Rating: 8 out of 10
Mediterranean Diet for Vegans is a really great, basic cookbook. This cookbook is great for anyone starting out with vegan cooking, who is interested in adding healthy mediterranean recipes to their diet, or who would just like some simple delicious recipes.
There is a good variety of recipes in this book. Some are made from prepared ingredients and some are from scratch. (I prefer scratch but often need the quickness of using some prepared food!) For example, the basic hummus recipe just calls for 2 cups of cooked garbanzo beans, so you could cook your own or use canned. (and I believe a can has about 2 cups in it!) I like that versatility.
Also, there is a good variety of simple recipes and recipes that are a little more different. For example, there is a basic hummus recipe which is very good. There is also a recipe for Cilantro Garlic Hummus, which sounds amazing (unfortunately I haven't been able to try it yet!).
I really am looking forward to making more recipes from this collection. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
26 September 2016
23 September 2016
Five Seasons in the Kitchen by Avital Sebbag
Rating: 3 out of 10
I love cookbooks. I have shelves and shelves of them -- in fact, I have an entire bookcase that I use just for cookbooks. It used to be in my kitchen, but now it is in our guest room, because our kitchen is too small to put an entire bookcase in there. I have a computer program to track recipes. Nearly all of my cookbooks are vegan, and they are all vegetarian. None of this is even counting ebooks, because why would I? They take up no space. (Or maybe they take up imaginary space?) I love to get new ecookbooks, because I don't have to worry about where to keep them!
I am just trying to impress upon you how much I love vegan cookbooks, and how often I read them. Because neither of those things are the issue with this book.
There are several problems with this book. The first is that it uses ingredients that I have never heard of, and have no idea where to find! When I read a cookbook, the first thing I look for is a simple recipe that I can make to get an idea of the author's taste. That was very difficult to find in this book. I don't have any idea what "hijiki" is or where to find it. In fact, the "simple" recipe I ended up making took 2 days to make! I had to sprout the lentils in advance. It was a very good recipe, though. It was delicious but plain, and tasted much better left over, which is good because it took 2 hours to cook, so it was ready well after dinner time (and in fact closer to bed time!).
And that leads me to another problem. Reading through this book could make you think that vegan recipes require lots of advance preparation, exotic ingredients that are difficult to find, and lots of cooking time. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Measurements were only in grams, which is a problem because I have no way of measuring that. I don't have a kitchen scale handy because I use volume measurements and not by weight. I have seen quite a few cookbooks where the author used grams, but put in volume equivalents, such as cups. It is also a problem with tofu. The amounts they called for seem to be about a third of a package here. I don't think we have that size and I have no idea how to get the equivalent amount of tofu, so I just skipped the tofu recipes. (I was able to just google "how many lentils in 500 grams" and then measure it in cups.)
In an ebook, you want to link to other recipes that you call for. For example, in the Three Way Toastini recipe, it calls for 3 separate spreads found elsewhere in the book, but there is no link to them. How am I supposed to find the recipe "on page 98?" I'm not sure if this is a problem from taking this cookbook from print to ebook, but it is a significant problem for me.
I will probably explore this cookbook further, especially if I find some hijiki, but it is just unlikely to become one of my favorites. I have a distinct preference for simple recipes with easy preparation, and this book is much too complicated for me. I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
I love cookbooks. I have shelves and shelves of them -- in fact, I have an entire bookcase that I use just for cookbooks. It used to be in my kitchen, but now it is in our guest room, because our kitchen is too small to put an entire bookcase in there. I have a computer program to track recipes. Nearly all of my cookbooks are vegan, and they are all vegetarian. None of this is even counting ebooks, because why would I? They take up no space. (Or maybe they take up imaginary space?) I love to get new ecookbooks, because I don't have to worry about where to keep them!
I am just trying to impress upon you how much I love vegan cookbooks, and how often I read them. Because neither of those things are the issue with this book.
There are several problems with this book. The first is that it uses ingredients that I have never heard of, and have no idea where to find! When I read a cookbook, the first thing I look for is a simple recipe that I can make to get an idea of the author's taste. That was very difficult to find in this book. I don't have any idea what "hijiki" is or where to find it. In fact, the "simple" recipe I ended up making took 2 days to make! I had to sprout the lentils in advance. It was a very good recipe, though. It was delicious but plain, and tasted much better left over, which is good because it took 2 hours to cook, so it was ready well after dinner time (and in fact closer to bed time!).
And that leads me to another problem. Reading through this book could make you think that vegan recipes require lots of advance preparation, exotic ingredients that are difficult to find, and lots of cooking time. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Measurements were only in grams, which is a problem because I have no way of measuring that. I don't have a kitchen scale handy because I use volume measurements and not by weight. I have seen quite a few cookbooks where the author used grams, but put in volume equivalents, such as cups. It is also a problem with tofu. The amounts they called for seem to be about a third of a package here. I don't think we have that size and I have no idea how to get the equivalent amount of tofu, so I just skipped the tofu recipes. (I was able to just google "how many lentils in 500 grams" and then measure it in cups.)
In an ebook, you want to link to other recipes that you call for. For example, in the Three Way Toastini recipe, it calls for 3 separate spreads found elsewhere in the book, but there is no link to them. How am I supposed to find the recipe "on page 98?" I'm not sure if this is a problem from taking this cookbook from print to ebook, but it is a significant problem for me.
I will probably explore this cookbook further, especially if I find some hijiki, but it is just unlikely to become one of my favorites. I have a distinct preference for simple recipes with easy preparation, and this book is much too complicated for me. I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
22 September 2016
Tea Tree Oil from New York Biology
I was
really excited to get this product. I have heard great things about tea
tree oil and about how beneficial it is for you. I ordered this product
and when it was delivered, about half of the tea tree oil had leaked out
somehow. Luckily, it was separately packed in a bubble wrap bag, but
frankly, it's still in there. It made such a mess. It also has a very
strong smell, so it would be wonderful to NOT have it spilled all over
the place. I really can't tell how it leaked; the bottle doesn't seem to
have a break in it, and it hasn't leaked any more since it arrived. But
there is oil all over the bag and the bottle and the dropper, so I
haven't put it together. I did use the oil for a bath, as it is supposed
to have a really good benefit for your skin.
The return process worked very well; I notified amazon, and because this product wasn't available, they issued a refund to me so that I can repurchase it when it becomes available. Since it is now available, I will purchase it again. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
The return process worked very well; I notified amazon, and because this product wasn't available, they issued a refund to me so that I can repurchase it when it becomes available. Since it is now available, I will purchase it again. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
20 September 2016
Premium Outdoor Hammock by TripWorthy
My first video review! It was pretty exciting to make. Of course, being that I am more of a photographer than videographer (although I have done both), I did enjoy taking the photos and then doing a voiceover with the photos. There is in fact very little video in my video!
This hammock is amazing. Not only is it my favorite color, which is an awesome bonus, but the hammock itself is really cool. It is made out of parachute fabric, which has a very unique feel to it. It's very smooth. And it's also very sturdy. It can hold up to 500 pounds!
We all love it so much. We have two trees that are the perfect distance apart, and it's so relaxing. One amazon reviewer suggested using this hammock instead of a tent while camping! I'm definitely going to try that.
Rating: 10 out of 10
I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
18 September 2016
Peppermint Essential Oil by New York Biology
Rating: 10 out of 10
Okay, I will admit, I don't know much about essential oils. So I can't tell you much about how this is processed or anything like that. But I can tell you that I ordered it, it went extremely smoothly, and that I love the scent of this oil!
I have always loved the smell, and taste, of peppermint. I just love it. I have loved it ever since I was a little child. My grandmother loved it too. In fact, my grandmother and I liked a lot of the same things. Could I have inherited her taste buds and scent preferences? I wouldn't have thought that was something that could be inherited, but maybe it can. Regardless, I have always been soothed and invigorated by anything minty.
I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. To be clear, I choose the products I want to review, so they do tend to be things I like! Not everything I review does meet my standards, however. But it's just like shopping - I apply for products I would like to review. When I saw peppermint essential oil, I jumped at the chance, because I *love* peppermint so much! I am very grateful for the opportunity.
I have been reading a lot about essential oils. There are many uses for them that I haven't tried yet but would like to: using a candle diffuser, using a neutral carrier oil to dilute them, and making heating pads with rice or seeds, just to name a few.
One thing I have really enjoyed is that I made a linen spray with this peppermint oil, and also one with lavender oil. I really enjoy spraying it it on the bed and it gives it a lovely scent. I bought unscented liquid soap so that I can mix the peppermint scent into it. It has just been so great to have the essential oil to add some lovely scent to everything. I've really enjoyed it.
Okay, I will admit, I don't know much about essential oils. So I can't tell you much about how this is processed or anything like that. But I can tell you that I ordered it, it went extremely smoothly, and that I love the scent of this oil!
I have always loved the smell, and taste, of peppermint. I just love it. I have loved it ever since I was a little child. My grandmother loved it too. In fact, my grandmother and I liked a lot of the same things. Could I have inherited her taste buds and scent preferences? I wouldn't have thought that was something that could be inherited, but maybe it can. Regardless, I have always been soothed and invigorated by anything minty.
I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. To be clear, I choose the products I want to review, so they do tend to be things I like! Not everything I review does meet my standards, however. But it's just like shopping - I apply for products I would like to review. When I saw peppermint essential oil, I jumped at the chance, because I *love* peppermint so much! I am very grateful for the opportunity.
I have been reading a lot about essential oils. There are many uses for them that I haven't tried yet but would like to: using a candle diffuser, using a neutral carrier oil to dilute them, and making heating pads with rice or seeds, just to name a few.
One thing I have really enjoyed is that I made a linen spray with this peppermint oil, and also one with lavender oil. I really enjoy spraying it it on the bed and it gives it a lovely scent. I bought unscented liquid soap so that I can mix the peppermint scent into it. It has just been so great to have the essential oil to add some lovely scent to everything. I've really enjoyed it.
15 September 2016
Relaxing Sleep Tea by Cuppa Magic
Rating: 7 out of 10
I admit, I was pretty skeptical of this tea that claims to help with both major symptoms of insomnia: getting to sleep, and staying asleep. I mean, everyone drinks chamomile tea to relax, and I drink ginger tea as well. I have never heard of any of them truly helping with insomnia!
I, personally, would no longer say that I have insomnia. When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble with getting to sleep. I would stay up all night, until the wee hours of the morning. Even then I had trouble falling asleep! I'm very lucky to no longer have that problem. However, I do have trouble now with staying asleep. I get very upset when I wake up at 4 am for absolutely no reason, and am unable to get back to sleep! It's so frustrating.
I did find that this tea helped with that. On the nights when I drank the Relaxing Sleep Tea, it did help me to stay asleep. However, I don't know if it helped anymore than drinking plain chamomile or ginger or any of the other ingredients in the tea. I can say for certain that it is a very soothing tea. And it tastes wonderful!
One of the cons of this tea is the price. If it were priced like a normal tea, $3-$5 for a box of 20 tea bags, I would buy it over and over again. However, it isn't. It is a high-end (and therefore, high-priced!) tea. As of today (September 15, 2016), it is priced on Amazon for $25 for 14 tea bags, or $31.87 for 30. http://amzn.to/2d2eUls
Now, if you have a lot of difficulty with sleeping, and if you find this to be helpful in getting to sleep or staying asleep, it might be worth a dollar a day. Sleep is highly valuable, after all! There is no arguing with that! I, personally, would probably try lower cost solutions before I tried this one. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
I admit, I was pretty skeptical of this tea that claims to help with both major symptoms of insomnia: getting to sleep, and staying asleep. I mean, everyone drinks chamomile tea to relax, and I drink ginger tea as well. I have never heard of any of them truly helping with insomnia!
I, personally, would no longer say that I have insomnia. When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble with getting to sleep. I would stay up all night, until the wee hours of the morning. Even then I had trouble falling asleep! I'm very lucky to no longer have that problem. However, I do have trouble now with staying asleep. I get very upset when I wake up at 4 am for absolutely no reason, and am unable to get back to sleep! It's so frustrating.
I did find that this tea helped with that. On the nights when I drank the Relaxing Sleep Tea, it did help me to stay asleep. However, I don't know if it helped anymore than drinking plain chamomile or ginger or any of the other ingredients in the tea. I can say for certain that it is a very soothing tea. And it tastes wonderful!
One of the cons of this tea is the price. If it were priced like a normal tea, $3-$5 for a box of 20 tea bags, I would buy it over and over again. However, it isn't. It is a high-end (and therefore, high-priced!) tea. As of today (September 15, 2016), it is priced on Amazon for $25 for 14 tea bags, or $31.87 for 30. http://amzn.to/2d2eUls
Now, if you have a lot of difficulty with sleeping, and if you find this to be helpful in getting to sleep or staying asleep, it might be worth a dollar a day. Sleep is highly valuable, after all! There is no arguing with that! I, personally, would probably try lower cost solutions before I tried this one. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)