Meet Dosha Bar! #Giveaway & #Discount Code

I wanted to introduce you to Dosha Bar, they are a product we featured recently in a BuddhiBox, and they are new on the market. They're a 100% organic, unsweetened fruit and seed bar.  

This bar is a little different than all the others, which is why I chose to feature them in BuddhiBox. First, they have very clean ingredients. Dosha Bar uses unsweetened fruit (most dried fruit is covered in sugar or apple juice concentrate), very little sweetener (pretty much the last ingredient on the list), and no preservatives, flavorings, or lab-made powders such as fiber, fruit, or protein. Bottom line is that it tastes great and digests like real food, unlike most bars I've had. 

Second, the Dosha Bar brand imagery and packaging is beautiful. As important, it hits the nail on the head in it's connection with yoga, unlike so many brands that simply try to put an asana or a buddha on a package and miss the point. Dosha Bar's brand connects through yoga's sister science, Ayurveda.  Each bar is made with ingredient combinations that balances one of the 3 "doshas" (Ayurvedic mind-body types) and the site even offers consumers an online quiz to help find their dominant "dosha" and get life balance tips with recommendations for activities and food ingredients to balance them.  It's a pretty cool, unique idea for a food product!  

My Thoughts:

I was excited to try the three varities of the Dosha Bar. The concept of the product is so unique and interesting. I love learning about yoga and it always relaxes me when I take part in it. The idea of these bars helping the balancing process truly intrigued me. They arrived in a sweet drawstring burlap bag. Below are pictures of each bar and what I thought of them:

Blueberry Balance (Pitta):

This was one of my favorite bars in the bunch. It helps to balance Pitta. It's sweet, tasty and very relaxing. As I ate the bar, I felt a bit more grounded, calm and centered. I was surprised! The blueberries give the bar a sweet texture, with a energy boost from the added seeds that include Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Puffed Amaranth, Dates and Raisins. There is also a dash of Cinnamon, Brown Rice Syrup and Quinoa Crisps. This the ideal comfort food that is actually good for you!  

Cran Apple Awakening (Kapha):

If you are looking for a treat that will wake you up, this is for you! This bar is zesty to the max and helps to balance Kapha! I loved it. The ingredients include a seed mixture of Sunflower Seeds, Hemp Seed Hearts, Quinoa Crisps, Buckwheat, Chia Seeds. There is also a nice fruit blend of Plums, Apples, Cranberries. There is a nice sweet burst too from the organic honey. This is ideal for those that need that extra boost in the morning or during the day. 

Cherry Chakra (Vata):

Cherry Chakra had a unique flavor. It was a mixture of tangy and sweet, and quite hearty. The taste of seed mixture stands out the most in the bar. It contains Pumpkin Seeds, Hemp Seed Hearts, Sesame Seeds, and Quinoa Crisps. There was a nice variety of fruits as well including Cherries, Dates, Plums, and Apples. There's a little dash of Sea Salt, Brown Rice Syrup and Organic Sunflower Oil. The bar helps to balance Vata, assisting in feeling focused, at ease and grounded. 

I really enjoyed what Dosha Bar represents and you can't beat the flavors. These are bars that are not only healthy, but delicious. Each one is successful in its mission to balance each area it covers. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves yoga, is looking to get involved in it, or is simply looking for a nutritious treat. 

***Discount Code***

Enter coupon code MamaLovesDoshaBar_15off for 15% off our Dosha® Bar - Mixed Flavor 12 ct. Sample Pack !

Connect with Dosha Bar:

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Website

The Giveaway

One lucky winner is going to receive samples of these delicious Dosha Bars! To enter just fill out the giveaway tools form below. Open to the US only. Giveaway will end  6/24/16. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to Dosha Bar and BuddhiBox for offering this fantastic prize!

Entry-Form

Osteobroth - A paleo chicken broth powder

For when you don't have time for homemade. No artificial colors, sweeteners, preservatives, or flavors. No added hormones and no antibiotics. Just 20 ultra convenient servings of chicken bone broth powder, enriched with collagen and chondroitin and perfect for paleo.

Developed by David Crooch. David received his first Personal Training Certification in 1999. He graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Physical Education degree. While in college he concurrently took courses through the Resistance Training Specialist Program (rts123.com) and the Muscle Activation Techniques program (muscleactivation.com)

In 2001, David also graduated in the first class of students of Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT). MAT is revolutionary approach to the assessment and correction of muscular imbalances, joint instability, and limitations in range of motion within the human body.

David received various Personal Certifications including Resistance Training Specialist Mastery Level. (RTSm) Which is high level biomechanics related to exercise.

Connect with Osteobroth

Website - Facebook - Twitter

My Thoughts

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package to this powdered broth was the smell. It smelled really good and made me think back to when I was a child and my mom would make me chicken broth in a coffee cup when I wasn't feeling well. I don't think I've had broth in a cup since.

I warmed water and then poured it over the powder and the aroma got even better It dissolved quickly and then I got to enjoy sipping it. I found it very tasty. It wasn't overly salty, but I also didn't feel like I needed to add any salt to it to enjoy it. It had a light chicken flavor to it and I found I really enjoyed sipping it.

I really liked the steps this company took to creating their broth and how clean it was. I didn't feel like I was getting a lot of extra additives and instead could enjoy the broth and the benefits that come along with it. I will definitely be looking into this broth more and adding it to our home shelf.

Cookbook: Cavemom's Cooking

Cavemom's Cooking, simple paleo meals. 168 Recipes.  Print Version, 125 pages, full color photographs. E-book version, PDF format. 122 pages. 2215 KB file size.

one mom's journey to help heal her son

Cavemom's Cooking was written by Anne, mom to a sweet little boy with Down Syndrome, who used to have Infantile Spasms.  When Anne felt the doctors and specialists had failed her son, she followed her gut and began keeping food and seizure logs, and eventually figured out which foods were triggering her son's seizures: carrots, sweet potatoes, and all nightshade foods - tomatoes, potatoes, all peppers - sweet and hot, eggplant, paprika, etc.  After eliminating the offending foods, not only did her son's seizures stop, his development began to fly!

"Cavemom's Cooking is not only a cookbook, but my son's story: how I stopped my son's benign myoclonic seizures and awoke his sensory processing abilities, our decision to go paleo, and the simple paleo recipes that followed. When we went paleo, I never thought about writing a cookbook. But as time went on and my son made so much progress, I knew his story needed to be told. And what better way than with what helped him the most? Food! Volume 2 is currently in the works!"

Paleo eating is grain and gluten free, dairy free, legume free, and nightshade free. Simply fresh, whole foods - fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and seeds. Easy to make, tasty to eat! If you're looking to get away from today's processed foods filled with artificial ingredients, preservatives, colors, and flavors, give Cavemom's Cooking a try.

Anne also owns Greenchild Creations, where she makes some pretty awesome cloth diapers and natural skin care!

For more information on Greenchild Creations, visit greenchildcreations.etsy.com, on Facebook, and her blog. 

To purchase Cavemom's Cooking, visit greenchildcreations.etsy.com where you can purchase the cookbook in either Print or E-book.  Visit Cavemom's Cooking blog too!

Cavemom's Cooking

Cavemom's Cooking

simple paleo meals

Cavemom's Cooking is not only a cookbook, but my son's story: how I stopped my son's benign myoclonic seizures and awoke his sensory processing abilities, our decision to go paleo, and the simple paleo recipes that followed. When we went paleo, I never thought about writing a cookbook. But as time went on and my son made so much progress, I knew his story needed to be told. And what better way than with what helped him the most? Food! Volume 2 is currently in the works!

Paleo eating is grain and gluten free, dairy free, legume free, and nightshade free. Simply fresh, whole foods - fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and seeds. Easy to make, tasty to eat! If you're looking to get away from today's processed foods filled with artificial ingredients, preservatives, colors, and flavors, give this a try.

168 Recipes. Full color photographs. Available both in print and e-book (PDF).

Cavemom's Cooking, E-book $9.99 
Cavemom's Cooking, Print $22.95

The author, Anne, is also the owner/creator of Greenchild Creations, which focuses on natural skin care, cloth diapers, and crafty things. Her fitted cloth diaper design was born of her son's needs.  Anne created a true OS fitted cloth diaper: each diaper is three layers of fabric with the third layer creating an inner pocket. With generous side flaps, super stretchy leg elastic, and an adjustable rise, her fitted cloth diapers will fit a range of sizes!  Anne offers pin, snap, or Velcro closure, and also makes cloth diaper covers and bamboo inserts. 

Annual July Sale!

10% off everything in the shop

(including Cavemom's Cooking) for the entire month of July! 

Enter coupon code 10OFF during checkout.

 
Excerpt from the Introduction - Kaiden's Story:

"Before I can introduce myself, I must first introduce our son, Kaiden.   Kaiden is one very special little boy; without him my view on everything would be much more . . . traditional. This cookbook is because of him: this is his story.
Kaiden has Down Syndrome, and was diagnosed with benign myoclonic seizures on September 22, 2009, when he was almost 8 months old.

Doctors told us to expect global delays and low muscle tone in regards to Down Syndrome, but they didn’t talk about dietary needs. Kaiden developed at a pretty normal pace up until his sixth month; after that things went steadily downhill. He had been 6 1/2 weeks premature and was exclusively fed breast milk; because of his prematurity he became anemic and at his six month well-visit, I was instructed to give him iron supplements and begin feeding him iron fortified cereals and solid foods whether he was ready for them or not. Unfortunately at that same appointment, even with the severe anemia, he was also given the DTaP and Hep B vaccinations. The Hep B vaccination contains yeast, and yeast feeds on sugar, which is in those infant iron supplements in some form to make them palatable. A few weeks later I went on antibiotics that were deemed safe for breastfeeding, and all of this was too much for Kaiden’s little system. The antibiotics killed off too much of his good gut bacteria, and the yeast took over. He quickly developed projectile vomiting, cradle cap, and stinky, sticky, yeasty diapers. The pediatrician we had been seeing did not feel yeast had anything to do with these sudden symptoms and laughed at me, refusing to see him; leaving me on my own to treat him. Just a few days later, the benign myoclonic seizures began.

After the seizures began, I noted that when given sweet potatoes and carrots, Kaiden’s seizure activity intensified. The neurologist we saw told me outright that he was sure diet had absolutely nothing to do with the seizures. In his official report to Kaiden's pediatrician, he wrote "I doubt an underlying metabolic abnormality". 

I’d had it! I was so angry - these doctors were supposed to be some of the best, and they wouldn’t listen to a word I was saying. I decided if they weren’t going to listen to me, I was going to do it myself. Mama Bear mode took over and I began my own research. I successfully treated Kaiden’s yeast overload with probiotics specifically for candida. The seizures . . . I tried everything under the sun to find their cause. I looked at the vaccines he'd been given, the dosage of the iron supplement, the antibiotics I had taken . . . all of which had seizures listed as a possible side effect, but the details did not go into the type of seizure. It hasn’t been definitively proven, but a correlation has been noticed between infants around that age range receiving the DTaP vaccine and developing benign myoclonic seizures. Since I saw that carrots and sweet potatoes intensified his seizure activity, I stopped feeding him those foods. Online, I found some evidence that some (not most) individuals with Down Syndrome do not process beta carotene well, and came across an individual with epilepsy that said carrots did it for them.

Since Kaiden had been spitting up the iron supplements with every dosage, I stopped the iron supplements and began giving him a tiny dosage of powdered kelp for his iron instead; his hemoglobin is and remains excellent. But, the seizures continued.

The neurologist told us this type of seizure would not affect Kaiden cognitively and that he may outgrow the seizures within a few short years. So, with that knowledge and because of the possible permanent side effects of allopathic anticonvulsant drugs, we chose to go the holistic route instead. The neurologist started him on vitamin B6, but said he would most likely need the anticonvulsant drugs to control the seizures as well as further testing; repeat EEG's and a future MRI.

Unfortunately, the vitamin B6 made no difference for Kaiden's seizures. At their worst, he was having 6 clusters per day with one spasm every 10 - 15 seconds for anywhere from 10 - 45 minutes. The longer the clusters lasted, the more time between spasms until they finally stopped. He would scream and cry after each spasm. These clusters would happen at random times of the day and night. As a parent, you feel so frustrated and want to cry right along with them . . . you feel powerless to stop it, yet you can't cushion them forever. The seizures would throw Kaiden forward violently, and he would smack his forehead on his toys, hard enough to bruise. I kept my homemade salve on hand, which kept away the bruising. The best way to describe these is like taking a bow, very hard and fast, and without your permission."
___________

You can find more of Kaiden's story in Cavemom's Cooking - available in e-book (PDF format) or print copies!

Keep up with Cavemom's Cooking and Greenchild Creations at:
Cavemom's Cooking Blog
Greenchild Creations Blog
Greenchild Creations on Facebook
Shop Greenchild Creations

Father's Day Gift Guide - Ostrim Meat Sticks - Review & #Giveaway

High protein snack. 96% Fat free. No. 1 Sports Nutrition Meat Snack. NATURE'S FOOD PROTEIN: If you're looking for a great tasting, moist, real meat protein from nature, eat OSTRIM! OSTRIM high-protein meat sticks are USDA inspected, guaranteeing you a true and correct nutritional profile of quality and wholesomeness. OSTRIM, nature's food protein, surpasses the protein sources found in many sports nutrition products. OSTRIM is also a good source of potassium and a good source of iron. 

 My Thoughts

This Father's Day, I wanted to get my husband a meat stick he can really sink his teeth into. Ostrim offers a variety of turkey, ostrich, and elk sticks that are packed with protein and make a great treat for kids and adults. They come in both several varieties, some mild and some spicy for those who like a little extra kick. My family got to try one of each and there was something for everyone. I don't eat red meat and I loved having the option of turkey sticks. My husband enjoyed the spicy flavors and my son was thrilled with the beef  and elk sticks.All of their flavors are jumbo sized so they make a great on-the-go snack that actually fills you up.

Each package is available for only $16.85 a box which is a very affordable price considering you get ten huge sticks. However, you can save even more if  you order in bulk and grab a whole case. Since they are completely shelf stable, there's no reason not to stock up.  But even more important than the price is the fact that Ostrim beef sticks are made with high quality meats that guarantee you a moist and enjoyable snack every time you break one open.

If you would like to learn more about Ostrim and all they have to offer, you can visit their website.  In addition to great tasting beef sticks, they also offer some amazing Paleo trail mix that are 100% gluten free.  Ostrim products are a healthy and tasty snack you can feel good about giving your family. So check them out and start munching on some quality meat sticks today.

 The Giveaway

One lucky winner is going to receive a variety pack of  Ostrim Beef Sticks to try for themselves. To enter, just fill in the Giveaway Tools form below.  This giveaway will end on 6/26/14. Open to the US only. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to reply. Thanks again to Ostrim for offering this fantastic prize.

Entry-Form