As it seems to be an all-week celebration — I’d like to wish you a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day…do you feel you have the luck of the Irish?  Enter our fun and easy Great Green Giveaway, (below).

When Nature’s Path Organic Foods asked if we’d like to sample their revamped organic granola bars, we said, “sure.”  Who doesn’t like the idea of USDA certified organic granola bars?  Here’s our Tried and True Green Product Review, and latest Giveaway…

We recently received 8 new flavors of Nature’s Path Organic’s granola bars — we’ve only sampled a few so far, but we’re enjoying every bite.

The Lotta Apricotta tastes refreshing and delicious — it’s comprised mostly of apricot, almond and coconut.  With zero grams of trans fat; 140 calories, wheat-free and vegetarian — it’s a great way to feel satiated while on the run.  I also tried another tasty winner, the Sunny Hemp snack bar, loaded with organic hempseeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, raisins and whole grain oats – and with only 140 calories and 90mg of sodium. (A complete list of ingredients is provided via their Website.)

Like all Nature’s Path products, the new granola bars are USDA certified organic — no artificial preservatives, additives, genetically modified organism (GMOs) or synthetic pesticides.

The other new flavors include:  Mmmaple Pecan and Berry Strawberry, excellent sources of Omega-3’s, as well as Peanut Buddy, Peanut Choco, Chococonut and Pumpkin-n-Spice.  A box retails for $3.79/ and contains 5 or 6 bars, depending on the flavor.

Would you like to sample some of these new snack bars for free? Here’s how to win a box of any 3 flavors of your choice.  Prize also includes free shipping to anywhere in the USA or Canada…3 winners will each receive 3 boxes.

To Enter this Random Drawing, simply:

• Visit naturespath.com
• Then leave a comment on this post, answering 1 simple question:  “When you’re traveling about, where do you usually take your granola bars?”
• Be sure to add the following address to your email address book: m (at) AlternativeConsumer.com.

3 Winners will be selected in our Random Drawing, and notified by email. Contest ends Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 11:59p (EST). Winners have 24 hours to claim their prize, or offer is null and void. Winners’ names will also be included on this post.

*more ways to enter

• If you have your own blog, you can post about the giveaway with a link back to this giveaway post. To make sure we know, come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
• If you Twitter, you can tweet about the giveaway once a day — be sure to refer to @altCon and @naturespath, and leave a comment linking to the status.
• You can also receive additional entries 3 more ways: subscribe to our RSS feed, follow us on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook. (If you’ve already signed up, just enter a comment to let us know.)

Note:  the bars come in a new “EnviroBox,” which is 36% smaller than a standard 6.2 ounce box.

How do we get our daily dose of fresh fruits and veggies when the produce in our neighborhood market looks like Aunt Ethel’s compost pile?  The FruitGuys deliver.

In the middle of a snowstorm recently, with thoughts of fresh fruit swirling in our heads, The FruitGuys contacted us out of the blue and offered to send us a crate of fruit. After taking a peek at their site, how could we say no?

So last Thursday an enormous crate of fresh seasonal fruit arrived on our doorstep.  We were immediately impressed from the outside in.  As always, we’re concerned about the packaging.  Delighted to say, the box itself is a work of art — smartly designed to be re-used as a cardboard file box, with side openings for easy portability.  It’s well constructed from recycled cardboard and the graphics are printed with soy based inks.  Strong, good looking and nice to the touch, (kinda like a guy I know, haha).

Now for the fun part.  The individual pieces of fruit each arrived looking quite perky and ripe for the taking — we’ve been enjoying every bite.  The seasonal mix included juicy yet firm plums, red grapes, ruby red grapefruit, kiwi, avocado, (more…)

Never go into the supermarket hungry…or if you do, make sure it’s a fabulous market like our local NYC favorite, Fairway.  As we voraciously foraged through the aisles of the no-frills Fairway yesterday, I stumbled upon this sweet cookie find from Back to Nature.

These cookies don’t contain:  artificial flavors, colors, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, or preservatives. The packaging is created from recycled paper printed with vegetable ink accents, and the box features a solidly sustainable graphic look – all very green.  I grabbed a box and had to put these eco-cookies to the flavor test.

My fear that the cookies would taste like the recycled cardboard of the packaging were soon allayed as my first bite revealed a cookie with “I just might eat the whole box” potential.  These babies are as good, or better, than any big brand Peanut Butter Creme out there and Back to Nature’s simple approach to the whole deal makes them a pleasure to devour.  I look forward to trying more of their flavors in the very near future.  Here’s a link to where you can find them.

I recently learned that when my mother was pregnant with me she constantly craved pickles.  This might explain why I have an unhealthy obsession with them.  I’ve been trying to make my own pickles at home for a few months now (that sounds like a lot of failure, but I have to wait between one and three weeks for each batch).   Finally, today, I made some good ones!  Here’s the recipe (credit to howtopickle.com):

What you need:
Ball Jars (or any other glass canning jars)
Distilled water (this is important, you can buy it at most grocery stores)
White Vinegar
Kosher, non-iodized salt
Pickling cucumbers (this is important, I made the mistake of using small cucumbers and it did not end well).

Ok, I confess, I used a mixture of “pickling spices” that I picked up from Whole Foods; but if you’re ambitious and you want to make your own spice for the brine you can find the recipe at howtopickle.com.

• The recipe I used calls for 3 parts distilled water to 1 part white vinegar.
• Boil this mixture in a pot.  (more…)

In the second installment of Sustainability Spectrum, we hear from Paul David Terry, a musician and teacher living in San Diego.

Paul David Terry is a musician based out of San Diego.  He performs with the San Diego opera, and is the director of the UC San Diego Pepband.  At his home in Hillcrest he grows tomatoes, eggplants, basil, habanero peppers, chocolate mint, beans and “lots of flowers.”

Paul’s shopping list tends to look like this:
1.    Fancy cheeses
2.    All natural cleaners
3.    Non-organic milk
4.    Purple cabbage
5.    Chicken

“I like to reduce the artificial chemicals in my life,” he says about why he tries to buy green cleaning products, but organic is not high on his list of priorities.  “I don’t look for products just because they’re organic.  That’s the last thing I look for, just because the term is so broad based,” he says.  He buys organic not for the principle, but for his own personal health – it’s better on his allergies and the food from his CSA box just tastes better.  (more…)

Aligned with the notion, “we are what we eat” and as a lover of food, I was naturally curious about Discovery Channel’s Planet Green new documentary, What’s on YOUR Plate? When invited to lunch at vegan restaurant Candle to meet the director and on-camera talent, I figured this was a promotional event worth attending.

So, just how did this project land on Planet Green?  President and General Manager, Laura Michalchyshyn explained that she was attracted to the project after catching the fine cut of director Catherine Gund’s doc. (Catherine, above – R)

Through the eyes of two adorable tweens (L to R, above) Sadie and her bff, Sofiya Riddle, we learn about the curvy journey of how food winds up on our plate. (Sadie also happens to be Catherine’s daughter.)

Between sips and sups I met a slew of lovely folks, including Amy Sudaris, the founder of Frugal-Mama.com.  Take a peek at Amy’s review of the film.  I’ll be tuning in tonight for the debut of What’s on YOUR Plate? on Planet Green; (10p-12mid, ET).  It also airs Feb 7, 11 & 12 – check your local listings for time.  Take a look, and let us know what you think.

Who’d a thunk it?  Costco beat green grocers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to nab sustainablegrocer.com’s “Sustainable Grocer of 2009 Award.”

Costco was recognized for its sustainable practices including, its:  energy conservation efforts, substantial organic food offerings, low prices, recycling efforts, private label production and local presence.

source: prnewswire

Today’s Tried and True Green Product Review spotlights Kallari Chocolate Company.  Many thanks to Carol for providing us with complimentary samples of Kallari’s 70%, 75% and 85% cacao content bars for our much anticipated taste test.

This is a story of extraordinary taste and solid sustainability… and I think I just discovered a new bff… If love is a drug, let mine be chocolate — Kallari Chocolate, a producer of single-source organic chocolate that’s unlike any other –not only in terms of taste, but also its triple bottom line — people, planet and profit.

• taste

You know how some chocolate can give you “cotton mouth,” whereby the chocolate seems to suck all the moisture out of your mouth and you need to immediately gulp down some water after swallowing?  Not so with Kallari.

This is a chocolate bar as lush and intense as the ground upon which it was grown.  Enjoyed best by placing a piece squarely on your tongue, and savoring the flavor by rolling it around, almost letting it melt…no need to bite and chew.  It’s a real sensory treat — not too sweet. Just totally satisfying.

Here’s the skinny… 3 of us each tasted 3 different bars, and we all agreed that Kallari may very well be the best tasting organic chocolate bar brand on the market today.  And, being the admitted chocoholics we are, we’ve probably tasted nearly all of them.  Even though we enjoyed all 3 Kallari bars, if we had to pick our favorites, here’s how they placed: 1st Place: 75% cacao, 2nd place: 70% and 3rd place: 85% cacao.

The outer paper packaging unfolds and the story of Kallari is revealed — on recycled paper with 50% post-consumer waste and soy inks and resins; and it is here that one learns that KALLARI is pronounced: (kahl YA di) and signifies past, present and (hope for) the future.

A little more about how this delicious flavor comes to be, (it’s almost like describing a fine wine):  Kallari’s fresh, unadulterated taste and absence of bitterness is derived from its field blending of single-source noble varietal beans, primarily the rare and much esteemed Cacao Nacional with hints of Criollo, Trinitano Venezuelan and Blonde Cacao.

• people, profit and planet

Socially responsible, Kallari is the first 100 percent co-op owned chocolate maker.  One hundred percent of profits from bar sales are returned to the Kallari Association, with self reliant governance and an innovative economic model — which is revolutionary in the global chocolate industry. (btw, $5.99/bar)

850 indigenous Kichwa families produce this chocolate.  The cacao production provides the Kichwa people, located deep (more…)

The Foodpod from kitchen design firm Fusion Brands is a modern cooking tool designed to save time and water when boiling, blanching or steaming by conveniently containing, removing and draining foods like eggs, veggies, shellfish in one easy-to-use vessel. The silicone container keeps foods together for even cooking, easy removal, and acts as a strainer, reserving the cooking liquid.  Holds up to a dozen large eggs or several heads of broccoli.  Handy built-in grip clip allows for convenient removal from hot water.

Size: 1.75 quart or 1.77 liter capacity
Non-stick silicone protects delicate foods and pot surfaces
Made of FDA/EU food-safe silicone and BPA-free nylon
Flexible to fit in any size pot for cooking and storing
Top rack dishwasher safe

$15 @ aplusrstore.com

UPDATE:  Our 2 winners have been notified and we’re waiting for them to reply before making it official….stay tuned!

Here’s a cool way to shop for freshly made, gourmet food for the holidays.  2 lucky people will each receive a $25 Shopping Certificate to apply toward any purchases from RegionalBest.com by December 18, 2009.
(Please note – this giveaway applies to USA residents only.)

RegionalBest.com is an online food artisan marketplace where you can choose from over a dozen categories of handmade and hand crafted foods from artisans, farmers and small businesses across the USA.  Each artisan’s photo and personal story are featured with each product, so you know who grew or made the product, and with what ingredients. All foods are attractively packaged for gift giving and ship directly from the producer to maximize great taste, quality, freshness and value.  Most of the items are all- natural or organic and sustainably grown.  225 fine foods are available for less than $25.

To Enter this Random Drawing, simply:

• Visit RegionalBest.com and checkout this amazing marketplace.
• Then leave a comment on this post, telling us which artisan appeals to you the most.
• Add the following address to your email address book:  m at AlternativeConsumer.com.

Two lucky winners will be selected in our Random Drawing, and notified by email.  Contest ends Friday, December 11, 2009 at 11:59p (EST).  Winners have 24 hours to claim their prize, or offer is null and void.  Winners’ names will also be included on this post.

*One entry per person.

*EXTRA CREDIT If you have your own blog, you can post about the giveaway with a link back to this giveaway post. To make sure we know, you can come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog post. If you Twitter, you can tweet about the giveaway once a day, and be sure to refer to @altCon, and leave a comment linking to the status. You can also receive additional entries 3 more ways: subscribe to altCon’s RSS feed, follow us on Twitter or friend us on FaceBook. (If you’ve already signed up, just enter a comment to let us know.)
Time’s ticking, so start clicking – Good Luck!

Related:  previously on altCon, (11.11.09)
buy fine foods from regional artisans @ regionalbest.com