An inside look at Green Beaver Company

Note: This is a repost of my original article written for the terra20 blog.

Green beaver is a family-owned natural products company that has been around for 13 years. They prioritize using local, organic and natural ingredients which reduce harmful chemical exposure to humans as well as reducing environmental impact on the planet.

Before starting the business, Alain and his wife Karen were working in the chemical industry. It wasn't until they were starting a family that they really became concerned about the dangers of harsh chemicals. To create more choices for those looking to make a change, they started Green Beaver.

When developing the products, they made sure everything was in line with their ethical standards. They do not test on animals, nor do they use animal ingredients in the products (with the exception of the local organic beeswax in the sunscreens and lip balms). They also do not use any palm oil in any of their products for ecological and ethical reasons. They want everyone to be able to safely use the products, which is why they chose to have a gluten-free facility and the majority of the products are nut-free as well. Green Beaver has an open-door policy; they have nothing to hide and encourage visits to their factory.

The Matcha Series: Green Milk In My Cereal

I've been relying on cereal bowls the past couple of weeks. It's a quick breakfast fix that can be just as healthy (or not!) as you make it. 

This is my favorite combo right now: organic puffed rice cereal, coconut shreds, hemp seeds, walnut pieces and green milk. Green milk, you say? That's my secret to adding an extra boost of nutrition and flavor. Oh and let's not forget the healthy levels of caffeine to kickstart the day ;) See the recipe below.

Whole Foods opens in Ottawa!

Brace yourself for the visual feast you're about to enjoy. Whole Foods has just opened in Ottawa at the new Landsdowne Park/TD Place. With a plethora of amazing vegan and organic choices, the grand opening was a big success.

I could't resist this sale on organic bananas

Beauty Review: Bare English & Co.

In my previous Bare English & Co review, I raved about the wonderful texture of these vegan lip balms from Toronto. With organic ingredients and tea infusions, the non-toxic formula is the best I've come by. My friends at Bare English & Co just came out with 5 new flavors and I'm so excited to share these with you!

They currently have 7 flavors available;

The Matcha Series: The Green Banana (2-in-1 Recipe)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Kiss Me Organics to try their wonderful organic matcha powder. For those of you who don't know, matcha is simply green tea leaves that are ground down to a fine powder. Instead of steeping and straining the tea leaves, you mix it with water or other liquids and drink it. This gives you much more nutritional value and antioxidant benefits than the steeping method.

Because there are SO many ways to use matcha, I wanted to share multiple recipes to use it in. For the first recipe in this series, I give you a very simple and easy smoothie recipe which can also be tweaked into an ice-cream recipe.

Vegan Cuts Tea Lovers Box Video

I jumped on the opportunity to get a sweet special edition box from Vegan Cuts... Tea Lovers! This was such a cool idea, and I'm sharing my findings with you in this video.

Products in this special edition tea box:

Simply Straws - Special Vegan Cuts Engraved Straw

Beauty Review: Bare English Co. Lip Balms

Lip products and winter go together like peanut butter and jelly. We all know that finding a suitable lip balm is a harder task than it may initially seem. It needs the right scent, flavor, packaging etc.. but the right texture is one of its most important components. Achieving a smooth “non-sticky” application can be pretty tricky for producers of such products, especially without using any animal products or harmful chemicals (petroleum jelly, parabens, etc). Since the average woman consumes 2 kilograms (yep, that's kilos my friends) of lip products in her lifetime, it’s important to avoid nasty dangerous chemicals.  [Source: Terra20]

Like most women, I have a huge stash of lip products. They are hidden in every coat, every purse, hidden in drawers and pant pockets all around me. Also, vegans are always on the hunt for really good vegan lip balms, since they are sometimes hard to find. This is why I was so excited to have won a pack of 3 Bare English Lip Balms from Andrea Tomkins’ blog, A Peek Inside The Fishbowl. I put them to the test, and January is one of the best times to do this, in full blown Canadian winter.