Gretchen has written 6 reviews
Tasting flight of organic fair trade chocolate in unique flavors!
I received this "flight" of chocolate bars (vanilla, coconut curry, chai, bread & chocolate, nib brittle and coffee) as a Christmas gift. I think they had been sitting in a bin at Sur La Table too long, as a couple bars had "bloom" (powdery surface). But they've tasted great! I was most excited about the Bread & Chocolate one, but it has been my least favorite. It's like they swept the grit from the bottom of an English muffin into the pan as the chocolate was hardening--the taste was yeasty. Not a bad combo with dark chocolate, but I was hoping for bread bits that were a bit more substantial. The coconut curry was surprisingly good, but the curry taste becomes overwhelming if you try to eat the bar all at once (which I always do!). That one is best enjoyed in small doses. The coffee bar gave me a serious buzz and is my favorite so far.
keywords: vanilla, chai, cocoa nib, chocolate, organic, fair trade certified, roasted
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Good Taste, Bad Performance
I regularly use Tom's of Maine cinnamon-flavored toothpaste products, which work great. But the cinnamon sometimes irritates the skin around my mouth, so I really wanted to like this Nature's Gate toothpaste. It doesn't have the sodium saccharin that makes most toothpastes so sweet and overpowering. The cherry flavor manages to be tasty despite being vaguely reminiscent of cough syrup. But after brushing with this toothpaste, you feel like you just moved food and gunk around, not like you got rid of much of it. I can't give it a high rating because it just doesn't seem to work!
keywords: toothpaste, oral care, personal hygiene, natures gate, fluoride
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High protein snack with some flavoring problems
This is a filling snack that doesn't quite deliver in the taste department. I'm not a vegetarian, so it's hard for me to compare this strip to other meatless options. Compared to real meat, the texture here is breadier than I'd like. The soy flavoring isn't overly salty--that's a bonus. However, at 334mg, it has 14% DV of sodium; a 1oz bag of Lays Potato Chips has only has 180mg of sodium! Good amounts of fiber (6g) and protein (6g). The "natural vegetarian spices" offer a slow burn at the edges of your tongue. A better title would be Sweet & Spicy. The spiciness and slightly sticky soy coating almost distract you from the realization that the strip has very little overall flavor. Once you start chewing, you'll be left wanting more--maybe an acidic flavor? I wanted to suck on a lemon after eating this snack! I'd eat it again when in need of a transportable protein fix, but it would be hard to pick it up for taste alone.
keywords: jerky, mushroom, snack, spicy, meatless, protein, shiitake
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100% fruit for way-too-busy people
This fruit mix caught my eye in the drinks section at Whole Foods. It has no additives or preservatives, and it gets high marks for taste and portability. The front of the package says it contains 1/2 pear, 1 apple and 1/4 banana. It tasted mainly like a really great pear with just a hint of caramel--not overly sweet. The texture is truly a puree one...more like baby food than, say, smoothie. It could be used for flavoring--on top of waffles perhaps? The amount was just right; 11 oz was not so little that I felt I was buying more packaging than product, but still filling (about 210 calories per package). E4B says its "visionary" packaging extends the life of the vitamins and minerals in the product. It creates waste, however. How hard is it to bite into an apple or peel a banana instead? But...getting out the blender (and cleaning it later) can be time-consuming. And buying a smoothie usually means waiting in line and getting a styrofoam cup.
keywords: all natural, fruit, puree, pear, caramel, apple, banana, resealable
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Reduce sandwich baggie waste!
I discovered Wrap-n-Mat when Ideal Bite promoted it. It's a reusable sandwich wrapping with cloth on the outside and a washable laminate on the inside. There are many print patterns, but only the "eco" print has a polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) inner surface instead of a PVC one. Make your sandwich on it, fold it around the sandwich for transport (it has a velcro closure). I've used it to carry other foods as well (orange slices, chips, cookies). Keeps crumbs inside well due to the way it folds, and because crumbs stick to the laminate surface. Not as protective of your food item as tupperware, but sometimes you need the extra space/flexibility. To clean I just lay it out flat, scrub the inside surface with a dish brush, rinse, and drape it over the dish rack to dry. It dries fast! Unfortunately, the velcro tab is beginning to fray, and I've only had it a couple months. Oh, and it is NOT microwave-safe; the plastic will melt! A little pricey, but I've used mine plenty!
keywords: sandwich, baggie, wrapping, lunchbox, non-PVC, PEVA, washable
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American Pride Low VOC Wall Paint
I painted an interior room for the first time and wanted to use something without VOCs. I found American Pride paints at a local green building store. The color choice is amazing, especially compared to other eco brands (like Yolo). I am not an expert in application of wall paint, but the walls came out looking smooth and even. Most importantly, I painted with the windows closed (so the air conditioner could run), and neither smelled the paint, nor got a headache from fumes. The color, Elephant Gray, is perfect; not too dark as I had initially feared. Paint ingredients include: water, vinyl acrylic copolymer, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate and calcined kaolin. This paint brand is essentially a product of the University of Mississippi, so purchasing it provides revenue to the University! Clean up was very easy with the eggshell, although not as easy with the white semi-gloss I used for the trim.
keywords: wall paint, low odor, no VOC, low VOC, enamel, interior latex
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