A Gutsy Girl

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Certified Gutsy Made in Nature Dried Mangoes

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

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Claire’s Birthday Blueberry Tartlets

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

Click HERE to save this recipe for later.

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

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2016 Natural Products Expo West Favorite Brands and Products

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