Unreal Candy Unjunked

So, with Halloween right around the corner, and autumn officially here, it's been all about fall in my house– munching apples, pumpkin picking, hayrides, and decorating. And, as mentioned, gearing up for the 31st. 

Something that I always at least try to do when it comes to choosing candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters is to find a brand that is of the lesser evil, such as organic lollipops. We all know "healthier" candies are hard to come by, unless you make it yourself, but luckily someone– a 13-year-old boy, actually –has come to the rescue.

When Unreal Candy Unjunked™ co-founder Nicky Bronner one day looked into finding out just what was really in his Halloween candy, he discovered just how bad for the human body it really is. He and his dad set out on a mission to recreate some of their favorite candies using all natural ingredients, no artificial anything, and less sugar than the average candy. Incredibly, they achieved success and Unreal™ was born!

Unreal™ makes all the classics in better-for-you versions: "M&Ms", "Snickers" and "Reese's Cups" are all now available in (practically) guilt-free versions. I've tried all of those that I just mentioned, and they tasted great! Which is, of course, the most important factor when it comes to finding sweets without all the junk on the ingredients label. Here are just some of the better-for-you ingredients you can find in Unreal™ candies:

• beetroot juice (for color)
• organic blue agave (sweetener)
• traceable cacao (Fair Trade chocolate)

When possible, Unreal™ uses organic and Fair Trade ingredients, as well as vegetable-based food coloring, and are Kosher and corn-free. Additionally, they all claim to use sustainable palm tree oil (a type of oil that has proven to be especially detremental to the rainforest that is commonly used in many chocolate candies), all non-GMO ingredients, and are also gluten-free. Sounds to good to be true, right? Well, it looks like it's something to believe in, and for a chocolate lover like me, this is VERY EXCITING NEWS!

as for the Greensumer Tier of Truth...

Made in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner

Made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials

USDA organic (some)

Fair Trade certified (working towards)

Animal cruelty-free (uses grass-fed dairy)

Super awesome!

You can find where to purchase Unreal Candy Unjunked™ by clicking here. Have a happy Halloween!

Bonus: easy to make, eco-friendly Halloween ghosts that children of all ages can make–

 

Easy to make: all you need is papertowels, tissue to stuff the heads with, pipe cleaners or string, and tape, plus a marker to draw the face on with. This only took a few minutes and was very easy to do with my Lily, who's 3 1/2. Alternatively, you could use tissue paper, burlap, coffee filters, or plastic bags. Have fun! Boo!

Snack TAXI

One thing that I am super crazy about is reusing plastic bags as much as possible before they are simply deteriorating to beyond functional. I have been known to patch up small holes in the bottoms of plastic grocery bags and even rinse out Ziploc bags so they can be reused repeatedly. Yep. My mission is to keep things out of landfills as long as possible!

You can imagine I also own a lot of Tupperware and other reusable containers, but those things tend to take up a lot of space and also not always be the best option for transporting things like snacks around in. So, when I received a free SnackTAXI reusable sandwich bag from my Green Fest goody bag, I was more excited than Lily when I give her M&Ms. Not only are SnackTAXIs clever and totally functional, but they're super cute! Look at the one I got–

OWLS!

They are machine washable, although I always just rinse mine out in the sink and leave it to dry in the dish rack. The outside of the bags are made of conventional cotton or organic cotton, and the inside material is polyurethane-coated nylon. According to the SnackTAXI website, all materials are BPA-, lead-, and phthalate-free! All bags are made in the USA, are sold throughout the USA, and you can also order them online. 

Lily running around with her SnackTAXI

One of the things I like best about SnackTAXIs is that they were invented by a mom, just like me, who was sick of sending her kids off to school with sandwich-filled plastic bags that would just end up in the trash. It's wonderful how the things that happen in real life are what always offer us the inspiration to create something new. SnackTAXI also offers options to use their products as fundraising materials for schools and other non-profit organizations.

As for what the SnackTAXI hits on the Greensumer Tier of Truth...

This product is:

Made in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner

Made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials 

USDA organic 

Animal cruelty-free 

Vegan 

Super awesome!

Purchase your own SnackTAXI product here

polyurethane coated nylon.

polyurethane coated nylon.

Equal Exchange Chocolate

Greetings! So...this is my first post! Hoorah!

I haven't blogged in a while so I may be a bit rusty, so forgive me if I come off as dull (and feel free to tell me if do!). After having a baby I needed something to fill the little time I had to myself that made me feel creative and productive at the same time, so I started Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. Then my career got back into gear, so I had to stop all my healthy recipe posting. Time passed. I got antsy. I needed a writing outlet again, so here it goes!

You might be wondering– why did I choose to write about green products? Well, I'll tell you what all really started this. Back in April, I went to this fabulous, amazing event called Green Festival in New York City. There, I met so many incredible, passionate people and learned about all the innovative products and services they were offering. My mind was abuzz for days after the expo, and I couldn't help but gab to everyone I know about all the new green goodies I picked up. The seed for a green-sumer blog was planted. I thought and thought about it for a few days, even wrote an outline and took some pics of my eco-friendly haul. But, time was not available to me back in the spring. I didn't forget about my idea, though, and finally my creative spirit couldn't take it anymore...so, here I am!

Now, the question became...which product should I review first? Which had the most impact on me? Which would people like to hear about? To try for themselves? I looked over my list of things to review, and the one that stood out the most was the one I Instagramed as soon as I tried it: Equal Exchange chocolate.

Who doesn't like chocolate? Crazy people, that's who...and the lactose-intolerant, who I will personally apologize to now. You poor, poor things.

I met one of the most lively and genuinely enthusiastic sales reps at the Equal Exchange booth. She told me lots of exciting and inspiring things about Equal Exchange, like how are the cocoa bean farms are farmer-owned, how the entire operation is co-oped and Fair Trade, and free from child labor. But, really, all it took to get me on board with Equal Exchange was the chocolate itself. WOW! I picked up three flavors: Orange Dark Chocolate, Ecuador Dark, and Mint Chocolate. All were spectacular, and I am not even exaggerating when I say that. Best chocolate ever, and not just because it's such a socially responsible and eco-friendly company, but because the chocolate is so effing delish! I also got the Spicy Cocoa and can't wait to enjoy it this winter!

To add to Equal Exchange's amazingness, the wrapper is biodegradable, being made from non-GMO wood pulps that are either FSC certified, or working towards becoming certified (it can be quite a process!). Many of the bars are vegan, and all are organic. Equal Exchange also offers organic coffees and teas, as well as Fair Trade bananas, which are pretty difficult to come by these days.

You can purchase Equal Exchange products on their website, from Whole Foods Supermarkets, and other specialty health food stores. 

This product is:

1. Made in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner

2. Made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials

3. FSC certified

4. USDA organic

5. Fair Trade certified

6. Made from recycled materials

7. Gives back to the planet by charitable means

8. Animal cruelty-free

9. Vegan

10. Super awesome

 Hits every tier on the Greensumer Tier of Truth! 

Hooray for Equal Exchange!