Congrats!

Daedra

I personally have had great experience with this wonderful reusable product!  We use the thermal LunchBot with my first grader when he goes to school.  He loves the opportunity to get a warm lunch for a change.  Some of the things we send with him for warm lunch are: spaghetti, homemade vegetable fried rice, and homemade soups. 

In a class full of 40 students my son is the only one to bring reusable lunch containers.  Everyone always asks him about his unique lunch containers and that opens up a opportunity for him to talk about why he isn’t throwing tons of trash away every year.  I feel proud in knowing that he is well educated in reusing instead of creating more waste, in fact it kills me when I have to send a fully disposable lunch with him for field trips!  I feel totally handicapped!

LunchBots has graciously offered to give one our readers a thermal LunchBot just like we use.  To enter the giveaway please comment and tell us who would use this great product and where would they take it?  One entry per person please, a winner will be randomly chosen and announced on our blog on Monday, May 14, 2012.

Cheers,

~Daedra

First off, these chips are made with integrity as the kale itself starts out pesticide free and then all the ingredients used to flavor the chips are organic or sprouted and totally raw.  As their tag line states, this is Raw Food That Rocks!  You would never know it’s raw, it’s packed with so much flavor and crunch.

My personal favorite was the Onion- a – Million version.  Traditional sour cream and onion flavored potato chips are a favorite of mine and therefore I have to stay far away from them.  I’m happy to have found a healthy alternative to unhealthy chips!

Try them for yourself and let me know what you think!

~Daedra

PS – I was not paid to review this product!

According to this site in October 2010, there were 160,000 fast food restaurants in the USA and they served more than 50 million Americans daily.  One straw per person  = 50 million straws per day x 365 days per year = 18,250,000,000 straws used yearly in only American fast food locations.

According to McDonald’s website they serve nearly 68 million people in 119 countries each day out of 33,000 locations. That’s an average of more than 2000 people per day per location. 2,000 people x 33,000 locations = 66,000,000 people served per day x365 days per year = 24,090,000,000 straws used globally at only McDonald’s.

Obviously we could go on and look at other sit-down restaurants as well as straws purchased for home use and then thrown away but I think you get the point on the numbers!

Not only are these straws being thrown in landfills, which is bad enough, but many people will throw them on the ground where they will be washed into our oceans and create horrible living conditions for marine life.  They end up on beaches, in parks and everywhere we don’t want them to be.

Moral of the story? (besides STOP EATING FAST FOOD! Trust me, it’s possible I’ve done without it for many years.) Think before you accept a plastic straw at any establishment.  If more consumers start refusing a plastic straw restaurants will take notice.  If you feel weird saying you don’t want a straw ask your child to make the request on behalf of the whole table… after all who can resist a precious little kid making their own choices.  Maybe then someone will start listening if the younger generation makes their voice heard!

Cheers,

~ Daedra
(PS – all numbers are estimates based on the information we found on the websites noted.  And yes, and a calculator was used in these math problems.)

If you have more than one person always with you then you understand my dilemma.  I went to pull out a straw for my two year old to use and low and behold I couldn’t tell which case it was in.  I had to open every single case to find the right straw and of course it had to be in the last case opened!

Luckily we have a solution! Different colored carrying cases!  We now have Pink, Snow White and Caviar to help those of us who need to make life just a little easier.

I personally love the bright pink one, thankfully I’m the only girl in the family so I get to claim it all to myself!

Cheers,
Daedra

I’ll be honest, my favorite drink is water with fresh lemon in it. When I go out to eat I want to save room for all the yummy food so I don’t drink a lot.  What I order is water with lemon.  Not only is it tasty and refreshing but it’s good for you, I especially love sparkling water with lemon for a treat every so often.

So, I have this icy cold glass of fresh water with a lemon slice in it.  But how am I supposed to get the lemon all squeezed out into my water?  Use my fork/spoon/knife? That’s just poor etiquette at the dinner table.  Use a plastic straw? That’s nearly impossible because the thing is so flimsy. 

Enter my glass straw.  With power and ease I smash that slice of lemon like nothing else.  Then I just drink out of my straw and enjoy every sip, ahhhh!

~ Daedra

1. How did you get started in the business?

We started following the Weston A Price Foundation dietary guidelines due to our family’s health issues.  As part of this change we started fermenting foods.  All our cultures are continuously reusable and some were hard to find in Australia and had to be bought from overseas.   We decided to start breeding and selling them in Australia.  Then we began to minimise our chemical exposure through limiting plastics and we found Strawesome straws.  More recently we have discovered Pickl-It fermenting systems and the benefits of fermenting food under true anaerobic conditions.

2. What type of satisfactions do you get out of your work?

Seeing my cultures get healthier and multiplying is great.  And receiving emails from people who’s health has improved as a result of including fermented foods into their diet is hugely rewarding.

3. What motivates you on a day to day basis?

I have a passion for watching my little microbes grow.  I love experimenting with different recipes and finding new ways to incorporate them into our diets and occasionally find other uses for our cultures too.  I’m looking forward to studying microbiology at university once my girls are older.

4.       What is your guilty pleasure?

Being ALONE.  Just for an hour a week I like to be all by myself, doing whatever I feel like and revelling in the quiet.

5.     What made you decide to do what you’re doing?

I wanted to work from home so I could homeschool my children.  It was obvious to me that I had the best chance of success if I chose something I was passionate about.

6. If you weren’t doing what you are doing, what would you like to do instead?

Sometimes I dream about giving it all up to sit in the corner and crochet for the rest of my life but a few hours is enough to help me rebalance myself and I regain my passion.

7. If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you?

My partner and 2 daughters, unless they are part of the stranding, then I’d choose a cow, my Pickl-Its and my cultures.  I’m sure the island we’re stranded on would have plenty of coconuts & tropical fruit to ferment and I can’t live without my fresh yoghurt!

Thanks Seeley! It’s great to realize I have so much in commom with you, even if you are so far away!

~ Daedra

FALSE!!  I can tell you with confidence that the scenario mentioned above is not possible. I liken it to a parent being worried that their child will bite through a Pyrex baking dish!   In comparison to everyday drink ware which is typically made with crystal glass that is very fragile and easily breakable our straws are made with the same glass as Pyrex therefore making them extremely strong.

The photo collage above shows my youngest who is just over two years old.  I had a huge glass of freshly made celery/carrot/apple/orange/spinach juice and he managed to drink almost half of it!  He was actually demanding I give it to him. 

Which brings me to another point, not only are Strawesome straws safe for kids but they make feeding them vegetables so much easier, in turn making them healthier!  My little guy has been drinking green smoothies and juices since he first started eating real food.  His taste buds grew to know and like vegetables because we started him on them so early (We opted against that nasty rice cereal! Who wants to eat that anyway?!?)

While lying in bed with my little guy tonight getting him to sleep I was touching his back and just thinking of the tiny bones in his body.  My thoughts went on to his little brain and how much I love to see it develop over time and his little heart beating in his chest sustaining life in his body.  I thought about little fingers and little feet and all the nutrients that his body will need to develop and grow properly over time.  Why on earth would I want to give him anything less than perfect nutrition?!  This is why I avoid processed foods, dyes and additives.  This is why I use safe pure products on his body that lack fragrances to cover up his own perfect smell.

I’m not perfect all the time but I do my best to insure that my children are getting what their bodies need and deserve.

Leave a comment and tell me about a little guy/gal in your life and I will send you straw so that you can keep them healthy, happy and living life to it’s fullest!  We’ll choose a random winner on Monday, March 19th.

Cheers,
Daedra

Super Shamrock Smoothie – makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups home-made almond milk
1 handful of clean, fresh organic spinach
12 whole cacao beans from Mum’s Original
2 Tablespoons of Mum’s Original white chia seeds
1 cup of Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss Mint Galactica coconut ice cream

Place milk and spinach in the blender and combine until no chunks of spinach are left.  Add in remaining ingredients and blend until just combine (do not over blend, chunks of cacao are good!)

Stick a straw in it and thank the person who made this for you! (even if it was you)

~Daedra

1.     How do you motivate people who aren’t close to you to see your vision?

I lead by example. I am extremely passionate about what I do. But it is very important to me not to push vegetarianism on anyone. But rather, I  try and explain to people that everyone can eat a more plant based no matter where they are at. It is about encouraging people to learn what they can add into their diet and not what to take out. And lastly it is about people understanding that living and eating this way can only add to their life in terms of health, longevity and overall well being.

2.     How did you get started in this business? 

I got started without a business plan, that’s for sure. I knew I loved food and I knew I loved to teach. So with my background as a nutritionist and the culinary training from a chef school in new york, I then had the confidence and passion to start teaching classes. This became the foundation of what I wanted to do. It started with cooking classes and now has branched into so many different realms including consultations, workshops, retreats and writing. These are all mediums through which I can reach a wider audience and engaging people into areas of nutrition and wellness that are unique fun, inspiring and educational!  

3.     What type of satisfactions do you get out of your work? 

 There is truly nothing more rewarding than inspiring people to have fun in the kitchen. Through my work, I am able to help individuals gain their confidence and passion in the kitchen again. People have reconnected with food, ingredients and learn to appreciate what it means to be connected to food. Plant based eating has that effect on people. There is a direct energy – and overall people just feel better. To know that I am the facilitator of such profound changes in my clients lifestyle and health is extremely satisfying and rewarding. 

4.     Tell us some of the food shops you frequent when buying groceries to cook for yourself? 

I love to frequent and support local resources including farmers markets, small health foods stores, coop’s and CSA for my groceries. I also get some of my favourite products online from like-minded companies that are aligned with my values.

5.     What do you normally think about right before falling asleep?

I normally think about what I am going to do the next day – and plan a little bit in advance. But I also like to reflect on my day. What did I enjoy, what I am grateful for and lastly how happy I am with my life. 

6.     What is your favorite past time?

I have so many! I love to run, hike, do yoga, read and spend time with my family and dog. If there is time in my schedule for a vacation, there is nothing better than getting away to somewhere hot or somewhere that my husband and I can do some outdoor activities.

 Thanks Marni!

~ Daedra

* Marni is a Graduate of the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto, with a certificate as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner. She is also a graduate of The Natural Gourmet Culinary Institution in New York City and certified as a chef. Her focus is stemmed around whole foods, and she is dedicated to providing individuals with a balanced lifestyle through natural foods. Using passion and experience, she strives to educate individuals on how everyday eating can be simple and delicious.