A Gutsy Girl

Heal your gut. Heal your life.

unprocessed

Certified Gutsy Made in Nature Dried Mangoes

Filed Under: Certified Gutsy, Dairy Free, Eat, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Gutsy Pantry, Love, Paleo, Special Diets, Unprocessed, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , ,

I have Certified Gutsy Made in Nature Dried Mangoes.

Learn about the Certified Gutsy label. 

I have always love Made in Nature, and full disclosure, I do work with them on a paid basis for various projects. But honestly? How could I not? I love what they stand for and the products they produce. They make snacking and on-the-go easy, not just for me, but (and maybe mostly) for my children.

Their mangoes have the Certified Gutsy label stamped all over, so it was time I officially Certified Gutsy Made in Nature Dried Mangoes.

Certified Gutsy Made in Nature Dried Mangoes

Click HERE to save this post for later + click HERE to check out my Pinterest board filled with all Certified Gutsy products.

Certified Gutsy Made in Nature Dried Mangoes sarahkayhoffman.com gluten free AIP dairy free Vegan

 

Ingredients

organic dried mango slices

About

“Ripened in the hot tropical sun, these tender strips of mango serve up a healthy burst of fresh flavor and comic relief from the standard day-to-day.” (Made in Nature) You can find them on Amazon, and for many of you, the best place to get them will be at your local Costco! They can also be found at Walmart (in the produce aisle) and at Target. If neither of those are an option for you, you can click HERE to find a retailer near you that carries them. I’m fairly certain our local Safeway does.

They Are

100% organic and Non-GMO Project Verified, tree-ripened, contain no added sugars (which most dried fruit does have added sugar), and (by nature) are vegan, salt-free, gluten-free, dairy free, corn free, soy free, and free of all nuts.

Use(s)

Sure you could get creative with them. You could place them on top of an oatmeal, yogurt or smoothie bowl. Or you could just be basic like we are and eat them straight from the bag. If you have a small enough bag of them, throw them in your purse or diaper bag for those ohmygoshmommy-I’m-so-hungry-can’t-wait-one-more-second moments. If you get a large bag from Costco, I recommend grabbing a small and simple Stasher Bag to put several handfuls into for that same purse or diaper bag.

Certified Gutsy Made in Nature Dried Mangoes sarahkayhoffman.com vegan gluten free

Gutsy Notes

Mangoes in this form, with nothing but mango in the ingredients, are almost for everyone. But for those of you with active SIBO, you’ll need to avoid for now. They are high FODMAP, even in small doses. The only other population who likely won’t do well with them are those who have a fructose malabsorption (with or without SIBO), as they are high in fructose. However, this product did make my 11 Favorite AIP Packaged Foods List, so there’s that 🙂

Questions

Have you had these mangoes before? Can you stop after just a handful or does the bag dwindle quickly?!

Do you have a product you’d like me to review for potential Certified Gutsy status? Contact me!

Xox,
SKH

Claire’s Birthday Blueberry Tartlets

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Eat, Gluten Free, Love, Paleo, Raising Baby, Recipes, Special Diets, Unprocessed Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The recipe for Claire’s Birthday Blueberry Tartlets was released in 2014 just in time for my summer eats, treats and desserts e-book.

Claire's Blueberry Birthday Ice Cream Tartlets sarahkayhoffman.com

One of the ingredients in this recipe is almond meal, so now would be a good time to remind you of the differences between almond meal and almond flour. They are not the same, and many times if you use one when you should have used the other, your recipe won’t turn out. That happened to me when I made this once. Learn all about it in grain-free baking: blanched vs. unblanched nuts.

Claire’s Birthday Blueberry Tartlets

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Her name is Claire. She’s a little darlin’.

It was her 3rd birthday.

Her mommy wanted something gluten and dairy free for her.

It had to be special, though….

Claire was having a brunch tea party with all her miniature friends.

Miniature, simple, gluten and dairy free was what I created.

Delicious and pretty enough for a 3-year old tea time birthday party is what she got.

And so I named them just for her, “Claire’s Birthday Blueberry Tartlets.”

Print
Claire’s Birthday Blueberry Tartlets
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Gluten, grain, dairy and soy free blueberry tartlets for a birthday or tea party built with all ages in mind.
Ingredients
Crust
  • 1 2 c. almond meal (must be almond meal, not flour)
  • ⅛ tsp baking soda
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp flax seed (+4 tbsp water)
  • ÂĽ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
IceCream
  • ½ c. Full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight the night before use
  • ⅛ c. light coconut milk
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • ½ c. blueberries
Instructions
Crust
  1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Mix egg and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl.
  3. Add melted coconut oil to dry mixture. Then, add the egg/extract to the dry mixture and stir by hand.
  4. Chill the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Brush your tartlet pan with coconut oil.
  7. Once the mixture has chilled, separate it evenly on your pan (Note: You want to make sure to press the “dough” down enough in the middle to create somewhat of a small hole/pocket prior to baking, as this is where your ice cream will live.)
  8. Bake for about 10 minutes.
IceCream
  1. Meanwhile, mix all the ice cream ingredients together in a blender.
  2. Place the “ice cream” in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill.
  3. Once the crust is done, take it out of the oven and let cool completely.
  4. Remove crusts from the pan, take your ice cream out of the freezer and fill the tartlets as full as you want (I placed mine on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper).
  5. Top will a blueberry, raspberry or strawberry, if desired.
  6. Place back into the freezer until you’re ready to serve (allow to unthaw a bit prior to serving).

Claire's Birthday Blueberry Tartlets Gluten Free Grain Free sarahkayhoffman.com

p.s. These are gluten, grain, dairy and soy free plus free of all chemicals, preservatives, and additives.

Want more delicious summer eats, treats and desserts recipes? Click HERE to grab them now!

Xox,
SKH

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products

Filed Under: Eat, Love Tagged With: , , ,

I attended the 2016 Natural Products Expo West this year for the 3rd time on the official blogging team, and even though my top 3 products from the show were announced recently, today I have put together my 2016 Natural Products Expo West favorite brands and products.

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Gaia Golden Milk

But first, my general show thoughts….

2016 Natural Products Expo West Overall Trends and Recap Thoughts

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2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Recap thoughts sarahkayhoffman.com

  • Ginger, ginger everywhere
  • Overheard all the time, which is super awesome, “How much sugar is in xyz product?”
  • Less dairy, and when there was dairy, the trend seems to be spiking to high-quality dairy (i.e. Organic, Raw and Grass Fed)
  • Probiotics infusion
  • Probiotics and prebiotics as a topic of conversation
  • Gut health is becoming more and more talked about, appreciated and focused on. YAY! All these years of being A Gutsy Girl, sharing information and caring excessively about the topic might finally start to pay off.
  • Superfoods galore
  • Paleo still on the rise, and yet I still don’t feel like there is enough
  • Crickets entering the marketplace
  • All hail the coconut
  • Many Vegan options
  • A ton of granola and granola snacks, making me wonder if the category is flooded?
  • There is still a gap for quality meat snacks, as I found only a few
  • Kombucha is the hot beverage

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products San Francisco Salt Co sarahkayhoffman.com

But, by far, my main overall recap thought and ah-ha moment came when I found myself perusing booth after booth and hearing companies utter phrases like, “100% natural, super clean, healthy.” I would then simply pick up said “100% natural, super clean, healthy” product and check out the ingredients, only to feel let down.

Ingredients don’t lie, and the use of buzzwords are confusing consumers. During all of those moments (because most of the times were convenience/packed goods), I decided to launch The Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a travel and convenience snack guide companion. The project currently hosts over 150 items….and I would guess it could hit 300 or more!

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products

HERE was my pre-Expo hot list.

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products sarahkayhoffman.com

From that list, my favorites included:

  1. Blue Bottle Coffee: they are releasing road-trip ready products
  2. Nutiva: their Organic (Vegan) Buttery Coconut Oil made my top 3 list, but they also debuted a Vegan Chocolate Spread that is a million times the product rotten and disgusting (poorly sourced) Nutella is (I can say that because Nutiva is not my company:))
  3. Real Bone Broth (aka Bonafide Provisions): their bone broth made my top 3 list
  4. Vital Proteins: they have just released a new Marine Collagen that I fell in love with, and the greatest thing about it is that (for me) it triple acts as a skin product, gut product and travel companion
  5. Charlie Banana: I met Gaelle, the founder and owner, and fell in love with her.
  6. Wedderspoon Organic: Traveling honey packets, pure and awesome as can be, need I say more?!

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Wedderspoon Kids sarahkayhoffman.com

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Nutiva Chocolate Spread Vegan sarahkayhoffman.com

New favorite finds, not on the list, included:

  1. Farmhouse Culture: their Ginger Beet Gut Shot made my top 3 list
  2. Nikki’s Coconut Butter: I’m embarrassed to say that she’s a friend, but I had never even tried her coconut butter before. I am officially addicted to that Cashew Cookie Butter.
  3. San Francisco Salt Company: everything
  4. Wild Selections: tuna and salmon
  5. NOW Foods: If you’ve followed here for any length of time, you know I love their L-Glutamine for gut healing, but I was introduced to a new (traveling) probiotic that I’m excited to share more about soon!
  6. Rebel Kitchen: their coconut “mylks” (for on-the-go) are incredible
  7. Made in Nature: I had always seen them as a snacking option around, but never considered them….until now! They will be heavily featured in my guide because they are that awesome.
  8. Love Bottle: not food, but lovely
  9. The Ginger People: I may or may not have an obsession with Ginger Beer + their Gin Gins are kind of perfection
  10. Hamona: I really wanted to give them one of my top 3 spots from Expo West, but in the end, I decided it would be too hard because they are in Vietnam and the product is still not available here, but it’s a whole coconut with a little punch for a straw to (easily) drink straight from the coconut. They were friendly and awesome and when they come here I’ll be sure to let you know.
  11. Once Upon a Farm: Children’s pouches that I’d eat!
  12. Coyo: coconut yogurt, thick ‘n creamy
  13. RESTORE: Shortly before attending the show, a reader commented on the post wondering if I’d check them out, so I did and after I learned a ton, watched videos, spoke with the creator and tried the product, I can say I recommend it. I will hopefully get to share more with you soon.
  14. Hu Paleo Chocolate: I’m not kidding….there are zero lecithins in this chocolate and it is divine
  15. Wild Zora: Their meat and veggie bar was probably my favorite, namely the Meditteranean Lamb Bar with Spinach & Turmeric
  16. Thousand Hills Cattle Co.: But those grass fed beef sticks, though! Here’s the kicker, I don’t have access to them in California, apparently, but they are based in the homeskillet Minnesota and the guy told me that my family can get them at the Waseca Hy-Vee! How awesome is that?!
  17. Harmless Harvest: Organic, fair trade coffee coconut water
  18. Big Tree Farms: they have a coconut aminos product, which I’ve been on a huge kick with lately
  19. Gaia Herbs: at Expo West, they released a brand new product, Golden Milk. They served it blended in with warm almond milk and I was blown away. (Hopefully) stay tuned for more.

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Once Upon a Farm sarahkayhoffman.com

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Nikki's Coconut sarahkayhoffman.com

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Made in Nature sarahkayhoffman.com

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Farmhouse Culture Gut Shot sarahkayhoffman.com

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Charlie Banana sarahkayhoffman.com Did you attend the show? What were your favorites? Are there any of these products you’d like to know more about?!

2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products Hamona sarahkayhoffman.com

p.s. Reading this in 2017? Check out my Top 15 Overall Expo West 2017 Finds.

Xox,
SKH

Mama Name Calling

Filed Under: Love, Raising Baby, Unprocessed Tagged With: , , ,

Mama name calling is rarely welcomed. Yesterday I was called something that I don’t think I’ve ever been called in my life, nor did I ever think I’d be so excited to be called in my life.

I was called a ‘Maverick Mama.’

Can I just tell you how many times I’ve been told how “annoying” I am because of the ways in which I choose to feed my children?

My conversation with the woman above revolved around the idea that once we get/adopt our children, I make it a priority to restore their guts to give them the best chance at health possible.

There are two critical ways that babies enter the world and begin their lives with optimal gut flora: via vaginal birth and via breastfeeding.

Neither of my children were born that way (nor was I).

Both of my children began their lives with formula, where the first ingredient is corn syrup (I die a little inside each time I read those words on formula packaging).

And so, in addition to many other things, one of my main priorities is to immediately help them thrive by what we put (or don’t put) into their bodies.

I believe in bone broth from a bottle.

Mama Name Calling Baby Bone Broth Bottle sarahkayhoffman.com

And pureed fruits, fats, vegetables and meats over the standard “grain baby foods.”

We do Cod Liver Oil, little “fishies” for Samarah and other things.

I deny many foods and ingredients as a standard (I don’t buy them and keep in our house), but I do not forbid them indefinitely (ex. Samarah has treats at events, birthdays, etc.).

The things I do might make me “annoying,” but these are my children and this is our choice.

It is not a coincidence that at every single one of Samarah’s “high risk” follow-up appointments, the doctors continued to say that it didn’t seem real – how she grew normally and functioned like they couldn’t believe. They would joke, “What are you feeding her?” And then I would tell them because I knew that was a major part of the progression. They were astounded, never heard of it.

I do it because I believe in it with my whole heart. Remember, proactive not reactive. I lived most of my life in a reactive state, and I am not willing to do it for my children.

It’s not easy, nor is it convenient. It requires extra work and sometimes a little creativity. But I want my little people to have the best chance at the best health, and I know that this is done primarily with what we feed our bodies.

The mama name calling yesterday was pretty awesome.

Xox,
SKH

Mama Name Calling sarahkayhoffman.com

 

 

2016 Natural Products Expo West

Filed Under: Inspire, Love Tagged With: , , ,

For the third year in a row, I am on the 2016 Natural Products Expo West Blogging Team. What this means is that not only do I have access to anything and everything at the show, but I will also be tasked with coming back after the show to share my top 3 overall picks.

2016 Natural Products Expo West

Anyone who is passionate about natural products and lifestyle attends this show. It is like Disneyland for those of us who share this common passion.

Last year I was looking for more than just “natural,” and I found it, too! The year prior to that, in 2014, I picked my top 4 (vs. 3) favorites because I simply couldn’t narrow it down.

I expect this year to be just as difficult.

But what I’m doing this year vs. year’s past is researching prior to attending the show. The show is ginormous and there is no way on Earth to hit up everything. You must have a plan of attack for each and every single moment you’re there. My schedule is already fairly booked up (I’m going mostly with Nutiva because they are my jam), but with any free time I have every intention of being intentional for who I visit.

My schedule is already fairly booked (I’m going mostly with Nutiva because they are my jam), but with any free time, I have every intention of being intentional for who I visit.

Expo West is filled with various categories, which include things like grocery, health & beauty, healthcare, herbs, natural home & textiles and more.

I don’t know a lot about natural home & textiles, so I didn’t include it below, but I am hoping to explore this category more while there.

What I do know about is the grocery category, so this is the largest list I have put together. I know less about baby, health & beauty so those are also shorter lists. You will find my hot list for each below.

2016 Natural Products Expo West sarahkayhoffman.com

Grocery Category

HERE is a list of all brands and companies who will be at Expo West in the Grocery Category.

My hot list includes:

  1. ALTER ECO (might be the best-ever chocolate + my mom wants to know more – anything for her!)
  2. Angie’s Boomchickapop (Angie is a mentor and friend)
  3. Bare Snacks
  4. Blue Bottle Coffee
  5. Califia Farms (Fact: Blue Bottle Coffee uses their milk)
  6. Daily Greens
  7. Dang Foods
  8. Enjoy Life Foods
  9. Fashion Snackz, Inc. “Deez Nutz”
  10. Forager Project
  11. Guayaki Yerba Mate
  12. HimalaSalt (I might be a tad bit obsessed over Himalayan Salt, but it’s so good for the adrenals.)
  13. Hint
  14. Humm Kombucha (my favorite!)
  15. Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss
  16. Marley Coffee (I featured them last year. They are super awesome.)
  17. Nutiva (Can’t find me? Chances are I’m here! And you should be, too.)
  18. Primal Kitchen (reader request)
  19. Pure Bar Company
  20. Real Bone Broth (People love my free bone broth e-book, but I’m always asked, “What do you recommend for a packaged one if I’m short on time?!” I guess I might find out!)
  21. Rebel Kitchen
  22. Spicely Organics
  23. The Paleo Diet Bar
  24. Traditional Medicinals (obviously)
  25. Vital Proteins
  26. Wild Planet Foods

Is there any brand or company from the Grocery Category that you’d love me to check out for you? Comment below or contact me!

Baby

There isn’t a specific category for this, but there are many natural baby products each year at Expo West.

My hot list includes:

  1. Babyganics
  2. Baby Mantra
  3. California Organics
  4. Charlie Banana
  5. Earth Mama Angel Baby
  6. Love Child Organics
  7. The Honest Company (I rarely buy from them, but I’d love to learn more about them and why I should.)
  8. Hyland’s
  9. Jack N’ Jill Natural Toothpaste (Samarah loves to “brush a teef”)
  10. KidEase

Is there any baby brand or company that you’d love me to check out for you? Comment below or contact me!

Health & Beauty

HERE is a list of all brands and companies who will be at Expo West in the Health & Beauty Category.

My hot list includes:

  1. Babo Botanicals
  2. Dr. Bronner’s
  3. Gaia Herbs
  4. Goddess Garden
  5. Lunette Menstrual Cups
  6. Natracare
  7. Restore (reader request)
  8. Thayers Natural Remedies
  9. Wedderspoon Organic

Is there any brand or company from the Health & Beauty Category that you’d love me to check out for you? Comment below or contact me!

Finally, I am on a mission to pull together images and descriptions of various mission-driven brands found in the Exhibit Hall. This is part of my task for the Expo, and I am super excited about doing this. At the end of the day, “natural” (to me) is really only that if the business doesn’t stand on a strong mission or demonstrate a clear purpose.

There are over 2,500 booths at the event so I’m hoping to find, and report back on many more.

p.s. Will you be there?!

Xox,
SKH

Moringa

Filed Under: 101 Days of Blogging, Eat, Gut Healing, Love, Unprocessed, Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Moringa is one of the things I added when healing my perioral dermatitis naturally.

Learn the Secret healing powers of the Moringa Tree sarahkayhoffman.com Digestive

 

Moringa

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Moringa www.sarahkayhoffman.com gut healing wellness #healthyliving #guthealth #moringa #herb

I was first introduced to Moringa in the summer of 2014.

From April – November, we go to our local Farmers’ Market every single Saturday. Opening day is like Christmas, closing day like a funeral. We love our daily Saturday ritual there because we know so many of the farmers now, and we love knowing where our food comes from.

I have a few favorite stands, and one of them is my predominantly Asian-cooking food stand. Whenever I see a green vegetable or herb I have not yet tried, I ask the girls about it. I then take it home, figure out how to cook it and report back to them. They were the first stand there to have Moringa, and at the time, it was kind of a secret herb. I’d hear people ask if they had any, and when they said, “Yes,” they also said, “we have only a few back here, and if you want one it will be $3.”

Back in the summer of 2014, I listened to that for a couple of weeks whileI admired the leafy, abundant green. I’d go home and do research (I had to Google it several times because when they say it, it sounds like, “Molinga,” which I called it for a very long time.)

It didn’t take long before I began thinking about how I needed Moringa in my life. Shortly after, I returned, bought a bunch of Moringa and I have never looked back.

Learn the Secret healing powers of the Moringa Tree sarahkayhoffman.com

What Is Moringa?

The Moringa Tree is,

often called the “the miracle tree” or the “tree of life.” In the Philippines, they call it a “mother’s best friend.” In Senegal, it’s the “never die tree.”

Every part of the Moringa Tree is edible. Its contains pods, leaves, seeds and roots.

A drought-resistant plant, it is highly sustainable. It “commonly tops 3 m — or even 5 m –within a year of the seed being placed in the ground. This tree is raised for food rather than forestry. And beyond edibles, it provides products that make village life more self-sufficient: lubricating oil, lamp oil, wood, paper, liquid fuel, skin treatments, and the means to help purify water, to name but a few.” (source)

According to Mercola Moringa is loaded with,

  • 9 times the protein of yogurt
  • 10 times the vitamin A of carrots
  • 15 times the potassium of bananas
  • 17 times the calcium of milk
  • 12 times the vitamin C of oranges
  • 25 times the iron of spinach

Learn the Secret healing powers of the Moringa Tree sarahkayhoffman.com Leaves

Moringa is Healing

Moringa offers many healing benefits, which is the prime reason I have incorporated it as often as possible. Here are some of them:

  • treat inflammation
  • treat infectious disorders
  • aid in digestive functioning
  • improve liver function
  • enhance milk flow in nursing mothers
  • reducing high blood pressure
  • eliminating water weight
  • lowering cholesterol
  • help regulate thyroid function

Sources: The Healing Powers of Moringa, The 6 Benefits of Moringa and Why Moringa is the New Superfood You Need to Know About

What Do You Do With Moringa?

I enjoy sprinkling the leaves over most everything, but to get even more of a boost, I make my Moringa into a powder form (so that I can consume more). Here’s how I do it:

  1. I buy the Moringa leaves at the Farmers’ Market
  2. I bring them home and lay them out to dry in a cool area, as Moringa does not like to be hot. (You must make sure they don’t have any water on them or the moisture will get trapped while drying and mold.)
  3. They will dry out pretty well about 1.5-2 weeks later.
  4. Crunch the leaves of the stems, and place into a grinder.
  5. Grind into a powder.
  6. Store in a sealed glass jar.
  7. Sprinkle liberally over anything and everything.

Learn the Secret healing powers of the Moringa Tree sarahkayhoffman.com Thyroid

I realize that not everyone can make their own Moringa powder. It’s widely available to purchase today. I like THIS Moringa and THIS Moringa.

I was slacking for a few months with my daily Moringa use, but I started up with full force again.

Yesterday I made some of my amazing bread and threw a ton of Moringa in the “batter.” I also sprinkled it over my jumbo salad and added it to my chia pudding mixture.

Moringa is not going anywhere. In fact, I think it’s going to become the “next big thing.”

Have you ever had it?

p.s. Moringa is a plant, but because of how I use it, I think of it like an herb. I’ve loved herbs and spices for a very long time. I use them in hundreds of ways. I have a Pinterest Board dedicated to them.

Xox,
SKH