It’s FRIDAY… you aint got no JOB… You aint….

Gluten Free and FABULOUS!

$1 off 2 boxes of Crunchmaster Crisps

$1 off any 2 Immaculate Baking Refrigerated Dough products

$1 off Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free baked item

Awesomely Organic!

Save $0.75 off any Cascadian Farm product

$2 off 2 boxes of Kashi Cereal

Voraciously vegan.

Save $0.75 off any 4.5oz or larger bag of Food Should Taste Good chips

Mackin’ on Meatless…

$1 off 1 Gardein frozen entree product

$1 off 1 Boca meatless product

So print these coupons and make it happen!

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Memorial Day kicks off the beginning of warmer weather and backyard barbecues. If you’re already feeling the heat, you may be looking for ways to cool off this weekend. Instead of buying sugary commercially made fruit pops, why not try and make some of your own? It’s super easy and doesn’t require much equipment or preparation. All you need is a frozen treat mold, some popsicle sticks, and ingredients like fresh fruit, juice, or yogurt. Simply add your ingredients into the mold, place a stick in, and put the mold into your freezer. After a few hours, you and your family can enjoy some great homemade fruit pops!

Basic fruit juice pops are probably the easiest. Either purchase some low-sugar or organic juice and place it in the mold. If you like, you can add diced fruit to the mix or combine two or more juices for a refreshing fruity treat.

Another way to make your own fruit pops is to blend fruits into a puree. With this method, you can add other delicious ingredients like honey or fresh mint for a different twist on the traditional fruit pop. Pour the pureed mixture into your molds and let them sit in the freezer.

Adding regular or Greek yogurt is a great way to enjoy a creamy treat similar to a Creamsicle. You can combine the yogurt with your favorite fruit in a blender and puree. Pudding also makes delicious creamy pops.

There are tons of great recipes online including Women’s Health magazine and Rodale News. Try some out this weekend. Make the preparation a family activity. Your kids will have a blast creating their very own frozen treats!

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Green Wedding Series: Eco-Friendly Catering Tips

Your guests will be traveling from far and wide to see you and your loved one tie the knot. Now, you have to try and find a nice favor to give your guests to say thanks. Fortunately, there are countless options including everything from paper fans, chocolates, mini wine bottles, picture frames and so much more. Unfortunately, these favors can get expensive. Plus, most guests will either leave the favor behind or toss it once they get home making it a less than eco-friendly choice. Here are a few tips to align your favors with the eco-friendly theme you may have going:

Donate to a Charity

Instead of offering individual favors to all of your guests, consider donating your favor budget to a charity. You can spread the message via word of mouth or print a small message on something you’ve already printed such as a program or menu. You can donate the money along with the names of all of your guests or simply make the contribution from “The Smith/Jones Wedding,” for example.

Offer Something Edible

Edible favors are a great gift to offer your guests. Items like chocolates or other candies can be enjoyed right at the table. Your guests will probably be more willing to throw the candies into a purse or jacket pocket instead of leaving them behind. Try buying from a natural or organic candy company. Great chocolate companies include Theo Chocolates, Green and Black Chocolates, and Bissingers.

Reusable Bags

One great idea is to give your guests a reusable shopping bag to take home. You can have them printed with initials or something that goes with the theme of your wedding. You can also choose to print them with something that represents the region you’re getting married in. For example, if you’re having a San Francisco wedding, have a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge added to the bag.

Plants or Seeds

Offering your guests favors such as a small plant or a packet of seeds is another way to keep your wedding “green.” The best part about giving your guests a small plant is that they double as table decorations! Small succulents are increasing in popularity and are pretty easy to keep alive once you bring it home.

Small packets of seeds are much easier for your guests to take home. You can choose the seeds for your favorite flower, herb, fruit or vegetable. You can also have the seed packet envelopes custom printed with a note of thanks or image of the couple.

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Nature’s Gate has been a mainstay of natural personal care products for over 35 years. They use all natural ingredients that are sustainably harvested to produce effective, vegan, and cruelty-free personal care. Nature’s Gate produces deodorants, bath products, hair and oral care, and skin care that includes facial, acne and sun lines. Some examples of their products include Pomegranate Sunflower Velvet Moisture body wash and the Forget Your Lines Wrinkle Diffuser Serum.

Nature’s Gate products can be purchased from their website where their shampoo and conditioner starts at $7.79 for 18 fl.oz. and their Summer Spice Deodorant costs $5.59 for 2.5 oz. Their products can also be found at retailers such as Pharmaca and Whole Foods.

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Looking for savings on all-natural or organic foods? Below are some links to featured items this week that you can print directly from FreeCoupons.com! This week, the savings add up to $12.50!

*Please note: if the link delivers you to a page without any coupons “clipped,” the specific coupon is no longer available.

Bard Valley – Save $2.00 on any size package of Bard Valley Natural Delights Medjool Dates – zip code: 77477

Bear Naked - Save $0.75 on any Bear Naked FIT Cereal – zip code: 12345

Canyon Bakehouse - Save $1.00 on 1 Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free bread

Crunchmaster - Save $1.00 on any 2 Crunchmaster Crisps – zip code: 77477

Immaculate Baking – Save $1.00 on 2 Immaculate Baking refrigerated dough products

Kashi - Save $2.00 on 2 Kashi cereals

Oregon Cafe – Save $2.50 on any Oregon Cafe product – zip code: 23235

Sensible Portions - Save $1.00 on 2 Sensible Portions items – zip code: 90210

Stretch Island - Save $0.75 on any 1 Stretch Island fruit chews – zip code: 23235

Zulka - Save $0.50 on one 4-lb. bag of Zulka Pure Cane Sugar – zip code: 77477

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Want free organic carrots? How about some organic juice smoothies for just over $1 a piece? Organic milk, coconut oil, cereal and more are discounted at Walmart this week with some great coupons. Visit our Walmart Matchup to see what coupons you’ll need to get these great deals and more from brands such as Cascadian Farms and Earthbound Farms!

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Theo is the first U.S.-made organic and fair trade chocolate company. The company began with a passion for sustainability and a desire to see farmers in Central America and Africa treated fairly. All of their chocolate bars are QAI certified organic and IMO certified fair trade. They offer tours of their factory, hands on classes through their Chocolate University, and recipes for using their uniquely flavored high quality chocolates. They have four lines of bars, Classic, Fantasy, Partner and Limited Edition. The Fantasy line includes such flavors as Coconut Curry 45% milk chocolate and Fig, Fennel & Almond 70% dark chocolate. Sales from their Partner Bars support groups such as the Jane Goodall foundation and the PCC Farmland Trust. Right now their Limited Edition Bars include the Ghost Chile 70% dark chocolate bar. They also produce confections such as the Single Malt Scotch Ganache Collection and caramels such as the Honey Saffron Caramel Collection.

The chocolates bars can be purchased from their website for between $3.50 and $5.00 a piece. their caramel collections start at $8.80 for 4 and their confections start at $11.00 for 4. They may also be purchased at stores such as Whole Foods and Wegmans.

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In honor of National Celiac Awareness Month, we thought we would share a few tips to help you save on gluten-free foods. When sticking to a specific diet, it can be more difficult to save since the foods you can purchase are limited. Here are a few tips to help gluten-sensitive shoppers save!

Coupons

Coupons for gluten-free foods are a little more difficult to find. There are some methods to receiving these rare coupons. It just takes a little more planning and effort on your part. Sometimes, you’ll get lucky and find coupons for a gluten-free product in your Sunday newspaper. If you don’t want to buy the whole paper just to learn there aren’t any coupons you can use, consider browsing our Sunday coupon preview each week. You can also print coupons from great online resources like Mambo Sprouts or Common Kindness. They offer coupons for great natural, organic, and gluten-free brands. Another great way to get gluten-free coupons is to sign up for eNewsletters, check Facebook or visit the official site for some of your favorite brands. You can also try contacting the company and letting them know you’re interested in their product. They might just send out a coupon or a free sample!

Shop Online

You can buy many non-perishable products online through sites like Amazon or Vitacost.com. You can also try the individual manufacturer’s website. They might have an online marketplace. To get deeper discounts on Amazon.com, try utilizing other sites like Swagbucks. With Swagbucks, you can redeem your points for Amazon gift cards. You can then use the cards to buy your favorite gluten-free brands on Facebook!

Buy In Bulk

Buying foods in bulk is a basic way to save money on any diet – conventional or not. Gluten-free grains like quinoa can often be purchased by the pound at your local natural or health food store. Other items like meat, fish, bread or certain fruits and vegetables can be stored in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. In other words, if you see a great deal on your favorite gluten-free  bread, stock up! You can store any excess in the freezer! You can also check with the manager of your local store. See if they’ll offer any sort of discount for buying in mass quantities.

Other Tips

Be sure to utilize your store loyalty cards at grocery and drugstores. In many cases, the more you use those cards, the more you save overall. Certain supermarkets send you reward checks or coupons just for subscribing to their savings program. Grocery stores are adding more and more gluten-free, organic and natural products to their shelves. Be sure to check your favorite store and utilize that loyalty card!

Another idea is to check out the natural food co-ops in your community. You might be able to find great products at a lower cost. The bonus is that you’ll be benefiting your community!

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The core behind Weleda’s mission is the idea that an individual’s body, mind and spirit are linked to the world. With that in mind, products made by Weleda use ingredients from their own gardens and from the world beyond that promote our bodies’ natural ability to heal themselves. It follows that stewardship of the earth through organic farming methods, the development of fair trade relationships and meaningful relationships between the company and it’s consumers are all intrinsic to the company’s success. Weleda’s award winning face, baby and body products, oral and hair care, and medicines, are all natural and contain organic ingredients.

With such a wide array of products, the prices vary substantially. For instance, their Children’s Tooth Gel runs $8.00 for 1.7 fl. oz. and their deliciously scented body lotions run $16.50 for 6.8 fl. oz.. Weleda’s One-Step Cleanser & Toner costs $19.50 for 3.4 fl. oz. and their Birch Body Scrub costs $12.00 for 5.1 fl. oz. Weleda products can be purchased from their website or from retailers such as Target and Whole Foods.

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During the month of May, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness wants you to learn more about celiac disease, how to get tested for it, and how it can affect you and your family. The theme for this year’s National Celiac Awareness Month is “Fuel the Family,” which is aimed at encouraging family testing for celiac disease. Research has shown that having an immediate family member with celiac disease greatly increases your risk.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by the ingestion of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. It’s estimated that 1 in 141 Americans have the disease, yet 83% of them are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. When a person with celiac disease eats gluten, the villi (fingerlike projections) in the intestine are damaged, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients. This hereditary condition can affect men and women of all ages and races.

What are the Symptoms?

Classic symptoms of celiac disease include weight loss or growth failure, anemia, and diarrhea. Other symptoms can include abdominal pain, a rash, fatigue, or headaches. When untreated, celiac disease can increase your risk of osteoporosis, infertility, thyroid disease, and certain cancers. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you think any of your symptoms are related to gluten ingestion.

How Can I Get Tested?

A simple blood test is the first step in getting tested for celiac disease. Your doctor may call for an intestinal biopsy as well. Be sure to continue eating your normal diet (including gluten) during testing. Most health insurers will cover the cost of the test, and your primary care provider should be able to administer it.

Additional Information

Gluten-free labels can be found on several natural food packages. Most doctors and dieticians recommend that people should continue to eat gluten unless there is a medical need  to avoid it. A gluten-free diet is not meant for weight loss. In fact, many pre-packaged gluten-free foods are high in sugar and calories. Be sure to always check the label!

Naturally gluten-free foods include fresh fruits and vegetables,  nuts, beans, seeds, and fresh fish and meats. Grains such as quinoa, teff, and millet are also gluten-free. For those with celiac disease, a completely gluten-free diet is the only “cure” for the disease. There are currently no procedures or medications to treat the symptoms.

What Can I Do During Celiac Awareness Month?

The main goal is to spread the word about Celiac Disease. If you think you or anyone in your family is affected, visit your doctor and get tested! You can also host a fundraiser and donate the money to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA). The NFCA uses the money to educate physicians and restaurants about the gluten-free diet. They also use the money to offer free resources to patients with celiac disease.

For more information, visit the official website for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

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