My Top 15 Food Picks from #ExpoWest

Posted on March 27, 2012 by jamiegall1930

ExpoWest was huge, literally, the biggest Natural Foods Expo that’s out there, and I walked away with 15 Favorite items from that show.  I tried to narrow it down to 10, but I just couldn’t.

1) White Girl Salsa

With a name like White Girl Salsa I knew I had to try it.  And I was so glad I did.  I love tomatillo’s, and this is what their salsa consists of (mild and medium)  They also have a few other varieties available.  Their Salsa is completely Gluten Free and yum, yum, yummy!

But the true fun came when talking to them as they prepared me for my picture 😉

2) The Bunnery

You may have heard of the restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  People have become such fan of the restaurant that they started to create their own products.  Their granola is to die for, and I am a huge fan of their Cranberry Vanilla variety.  They also have their own line of Pancake and Waffle mixes.  I can’t wait to try them out!

3) Laughing Giraffe Organics

Did I ever tell you that I am a huge fan of macaroons?  From the very first time I made my first batch I have been hooked, so when I tried the Laughing Giraffe Organics macaroons I was in heaven.  Absolutely delicious coconut flavor. All ingredients are organic.

4) Noosa Yohgurt

This yohgurt was voted Best of the West by the Press, and let me tell you it’s THAT good!  And I was thrilled to find out it was already available in Whole Foods Markets.  The yohgurt is smooth and absolutely delicious.  A heavenly treat for those yohgurt lovers out there.

5) ThinkThin Bars

From the moment I tried these delicious bars I have been hooked.  I absolutely love their Cranberry and Mixed nuts bar, and also their Brownie Crunch bar.  These bars are high in protein, gluten free, and zero sugar!

6) Turbana Plaintain Chips

Absolutely delicious! And btw: this won’t be the last time you’ll be hearing about these chips from me 😉

7) Love Crunch Granola

Granola with bits of chocolate in it, who doesn’t love that!  But this is a granola I absolutely could snack on at any time of the day, not just in the morning.  Convenient for lunches, or during the workday snack time.  The chocolate is real organic italian.  And has bits of berries in the mix.  A sweet tasty joy.

8) Odwalla Snack Bars

I tried their newest variety: White Macadamia, and omg I could go back for seconds and thirds it was that good.  Perfect for snacktime, or even after a good workout.  You’ve earned it! 😉

9) Rush Bowls

What is a Rush Bowl?  It’s a complete meal that truly fills you up.  With granola to mix in on the top and frozen all natural blended fruit on the bottom, it’s a perfect wake me up snack.  These are to be kept frozen, but they unthaw pretty fast, and are absolute divine.  I am a huge fan of the Yoga flavor!

10) Oogie’s Popcorn

I am usually not a fan of popcorn, but the minute I tried Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn I was hooked.  With delicious flavors such as White Cheddar, Kettle Corn, Hatch Chili Con Queso, Romano and Pesto, Smoked Gouda and a few others.  This is one popcorn I’ll be munching on in the future!

11) Justin’s Nut Butter

Justin’s launched their very own Candy Bar at ExpoWest this year, and let me tell you, it’s heavenly!  Mixed with their own organize peanut butter and infused with organic chocolate.  I could eat these every day and be satisfied.

12) Green Chopsticks

Their Potstickers are amazing, and the company is a ton of fun to talk to.  With facilities located in Alhambra, California, it’s local, and awesome.  They also offer an Organic Seaweed Snack, dumplings, and other asian specialties!

13) Peanut Butter & Company

When I tried their chocolate peanut butter I swooned.  I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, but never thought of putting it together into one spread.  And boy oh boy was I happy to taste this idea.

14) SolBites

A two pack peanut butter and jelly snack.  Perfect for on the go snacking!

15) Eat Pastry

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough! Yes please.  Gluten free varieties along with dairy free varieties.  You keep the cookie dough refridgerated, and pop it out when you want to make a fresh batch of cookies.  This is one cookie dough you can eat raw 😉

 

…..


Categories: Cooking, Fun Stuff | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments

Great ANDROID Cell Phone Apps.

Posted on March 25, 2012 by jamiegall1930

For about the past 8 months I’ve been playing around with different cell phone apps for the android. I’ve narrowed it down to 4 apps I really like and would like to share those with you.  Great Android Cell Phone Apps.

If you don’t mind spending a little money, I highly recommend these first two apps. I believe they’re both 5.99, one is for sure, the other may be lower than that.

1) Camera 360: This app has a variety of effects from: retro, lomo, hdr, black and white, night enhancement features to back to 1839 looks. This also has tilt shift modes, color shift modes and different scenery options. This is one of my favorites to utilize.  They have both a free version, and a version that costs 5.99 that gives a little more features, mainly on the effects side.  Camera 360 seems to be the app that has all the features we look for.

2) Camera Zoom FX: This has a variety of features from overlays, vignetting, to adding props. You can do collages, and cropping. This also gives you a timer setting along with trying to stable the camera phone.

If you like FREE apps then I highly recommend these apps.

1) Photoshop Express: An easier version of photoshop at your fingertips for your phone. From getting the exposure, saturation, tint, black and white, contract and brightness right for the picture. So far I have liked the results from this app.

2) Little Photo: This has a lot of effects to play around with, and you can add more than one effect to the photo. It’s a fun little app that I’ve enjoyed playing around with, and it’s one of my favorites.

And if you like to do crazy stuff with your photos and just play around to see what you can come up.

1) PhotoFunia is a free app in which you can add photos to billboards, wanted signs, photo booth strip, etc.

2) ColorTouch: This app allows you to add a bit of color to your photos while keeping the rest of the photo black and white.  It’s pretty neat once you can figure out how it exactly works.  And with the right photo, have fun with it.  This is another FREE app.

And good news for those that love the idea of Instagram.  Thanks to Alexis from www.northonharper.com I found out that Instagram is releasing an android version.  You can sign up to be one of the first here

I hope this is helpful advice.  If you recommend any apps feel free to share it hear so we can learn from others.

And if you still haven’t submitted your favorite cell phone photos to me to be featured in the weeks ahead, you can still do so by sending the photos to demetrie1930@gmail.com

 


Categories: Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Built NY Wine Totes and Giveaway

Posted on March 23, 2012 by jamiegall1930

Built NY was started in 2002 when Aaron Lown and John Roscoe designed a wine satchel from Italian leather.  The bag was both beautiful and purposeful, but extremely expensive to make.

So, in 2003, Aaron and John designed a more affordable wine bag out of “neopene,”  Yes, the same material utilized in wet suits.  And this is when Built truly came to be.

Built NY has bags, totes, and purses available for on the go convenience.  Along with these bags, they also have wine totes.  In their own words:

BUILT is a New York-based company that designs fashionable and functional bags, totes, and cases for life on the go. Our roots in American industrial design guide us in the belief that form is as important as function and that great design makes life more enjoyable. Drawing inspiration from the city that never sleeps, we apply color and pattern to laptop sleeves, iPad cases, camera bags, lunch totes, and other accessories that protect the stuff you love wherever you go.

These wine totes keep your wine insulated when on the go.  They also make for a great house warming gift.

Being a huge wino myself when I ran across these wine totes I was ecstatic!  They offer both single and double toted wine bags.

The wine tote to the left is an Origami Wine tote.  What’s truly neat about this wine tote is that it scrunches down, meaning it’s a ton of fun to play with.  They retail at 24.99

The wine tote to the right is an example of their single wine totes that are available.  They have a variety of designs to choose from so choose what’s right for you.

How cool is that?

They also have double toted wine bags available for you.

The red bag is convenient as you carry it by the handles.  And let me tell you if I ever received this as a house warming gift or hostess gift I’d be ecstatic! The red bag retails at: 17.99

The black bag is really neat in that it has over the shoulder straps so it’s extremely convenient for on the go.  Anytime you shop at a wine store, bring this bag with you, after purchasing your wine, pop them in the bag and away you go.

And now you have your chance to win your very own Built NY wine bag!

Win the Red Bag Above along with the Origami Bag Below.

But first, feel free to connect with our sponsors via Facebook or Twitter

Prize: The Red Double Tote Bag (17.99) and the Single Origami Wine Bag (24.99)

And how do you enter:

***Mandatory Entry*** Leave a comment below ~

Giveaway Ends Friday, March 30th at 6pm Pacific Standard Time.  Giveaway is open to residents of the US only.  No purchase necessary- void where prohibited by law.  Winner will have 72 hours to respond to email notification by providing shipping address to claim prize.  If there is no response within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.  Find the Official Rules of the Giveaway here. 

Winner is chosen via random.org

Sponsor provided the samples and prize, and this prize will be shipped by Minnesota Girl Transplanted into LA.


Categories: Fun Stuff | 14 Comments