The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012 (with reviews)

Have you heard of The Healthy Shopper? I've been a fan of them for the past several years; I love that they make purchasing items that are healthy for you, your family, and the environment that much easier! This Spring, they have released 'The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012'. The products selected were chosen to help give Canadian women and their families a selection of healthier options (diet-wise, lifestyle-wise, and environmentally thinking)!


Randy Boyer and Andrea Donsky are the co-founders of The Healthy Shopper, which is a coupon book that brings healthy food within your family's grasp, making it more reasonable price-wise!  Check out the new Healthy Shopper 2012-2013 Coupon Book!  Randy and Andrea are also the co-authors of the newly released book “Unjunk Your Junk food”, which I will be reviewing in the next little while (stay tuned!).


I received a gift bag full of The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012 to share with you.  Below you will find a short description and a review of the 'picks' that I've tried so far!

Earth Balance produces an award winning line-up of buttery spreads, sticks, shortening, a soy-free spread and coconut spread, which are the perfect substitutes to butter or margarine.  All of the products that Earth Balance produces are plant-based, vegan, cholesterol-free, lactose-free, free of artificial ingredients as well as hydrogenated oil, and do not contain dairy, gluten, or egg ingredients. 


I received a coupon to try Earth Balance products (which I have been eying up for some time now!) but I haven't had a chance to try them yet (the coupon is buried in the boxes we still have to unpack). I'm looking forward to trying Earth Balance products soon!

Ecover produces plant and mineral-based cleaning products such as natural dish washing liquids, dishwasher tablets and laundry detergents.  Ecover products are effective, powerful and perfect for sensitive skin. I love that all of their products are phosphate-free, safe for septic tanks, and never tested on animals. Even their packaging is friendly to the environment; Ecover dish washing soap and laundry detergent come in 100% PlantPlastic, which is an innovative new PolyEthylene (green plastic) that is made from sugar cane (meaning that it is 100% renewable, reusable and recyclable).

I have tried Ecover products before and was excited to receive a few more products to try out.  My favourite Ecover product is their natural dishwasher tablets. My husband and I find it difficult to find a dishwasher detergent that works, and trying to find one that is natural and phosphate free is even more challenging! I love Ecover's dishwasher tablets because not only do they work great, but, they are also safe for the environment. I also enjoy using Ecover's laundry detergent for laundry in our HE washer.  I find that for normal everyday laundry, it works really well. For items with things such as left over food (i.e. bibs, etc.) they should be pre-soaked or treated before washing for best results.

Simply Natural produces pasta sauces, salad dressings, mustard, ketchup, and salsas that are organic and perfect for the whole family!  Their products only contain the best and freshest organic produce and herbs.  Their ingredients are grown and produced without hormones, pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers, insecticides, are GMO-free and do not undergo antibacterial radiation. 


This was the first time that my husband and I had the chance to Simply Natural products. After trying Simply Natural sauces, we did prefer my homemade pasta sauce over most of the Simply Natural products. But, we did really enjoy the Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce. We love that it is quick and easy and perfect for night's that I haven't had a chance to prepare my homemade sauce.  Since our family is switching to a more organic lifestyle, we appreciate that this product is all organic!

Natracare offers feminine hygiene products that are made from organic ingredients and are chemical-free!  Each Natracare product is made from only certified organic 100% cotton and natural cellulose materials. Plus, they do not contain any plastic, they are free of chlorine, and are bio-degradable and compostable.

Thanks to mother nature and breastfeeding, I haven't had a need to test these products out yet.

Kiju produces 100% Certified Organic Juices. All Kiju's juices are completely pure and made from organic ingredients.  Kiju (released on Earth Day, 2005) was the first certified organic juice box in Canada that had no added sugar!  Kiju offers the following fruit juice flavours: mango orange, lemonade, grape apple, apple and pomegranate cherry.  This year, Kiju is also launching a line of natural and organic iced teas, including flavours such as Pomegranate Green Tea, Mango Passion Maté, and Hibiscus Rooibos.

For me, trying a new juice and iced tea is always a treat!  I found that these juices were just right in terms of sweetness (not too sweet like many of the juices that you buy in your conventional grocery store). I especially liked the grape apple juice flavour.  I found that the natural organic iced teas were mild and delightful. I like that these iced teas offer a unique variety of flavours.  My favourite was the Hibiscus Rooibos; I love rooibos and the hibiscus added a flowery flavour that was a pleasant surprise. I'd definiately enjoy Kiju products again in the future.

Those are The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012! Make sure to check them out in a health food store or a grocer with a natural/organic section near you! Also, make sure to check out The Healthy Shopper Coupon Book for more great savings on these products!

Natural Mat Review & Giveaway

Natural Mat believes that in order for children to have the best, safest, and most comfortable sleep, they should be sleeping in the most natural environment possible. One of the first steps in ensuring that is by choosing products that are made with natural materials. Naturalmat is dedicated to using the best raw 100% natural materials, such as organic coir, latex and organic cotton, to create all their sleeping products.

According to the Naturalmat website, "Naturalmat’s products are true to the values which we and many other parents believe in: use of natural and organic materials; care for the environment; and understanding, expert service. They’re for parents who want the best, with no compromises; who expect stylish, well-designed products which perform superbly well, at least environmental cost."

Finally Natural Mat believes that a good sleep is the foundation to a happy and healthy life for both parents and their children. Good sleep ensures the following:
- good energy levels
- a healthy immune system
- better temperament

Natural Mat is known for their natural organic mattresses (handcrafted in England using the finest organic materials), organic cotton bedding, and *brand new* top mat.

Review
The folks at Kastel International sent me a cotton percale fitted sheet to review, courtesy of Naturalm  Mat.  This fitted sheet is made from 100% pure organic cotton percale.  They are made to be lightweight, breathable, soft, and perfect for the warmer months.  This crisp fitted sheet measures 52" x 27" and it can fit a standard crib mattress.  The Natural Mat cotton percale sheet features the following:

- Soil Association certified organic 

- Free of pesticides, insecticides, heavy metals or chemicals 

- Machine washable at 140ºF (Dust mites are killed at 135ºF) 

- Unbleached, un-dyed and chemical free 

- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified

I believe that it is best, when possible, to provide our children with the most natural environment possible.  Some of the products that go into the production of children's and infant's products today are just scary!  That is why I feel better when I can turn to a company who is committed to producing natural products. 

After reading more about the product I received for review, I was immediately impressed that Natural Mat holds high natural standards when creating their products.  I especially like that this product is unbleached, un-dyed, and contains absolutely no chemicals! 

Since we just recently started putting our baby girl in her crib to sleep for naps, I was finally able to test out this cotton percale sheet from Natural Mat!  I found that this product washed really well but like most bedding, it did have some creases after the washing and drying process, so it would be advisable to iron after drying. But the great thing is that the sheet is completely safe for machine washing and drying.

When I put the sheet on our crib mattress for the first time, I actually thought it was too small because it only goes half way up the sides of the mattress we have.  But after looking at the Natural Mat website, I realized that Natural Mat mattresses appear to be a bit thinner than the mattress we own.  This explains the size difference of the sheet in comparison to other store bought fitted sheets.  The sheet still covers the entire top of the mattress (the vital part) and the fact that less coverage on the side equals less product waste is fine with me! 

This is a picture I took to show the amount of coverage the Natural Mat fitted sheet provides on our crib mattress.  Our crib mattress measures approximately 6 inches in depth.

Since the product is un-dyed, the sheet has a nice natural beige colour to it.  Considering the colour of our nursery, this is perfect.  Also, because the colour is neutral (natural), it would go well with the decor of any nursery.

After putting the sheet on our crib mattress and taking the opportunity to feel it, I noticed that it felt softer once laid down that I originally thought it would be.  The sheet itself is a bit stiffer (crisp) than I am used to when comparing it to the sheets I use for my own bed.

Overall, I do like this Natural Mat fitted sheet.  I appreciate the fact that it is made from all natural materials and it is processed in a natural way.  I also like that it is made by a company that holds high standards when creating products that help to create and keep healthy families!  So far, this sheet has worked well for us and I anticipate it will continue to work well for us and hold up as long as Lyla is in her crib.  You can also tell it is higher quality than some of the other fitted crib sheets that I have in our linen cupboard.

The Natural Mat organic cotton percale fitted sheet sells for $45.00.  Natural Mat also carries a soft organic flannelette sheet that is perfect for the colder months.  The Natural Mat soft organic flanellette fitted sheet sells for $46.

*GIVEAWAY*

How many winners are there? One.

What can you win?  One lucky winner will receive a Natural Mat fitted crib sheet.

To enter, Visit and 'like' NaturalmatUSA on Facebook. Please leave your name (First name and last initial) that is shown on Facebook for verification. This must be done to gain an entry in the giveaway.

By 'liking' NaturalmatUSA on Facebook, you can also have the opportunity to win a Coco Mat and a Mattress Cover.  Visit http://www.facebook.com/NaturalMatUSA for more details!

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). If an entry option is worth more than one entry, please leave a separate comment for each entry:
- Following Natural Mat on Twitter (@naturalmatusa).
- Visit Kastel International's website and tell me another product that you'd love to see me cover (review) on Everything Up Close.  Please indicate a specific product and not just the brand name.
- Subscribing to Everything Up Close via email or RSS feed. 

- Adding the Everything Up Close blog button to your blog or website.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky) and tweeting about the giveaway with a link to this page. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can tweet up to 2x a day (at least 6 hours apart).

Enter to #win a @naturalmatusa natural organic cotton percale fitted crib sheet from @ihchicky. Ends Nov. 11. http://bit.ly/Naturalmat #giveaway

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- 'Liking' Everything Up Close on Facebook.  Please leave your name (First name and last initial) that is shown on Facebook for verification. 

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES!

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 3 ENTRIES!
- Visiting Simply Beautiful Beginnings and commenting on one of the posts.  Please tell me the name of the post and the name (or email address) you used to comment.
- Telling me about a topic you'd like to see covered on Simply Beautiful Beginnings.  Suggestions must fall into the scope of Simply Beautiful Beginnings to be considered.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Friday, November 11th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blogger profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the USA only!

Good Luck!

**Disclaimer** To complete this review, Kastel International sent me a Natural Mat fitted sheet in order to conduct a first-hand review of the product.  Receiving this item did not in anyway alter the information which I discussed in this article; this review is 100% my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review.