Meaning keep it as close to the way nature intended as possible.”)
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Yesterday, I ran into Francie Healey, who wrote our Sept/Oct Peggy’s Kitchen, when I was picking my son up from kindergarten. Her article has a collection of truly delicious meals for pregnancy, including Salmon-Sweet Potato Cakes. It was so good when we recipe-tested the dishes in the office that I realized later that I had Salmon-Sweet Potato Cakes on the brain. Laura doesn’t care for fish, but I went ahead and made it anyway, because she had a big, creamy, deliciously oozy Croque Madame for breakfast. Right?
Pregnancy and way-post-partum (like try 6 years postmartum moi) nutritional needs are so different. I adapted the recipe to make it lighter; I also worked with what I had on hand. So here’s my (1.5 WW points) version.
Sweet Potato Salmon White Bean Spinach Cakes
Fill a pot of water with about 6 cups. Put it on the stove to boil.
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1 6 oz. can boneless skinless salmon (or 6 oz fresh salmon). I get mine from Trader Joes.
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup of chopped frozen spinach
1/2 can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 egg whites
1 tsp. smoked paprika (if desired)
salt to taste
3 tablespoons flax meal
1.5 cups bread crumbs (I put 2 pieces of millet bread in the food processor to make mine. You could use any bread you desire)
After the water reaches a boil, drop in the sweet potato pieces and the chopped onion. A few minutes before you take out the potatoes, add the frozen spinach pieces.
Once the potatoes are relatively soft and forkable, drain all the veggies in a colander. I decided to pull off the potato skins at that point because they seemed like they would gum up the process later.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Place the veggies in a medium-sized bowl, or into your automatic mixer bowl. Add the salmon, white beans, bread crumbs, ground flax. Mix until everything’s whipped and fluffy. Add the salt and paprika, mix more, taste, adjust as desired.
Once you’re happy with the flavor, add the 2 egg whites and mix throughout. They provide a lot of loft once the cakes are baking in the oven.
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, or olive oil, or whatever you like to use.
Get out your 1/3 cup measure. Fill and drop the salmon cakes onto your cookie sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Flatten them a little bit. (Okay, if you were feeling really anal-retentive about them looking uniform, I’d say put the mixture in the fridge for a half hour so that it would be less gloppy at this stage. But I’m a Sagittarius (need I say more?) and I did not.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 11 salmon cakes. They’re so awesome; light, yet flavorful and definitely HEALTHY without tasting like some kind of awful dutiful hockey puck. You can have this with a salad…you can have it with side dishes…you can have it as a patty between two pieces of bread…I think it would be divine with a shmear of aioli, which defeats the purpose a tad bit : ). I ate 2 and froze the rest individually in my reusable glass container. This morning, I grabbed two and brought them to work for lunch. I already ate one at 10:30am, I couldn’t help myself. I was going to take a picture but I ate it too fast.
Clean Plate, Happy Belly
So now on to the CalNaturale Svelte Giveaway. What is this I speak of? It’s a truly decadent-tasting sustained energy protein drink that comes in flavors like Chocolate, Spiced Chai, Cappuccino, and French Vanilla. I love them all. Each bottle has 16g of organic protein from organic soymilk, plus organic complex carbohydrates. Svelte is low-glycemic, with only 9 grams of sugar per full bottle. It’s also a good source of fiber, and is dairy- and gluten-free. As I have shared, it doesn’t take much to mess up my digestive rhythm–but Svelte is very harmonious with my system.
Svelte would like to give some lucky A la Mama readers the following:
1. Grand Prize: Winner gets a case of each flavor of Svelte (12 in a case)
2. Runners Up: Two runner-up winners would receive a case of their flavor of choice
3. The first 30 people who enter: Win a $1 coupon when purchasing their next case of Svelte
So please leave a comment below with the flavor you’d most prefer. And if you have time, please share your favorite healthy homemade mama snack (along the lines of my recipe up there).
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Today I am announcing the winners of the following giveaways: Lunapads, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Aladdin, Rumparooz, Teatulia, and Zoe Organics.
Lunapads winners:
Michelle, comment # 21: “I started using cloth pads when I started to get my period again. I made a bunch of pads, and have gone back to the drawing board with my design a few times now. I’m so curious about what the ‘real’ pads are like. They are beautiful to look at!”
Cari Aida: “I love the selection of pads available through luna pads – I’m a heavy bleeder so I frequently wear postpartum size pads at night.”
Amber: “I only use cloth diapers on my 1st baby, and it’s time for this momma to ditch the disposables for myself too. I’m having baby #2 in January, so this will be the perfect time to start. It’s been great to build on the foundation of awareness of my impact on the world from my parents as more wonderful products like yours have become available since my mom had me many moons ago.”
Caitlin: “We cloth diaper, I use the diva cup and lunapads mini pads, we use green laundry detergent, we ride our bike around or walk for our errands, we got rid of our car, we recycle, we compost…not all these changes happened when we had our baby, but she is certainly another reason to continue all our trajectory of greenness.”
Zoe Organics Prize Pack Winner:
Joslyn (79th comment)
Teatulia prize pack winners
Herbal: Callie Swanlund
Caffeinated: Charise Nulson
Earth Mama Angel Baby Winner:
Ashley, who commented at 2010/09/17 at 4:51am.
Aladdin Giveaway Winners:
Katy S.
Amy Parks
kreeeestamama
Rumparooz Winners:
Jen Oldham
Mary of www.abetterbirthdoulaservices.com
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Renew, reuse, repurpose…yes! But forget about it feeling dutiful…one more thing to fret about. Cuter&Cuter brings luxe craftsmanship and couture details to the table.
This Swiss company founded by designers Malin Wallenberg and Adrian Coville, transforms dad’s or grandpa’s old button-down shirt into a beautiful dress for his little girl. The finished product is French seamed, fully lined with soft silk and embellished with different combinations of surface decorations.
“As a little girl I used my father’s shirt as a security blanket and a reminder of him. Nearly forty years later I can still feel his presence when I think of that shirt. The white one with tiny blue bicycles on it. The comfort of my father’s shirt is still in my heart,” says Malin.
One lucky A la Mama reader will win a handmade dress…you’ll send the shirt in the mail with size details, and then receive its beautifully metamorphosed version: an heirloom keepsake for now and for future generations.
Cuter&Cuter is also offering Mothering readers a 30% discount through the end of November (mention Mothering in your order form). Don’t be shy; give it a try!
How to enter: leave a comment below. I’m so excited…I can’t wait to find out who wins…and you’ll have to send me a photo of the finished piece so I can post it right here on A la Mama.
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“Like a cashmere sweater for my boobies.” Best. Testimonial. Ever.
I think I might need to rename September “The Month of Awesome, Green Mama Businesses.” Bamboobies, cloth nursing pads, were created by a mother of two in Boulder and are handmade in Colorado of organic and sustainable fabrics.
Exasperated with disposable nursing pads, Kerry Gilmartin had a “make do” moment” that turned into a thriving home business. She shares:
“After breastfeeding for a few months, I was still leaking sometimes… I even leaked through the thick washable cotton pads. I was tired of looking like I had round targets on my chest where the pads showed through my shirt. Disposables also showed wrinkles and made crinkly diaper noises when I moved my arms.
So one day I decided, just because it was handy, to stuff a washable diaper wipe into my bra – it felt great, but it looked funny and was far from perfect. It was made of organic bamboo velour so it was deliciously soft and absorbed like a great pad should. I’d never felt anything so soft!
A year into product development and prototyping with different fabrics and designs, we have settled on a unique breast pad design that mothers and lactation consultants love.”
Bamboobies is offering 3 sets of organic cotton, hemp and bamboo nursing pads to three different winners! Choose between:
1. regular ultra-thin pads for when your milk supply is regulated, but you still have minor leaking, or
2. ultra-thick Overnights for the early days of nursing and heavy leaking or overnight leaking.
I wish these were around when I was nursing. I remember waking up with a soaked nightgown–and having to change my baby boy out of a milk-drenched pajama at 2am was not fun : )
Please visit www.buybamboobies.com for more info. Kerry has provided A la Mama readers with a special 20% off coupon code: MOM20.
Here’s how you enter to win:
Leave a comment below, indicating your preference of Regular or Overnight pads.
Thanks so much, and good luck!
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Oh, how we love Earth Mama Angel Baby. They are such a great mama-owned company. Warm, fuzzy, and also, really wise and witty. So very “mama.” Earth Mama Angel Baby has completed a mission to define organic and safe standards for body products, and so you can rest easy in that regard, too.
And they’re giving one lucky A la Mama reader a $50 gift certificate! Which means you can pick whatever you want. They have wonderful gift sets: for pregnancy, postpartum, babies, breastfeeding support (and more) and they also have excellent mama body care products like body butter, body wash, wellness teas, lip balm, mugs–something for everymama! (As the mother of two older kids–9 and 6–I think it’s very important to shower us moms to big kids with goodness too.)
I really love to give Earth Mama Angel Baby products to new moms who I can tell are open to natural parenting values, but just aren’t sure where the entry points are (and they’re also having their super-hospital-lovin’ relatives and friends go on about risk, danger, and the old ‘your doctor knows best, so stick your head in the sand’ philosophy). It’s a wonderful introduction, alongside a Mothering subscription, of course. : )
So here’s how it works:
To enter,
1. Leave a comment below (and if you have a minute, tell us what you’d choose if you won the gift certificate)
2. For a second chance to win, click here to “like” their facebook page, and then leave another comment telling me that you did.
Good luck!
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[ 381 comments ]
Now here’s a very Mothering small business, Zoe Organics, which was created by a doula AND a mama, Heather Hamilton.
Zoe Organics has sent us a great prize pack:
1. Gentle Hair and Body Wash
2. Baby Bath Tea bag set (I love this so much, I featured it in Sept/Oct’s Strokes of Genius and sent it to my new baby nephew)
3. Diaper Balm
4. Baby Massage Oil
5. Baby Balm Stick
Here’s how you enter to win:
1. Leave a comment below.
2. For a second chance to win, click here to go to the Zoe Organics facebook page, and “like” it. Then come back here and leave a second comment telling me that you did.
3. For a third chance to win, sign up to receive Zoe Organics’ newsletter via their email list (on their homepage, www.zoe-organics.com), and then leave a third comment, letting me know that you did.
And hey! Zoe Organics is offering A la Mama readers a 25% off discount code. Because Zoe Organics uses Paypal, which does not have a feature for using promo codes, enter ALAMAMA in the “notes to seller” during checkout. After the sale is complete, Zoe Organics will immediately issue a refund for the amount of the discount back to you.
10% of all sales made on the Zoe Organics website is donated to the White Ribbon Alliance, “an international coalition bound together by a common goal: to ensure that pregnancy and childbirth are safe for all women and newborns in every country around the world.” Read Heather’s letter below to learn more about this amazing organization.
******
After having beautiful pregnancies and birth experiences of my own, I became a doula, so that I could help to educate and support women on their own journeys to motherhood. After completing doula training with DONA International, I interned with South Coast Midwifery & Women’s Health Center in Irvine, California. I had the pleasure of working with South Coast Midwifery for a year before launching Zoe Organics.
Zoe Organics was also birthed from my passion for motherhood, with the creation of our first two organic, eco-conscious skin care lines, designed for children and mothers (our line for pregnancy and new moms is scheduled to launch Fall 2010).
Zoe means “Life” and more specifically, “Life as God intended”. Our mission is to celebrate and protect the lives of our children, family, community and planet. Passion for human rights issues, especially with regard to women and children, has always burned inside of me. Over the years, I have become increasingly aware of the inexcusably high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity across the globe.
According to statistics, a woman dies giving birth every MINUTE somewhere around the world. Even worse, most of these deaths could be prevented! The loss of our mothers has a devastating effect on our families and communities.
• Every year, an additional 2 million babies become maternal orphans
• The long-term implications on a child’s education, care and health are grave
• A mother’s role is vital to the economic well-being of a family and community
Throughout my research, I have compiled a list of extraordinary organizations dedicated to ending unnecessary maternal mortality and morbidity around the world. My goal is to help bring awareness to this urgent topic and give of our own resources.
Zoe Organics is partnering with the White Ribbon Alliance by donating ten percent (10%) of each purchase made on our website to their efforts of raising awareness and promoting safe motherhood.
The White Ribbon Alliance is an international coalition bound together by a common goal: to ensure that pregnancy and childbirth are safe for all women and newborns in every country around the world.
Please join Zoe Organics in fighting to save the lives of our mothers and children. Health is a Human Right.
Heather Hamilton, Founder
Zoe Organics, Inc.
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It’s part of my job to test products (I won’t lie–I love it), and I realized that I want to bring my personal favorites into the blog more, because I want to share this unique exposure with you. I could never possibly fit it all into my two magazine pages every two months, and yet I walk around each day, making choices about what to eat, wear, buy, give as a gift, plain old use, that are informed by my direct experiences with the products that land on my desk (and some that I just encounter in life). These blog entries won’t be themed as a rule, but this one happens to be: themed on the care and maintenance of a happy belly. Y’know, digestion.
Green Valley Organics Lactose-Free Kefir in Blueberry Pom Acai:
This is so delicious that when I drank it for the first time, my eyeballs rolled back in my head. And, no lactose! (I’m sensitive to it).
Align Daily Probiotic Supplement:
Have I mentioned recently that I have a sensitive tummy? And I’m not alone. Moms often find digestive health to be a challenge. Align is great because you only have to take it once a day, and it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. I started taking it less than a week ago and I feel the difference already. There was a lot to correct, trust me.
Urban Moonshine (besides being a great name) is a small family business in Burlington, VT. These certified organic bitters can be mixed with water, or just taken neat (I do both). Taking bitters activates digestive secretions—including saliva, stomach acid, and bile. Not only has it helped me to digest my food; it has also kept me very regular. : ) And my friend Tej applies it topically, too–she swears by it to cure a multitude of ailments.
It comes in larger bottles, small vials, and a little purse spray…so I never have to be without it. Portability is key for me!
As soon as I go naming a theme, I realize…I need to mention
Dr. Praeger’s Broccoli Pancakes
I do not always have something homemade at the ready at every possible minute. I also do not feel like making anything healthy and homemade when I have low blood sugar! My goal is to have stopgap foods around to serve as a bridge between crazy 4:30pm hunger and the graceful state in which I can actually make a good, nutritious dinner. And I found one.
Oh, how convenient. Oh, how delicious. Oh, how versatile. They remind me of knishes, but they’re small and dainty, yet filling. I heat one up, and eat it with a bunch of fresh broccoli. Or you could have it with a poached egg…or by itself…It is also nice cut up and eaten in a salad. They’re kind of like dumplings, kind of like potato pancakes…but extremely healthy and light…yet comfort-foody.
What are your
a) favorite digestive support products
and/or
b) quick, healthy store-bought bites that save you?
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Good morning, mamas.
Teatulia is offering two wonderful prize packs to you tea drinkers out there–and I happen to be one, so high five. (I also like to drink coffee–I love hot beverages, especially in the fall). One prize pack has teas with caffeine; the other is made up of herbal infusions.
I’ve been drinking Teatulia for a year now; I love their tea’s clean, delicious flavors. I also love their packaging: wonderful, green, reusable eco canisters.
1. For the caffeinated mamas:
a 3-canister pack of Teatulia’s “Classics”: Black tea, Bengal Breakfast tea, and Earl of Bengal tea.
2. For the herbal mamas:
a 2-canister pack of Lemongrass herbal infusion and Ginger herbal infusion.
Here’s how you enter to win:
1. Click here to sign up for their newsletter, and get 20% off any order you’d like to place. The newsletter sign-up box is at the bottom right corner of the homepage. It’s not a fussy procedure–you just pop in your email address and that’s it.
2. Then, leave a comment below letting me know that you signed up. And tell me whether you’d like prize pack 1 (caffeinated tea) or prize pack 2 (herbal).
3. For another chance to win, click here to “like” them on facebook and let me know that you did so in a second comment below.
You can also follow them on twitter: www.twitter.com/teatulia.
Good luck and happy sippings.
More about Teatulia:
Teatulia has implemented “natural farming” practices that result in a “closed loop” eco and social system. No pesticides, machinery or unnatural irrigation are used in the cultivation. Consequently, ten years since its inception, their “virgin” garden, developed on fallow land, is now a thriving ecosystem teeming with once endangered flora and fauna.
SINGLE-GARDEN-DIRECT
Teatulia’s teas and herbal infusions come directly from the first USDA-Certified Organic garden in Bangladesh. There are no middlemen. No long term warehousing. They do not wait around to be bulk-blended by a third party trader. It’s directly from their garden to you.
SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE
The Teatulia Cooperative creates sustainable prosperity for Bangladeshi women, men and children through education, entrepreneurship, health and cattle-lending programs.
Specific examples of Teatulia’s social programs include:
• Poverty alleviation through cattle rearing
• Health and hygiene programs
• Farm sharing
• Adult literary education
• Distribution of herbal and medicinal plants
• Recreation for the youth
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