Hot Dogs- Vegan Style

Super simple vegan 'hot dogs' using Lifeway tofu pups, Rudi's Wheat buns, avocado, ketchup, and mustard. 

Quinoa and Black Beans- Vegan Recipe

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3/4 Cup uncooked quinoa (Any color)
• 1 1/2 Cups veggie broth
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper 
• 1 Cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 Cans black beans, rinsed and drained (15 ounce)
• 1/2 Cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

I've adapted this recipe from AllRecipes.com

Carrot Pumpkin Cupcakes - Vegan Style

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:
2/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon 
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice 
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
whisk together

Wet Ingredients:
1/3 cup organic canola oil
1/3 cup vanilla soy yogurt
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup sugar 
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/4 cup raisins

Maple Cinnamon Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup Earth Balance Shortening
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
Mix until fluffy
2 tbsp soy or almond milk
3 tbsp maple syrup
4-5 cups confectioners sugar 

Directions for cupcakes:

1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients well in a large bowl.
3. Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix until they are incorporated well. Be careful not to over mix!
4. Stir in carrots & raisins
5. Spray cupcake liners & fill 2/3 full. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Directions for frosting:

1. Mix butter & shortening until fluffy.
2. Add wet ingredients.
3. Slowly add in confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time.
4. Let cupcakes cool and frost. Dust with cinnamon or sprinkles.

I can't take credit for this one! It's from Sugar Mamas.

Banana Pancakes- Vegan Style

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour 
• 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (If you don't have this just use more All-purpose)
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Ripe Banana
• 1 Tbsp Oil

Directions

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, mash the banana well & add to the dry ingredients bowl along with the oil & water.
3. Stir just until blended; mixture will be a little lumpy.
4. Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until you see little bubbles forming.
5. Once you see the bubbles, flip and cook until the other side is browned.
6. Repeat until you've used all the batter.

Once all pancakes are done, serve with your favorite syrup  & fruit on top.

This recipe makes approx. 9 pancakes

Coco Nutty Granola- Vegan Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 12 cup chopped pecans (coarsely chopped)
• 14 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)
• 14 tsp salt
• 14 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tbsps canola oil
• 14 cup maple syrup
• 12 cup raisins (Optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300.
2. Put the oats, pecans, coconut, salt, and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Whisk the oil and maple syrup together in a small bowl. Pour over the oats and mix well.
4. Spread out on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
5. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the raisins, and let cool.

(Found this recipe HERE)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts- Vegan Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise. Use a bowl to toss brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt. Place mixture on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Save BIG at Kelly's Closet!

Looking to save on some cloth diapers & supplies? Check out Kelly's Closet's Boxing Day Sale!

The Boxing Day coupon codes are stackable and may be combined with one another.  However, they are not stackable with any special coupon codes that may be available at this time.  

Code: BOXING10 - Save 10% off Planetwise, Rumparooz, and EcoPosh brand products only.

Code: BOXING15 - Save 15% off on Thirsties and CJ's BUTTer brand products only.

Code: BOXING20 - Save 20% off on most products in our store with the following exclusions.  Excludes Planetwise, Rumparooz, EcoPost, Thirsties, CJ's BUTTer, bumGenius, Flip, Econobum, Hemp Babies, GroVia, and Sloomb brand products.

Giveaway Winners!

Watch the video to see if you won!

Bravado Nursing Top- For Charity

Sporting my Bravado Designs Essential Tank, Designed by Rebecca Minkoff - 20% goes to the Baby Buggy charity and one goes to a mom in need. #DesignedforGood#designedforgood@rebeccaminkoff @BravadoDesigns 

Boba Air Carrier Giveaway!

BobaAir is a Soft Structured Carrier (SSC) that is intended for children between 15-45lbs.

Compact and self-storing

The BobaAir only weighs 0.7lbs and folds up into itself for easy storage. You can put it in any small bag or purse and it won’t weigh you down!

 Front or Back Carry

This light weight carrier is made with durable material so that it can be used children 15-45lbs. The BobaAir may be used on the front or back.

Nylon

The BobaAir is 100% Nylon and therefore easy to clean and extremely durable. The nylon fabric also allows you to simply stuff the carrier back into the pocket – no careful folding necessary!

Sleeping Hood and Pocket

The BobaAir includes a sleeping hood and a large pocket to store your hood in when not in use. The hood can be used to protect your little one from sun or rain, or to provide a cover when they are taking a nap.

Interested in winning one of your own? Use the form below to enter daily!

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Many Milestones Review & Giveaway

Many Milestones was created to help busy families capture and document their children’s growth and development. Their stickers are 4" in diameter and are so simple to stick on and snap some adorable photos. Just check out some of the ones below:

Interested in winning a set of Many Milestones Stickers for your little one? Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. Make sure and watch my review & find the code within the video for extra entries!

You can also use the promo code 'naturallythrifty12' at checkout for free shipping on your order. This promo code is good for the rest of the year. :)

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Koala Huggerz All-In-One Cloth Diaper Review

Koala Huggerz diapers are made with microfleece & are super soft against baby's skin and wick away moisture. They have a soaker sewn into the diaper that is made of cotton & bamboo instead of the conventional microfiber. This helps ward off the dreaded ammonia build up smell. Watch my video review above to see both the one-size version as well as the newborn.

Some facts about the Simple Huggerz (AIO):

* One Size (OS), (7-35 pounds)

* Closure Options: Snap or Velcro

* Microfleece inner with bamboo soaker layer

* Comes with an organic cotton doubler for heavy soakers and night time use

* Bamboo-Cotton inner option coming soon

* Cute prints and solid colors

* Package deals available in 3, 6 or 12

Some facts about the Newborn Huggerz (AIO):

* Newborn size 4-13 pounds

* Snap closure

* Bamboo soaker

* Microfleece inner

* Bamboo-cotton inner and soaker coming soon!!

* Cute prints and solid colors

* Package deals available

Find them on Facebook HERE.

Lunapads Review & Giveaway

Have you ever thought of trying out cloth pads? DO IT!!! Seriously though, the disposables are not only bad for our environment, but they aren't all that great for our bodies either. Just think of all the chemicals in those pads and tampons. Do you want all that junk in your lady parts? Uh-NO!!! 

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try out three different Lunapads for Postpartum, and I am very excited to say that not only do I have a review for you (In the video below), but I also have a $50 gift certificate to Lunapads.com to giveaway to one of my followers! That's right ladies that means a bunch of free mama cloth!!! Make sure and check out the video and enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below.

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Party In My Pants Cloth Mama Pad Giveaway

Have you ever thought of trying out cloth pads? DO IT!!! Seriously though, the disposables are not only bad for our environment, but they aren't all that great for our bodies either. Just think of all the chemicals in those pads and tampons. Do you want all that junk in your lady parts? Uh-NO!!! 

I had the opportunity to try out three different pads from Party In My Pants and they are absolutely the thinnest mama cloth out there! Even the Queen Pad which measures a whopping 15.5 inches long was amazingly thin and worked wonderfully for postpartum. I never had any issues with leaks and no staining on any of my pads- even though I never pre-treated any of them!

Interested in getting a free pad from Party In My Pants? Check out my blog post here & get yours. What about a $25 gift certificate to the site to spend however you please? Enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below. Make sure you check out my video review and find the secret word for extra entries to win!

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FunBites Review & Giveaway

Anyone out there have a picky eater? Or what about a small child who needs foods cut in small pieces? FunBites is for you! These little BPA free cutters are so simple to use, and make super cute little shapes out of pretty much any food you'd normally cut up for your little ones. 

Check out my review video below and enter to win one for your family!

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Pink Lemonade Shop Review & Coupon Code

Have you ever thought of trying out cloth pads? DO IT!!! Seriously though, the disposables are not only bad for our environment, but they aren't all that great for our bodies either. Just think of all the chemicals in those pads and tampons. Do you want all that junk in your lady parts? Uh-NO!!! 

I recently reviewed two of the Postpartum pads from the Pink Lemonade Shop on Etsy & was very impressed with the look and feel of the pads. They are so soft- with minky fabric on the top and since they are backed with fleece you don't have to worry about leaks. A win-win for me!

Not only do they carry pads the 13" pads for postpartum, they also have liners & pads ranging from 6" to 11". Prices are very reasonable and the colors and prints are super cute! 

Interested in a coupon code for free shipping? Just use 'naturally' at checkout for any orders over $10. 

 Check out my video review:

It's Giveaway Day!!! 12/14/2012

So the big surprise I've been holding back from you guys is...... Today is Giveaway Day!

So normally, as you all know, I host a 'giveaway week' with a new giveaway opening each day for 7 days. This month I thought, 'Why not just have an AMAZING giveaway DAY?' Each giveaway will still be open for the standard 7 days, but this way you don't have to wait to find out all that's up for grabs. :) Did I mention i'm an impatient person? lol. :) 

Ok, now to the important part. The giveaways! Check them out by opening the videos below. Feel free to use this blog post as a 'table of contents' as you check them all out. Directions for entering will be in the description bar of each video on the actual YouTube video page.

Have fun & win some great stuff! :)

Amazing Grass Organic Green Superfoods 

Moby Wrap Freeform Baby Carrier

*$25 Gift Certificate to PartyInMyPantsPads (Mama Cloth)

Funbites Creative Food Cutters for picky eaters

$50 Gift Certificate to Lunapads.com (Mama Cloth)

Many Milestones convenient milestone stickers

*$20 Gift Certificate to Tree Hugger Pads (Mama Cloth)

Here are some more reviews to top off the day:

Mama Cloth by The Pink Lemonade Shop 

on Etsy- COUPON CODE!

Koala Huggerz All-In-One Cloth Diapers

Tree Hugger Cloth Mama Pads Giveaway!

               

Have you ever thought of trying out cloth pads? DO IT!!! Seriously though, the disposables are not only bad for our environment, but they aren't all that great for our bodies either. Just think of all the chemicals in those pads and tampons. Do you want all that junk in your lady parts? Uh-NO!!! 

Tree Hugger Cloth Pads are a SUPER SOFT and comfy alternative to your conventional disposable. I tried out both the postpartum pad and the pantiliner and was so impressed! They are topped with a stain-resistant minky fabric that is softer than your softest bathrobe and backed with a leak resistant fleece to make sure there are no leaks. I highly recommend these to any woman! Did I mention they come in a bunch of adorable colors and prints? Need I say more?!?! 

Oh wait, there is more! One of my followers will be getting a $20 gift certificate to spend at TreeHuggerClothPads.com. Want that to be you? Enter using the Rafflecopter form below and make sure to watch my review video for the 'secret word' in the video for extra entries. Have fun ladies!

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Amazing Grass Review & Giveaway

Fighting over fruits and vegetables… again? Give your kids a delicious alternative with Amazing Grass Kidz SuperFood. Created from a blend of organic greens, fruits and vegetables, one glass of Kidz SuperFood equals three full servings of fruits and vegetables. 

Did I mention this is great for adults too?!?! I love adding it to smoothies- it's a no brainer for sure. Check out Amazing Grass HERE.

Watch my review & giveaway video below and enter to win your own 6.5 oz bottle of the Chocolate flavor, a 6.5 oz bottle of the Wild Berry Flavor, and a cute Kidz Sippy Cup. Did I mention there will be two winners? Get going!

Giveaway Video:

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Moby Wrap Review & Giveaway

Many moms and dads rave about the benefits of babywearing. Is it all it's cracked up to be? The answer is- YES! There are so many great things about it. Not only does baby feel safe & secure, you also have your hands free to do the many things you need to do during the day! 

Ask any new mom who has a 'fussy' baby. How do you get things done? If she has tried babywearing a guarantee that is how she does it! The Moby has been a lifesaver for us in this household & fortunately for my followers- it can be for one of you too! Take a look at my video review below, and enter to win one for yourself using the Rafflecopter form. You can also check out my video about the benefits of babywearing for more info on the topic. Happy entering everyone!

Video Review:

Why Babywear?

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