Health Valley Chunky Chili :: Mild Vegetarian Black Bean

Growing up, I never really liked beans so I had never had chili.  When I practically lived in Cincinnati because of work, I was introduced to their unique, bean-free style chili and fell in love with it (It was Gold Star all the way...sorry Skyline fans!).  I even found a recipe online and made my own - frequently.  Our friends would flock to our apartment to have some.

I've been trying a lot of things since becoming a vegetarian and have a new love for beans.  While walking through the store one day, I saw the Health Valley Chunky Chili and decided to give it a try.  I'm so glad that I did!!!  I LOVE this chili and you can almost always find a can or two in our cabinet.  

Not only is this chili very filling, it's good for you too! Each serving (about 1/2 the can) has 10 grams of protein, 8 grams fiber, 150 calories and only 1 gram of fat!  There are several other versions but I've only had this one and the mild 3 bean.  I'll definitely be giving the others a try!

Size: 15 oz can

Where'd you get it?: I've gotten it at ShopRite and Whole Foods

How much did it cost?: $2.99 

Bonus!: Certified Organic, no genetically engineered ingredients, lots of fiber and protein

Would you buy it again?: Yes! 

Ingredients:  filtered water, organic tomatoes, organic black beans, organic tomato paste, organic onions, organic carrots, organic soy protein, organic corn starch, organic evaporated cane juice, sea salt, chipotle peppers, organic spices, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder.

The finished product! I sometimes add some cheddar, onions and/or sour cream.

Crest Pro-Health (Clean Mint)

I am very torn about this product. I guess you could say it's one of my guilty pleasures (which is really weird to say about a toothpaste). In case you didn't notice, I try REALLY hard to buy things that are not tested on animals. Procter & Gamble is a HUGE animal testing offender but I just can't give up on this toothpaste! I tried several others (Biotin, Tom's of Maine, etc.) but they just don't live up to Crest Pro-Health. My mouth feels cleaner, fresher and, when I was using it religiously before, I had no issues when I went for my dental cleaning. After I stopped using it, I had a few cavities, and a couple of my teeth became very sensitive again (I had these issues BEFORE I started using this toothpaste too). Maybe it's just a coincidence but I'm just not sure.

So, after finding it on sale, I have purchased 4 tubes of Crest Pro-Health. This is one of those items where I'd say, to get me to stop using it, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Container Size: 4.2 oz

Where'd you get it?: Pathmark (one of our local grocery stores)

How much did it cost?: $1.99 (this is a sale price...normally I think it's around $3.50 / $4.00)

Would you buy it again?: Absolutely!

Bonus!: none

Ingredients: Active Ingredient: Stannous flouride 0.454% Inactive Ingredients: glycerin, hydrated silica, sodium hexametaphosphate, propylene glycol, PEG-6, water, zinc lactate, trisodium phosphate, flavor, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium gluconate, carrageenan, sodium saccharin, polyethylene, xanthan gum, titanium dioxide, blue 1

Real Solutions Moisture Recovery with Hydrating Macadamia Nut Oil

I had been using Nature's Gate Organics for about a month or so and, while I liked it, I started feeling like it was drying my hair out a bit. So, while in the grocery store, I looked to see what they had and found this shampoo & conditioner by Real Solutions. So far, I LOVE it! I've only been using it for a few weeks but have seen a real improvement in my hair already. I have a problem with dry and frizzy and this seems to take care of it all! I can let it air dry and have no issues with it being too frizzy.

They also have 3 other types: Color Care, Frizz Repair and Volumizing Remedy *Updated 8/22/08: I looked at the Frizz Repair and Volumizing Remedy versions at the store. They DO have parabens in the conditioner. I didn't look at the Color Care version.

Container Size: 12 oz

Where'd you get it?: ShopRite (one of our local grocery stores)

How much did it cost?: $6.99

Would you buy it again?: Absolutely!

Bonus!: Paraben & sulfate free, organic, no animal products, doesn't test on animals, packaging is recyclable!

Ingredients: (I don't have the list right now but will update it as soon as I can)

Burt's Bees Peach & Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub

After discovering that my favorite facial scrub has parabens in it and no longer says "This product not tested on animals", I need to find a replacement.

My first try is Burt's Bees Peach & Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub. It doesn't scrub as well, but I was willing to look past that. The big issue that I have with this product is that after using it, my face feels so waxy! It doesn't feel clean at all!

I've given up using it and I'm off to find another one to try! If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I like the scrubby kinds. :)

Container Size: 4 oz

Where'd you get it?: Walgreens

How much did it cost?: $7.99

Would you buy it again?: No way!

Bonus!: Paraben free, doesn't test on animals

Ingredients: water, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, stearic acid, glycerin, prunus persica (peach) seed powder, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, sodium borate, fragrance, salix nigra (willow) bark extract, glucose, anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower extract, hydrastis canadensis (golden seal) extract, zingiber officinale (ginger) root extract, fucus vesiculosus (bladderwrack) extract, xanthan gum, sucrose stearate, glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase

Nothing new...yet...

I haven't purchased anything recently so haven't had anything new to add! Might find some stuff after my next food shopping trip.

In the meantime, click here for a nice little article about palm oil from the Opinion section of the L.A. Times.

Olivio Spreadable Butter

I didn't originally look at this when I was at the store because the regular Olivio contains Vitamin A (palmitate), as did every other margarine/butter I looked at. In a last stitch effort, I decided to pick it up and turn it around. Jackpot!

I've used it a few times now. We used it on corn on the cob, I made grilled cheese and made omelets for dinner. It worked like a charm every time. I was a huge fan of the original Olivio and, even though it has 2 grams of fat more, I'm a bigger fan of the Olivio Spreadable Butter because it doesn't contain any form of palm.

Where'd you get it?: ShopRite (local grocery store)

How much did it cost?: I can't find it on my receipt but I think it was $2.99 or $3.99

Would you buy it again?: Definitely!

Ingredients: Sweet cream, canola oil, extra light olive oil, salt, flaxseed oil and natural flavoring.

Clean Well Foaming Handwash

Orange Vanilla - All natural Antibacterial


When I first bought this, I wasn't too sure of the scent. It smelled good but it was a tiny bit different. Now I love it! I also love the soap! The foam almost feels silky, it smells awesome and doesn't dry out my hands.

Container Size: 9.5 fl oz

Where'd you get it?: Target

How much did it cost?: $3.99

Bonus!: Clean Well does not test on animals, is paraben free, no triclosan, & non-toxic!

Would you buy it again?: Most definitely!!! (just bought more tonight, actually!)

Ingredients: Active ~ Thymus Vulgaris Oil (Inactive ~ Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, Carmellia Sinensis (White Tea) leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantum Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Copper PCA, Hydrolized Oats, Origanum Vulgare Oil, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Decylglucosides Hydroxypropyl Sulfonate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Water)

Weleda: Skin Food

I bought this a while ago to help with the dry skin on my face. I didn't like it because it seems really heavy and felt like it was pulling my skin when I was trying to put it on. It sat in a drawer for a long time.

Last week, I decided to pull it out and give it a shot on my feet. WOW! It works AWESOME! :) After just a few uses, my feet look so much better! I'd highly recommend it for any problem areas (i.e. - hands, elbows or feet).

Container Size: 2.5 oz

Where'd you get it?: Drugstore.com (I've seen it at Walgreen's as well)

How much did it cost?: $15.69

Bonus!: Weleda does not test on animals

Would you buy it again?: Most definitely!!!

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower), Lanolin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond), Alcohol, Beeswax (Cera Flava), Glyceryl Linoleate, Hydrolyzed Beeswax, Fragrance (Parfum), Viola Tricolor, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria), Calendula Officinalis, Cholesterol, Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral, Coumarin

Yes To Carrots: Moisturizing Day Cream

C Today or C you in the Morning

This face cream is great! I love the way it feels when I put it on! I've had bad dry skin on my face for ages and this really seems to be helping! I've also had a problem the last few months with break-outs. So far so good. I've only been using this for about 4 days (2x a day --- again --- why a separate cream for nighttime?) so we'll see what happens.

Container Size: 1.7 fl.oz.

Where'd you get it?: Part of a gift set from Walgreen's. (Right now you can only buy Yes To Carrots at Walgreen's or from HSN)

How much did it cost?: $19.99 for the gift set (Day cream alone retails for $14.99 at Walgreen's)

Bonus!: Yes To Carrots does not test on animals, all of their products are paraben free.

Would you buy it again?: Most likely. I don't want to jump the gun until I'm sure it's not going to make me break out.

Ingredients: Spring Water and (Dead) Sea Water , Cucumis Sativa (Cucumber) Water , Aloe Vera Juice , Carrot Juice , Daucus Carota (Carrot) Seed Oil , Isopropyl Myistate , Propylene Glycol and Avocado Oil , Almond Oil , Glycerine , Glyceryl Stearate , Cetyl Alcohol , Disodiium EDTA , Squalane , PEG-40 Stearate , Caprylic , Potassium Cetyl Phosphate , Sorbitan Tristearate , Tocopheryl Acetate , Fragrance , Ginkgo Biloba , Hyaluronic Acid , Nicotinamide , Benzophenone-3 , Salicylic Acid , Hamamelis Virginiana Flower Water (witchazel) , Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract , Essential Oils of: Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange), Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin) , Silt (Dead Sea Mud) , Imidazolidinyl Urea, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Peel Extract.

Yes To Carrots: Deliciously Rich Body Butter

C Through the Dry Spell

I LOVE this stuff! I've had a problem with dry skin for as long as I can remember. This body butter really seems to be helping! My skin is definitely getting smoother. I also noticed that it doesn't feel tacky and doesn't feel like I'm just layering lotion on. Soaks in very nicely and is not greasy at all.

Container Size: 8.45 fl.oz.

Where'd you get it?: Part of a gift set from Walgreen's. (Right now you can only buy Yes To Carrots at Walgreen's or from HSN)

How much did it cost?: $19.99 for the gift set (Body Butter alone retails for $12.99 at Walgreen's)

Bonus!: Yes To Carrots does not test on animals, all of their products are paraben free.

Would you buy it again?: YES!

Ingredients: Spring Water and (Dead) Sea Water , Capric Triglyceride , Glyceryl Stearate , Algae Extracts (Spirulina, Dunaliella , Rhodella) , Carrot Juice , Carrot Seed Oil , Pumpkin Juice , Silt (Dead Sea Mud) , Shea Butter , Cocoa Butter , Melon Juice , Sweet Potato Extract , Orange Juice , Fragrance , Almond Oil , Olive Oil , Jojoba Oil , Avocado Oil , Niacin , Green Tea Extract , Ginkgo Biloba Extract , Imidazolidinyl Urea, Punica Granatum (Pomegranite) Peel Extract.

Yes To Carrots: Eye Contour Cream

Eye can C Clearly Now

I've only been using this eye cream for about 4 days now. Honestly? I'm not sure what the purpose of eye cream is and why I need to use that in addition to facial moisturizer. I will say that the skin around my eyes is soft and the cream does not burn my eyes.

Container Size: 1.7 fl.oz.

Where'd you get it?: Part of a gift set from Walgreen's. (Right now you can only buy Yes To Carrots at Walgreen's or from HSN)

How much did it cost?: $19.99 for the gift set (Eye cream alone retails for $14.99 at Walgreen's --- yes, for the 1.7 fl.oz.)

Bonus!: Yes To Carrots does not test on animals, all of their products are paraben free.

Would you buy it again?: Probably not, unless someone can give me a REALLY good reason for having a separate eye cream. :)

Ingredients: Spring Water and (Dead) Sea Water , Cucumis Sativa (Cucumber) Water , Carrot Juice , Daucus Carota (Carrot Seed) Oil and Aloe Vera Juice , Isopropyl Myistate , Cetyl Alcohol , Glyceryl Stearate , Cera Alba (Bees Wax) Propylene Glycol , PEG-40 Stearate , Chamomila Recutita (Chamomile) Extract , Sorbitan Tristearate , Fragrance (Parfum) , Tocopheryl Acetate , Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C) , Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) , Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract , Silt (Dead Sea Mud) , Nicotinamide , Imidazolidinyl Urea, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Peel Extract.