Hot Tamale!!!! Yep, A GIVEAWAY!!

As many of you know, our house is newly gluten free because our two youngest, babies A and B, have been recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. In an effort to make our menu choices as quick and healthy as possible, we were granted the wonderful opportunity to check out some top choices by cooksimple. 

Check out how cooksimple began: 

The story of cooksimple™ founder Keith Lauver is one that resonates with many people. Keith was in his early 30s with a new baby at home, traveling weekly for work, eating out most nights, and paying little regard to his personal health. In November 2002, he walked into a clinic for a life insurance medical exam and walked out with three numbers that changed his life: Cholesterol=260, Triglycerides=586, Weight=194. What did these numbers equate to? Keith was considered twice as likely to die as the “average guy.”

This wake-up call convinced Keith to make some major changes...Taking control of what he was eating was the key to building a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. 

...The company was founded on the principle that people will eat healthier if doing so is tasty, easy, and accessible. cooksimple™ has designed a product line to do just that by removing the largest barrier for everyone: the lack of time to cook at home. The recipes are a breeze to prepare, flavorful, satisfying, and inexpensive, while also delivering superior nutrition.

from their website, www.thehealthypantry.com
 

So, Can cooksimple really impress me twice in a row? Let's see! 
Last night we tried the tamale pie; 

Ok, so clearly I am NOT a food photographer ;) but here's what you get with the Tamale Pie kit

Like the white bean chili, you need to add ground meat, and this time, diced tomatoes. I didn't have any ground meat on hand this time, so I pulled some pork chops from the freezer and again, stuck them in the crock-pot in the am with the can of diced tomatoes. 

Right before I was ready to make the pie, I took them out and shredded them quickly with a fork, gave them a quick chop, and threw them back in the slow cooker. 

 
What did I have to do next, you ask? Add the spice packet and some water.

Yep, that's it. 


I waited for it to bubble, as instructed, and at the last minute, added the instructed amount of shredded cheese. Here's what it looked like; 

Now you'll see that there is also a cornbread topping for this dish, so again, super easy to prepare, and then just you pour it over top- 19 minutes later..... BAM:

Review: 

So, we were SO impressed with the White Bean Chili  , that I think I psyched myself out for this one. I served this, as I did the chili, with a simple arugula salad with balsamic honey dressing. 

I really enjoyed the chili/tamale part of this dish. A little more of almost a curry-ish taste to this one, but was a nice compliment to the peppery arugula. I was not, however, a fan of the cornbread topping. A bit to thick and dense for me. I think if I made this again, I might only use half of the cornbread mixture overtop. 

Hubby and Sissy on the other hand, LOVED the cornbread! 

Other pluses: 

* Made enough to feed 5 of us. For 2 nights! ;) 
* Everyone enjoyed it: Mom, Dad, Sissy, Baby A (2 yo ) and Baby B (10 mo) 
* Again, SO EASY! (LOVE THAT!) 

2nd night (tonight)- we had the leftovers heated and topped with sour cream and salsa and dipped blue corn chips into it. DELISH! <3 

baby A enjoying her tamale pie with shredded cheese, blue corn chips, and Silk Chocolate Milk

Baby B enjoying hers chopped up with some shredded cheese and some water!

 Giveaway:

We want YOU to enjoy a gluten free night on cooksimple as well! So HERE is how YOU can WIN:  

Mandatory Entries:
* Subscribe to NNM via Google Friend Connect and comment below that you have done so
* Follow NNM on Facebook (already a follower? that's ok! It counts!) Just comment on our wall by naming a cooksimple kit "flavor"
* Follow cooksimple on Facebook and comment on their wall that NNM sent you 

Additional Entries: 

In order to keep track of all additional entries, for each entry completed, you MUST comment below here that you have done so (other wise I can't track everyone!) :

* FOLLOW NNM on Twitter 
* FOLLOW cooksimple on Twitter 
* TWEET this giveaway using #NurturingtheNaturalMama #giveaway and tag @mymackey and @cooksimplemeals 
* FOLLOW NNM on Pinterest 
* FOLLOW cooksimple on  Pinterest 
* RE PIN this giveaway 

Aaaaand GO! Goodluck! WINNER will be chosen at random Friday March 29th at 8pm, EST  

Natural Dental Care is HERE! Review and GIVEAWAY!

That's right, you heard me! Featured in the 2013 Eco Baby Gear Buying Guide from Green Child Magazine: 

via Instagram @mymackey

Jack n Jill Natural Toothpaste and dental care supplies! Review and GIVEAWAY to follow! Stay tuned! 

In the meantime, be sure to follow Jack n Jill on Facebook, Twitter, and on the web and let them know NurturingtheNaturalMama sent ya! 

CookSimple: Can Gluten Free Chili really be easy and delicious?

I recently received some samples from CookSimple when they discovered we had entered the gluten free world, thanks to babies A and B! I was delighted at the prospect of an easy, healthy weeknight meal. 

Being new to gluten free, I feel I have been doing pretty well in our dinner combinations, without straying too far from our usual menu. For example, one night a week we always had pasta as an easy dinner, and now we just substitute gluten free pasta. Most nights though, we stick to our usual: some kind of meat and a vegetable. Occasionally, we include a starch- so we're not really missing out on too much. 

But the cooksimple products I received all have only one or two ingredients you need to add, and each contain all actual, readable ingredients: spices, beans, etc. I was pleased from the start. 

So last night I made the white bean chili . The box called for me to add shredded chicken, or any meat of my choice. The recommendation was a rotisserie chicken for the easiest option since it is precooked. I chose to use the boneless chicken thighs I had in the freezer. 

via Instagram @mymackey

So yesterday morning, while I waited for the coffee to brew, I threw the thighs in my crockpot with a chopped onion, about 1/2 c of barbecue sauce, and a splash of raw apple cider vinegar. By the time I was ready to make dinner, chicken was done and easily shredded with a fork. 

The box calls for you to boil the packet with 4 cups of milk (or water)- I chose milk. 

 
Then add your meat and simmer for about 20 minutes. 


No, for real.... like, that's it! :) 

this is what you see when you open the box

 
I was a bit skeptical about the amount in the box. We had 5 of the 6 of us home, so I was unsure that the seemingly tiny box would feed our whole family. Again, a pleasant surprise, was that it fed us last night AND tonight! WOOT WOOT! Any busy mom LOVES leftovers! 

Both nights I served the chili with a simple arugula salad, which I got from a dinner I had with Michelle Collins from the Economical Eater, and my new favorite Ken's Chefs Reserve Creamy Balsamic with Honey salad dressing! YUM! 

I found the chili ended up super creamy, just spicy enough (if you want SUPER spicy- you'll need to add some crushed red pepper, or what we opted for: Hot salsa!), no bizarre "boxed food" aftertaste, and something that I can't wait to make again to put over nachos! There has GOT to be gluten free nachos right???? ;) 

To give you an idea of how it turned out as a family meal: 

Sissy (age 16 and picky ;)) ate it in a tortilla (she is NOT GF) and ate 3 of them! ;) 

Hubby ate 2 bowls... last night AND tonight!

Baby A (age 2 and 1/2) ate hers topped with sour cream and had a second bowl today with lunch with some cubes of cheddar cheese. No weird faces or complaints ;)

Baby B (age 10 months) ate mostly the chicken. squished around the beans. I would say that's pretty age appropriate ;) 

So in conclusion: a wonderful success! This weekend: Tamale Pie  and I can't wait! Stay tuned, because one more review and there will be a GIVEAWAY for you to try your own cooksimple meal! 

Be sure to follow cooksimple on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and tell them NurturingtheNaturalMama sent you! 

You can also get many of the items mentioned here at the NurtureMe Store

Have you tried cooksimple meals? Which is your favorite?

NEW Items received today! Review & Giveaway from CookSimple

Check out the new items I received today: 

Gluten free cooking kits from CookSimple that I can't WAIT to review! One of these kits will be offered as a GIVEAWAY!!! That is, ifffffff I can part with them ;) 

Stay tuned! 

Blissful Booty Cloth Diapers *Giveaway* CLOSED

Figured I'd start the Holiday week with a giveaway! (Ok, so my week is starting technically mid-week, but who's keeping track?!)

photo courtesy of www.blissfulbooty.com

Blissful Booty was kind enough to send me a AIO Ultra cloth diaper with a booster to try for baby A. Since I had already used and reviewed their diaper, which I had received as a gift, in my post entitled Newest Additions to Our Stash and LOVED them, I was excited to try them with the booster!

Just as before, the diaper fits comfortably and snug. The fabric, I will repeat, is exceptionally soft and luxurious! And the booster is no exception. It is the same soft and wonderful fleece material with a canvas-ish backing that slips into the folds of the diaper, similar to how a maxi pad secures to your undergarment.

And at first, when I saw the small size of the booster (compared to the g cloth insert for example) I was unsure how much this little piece of fleece could really help. Much to my delight, when I went to change baby A, that little booster had absorbed almost ALL the urine! I was able to just place another booster inside the same AIO diaper to freshen her up! It was great!

I also use my BBCDs without the booster, as they are not a necessity, but they do certainly help with overnight wetness, and as I just mentioned, it occaisonally can save you on extra washes :)

I have mentioned this before as well, but the fit of the BBCD s is great! I love that it has velcro and snaps for a snug and secure fit, and after having used these diapers, I plan to have the alterations place next door to me add some snaps to the gDiapers in my stash that are losing their velcro!

Blissful Booty Cloth Diapers, as you've probably noticed from my blog, my facebook page, and my tweets- are quickly becoming a new fave of mine in cloth diapers and cloth diaper accessories. 

* GIVEAWAY * CLOSED

In honor of their fabulous products, I am also doing a GIVEAWAY of a sample of their cloth wipes (4 in all), a sample bottle of their Heavenly Honeysuckle wipe water concentrate WITH a 4 oz spray bottle, AND a tube of Blissful Booty Lip Balm!

contest winnings shown here

To Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Follow NurturingtheNaturalMama via GFC and Comment below that you did so. In your comment, please list your favorite item from the Blissful Booty website (one NOT mentioned in this blog). And GO! <3

Additional Entries: 

Want another chance at winning? Do one or all of the items below, and leave a comment below that you did so. Be sure to include your EMAIL in EACH comment so I can contact you should you win. 
* Each additional entry does need a SEPERATE comment below.

1. Find  Blissful Booty Cloth Diapers and 'like' them on Facebook
2. Follow BBCD on Twitter
3. Find and 'like'  NurturingtheNaturalMama on Facebook
4. Follow NNM on Twitter
5. SHARE this giveaway with your friends! (you can use FB and/or Twitter to enter)

Goodluck to ALL! and THANK YOU to Blissful Booty for this great giveaway!

Contest CLOSES Friday at 9pm EST.

The Clean Bedroom *Product Review*

* Product Review * Organic Buckwheat & Millet Hull Pillow

Wanna sleep like a baby?!

Of course, whoever made up that saying never actually HAD a baby :)  Regardless, let me tell you about a great organic way to improve your sleep. Check out the Rejuvenation Pillow from The Clean Bedroom!

The Clean Bedroom is a fabulous all organic store that specializes in organic mattresses, but also carries nursery items, non toxic kids furniture, air cleaning systems, and organic pet beds! Their home office and showroom is right here in Kittery, Maine! They also have showrooms in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

* Keep an eye on their website for news on their upcoming expansion of the Kittery showroom! *

Recently I had the fabulous opportunity to try one of the organic pillows from The Clean Bedroom, and was sent the amazing Rejuvenation Pillow. This pillow, made of organic buckwheat, millet hull and eco wool, is (no lie) the single most comfortable pillow on the planet!

Not gonna lie, I am a down-feather pillow girl (I know, gasp!). But I like a firm mattress, and a squishy pillow. I am also a side sleeper. My husband on the other hand, is a back and stomach sleeper. So who better to try this pillow then BOTH of us?!

the pillow, arriving in it's exquisite packaging to my home!

au natural :)

The first thing I noticed about this pillow, besides the gorgeous packaging ( I couldn't get over it actually, the pillows wrapping job looked better than most of my wedding gifts!), was the fact that the box was heavy! This pillow has some weight to it, whew!

That being said, it is worth it's weight in gold! One side is like one of those rice filled heating pads for your neck, and the other is like any other pillow (the eco wool side). But it is a perfect balance for a range of sleeping habits. For example, I LOVED the wool side. I am a side sleeper, and if you can picture it- lie on my side with my arm under my pillow, essentially squishing it into my head. haha. So I loved having the "rice" side on the bottom so that I could conform it around my arm while still having my head supported.

My husband, on the other hand, being primarily a back sleeper, liked having the "rice" side on top, so he could conform it under his head supporting his neck. 

It is the epitome of pillow-versatility! :)

tag of the Serenity Rejuvenation Pillow

the width of this pillow is incredible, but without being bulky or overwhelming

packaging from the back

It also comes with an organic sateen cotton pillow case which is oober luxurious, without the inherent "sweat" factor of it's polyester-ish traditional sateen cousins :)

Why an organic pillow?

1. chemical free unlike it's flame retardant laden cousins. these pillows use the wool as a natural flame retardant, as I referenced in my last Sunday Surf.

2. many of the pillow options at the Clean Bedroom allow you to remove some the hulls, essentially customizing the pillow to your own taste- perfection!

3. Wool is also naturally anti microbial, as well as is great for people who typically suffer from dust mite allergies!

* You can check out more info on pillows on The Clean Bedroom blog, Picking Through the Piles of Pillows.

Surf on over to The Clean Bedroom's website and comment below telling me your favorite product!

Also, check them out on Facebook and Twitter, let them know NurturingtheNaturalMama sent ya! <3