Raw Spice Bar Review and Giveaway

Last month Raw Spice Bar reached out to me to see if I would be interested in trying out their subscription service. 


You see the folks over at Raw Spice Bar have put together a service that sends you unique spice blends every month, along with recipes to use them in.  Each month they choose a different region to feature, so its also a global adventure.  The cost is $8 a months, $44 for six months, or $82 for the year, which is really a great value considering that most spices cost at least $4 a bottle.

I love the idea of trying new spices, but even moreso having just enough for the dish you're making.  I have so many random spices in my cabinet that were used once and now just sit collecting dust.  So of course I said, yes!  Send your spices my way!

Not too much later I received a package in the mail.  Inside were three spice packets highlighting "Argentina."  The first "Dark Coffee and Chiles" came with a recipe card for Coffee-Chili Rubbed Steak.  The second, "Sun Dried Tomato Pizza" came with a recipe card for Sun Dried Tomato Pizza Sauce & Pizza Recipe.  And the third, "Chipotle Smoked Salt" had a recipe card for Chipotle Salt Grilled Summer Vegetables.

Each packet has 3oz of the spice mix in it, which was enough for the recipe for my family of four, with some left over.

First up was the Sun Dried Tomato Pizza:

The sauce recipe made enough for the pizza and leftovers (which I used for pita pizzas for our lunches later in the week).   And while I can be picky about my sun dried tomatoes, they work really well in a sauce.

As for the other two spices, since both recipes call for a grill, I decided to combine them.   I was a little worried that they would be too spicy for the kids, but they weren't at all.  Which might be a con for those of you who like spice, but it's a pro for me!

The only complaint I have about the service is the recipes themselves.  I found that often the recipes had ingredients within the recipe which weren't on the ingredient list.  Which is just a pain when you're already halfway through a recipe and realize you don't have something.

But you shouldn't take my word for it, they sent me two of the Argentina Boxes, so I'm passing one along to you!  Just enter below and I'll send one of you these spice packets!


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Sunday Runday: Fit Foodie Giveaway!

I already told you how excited I am to be an Ambassador for the Fit Foodie Run again this year.  

And one of my favorite perks of being an ambassador is the chance to offer you guys discounts and entries to the race.  Because I love this race so much, I want everyone to join in the fun!

So mark your calendars for October 22 - just a few weeks away! Entry to the race also includes:

• Fit Foodie Finisher’s Medal
• Cash Reward for top finishers
• Entrance to the John Hancock Vitality Village post race celebration, featuring, food and beverage samples, culinary demonstrations, mini fitness classes led by acclaimed professionals, huge raffle prizes
• Swag bag chock-full of goodies from top health and wellness brands
• Post race celebratory drinks. Cheers! (21+ ONLY)
• 10% off Fit Foodie gear (sold on race day)

This year, as I mentioned, in addition to the 5k, there's a 10k option.  What does that mean for you?  It means this year I'm giving away not only tickets to the 5k, but also tickets to the 10k!  So grab your best running friend, pick your distance, and enter below.  If you're REALLY smart, you'll get your friend to enter too and double your chances. 



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 And if you don't win?  Well no one here is a loser.  You can still join me by using the code

PAVEDWGOODINTENTIONS for 10% off your online race registration at http://bit.ly/1RSn93b.



So spread the word - and I'll see you October 22 at the start line!

Sunday Runday: Running belt and a giveaway

6 years ago I picked up a Spibelt running belt at a race expo.  Since most of my running pants don't have pockets, I needed something to hold my ID, emergency funds, phone, and keys. 

I loved that it didn't bounce when I ran, and that it fit everything, and that it lasted for 6 years!  But I didn't love the fact that it took on kind of a bulky awkward shape when crammed to the gills.  So I thought this would be a good opportunity to try something new.


I contacted SDMom to ask about her favorite running belt.  She gets sent a bunch of different ones to review, so I thought she would be a great resource.  She told me her favorite was the SLS3 running belt, so I ran right out and got one.

This is a prime example of how not all things work for all people.  Because while SDMom loved this running belt, I hated it.  It never stayed in place and usually ends up right under my bra line, stopped in its journey north only by larger geographical impediments.

Luckily, Thatboy had already got a replacement for me, wrapped and waiting for mother's day. HipsSisters is a very different belt that the above two running belts.  Instead of being a small pouch on an elastic band, the entire belt is a pouch.  A large piece of stretchy fabric with two zippered pockets and one smaller pocket which opens to the top. 

Because of the design, it almost functions as a second top of my pants.  It doesn't ride up, it doesn't get bulky.  In fact, because it lies flat against my pants, most of the time you would never even know I was wearing it.  But like most things, experience is the best way to determine if it's for you.  So I'm giving away a HipsSister running belt to one of you!    Like all my giveaways this one will run until next week, so enter now and happy running!


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TeaVivre Review and Giveaway

 

I rarely do product reviews, but every now and then, an opportunity presents itself that I just can't refuse.  That's what happened when TeaVivre contacted me to review some of their teas.

You see, TeaVivre is a Chinese tea company who has a goal to bring Chinese tea to every corner in the world.    And I'm a big fan of Chinese tea.  It's partially a sense-memory thing.  Thatdad used to travel to China a couple times each year and he would always bring home tea for us.  It was my first experience with real "tea" - not that bagged stuff you find in the supermarket, but actual leaves and blooms.  Some of the teas would actually bloom in the teapot, revealing a beautiful flower.  And the taste was like nothing I'd had before.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the fun fruity flavors like apple cinnamon and orange ginger, but they all do taste a little, produced.  Real Chinese teas taste fresh and floral.  It's like comparing homemade pasta to storebought.  Storebought will do, but nothing compares to fresh.

With this in mind, I was glad to accept some samples from TeaVivre.  I got really excited when my vacuum sealed bag filled to the brim with samples arrived!

They had send me 4 of each of the following teas: 

Organic Hangzhou Tian Mu Qing Ding Green Tea

Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea

Premium Keemun Hao Ya Black Tea

Organic Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen) 

Taiwan Dong Ding (Tung Ting) Oolong Tea

I loved that each serving was packed in a little contained, so I didn't have to worry about measuring, or making a mess with loose tea leaves.

Both green teas were so very fresh.  It sounds silly to say that they're "green" tasting, but they are.  For me, green teas are also some of the most floral tasting, so that adds to the green for me.  They're also very light.  It's hard to find a bad green tea.

The black tea is a richer tea, darker and more like what many of us are used to in English teas like English breakfast and Earl Grey.  For me, this is a weekend tea, because it's a little more complex than the greens.

I think this was my first experience with a white tea, and this was a great introduction.  It falls somewhere between the green and the black teas.  It's still light and floral, which made it especially nice for the summer.

The oolong was my favorite.  I don't put sugar in my teas, preferring to enjoy their flavors without the added sweetness that often overtakes delicate teas.  But the oolong was naturally sweet.  Fruity instead of flowery, with notes that changed during the time it was in your mouth.

And the good people of TeaVivre have agreed to give one of you lucky readers the same package of teas they sent to me!  I'll make this really easy for you - the giveaway will run for the next week, and all you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite tea.  I can't wait to share with you some of my new favorites and explore some of yours!


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Another Giveaway

A couple weeks ago I emailed my friend Michelle to complain to her about my lack of reading material.  You see, after 2 years I have finally made it through the pile of reading material that had been stacked beside my bed since September of 2011. 

Well, I actually made it through my list in October 2013, and kicked around until one of my favorite authors new book came out in November and it took me a couple of months to finish that.

But I digress.  My reason for complaining to Michelle is that typically in the fall I don't have to worry about finding reading material, because Michelle times her latest book to come out right at that time.  As if she knows that's my reading lull period.  Except in 2013, Michelle failed me.

Luckily she promised that 2014 would not go by without the third part of her trilogy.  And she promises that this one will be right up my alley.  And she gave me a list of recommendations that would last me until then. 

Until then, I leave you with an extra special treat.  A gift from me to you - Michelle's first two books!  Just in case you haven't read them yet.  So you can catch up before the third comes out this year.

  Want to get reading?  Just leave a comment.  Tell me your favorite book you've read lately.

That's it!  The only thing you have to do to potentially have some shiny new reading material.  

The contest will end on Monday, February 24th at midnight PST.  Winner will be notified on February 25th.

Vancouver Eats and a Present for YOU!

Like the rest of our Vancouver trip, we blended our eating with old and new.

Saturday morning we woke up and headed back to Granville Island, since that was such a hit last time. We stocked up on bread, pastries, cookies, fruits, cheeses, and anything else that struck our eye. And because our trips tend to revolve around food, we headed back to the hotel to grab lunch across the street at Japadog - something I had missed out on during the last trip.

Japa dog is a Vancouver institution. It's not a huge menu, and if you couldn't tell by the name, they sell hotdogs.

But not just any hotdogs.

(Well the one on the left is a regular hot dog - that's Thatmom's) Thatboy had their brand new specialty - the spicy dog with lettuce and chili sauce.

I had the Oroshi - Bratwurst topped with grated radish, green onion, and cole slaw.

They were also debuting their new Shaken Fries. So we had to try those too.

For another new treat, we tried out Cin Cin. Although the food was delicious, we weren't won over by the atmosphere which made us feel like we were right back in Los Angeles. At one of those places where people go to be "seen" which isn't really our "scene."

Thatboy had the saddle of rabbit wrapped in prosciutto with sage, morel mushrooms, peas and
ricotta gnudi. It was amazing. Rich, tender and flavorful.



Thatmom debated between pizza and a pasta. She went with the buffalo mozzarella filled cappelletti with brown butter, prosciutto di parma and sage. She was so glad she decided on this. There is really not much better than buffalo mozzarella, am I right?



Surprise, surprise, I went with gnocchi! Specifically truffled gnocchi with peas, carrots, morel mushrooms, and pancetta. It was completely wonderful. I love the use of fresh seasonal veggies.

And speaking of fresh and seasonal, we returned to Bishops because it is one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at. Last time we were there, I debated about buying one of John Bishop's cookbooks. I didn't, figuring I could always pick it up another time. I've been kicking myself almost two years! That book is hard to find here in the states. I'm no fool, I don't make the same mistake twice. This time I picked up a copy of "Simply Bishops."



AND I got a second copy for you! Because there's nothing I like better than sharing the love. And I seriously love John Bishop. I love how he makes guests at his restaurant feel like they are guests in his home. I love the fresh, seasonal, and local philosophy. In fact I was talking to one of the managers at the restaurant who recommended several of the recipes in this book and talked about how John is always quick with a seasonal substitute when necessary.

So how can you get your hands on my second copy? Just leave a comment. You can tell me about your favorite ingredient you're looking forward to using this summer. Your favorite vacation restaurant. Or you can just name one of the many reasons you are madly in love with me. I'll give you a week. Next Tuesday I'll pick a winner and announce it on Wednesday. Good luck to all!