Review of SimplyNature's Organic Linguine

I live close to the US border, so I like to go there occasionally to shop. A few months ago I was there and discovered Aldi. I was immediately hooked, because their store brand organic foods are so much cheaper than anywhere else!

I have talked on other posts about how affordable organic food is getting due to store brands. Aldi is taking this to whole new level. Even after the exchange rate, the extra fee my credit card charges for international purchases and the toll on the bridge, it is still cheaper to shop there.

When I first saw this pasta I couldn't believe the price. It is ridiculously cheap! It's almost the same price as regular non-organic pasta. So I bought one to try.

And I wasn't disappointed. The taste is great. It's got a good consistency too (if you cook as indicated in the package). And it's also very easy to cook (like all other pastas).

Here's a picture of a dish I made with it:

(note: reviews for the other organic ingredients (also bought at Aldi) are coming soon!)

And of course I also love it because it has no refined sugar, and the ingredient list is simple:  just organic wheat and water.

My only complaint about this product is that I wish it came in a bigger package - for even more savings! (though its the same as other brands' package size) After I first bought and tried this, I've been buying 4-6 boxes per month. It would be much more practical if I could just buy one big package.

In conclusion, if you live on the US or near the border, I highly recommend this product (and most other organic things at Aldi too - stay tuned for more reviews). It's much more affordable than anything we buy in Canada. And for the Americans, it's a great and affordable way to buy organic.

Review of Dr Bronner's Peppermint Toothpaste

As promised in a previous post, here is the review of a much better alternative for brushing your teeth than Essential Oxygen's Organic Brushing Rinse.


I had had a conversation with a person from Dr. Bronner's on Instagram a few months earlier, asking for a sample of this product in order to review it. They rejected my request (I guess I didn't have enough followers?) So I was a bit reluctant in buying this product - and even more so in writing this review.

But it's so hard to find a toothpaste that is actually healthy (as opposed to all the healthwashed ones out there) and affordable at the same time. Plus, since I have used liquid and bar soaps from this brand before, I know the quality of their products. So I decided to give this toothpaste a try.

The Value

As I mentioned, this toothpaste is on the affordable level, costing just a bit less than Redmond's Earthpaste, and way less than the expensive and weird Organic Brushing Rinse from Essential Oxygen.

Again, comparing it to Essential Oxygen's Organic Brushing Rinse, my first pleasant surprise was the size of the box it came in. And then the second pleasant surprise was the size of the toothpaste tube itself. It's amazing how much bigger it is. It's pretty close to the same size as regular (non-healthy) toothpaste.

When I unscrewed the cap, there was a small aluminium foil protecting the top of the tube. On one hand I find that nice, because you know the product is fresh. But on the other hand, that's not a very eco-friendly material.

After removing the aluminium cap, there was still a plastic film underneath it that was quite hard to remove. That's another material that isn't very eco-friendly. Plus, it makes the process of opening the toothpaste for the first time a bit time consuming.

Looking at the directions, I found it curious that it states the obvious "brush 2x/day" (everyone hears that from their dentist), but doesn't say how much toothpaste to put on the toothbrush - which is unique to each toothpaste, hence an important information to give to your customer.

The Product

The paste itself is great. It has all the elements that my hubby was looking for in a toothpaste (which Redmond's Earthpaste doesn't have):  it looks and tastes like regular (non-healthy) toothpaste, but it is very healthy. (I like Redmond, by the way!)

It foams a little less than regular (non-healthy) toothpaste, but at least it has some foam - unlike Redmond's Earthpaste, which makes no foam.

The colour is white and has that minty taste of regular toothpaste, again unlike Redmond's Earthpaste, which is brown and has (according to my man) "funny taste".

After using it, the mouth mouth feels very fresh and clean, just like regular (non-healthy) toothpaste.

Conclusion

If you have someone fussy in your house, this is a great product. It is healthy, but feels like non-healthy stuff to please the picky people, and most importantly, it is very affordable.

I highly recommend this toothpaste and will continue buying it until I find something else that is equal in features and price.

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PS: use promo code 3HSUMMER18 on this link to get $10 off $40, on lots of healthy cosmetics and other natural products.

Review of Nature's Path Organic Kamut Puffs

If you follow this blog you know that I've been on a quest for a sugar-free organic cold cereal for the past several months.

So when I found this product on the supermarket shelf, I was really hopeful. Could this finally be the one?

The price is not exactly cheap (considering it has only 170g), but since I've been on this quest for so long, I've decided to give this one a try.


I initially tried it raw (without my non-dairy milk) and it tasted very sweet. It is very airy and fluffy. I found the taste and texture to be very similar to those puffcorns that I used to eat when I was a kid.

However, after having a few puffs I noticed a little bit of a bitter flavour at the end. That's no problem for me since I've learned to like bitter flavours (especially after I learned about - and experienced - how good they are for me. More on this on a future post...)

Since they were similar to puffcorns, I wanted to see if I could eat them raw (without my non-dairy milk), but after a while it just felt too dry (like most cold cereals).

So I went ahead and poured my rice milk on it. I felt like a little kid when I heard the puffs cracking just like rice crispies (for an in-depth explanation of why puffed cereals make this sound, check this page).

I also added the rice milk to see if the taste would change. But it didn't get any sweeter (or less bitter) with rice milk. However, the puffs became very moist (like it happens to rice crispies).
If you like sweet flavours you will definitely want to add some honey or maple syrup to this cereal. I like (and need) bitter flavours, so this is ok for me

I liked that the package is eco-friendly. I've been trying to be a more conscious consumer when it comes to packaging, so this brand has really made it easy for me.
My only issue with the package is that I wish it was bigger. That way I could pay less per weight and use less packaging (even if it the plastic is eco-friendly, I'd still rather use less of it).

As you might remember from a previous post, I've had issues before with cereal not being as filling as expected. So I was very curious about this one.
I poured 1 serving as directed in the package (1 cup) but I did not feel full at all. I'm used to eating oatmeal and whole wheat bread, so this felt very light. Even though I wanted something light that day, this was too light and I had to eat a slice of bread (after I finished the cereal) to feel satisfied.

I also liked this cereal because its organic. Trying to find cereal that is organic and refined-sugar-free at the same time is very challenging. This one is definitely a find, but only for a very light breakfast.

After I first tried this cereal, I've also found myself snacking on it. I think the idea of using it as a snack came from the realisation that it tastes like puffcorns. It was a helpful snack when I wanted something small to tidy me up while I prepared food (I'm so focused on work sometimes that I only remember to cook when I'm already pretty hungry).

In conclusion: if you can afford it, I highly recommend this cereal. It is a good choice if you are looking for a very light organic refine-sugar-free breakfast cereal, or if you are going to eat other things with it (fruit, eggs, etc). I will also recommend this as a snack, especially for kids, if you want a healthy alternative to puffcorns. I will keep on buying this until I find something better.

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PS: use promo code 3HSUMMER18 on this link to get $10 off $40, on lots of organic foods and snacks.

Review of Lice Choices' Whole Fish Fillets

I have talked on a previous post about how much I love the chicken nuggets from this same brand.

These fish fillets are no different! They taste miles away from the fish fingers I used to eat as a kid. I think the key is that they are made from wild caught fish, as opposed to "fish meat" (or some other mega-processed fish ingredient).

The breading is similar (if not the same) as the one on the chicken. It tastes so much better and wholesome. It is not too fatty like the regular fish fingers I used to eat before going organic/free-range/etc.

I also love that they are sourced from Certified Sustainable Fisheries. It's so important to encourage people who are doing the right thing when it comes to farming. That's the other reason why I try to only eat organic/free-range/etc.

They are priced the same as the Chicken Nuggets, so I usually only buy them when they are on sale (which is reasonably often).

Like the Chicken Nuggets, I love these fillets because of the practicality. It's so easy to toss them in the oven and have a delicious meal, especially when I'm in a pinch and didn't have time to cook my usual protein (beans).

Another reason why I love these (and Chicken Nuggets) is that they have no refined sugar in the breading. It's hard for me to buy even (supposedly) healthy frozen food, because a lot of them also have refined sugar in the ingredients list.

I love these products and will continue buying them for as long as they are sold. I highly recommend them.

Review of Walmart's Organic Quick Oats

I have talked before about how much I enjoy store-brand organic foods. And this one is no different. Wallmart has been slowly but surely adding organic foods to their store brand, and my budget has been loving that!

Currently, this is the cheapest organic refined-sugar-free oatmeal I can find. And because of that, it has become my go-to hot breakfast cereal. The only time I don't buy it is when I don't have time to go all the way to Walmart (it's a bit far from my home) so I end up buying the PC one (which is slightly more expensive).

I have mentioned before (when reviewing other brands of oats) what I eat with these, so I won't repeat myself here. The one comment I can make is that these oats all taste pretty much the same (and part of me suspects they all come from the same producer anyway), so it really comes down to a price choice.

I have no complaints or issues with this product. I'll keep on buying this again until I find something better.

Review of Alpen's No Sugar Added Muesli Cereal

I am always on the look for refined-sugar-free cereal, so I was really happy to find this product.

It wasn't too expensive but it wasn't super cheap either. The taste was great! But then I looked at the package and realised something: it is not organic!

I hate when supermarkets do this. I hate that they put non-organic cereal right next to organic ones. If you are distracted or in a hurry you end up buying something only to find out that it was not what you wanted (I've made this mistake also when shopping for pasta).
I already shop exclusively in the "natural products" aisle so that I don't have to worry too much about unhealthy food getting into my cart. It's so frustrating to find you've been "duped". If it's not organic it is probably not good for you, so in my opinion it shouldn't even be in the "healthy foods" aisle.

Anyway, rant over. I never made this mistake again: I've seen this product many times in the supermarket but have never bough it again. I would be more than happy to buy an organic version of this any time.

Once again the quest for refined-sugar-free cold cereal continues!

Review of Essential Oxygen's Organic Brushing Rinse

I bought this product for my husband because he doesn't like the brown colour of Redmond's Earthpaste.

My initial impression was how small the container was. Even though I had bought it on sale, it still felt pretty pricey for such a small tube.

The next step was trying to use it. I'm glad they had directions on the label, because this "toothpaste" is different from all the others we've ever tried. It is actually a liquid, and the way you use it makes it like a mouthwash and toothpaste at the same time - we thought that was unconventional, but cool.

It comes with a seal, which is great. But the directions don't explain that. So remember to remove the seal before trying to pour out the liquid!

The instructions tell you to use 10 millilitres (approximately 1/2 tbsp) for one session of brushing/mouthwashing. It is very useful to keep a 1/2 tbsp measuring spoon with the "toothpaste" so you don't have to guess how much 10 mills is each time. It would have been even better if the "toothpaste" came with a little measurement cup (like some medicines do).

What I immediately noticed is that 10 mills is a lot. My first thought was: this tube won't last long (and I was right). But the 10 mills feels like it's the right amount. It seems like the "toothpaste" wouldn't work if we used less.

Another reason why I bought this is because my husband wanted something that foamed like "normal" toothpaste (which Redmond's Earthpaste doesn't do). To our pleasant surprise, this product foamed just like regular toothpaste (but without the terrible foaming agents - yay!)

It tastes lightly minty but more like hydrogen peroxide water, which is what it's made of anyway. The taste isn't bad, but it's not great either. It's nothing spectacular.

My husband mentioned that after using it, his mouth felt clean, which he didn't feel like with Redmond's Earthpaste. In that sense, this product seems more effective.

This "toothpaste"/mouthwash seems like a good product, but because of the price, we won't be buying it again. There are better options for the same price, as you will find in a future post - stay tuned!

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PS: use promo code 3HSPRING2018 on this link to get $10 off $40, on all green and natural products.