Artisana Organics (Review and Giveaway)

The first time I teamed up with Artisana Organics I was still living in the dorm rooms in college and cooking was almost nonexistent. The only appliances I had were a mini fridge, a microwave, and a Keurig which didn't leave me a whole lot of room for experimenting in the kitchen. Heck, I didn't even have a kitchen!

Since then I've been a huge fan of Artisana and their products! If you've been following the blog for awhile you have probably noticed a trend in most of my smoothie recipes - almost every single one of them includes an Artisana nut or coconut butter of some kind.

Lately my favorite has been the Raw Coconut Butter. It's dense, melts in your mouth, and adds a delicious flavor to my smoothie - or spoon because it tastes amazing that way too ;)

All of their products are fresh, high quality, organic, and nutritious. I also love the convenience of their squeeze packs. Taking nut/coconut butters on the go has never been easier!

Here are my favorite smoothie recipes using the raw coconut butter:

• Double Chocolate Chip Paleo Protein Shake
• Not-Your-Average-Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
• PB&J Smoothie (Peanut Free)

Artisana also has other products including chocolate bars! I am dying to try these but have yet to find them in stores. Hey Artisana, if a huge box of these randomly arrived at my door I wouldn't be mad at all, haha!

Now it's time for the fun stuff - a giveaway just for you! 

Artisana is offering to give one lucky reader 2 8oz jars and a variety of squeeze packs! Talk about a delicious giveaway. All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below and a winner will be notified via e-mail.

 There a ton of different ways to enter, just be sure to follow all the directions for the different ways to entry - also, some entries can be done every day. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

It's peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat... 

If you've been so fortunate to have never heard the song "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" consider yourself very lucky. Every single time I make a PB&J or this PB&J Smoothie I start singing the song and it gets stuck in my head for days! I'm not sure if the song ever was popular but I remember in middle school my best friends and I made up a dance to go along with the song. One of the girls video taped the entire thing and I am crossing my fingers that it is long gone!

Dancing isn't my forte but creating delicious smoothies? Now, that's something I'm good at!

This smoothie recipe is easy and if you have a peanut allergy you're in luck because this one is peanut free!

PB&J Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana - this is easier to use if you cut it up before freezing
2 tbsp. Strawberry fruit jam - check your ingredients - there are paleo versions out there
2 tbsp. Easy Homemade Almond Butter
1 packet of Artisana Organic raw coconut butter OR 1 1/2 tbsp. Artisana Organic raw coconut butter
1 tsp. Chia seeds
Almond milk - use enough to get everything moving

Directions:

Place everything in a blender, mix, and enjoy!

It's that simple, my friends!

Questions of the Day

Are you a peanut butter and jelly fan? Have you ever made up a silly dance with your friends to go along with a song? 

Not-Your-Average Strawberry Banana Smoothie

When I have a few extra minutes in the morning I like to treat myself to a delicious smoothie rather than my usual banana/fruit and nut bar combo. Lately I have been loving this "Not-Your-Average Strawberry Banana Smoothie" that I whipped together.

Most strawberry banana smoothies have - you guessed it - strawberries, bananas, and milk as their only ingredients but I've amped this one up to add a burst of extra vitamins, minerals, healthy fat, and protein!

Recipe

Ingredients
1 frozen banana (Note: it's much easier to blend if you slice it before freezing - using frozen bananas replace ice cubes)
1 handful of strawberries
1 tsp chia seeds
1 packet Artisana raw coconut butter
enough almond milk to get things movin'

Directions
1. Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth
2. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Paleo Protein Shake

As I've stated before, I'm really bad at getting out of bed in the morning. Really, really bad. But this morning I was able to wake up right away with a little help from my needy kittens. They have taught themselves that the alarm corresponds with them getting fed so when the alarm goes off, they jump all over the bed and meow until I get up. Somedays I can sleep through it, others I can't.

What am I supposed to do with all of that extra time? Instead of sit on the couch until it was time for work, I decided to make a healthy and delicious protein shake for breakfast. It included lots and lots of chocolate. What better way to start a Monday morning than with chocolate? I'm pretty sure I will have the best week ever because of it!

A few weeks ago, Artisana was kind of enough to send me a few samples of their coconut butter squeeze packs. I absolutely love coconut so these have been perfect for adding to my morning smoothies or for quick pre-workout fuel.

I have also heard that by combining coconut butter (or oil) with chia seeds you are bound to have a ton of energy! I honestly didn't even need my morning coffee this morning because I didn't feel sluggish after drinking this.

This smoothie can easily be tailored to fit what you have on hand. For instance, if you don't follow a paleo diet, use regular milk & whatever protein powder you have on hand. If you do follow the paleo diet, I highly recommend you check out the Enjoy Life chocolate chips. I am able to find them at Meijer and other health food stores and they are soy, gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, casein, potato, wheat, fish, sesame, shellfish, tree nut, and sulfite free! The dark chocolate chips do contain cane sugar, but if you aren't crazy strict on your paleo diet, I say they're ok every now and then ;)