Not long ago I was cleaning my bathroom (joy of joys) and I used my usual array of chemical-filled cleaners. I knew about “natural” products but wasn’t sure if they’d really get the job done. Plus the stuff I usually buy is inexpensive and it cleans. However, after using a cleaner that included bleach and other chemicals, my stomach felt nauseous for hours afterward. I couldn’t seem to get the toxic smell off my hands. Then I thought about how my kids are around that all the time too. Yuck.

Ecostore USA promotes its plant-based products as having “no nasty chemicals”. I was excited when they sent me a bottle of Natural Citrus Spray Cleaner that they dub as being an all-purpose cleaner for the home. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that it really works. The smell is very mild, so if you are sensitive to scents, this would be a really good choice. I found that I wanted a little more “oomph” when cleaning off the soap scum in the tub and I would probably try the cream cleanser instead for that need. But as far as general cleaning goes, the spray cleaner worked well and is safe for everyone to be around.

The only downer is the price. While the bottle lasts a long time, $9 is a big jump in price from what I’m used to paying for a cleaner. However, the quality is high and with how sick I felt with the last product I bought, I’m considering it a worthy investment. I did notice that they run sales too.

Ecostore USA also sells baby care, bath and body, hair, and pet care products. They sent me a bar of coconut soap that smells luscious. Normally I use shower gels because soaps don’t seem to have enough “yummy smell” but this one definitely holds its coconut scent. It has a really rich, creamy lather and didn’t dry out my skin. I’ve used it happily for several weeks now. It’s good stuff! Check them out when you have a chance. They even offer free shipping on orders over $25.

Giveaway Bonanza! (I really wanted to write bonanza)

One winner will win a $25 gift card!
MANDATORY ENTRY:
Visit Ecostore USA and explore the site. Find a product not mentioned in this review that interests you and report back on what you found in a comment here.

Additional Entries:

1. Become a Facebook Fan of Ecostore USA. Leave a separate comment here letting me know that you became a fan.

2. Follow Ecostore USA on Twitter. Leave a comment letting me know that you are following.

3. Stumble, Digg, or Reddit this post (icons below the end of the post)! leave a comment letting me know which one you did. 1 entry per site.

4. Join my email list (top right side of page) and leave a comment letting me know you’ve joined.

Good luck! Contest ends February 28.

Fortunately, POM contacted me and sent me some adorable little bottles as well as a pack of information about the health benefits of POM. Lucky me!

Most people haven’t had pomegranates before. I’ve cooked with them on occasion and the seeds are beautiful, a little crunchy and are a great addition to all sorts of recipes. However, I can’t imagine actually squeezing a bunch of them to make large amounts of juice. They’re super expensive. Actually, POM Wonderful is pretty pricey too, but when I learned about what goes into making a bottle I understood why it is so costly.

POM grows their own fruit, picks it by hand, squeezes, presses, and bottles the special Wonderful variety of pomegranate that has a particularly high level of the healthy benefits that pomegranates offer. Each bottle has nearly 5 pomegranates squeezed into it. Most pomegranate juices that you’ll find will have cheap filler juices added. This is definitely pure pomegranate juice.

The health benefits are pretty astounding. The antioxidant levels are higher than pretty much any other fruit I’ve heard about. The research backs up POM’s claims of making very solid improvements for heart health, such as decreasing risk for cardiovascular disease, decreasing arterial plaque, and improving prostate health in men. It also improves erectile function. Who knew?

The taste is a bit like cranberry juice but a bit more tart. I really didn’t expect my kids to like it but it’s now my 3 year old’s favorite juice. He calls it “papagrana juice”. I actually preferred it mixed with other things, like seltzer water (that would also stretch a bottle for those who are on a tight budget).

If you check out the POM site you’ll find loads of ideas for using POM Wonderful in recipes.I mixed it into a smoothie that I made from a recipe for POM Passion Smoothie. It knocked our socks off! Yum. According to my friend Sarah, it also helps to make a mean cocktail. She’s such a bad influence.

I don’t think we can budget the suggested 8 ounces a day of POM Wonderful for our entire family, but if we could I definitely would, simply for the health benefits. I’ll buy it much more frequently though. The taste is really unique, it’s super healthy, and the juice is really versatile because it’s not exceptionally sweet, making it a great addition to savory food as well as sweet. Give it a try. I hear that Costco sells a larger bottle that is a better value too. I’ll definitely check that option out as well. You can also use POM’s handy store locator to find out where to buy it. Enjoy!

Fine Print: While POM sent me some free juice to try, I was under no agreement to review the product or promote it in any way.

How’s it work?
There are other single-serve beverage systems out on the market, but Tassimo distinguishes itself by the unique barcode on each T-Disc, the little round disc full of pre-measured beverage. You never remove any packaging from them; you simply place it in the appropriate slot, close the loader, and push a button. The machine then reads the code. In turn, the Tassimo knows how much water to combine with the disc in order to deliver your perfect beverage. Having a smart little coffee robot is a plus when it’s early in the morning and I can barely think. You do have some control over the strength of the beverage. Drinks take under 60 seconds to brew. If you push the button again within 20 seconds the machine will dilute your beverage to make a milder brew.

Another thing to understand about the beverages is that any drink that has milk in it uses a separate milk T-Disc. The discs come with the beverages like lattes and cappucinos; if you like cafe au lait you can buy separate packages of the milk T-Discs and use them with the coffee T-Discs. You just brew the coffee portion of the drink, toss that disc, then put in the milk disc and hit the “go” button again. The resulting milk is frothy and creamy. Yum.

How do the drinks taste?
The Tassimo is made by Kraft, so unsurprisingly, many of the beverages available are made by companies owned or affiliated with Kraft in some way: Maxwell House, Gevalia, Twining and Tazo teas, and Starbucks for starters. The quality of drinks vary and it’s a little difficult to determine what “bad” and “good” coffee are; people have such widely varying opinions on how they like their coffee. Here’s my own take on the varieties that I tried:

• Gevalia Cappucino Latte, and Morning Blend Coffee: these were really excellent. I used to think of Gevalia as being sort of shady because I’d get tons of junk mail about their coffee makers. But their T-discs were consistently among the top that I tried.
• Maxwell House coffees and cappuccino: I thought the cappuccino was pretty good, though a little mild. The coffees, however, tasted terrible to me. I’m not a fan of regular Maxwell House coffee so it stands to reason I wouldn’t much like the T-Discs.
• Starbucks Verona: I like regular Starbucks Verona as I brew it in my drip coffeemaker. However, I found this to be a little bitter and strong, much like it tastes at a Starbucks coffee house. If you are a Starbucks fan you’ll likely dig this one.
• Milka Hot Chocolate: I so wanted to love this! Milka chocolate is sort of like Hershey except it’s European and way creamier. However, the Milka T-discs really disappointed. I thought the taste was really watery and I could barely discern a chocolate flavor. I’d pass on this one.
• Twinings Chai Tea: wow! I have had Chai tea at coffee houses and thought it was alright. I actually liked this variety better. It had the perfect balance of sweet and spice and had a really nice creamy taste.

Is the Tassimo Cost Effective?
I think the Tassimo can find a good place in just about any home if you use it appropriately. If you and other family members are heavy coffee drinkers, you’ll rack up a big bill if you strictly use the T-Discs, which retail from about $6.99 for 16 T-Discs on upwards depending on retailer and product. If you’re the only one in the house that drinks these sorts of hot beverages, this would be a great machine to have. My husband and I have been using it much like we used our old espresso machine; for a single drink here or there each day, or when we want to feel a special treat instead of just a cup of coffee. If I’m the only one home I’ve been using a T-Disc instead of brewing a small pot of coffee. It’s way faster with less mess.

The Tassimo is also a pretty good way to cut down on your overall coffee consumption, oddly enough. I used to brew a 4-6 cup pot of coffee and drink quite a bit of it just because it was there. Or I’d forget that I’d brewed it and ended up wasting the coffee. I definitely am more conscious about my coffee consumption now!

My only other complaint other than some uneven results from the actual beverages is the packaging of the T-discs. They have foil lids and plastic cups and they don’t lend themselves to easy recycling. If you are concerned about that issue you can peel off the top, empty the container, and recycle the plastic. I’d like to see a solution that allows you to recycle the discs with less fuss.

The Bosch Tassimo Suprema retails for around $169.99, though you should be able to find a sale or a coupon to get a better deal. The best prices for T-discs seem to be at Target. Amazon has a great selection but I found them to be more expensive there unless they have a sale. Bed Bath and Beyond has a really great selection too.

Pros: Extremely fast, no mess, some yummy drink varieties, large selection of T-Discs, good machine design that doesn’t take up a lot of space

Cons: Some complain that the machine is loud (I didn’t think so at all!), a few drink varieties are a definite miss, T-Discs not easy to recycle

So, I have a new toasty beverage bot and I think for the type of machine that it is and the purpose it serves, the Bosch Tassimo Suprema as at the top of its game. I definitely like having him around; if you’re in the market for a new machine, definitely consider the Tassimo.

Fine Print: Tassimo provided me with a machine for the purpose of testing and reviewing. I was in no way compensated for a positive review or opinion. I try to give you guys, as always, the good, the bad, and the ugly about products I review!

Stonyfield Farm uses only organic, pure ingredients with absolutely no antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides or chemical fertilizers. What they do use is fresh milk, hand-picked berries, and a carefully cultivated process of making yogurt that yields a product that isn’t cloyingly sweet, and tastes creamy. It’s delicious! When Stonyfield offered me the opportunity to try their Oikos Greek yogurt, I did a happy dance. No, really, I did!

Wondering what Greek yogurt is exactly? It’s yogurt that has been strained with the whey removed. This yields a thicker, creamier yogurt that is lower in sugar and has twice the protein content as regular yogurt. Oikos, the first certified organic Greek yogurt on the market, packs an impressive nutritional punch. The single serving of vanilla has 110 calories, no fat, and a whopping 15 grams of protein.

So it was nutritionally a win but I wondered if it would actually taste good. I tried the blueberry first. It is, in a word, incredible. Yes, I’m fawning over Oikos Greek Yogurt; it’s just that good. I love it, and I might even marry it. Oikos isn’t quite as sweet as other yogurts, but it is the thickest, creamiest yogurt I’ve ever eaten. It tastes like dessert but without the excessive sweetness. You could easily use the plain variety in place of sour cream. It has just the right amount of tanginess to satisfy a yogurt lover without being too strong.

I tried honey, vanilla, plain, blueberry, and strawberry. All five flavors were outstanding but blueberry was my favorite. There were actual berries in my yogurt and the blueberry flavor was well balanced.

Because of the high protein content, this yogurt really makes a meal. You could easily take this for lunch with a piece of  fruit and feel satisfied for a long while. This helps justify the cost of Oikos, which was approximately $2.29 for a 5.3 oz. carton at my local Hy-Vee. It’s pricier than other yogurts but it’s much more filling. If you were eating this for breakfast you could easily eat half and save the rest of the carton for your next snack. My only complaint is that the lids are the peel-back foil type. It makes it a bit more messy to reseal and reuse.

If you read my blog often you’ll know that I’m a very strong advocate for frugality. Not every item falls under the “super cheap” umbrella and that’s because frugal doesn’t mean cheap, it means being a savvy, selective shopper and using our hard earned dollars wisely. So many times in the past we’d think nothing of buying 3 bags of chips but balk at buying organic yogurt. I place Oikos into the category of investment; an investment in our health and so I’ve begun working the cost of buying it into my grocery budget. Stonyfield also offers frequent promotions with discounts. Check their promotional page for current offers. Joining their Facebook fan page gives you access to special offers too.

Giveaway

Want to win a prize pack of Oikos from Stonyfield and see for yourself how much this yogurt rocks? You can win an Oikos tote filled with 5 free coupons for yogurt by entering. The contest ends on January 15 at 11 p.m.  Here’s how to enter:

Mandatory Entry:
Go to Stonyfield’s All About Oikos page and read about Oikos yogurt. Share something that you learned in a comment.

Extra Entries:
1. Become a Facebook fan of Stonyfield. Leave a separate comment letting me know that you’re a fan.

2. Become a Facebook fan of Housewife Hacks. Leave a separate comment letting me know that you’re a fan.

3. Follow Housewife Hacks on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Leave me a comment with a link to your tweet. You can do this once daily.

4. Sign up to get Housewife Hacks delivered to your inbox via Feedburner. The form is on the top right side of the page. Leave a comment letting me know that you’ve signed up.

5. Tell me what flavor of Oikos yogurt you’d like to try first in a comment.

6. Blog about this giveaway – 5 entries. Make sure you leave a link to your blog post in a separate comment for each entry.

That’s it! Good luck and give the yogurt a try. It really is a fantastic food.

Fine Print: I received free yogurt samples in order to be able to accurately review Oikos yogurt. I was otherwise uncompensated for my opinion of the product.

Submitted on 2009/12/24 at 1:51pm:

I love the butterflies the most.

Thanks to all who entered. You can still enter my Cascade and Instacool giveaways. Good luck!