Monday Feature: Javanated Soap Company

When one thinks of early mornings, especially early winter mornings (you know, those ones where you feel like you woke up at 2:30am because it's so dark, but really it's 6:30am) one may think of that darn bed logic that kicks in. What else could I possibly skip doing this morning that would allow me to stay in my nice, warm bed, just a few more minutes. You all know what I'm talking about, because I'm sure each and every one of you has done it. The dialog with yourself, "Do I really need to shower today? I could just pull my hair up for work. I'll wear this and that and then I don't need to iron anything. I can skip the hot breakfast and just have cereal."

But there are two things that, in my opinion, make it worth crawling out from under those covers. 1: Coffee. 2: A long, steamy shower (although, depending on how long you stayed in bed, it may be a short, steamy shower.) So why not put those two together! Say what?

Since getting pregnant with my wee one, I have hardly been able to taste the scrumptious hot beverage that is loved by so many, much to my own dismay and sadness. But I do so love the heavenly aroma of coffee still. Thus, missing my coffee has been difficult, but due to today's feature, I'm still enjoy the remarkable benefits of this satisfying drink, even though I'm not actually drinking it. I enjoy it, like I said before, whilst taking a nice, hot, steamy shower. It's true!

Javanated Soap Company is a unique business that puts coffee grounds and extract right into it's product. It's absolutely brilliant. Not only does the product smell fantastic, but I pleasantly discovered that coffee grounds are THE best exfoliant EVER! My skin has never felt so smooth and soft. The oils used in these products, mixed with the coffee grounds, absorb into the skin amazingly well and every time I step out of the shower, my skin feels so wonderful and moisturized that I have no need to lotion up. This is a relief during the winter months, as I tend to slowly shrivel up into a prune, for lack of humidity. Most other body scrubs leave my skin feeling dry and itchy. The Javanated scrub leaves a wonderful, tingling sensation, almost as if all your skin cells were jumping for joy and cheering! Probably because they just got a caffeine jolt :) Oh, and did I mention that I smell amazing afterwards?

Coffee Salt Scrub! 

So how does one come up with the idea of putting coffee into soap. Well, Ken Braun, creator of Javanated Soap Company, gives us a little insight to how this all came about. Ken recalls, "I grew up in Fort Macleod, AB. I have 2 great kids and I have been a carpenter for 20 years; 7 of which I have run my own business. I have always dreamed of doing something different, I just wasn't sure what it was I wanted to do. I am a huge coffee lover and about 2 and a half years ago thought about opening a coffee shop."

"I thought I had a really original idea as far as my business concept was concerned. It turned out my "original" ideas were not so original, and a good friend of mine in the industry said, "You don't want the frustration with this industry." I was dejected, but not deterred."

It was at this point that Ken went back to his office and sat at his desk and began the thinking process all over. "I really wanted to do something with coffee, but I wanted to do something really different." Ken began by googling anything to do with coffee. As it so happened, this is how he stumbled across some studies done in the late 1970's and early 80's, on the topical effects of coffee on human skin.

NATURAL INGREDIENTS

The finest ingredients make the difference. The best in shea and cocoa butters, vegetable and essential oils combined with the benefits of the highest quality fair trade coffee.

"This led to more digging and I began to develop the idea over the next year, of a soap and skincare company, with coffee as its main ingredient."

"When I'm asked (and it's a regular question) 'How did you come up this this?' I usually answer, 'Serendipity.' It really has been a serendipitous process. We started with a few bar soaps, then came lotion bars and salt scrubs, lip balms and shower parfaits. Our most recent product is a coffee butter, which is a body butter that utilizes the benefits of coffee, as it is made with coffee extract and is a product which is in contact with skin for a longer period of time, as opposed to a soap bar, which has limited contact."

Javanated's soap bars are available in No Grounds, Fine Grounds, and Regular Grounds options. Here's a few of the flavours offered.

                                              Hint of Mint                             Coffee Chocolatta

                                        Pumpkin Spice Latte                 Maple Ginger Frappe.

                                             Mit schlagg                                    Licorice

                                 (looks like a cup of coffee 

                                 with whipped cream, sliced

                                 down the middle)

Coffee has some awesome benefits for our skin.
Here are a few of those benefits:

1- Coffee has the same pH level as human skin. As we age, our pH balance changes. Maintaining a healthy level ensures skin that is capable of healing faster and is less susceptible to damage.

Vanilla Foaming Bath Parfait

2- Coffee is a natural deodorizer, perfect for soap products.

3- Coffee has natural UV properties.

4- The antioxidant properties of coffee help fight skin conditions like acne and eczema.

5- Caffeine acts as a vascular restrictor, meaning it restricts blood vessels, which help fight the appearance of varicose veins and wrinkles. (can I get an Amen!)

Javanated Soap Company auditioned for the Dragons Den last year and received a great response. They took the product line back to Toronto for the show executives. Ken was told that the company was too young (not yet a year old) to make it on the show, but asked him to come back this year. Maybe we will see him on the show! Good luck Ken!

Ken wants to take Javanated Soap Company globally and he's always interested in talking with people who think they may be able to help them do that. Please contact Ken directly if you'd like to help or if you have any further questions, by email at javanated@gmail.com or phone at 403-894-2260.

If you would like to read more about the individual products, learn more about Javanated Soap Company, or to purchase some of this incredible product, please visit their website at www.javanatedsoap.com.

Javanated Soap Company is also on facebook and you can "like" them here.

Javanated is also giving Growing Green readers a special PROMO CODE, just for you! Simply use the phrase Get Javanated and when you purchase one item you can get a second item of equal or lesser value at 50% off! 
Also, sign up on Javanated Soap Company's contact list for more specials and contests, and put in the memo that you heard about them from Growing Green. :)

Enjoy your early mornings with a new coffee twist!

next week's feature hint: silver memories

A Greener Christmas: Salt Dough Imprints

This past Christmas my husband and I decided we were going to do things a bit greener, and thus ultimately, less stressful. Every year we are bombarded with commercialism that says we have to buy buy buy stuff stuff stuff and truthfully, we are done with that. The flurry of frenzied shopping may be fun for some, but not this chick, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to give gifts, and not just any gift, I love to spend time thinking about the person receiving the gift and putting energy and time into making it as personable as I can. This can still be done without spending insurmountable amounts of money and without the usual stress that accompany's the Christmas season.

This year was our little girl's first Christmas, so to commemorate it, we decided to make each set of grandparents a salt dough hand print ornament of L's hand. I had a friend and her little girl, who is just a few months older then L, come over and we did it together. It was cheap and meaningful and better then any generic purchase we could have made.

I found this idea from the blog homemadegrits and you can head over there to see how theirs turned out too!

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

Combine ingredients and knead dough for 15 to 20 minutes.

Roll your dough out and cut circles out for the hand imprints. Slightly dampen pieces to make them stick together if necessary.

Make a small hole for the hanger. I used a straw and it worked great! It's also a good idea to prick your pieces, to prevent air bubbles.

Press your wee one's hands (or feet or whatever you want to imprint) into the dough. Be sure to press firmly to get a good print.

Feel free to write their names and/or date if you like :)

Bake at 300F about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden, depending on the thickness. Ours were quite thick, and thus we kept them in the oven for about an hour or so. Bake as long as needed. They may not feel hard right away but should harden as they cool.

Be sure to use a non stick surface to bake them on or spray your pan first.

And then you have a fun, easy, memorable gift for anyone! Once they are baked you can decorate them however you like, paint them or leave them as is. I spray painted ours with silver glitter spray paint. I don't have a finished picture, so you'll just have to trust me that they turned out great.

Till Next Time!

Monday Feature: Natur'el Tea

As the Winter months slowly creep forward, blasting us with blizzards, extreme cold, and high winds, I find myself still marvelling on the other side of Winter, the side of beauty, consisting of chinooks, bright, sunny days, pale blue skies, diamond glistening snow, horror frost clinging to tree branches and a blanket of clean white. The satisfying feeling of looking out the window, into the -30 weather, from inside a warm home with a hot mug of tea in hand. It's what helps make the winter months more bearable... slightly.

I'm not a huge winter sports person myself. I love to go sledding, snow shoeing, skating, and even a hay ride here and there, but I only like doing these things when it's relatively warm out. -5 Celcius is perfect in my books. Maybe even a bit warmer. The truth is, when it comes to cold weather, I'm a wuss. And yet, I live in Canada, go figure! My husband always jokes that my boots are good to -40, but I'm not. There's much truth to that statement.

So back to my vision of perfection: standing inside, staring out into the cold beauty that belays our country, sipping some delicious hot tea. The perfect remedy for a cold day, whether having enjoyed an outdoor adventure or not.

Tea, I've found, can be a finicky thing. It's not as simple as pouring water over a bag. Certain varieties of tea need to be steeped longer then others, sometimes they require a hard boil, sometimes just a soft, rolling boil, differing temperatures may be needed between this tea and that tea. In reality, drinking tea is an art form, not just a household beverage. To get good quality taste and the best tea experience, you need good quality leaves, not just your basic, chain store brand in a box.

Jolene Brewster, founder of Natur'el Tea, is just such a tea connoisseur and highly knowledgable about putting together that perfect blend, which will then translate into a perfect tasting cup of tea. Jolene is an outgoing, sweet woman who, at our first meeting, I could see was full of life and exuded passion, but ever so kind. Jolene desires to share her wealth of tea knowledge with the rest of us, so we, too, can enjoy tea the way it was meant to be had. Jolene introduced me to a few different varieties of her tea blends, including her Wild Blueberry Rooibos (which I'm drinking as I write this), Organic Yoga Chai, ImmuniTea, and a new personal favourite, Happy Mumma Tea, with it's lovely peppermint aroma and taste.

Jolene grew up in the beautiful Alberta countryside. This backdrop of beauty helped connect her to the land, agriculture and community. Thus it was no surprise that Jolene, currently one of those lucky enough to call Banff, Alberta home sweet home (I know I sure would), found herself inspired by the beautifully stunning Rocky Mountains. "I had a desire to bring people closer to nature through a simple, genuine, experience." This she accomplished 8 years ago, in 2005, when Jolene founded her business: Natur'el Tea.

With a love for tea at an early age, and "after years of independent study on the health benefits of herbs and plants, a double major in Land Reclamation and Sail and Water Conservation, and the opportunity to work closely with naturopath JanSmith in Adelaide, Australia, Jolene took the next step and opened her business specializing in the quality and ceremony behind Organic Looseleaf tea."*

This new business began as a Banff Avenue Tearoom with a goal to create and share a local product and a genuine experience. Although the Tearoom is no longer operational, Natur'el Tea has evolved forward and is now operated on a wholesale/online basis, where Jolene is able to carefully source and offer unique tea's and healthful herbs from around the world.

"I love creating new flavours and infusions with flowers, rare spices, and essential oils. Our Tea looks as beautiful dry as it tastes infused. We artfully package each tin of tea with love, labelled [with] Banff heritage photos from the Whyte Museum archives."

"My passion extends to the health benefits of herbs, the quality of the Tea leaf, and the ceremony in which it is enjoyed. I take pride in sourcing the best organic ingredients and look for projects supporting fair-trade agriculture." Jolene focuses on small plantations where traditional hand harvesting methods are still in practice alongside organic, sustainable and fair-trade agriculture.

Owning and operating Natur'el Tea has led to travel and more study, and in 2008 Jolene achieved her level one Tea Sommeller certification, accredited by the Specialty Tea Institute of New York.

"Tea is a lifetime of learning and over the years, my appreciation deepens as I discover more about the agricultural practices of this ancient plant and how this is affected greatly by the culture and customs of the people growing, caring for, harvesting and enjoying the tea in their way."

Jolene travels to Las Vegas each year, where the World Tea Expo is held, to meet and speak with plantation owners from China, India and Japan. "She uses this opportunity to find unique qualities of tea that arise from specialized growing conditions."*

"One of the most spectacular tea's in my collection is the Organic Sencha, which won a World Tea Championship. It's grown in an area of Japan with rich volcanic soils, giving the tea a pure, deep flavour and the most brilliant emerald green colour. This tea can be re-infused up to 4 times and each time you will notice the aroma and flavour changes and enhances."

Jolene intends to continue learning more about tea, importing distinctive leaves and flavours and creating and sharing amazing new blends.

"My core belief behind all that I do is that, within nature, we will find ourselves and here lies the answer to everything we seek."

One can really tell that Jolene has put her heart and soul into her teas, bringing us nothing but the best. The quality of taste and aroma are un-compromised and second to none, with each mouthful bringing pure delight. For all you tea lovers out there, this is a tea to put to the test. I highly recommend Natur'el Tea, with all it's goodness and everything it stands for. It's businesses like this that we have the responsibility to step up and support, and show the major corporations that we do care about quality, sustainability, fair-trade, and the little guy. Even if it means paying a couple dollars more, I'll gladly pay it with a smile on my face.

Please go to Natur'el Tea's facebook page and like it here, to stay up-to-date on new flavours, where you might find Natur'el Tea (markets etc), and all news of Natur'el Tea.

Visit Natur'el Tea's website at www.natureltea.ca to learn more about Jolene, her tea, to see a list of products and prices and to purchase your very own teas to try!

If you have any further questions please email Jolene at Jbrewster@NaturelTea.ca or phone at
403-762-0913

Natur'el Tea is giving Growing Green readers a special PROMO CODE only found here!!!
When you make an online order at www.natureltea.ca, simply enter the code: HappyTea0113 when you check out and receive 25% off your order!!! This is an incredible deal, perfect for you to try a few new teas to enjoy. This offer expires Jan 31st, 2013, so hurry and take advantage of this awesome January sale!

"I was recently asked…. what is my personal tea ceremony? My cup of Darjeeling tea in the morning, in my eggshell mug, is the bridge to the rest of my day." - Jolene Brewster

What is your tea ceremony?

"To reach the infinite, you must focus on the finite"

* - quotes were taken from a previously written bio.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza Bites

As the end of the holidays sink in and still being tired from the craziness, I haven't felt like doing much cooking. I honestly feel like I need a vacation now. Somewhere hot, on a beach, with a book, and leave me be for 7-10 days. Hmmm….wouldn't that be nice. Ok, back to reality. Right, cold, winter, January blues even?

So with this lethargy upon me and not really taking good care of myself of my little family since returning home, I decided I better give some thought to supper this past Friday. No more cop out "breakfast suppers" or "soups", not that those are bad, by any means, but when it's all that you're making, somethings gotta change. And change it did! Not only did I decide to make something different, I thought I would be creative and make something up, inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest. How I love thee, oh Pinterest. The results were amazingly delicious. I call them "Portobello Mushroom Pizza Bites!" I say bites loosely, for if you could eat one of these in a single bite, you either have the biggest mouth in the world, or you're not human haha.

Thus, to the store, with baby in tow, I went to pick up the goods for this trial supper. It was easy to prepare, simple, relatively quick and like I said before, super delicious! I think that even the kids will like this new, healthier take, on pizza. And it's gluten free! yay!

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM PIZZA BITES
Gluten-free, can be made vegan and dairy free if alternative toppings are used.

Ingredients: Feel free to change up toppings and cheese to your own specifications and likes and dietary needs.
serves 2

4 Portobello Mushroom Caps
Classico Olive and Garlic Sauce
TLC Farms Ground Beef
1 Yellow Pepper - chopped
1 Green Pepper - chopped
1 Small Zucchini - sliced
Fresh Basil
Parmesan Cheese - shredded
Marble Cheese - shredded

Directions:

- Preheat the over to 375 degrees.
- Fry up ground beef. Add spices, salt and pepper. I used some Epicure guacamole dip mix and truffle infused sea salt.

- Wash mushrooms and remove stems.

- Scrape out inside of mushrooms.

- Put a layer of sauce in the bottom of the mushroom.

- Add a layer of ground beef and then chopped up yellow and green peppers.
- Add some shredded parmesan cheese.
- Add a layer of sliced zucchini.

- Add shredded cheese on top.

- Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

- Turn the oven to High Broil and Broil for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is browned.

- If mushrooms need a bit longer to cook, turn oven back to bake until mushrooms are hot to the touch. Thicker mushrooms will need a few more minutes, thinner mushrooms should be ready after the broil.

 - Enjoy this delicious and healthy alternative without the carbs!

Happy Eating!!!

A Greener New Year To You!

As any, and probably every, blogger does, one must take a look back at the year past and share some fond reminiscing. It's what we do :) 2012 was a remarkable year. It started off with a bang when my darling little girl was born on January 17th. Along with all the changes that accompany a newborn and being a first time parent, my journey to a healthier lifestyle took off full force, and amazingly, this blog exploded! I think back on all 24 businesses that Growing Green featured, and it's been incredible. I was so privileged to meet so many wonderful, new people, tried many new products, and discovered greener ways to live and support those around me, all the while encouraging others to follow suit. My eyes were opened to the bigger picture in many ways, and my ignorance of topics, such as food production and big market monopolies, melted away to reveal the ugly truth, but more on that at another time.

2012 was a year that I actively pursued one dream, while another dream came true. I pursued the dream to write and capture the attention of others with my words, and I became a mom. A dream I've had for years. While both are amazing and wonderful, both come with their fair share of challenges. But it's those challenges that excite and encourage me to dig deeper and go further and see what more can come of this life adventure I've undertaken. With an amazing husband by my side and an adorably cute little girl, I strive to learn, to experiment with cooking and baking, to dare to try new things, to continue to de-clutter and organize the chaos around me, and to build on existing relationships, while forging new ones. I've helped with the challenge of facilitating a year-round market in Medicine Hat and hope that we can continue into 2013 with more force and support then we started with in 2012. It takes you to make it a success.

As I look forward into 2013, I see the sky as the limit. I'd love to see this blog grow to amazing, new heights, with new features continuing all year long, and perhaps turning this "hobby" into a "job" that can help support my family financially. I'd love to pay off our debt. I'd love to see the Winter Market become a smashing success with the difficulty changing from getting vendors out, to trying to juggle a plethora of them. I'd love to be able to go back to school to become a Holistic Health Coach and help those around me with living healthier. I'd love to see my husband pursue his dreams and dive into a profession that he's passionate about and loves. I'd love to see our beautiful family of 3 become a thriving family of 4. I'd love to take a vacation with my husband and unwind. But mostly, I can't wait to see where God is going to take us next, whether we are to stay put for a while longer, or take the plunge and move on. That's a lot to think about for one year, especially when the years fly by so fast these days. However one must have dreams in order to pursue change of any kind, otherwise, the hard, cold truth of being stuck in a rut is inevitable. Dream big and reach for the stars.

I hope you all have an amazing 2013 and that you make the most of it, striving to live a greener, healthier life, supporting those around you, invoking change, and being real. Make the most of every day, laugh often, create memories, love deeply, encourage greatly, and dare to take the risk.

Thank you for being a supporter of Growing Green and I hope you will continue to read what I have to write and maybe even share your thoughts back with me. The first 4 months have been a pleasure. Here's to many, many more!