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Special Diet Creations: Love Grown Foods Blogger Breakfast
March 31, 2011

Posted by Love Grown Foods / Comments Off / Mentions

The below is taken directly from Nicole’s Blog Nicole’s Special Diet Creations:

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“Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend a Blogger Breakfast here in Phoenix hosted by Love Grown Foods. If you’re not familiar with this young brand, they produce a line of delicious gluten-free naturally sweetened granolas called Oat Clusters & Love.

Aside from that, though, the founders, Maddy D’Amato and Alex Hasulak, are fantastic people who really care about promoting good health, especially when it comes to young children. On their travels in the famous Elby bus, they visit classrooms across the country to educate the younger generation about the importance of physical activity and a healthy, nutritious diet — including breakfast.

These two really change lives for the better and produce a quality product that just happens to be my favorite granola. Photos from this fun event are below. Thanks, Maddy and Alex, for being such great hosts and spreading the love here in Phoenix. Safe travels and come back soon!

Meet Elby

Love this photo of Maddy

…and this one of Alex

Oat Clusters & Love — very popular amongst the younger set!

…as was the fascinating Elby bus

I really enjoyed meeting all of the blogger moms…

So long, Elby. Come back soon!”

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Be sure to check out all of Nicole’s blog (and her fabulous recipes) and you can also find her in the Scottsdale Examiner!

 

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Eating Bird Food: Love It!
March 31, 2011

Posted by Love Grown Foods / Comments Off / Mentions

The below is taken directly from EATING BIRD FOOD:

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“I’m glad to hear that most of you are goat cheese lovers too. As an update, I polished off the remaining bit at lunch today, which means I need to get more tomorrow…

In other, not so goaty, news my mid-afternoon snackage this week has been lovely and full of yogurt.

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Today’s strawberry chocolate yogurt bowl was quite be-u-tiful!

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I’d share the recipe, but in reality it’s more of a non-recipe.

Basically I spooned out 1/2 cup of plain Chobani Greek yogurt into a bowl and mixed it with 3-4 drops of stevia to take away the tartness (this is the only way I can handle plain yogurt), strategically placed sliced strawberries around the outer edge of the bowl and topped it all with Cocoa Goodness granola. Easy as (chocolate strawberry) pie!

The star of this snack was the granola.

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Sweet, crunchy and chocolately granola that is made with LOVE.

I was sent a few bags of Love Grown Foods granola to try out. Currently I have 3 bags open- the Cocoa Goodness, Apple Walnut Delight and the Sweet Cranberry Pecan. They’re all delicious but I’ve been going crazy about the Apple Walnut! I think the large oat clusters I found in this bag stole my heart. :) What I love the most about the Love Grown Foods granola, besides the large chunks of granola, is that the company strives to produce a product that is made with wholesome ingredients.

Their granola is delicious, healthy and lower in calories and sugar than many other granolas out therer. They’re also:

  • Free of Refined Sugar
  • Free of High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Free of Trans Fats
  • Free of Hydrogenated Oils
  • Free of Artificial Flavors
  • Free of Preservatives
  • Free of Gluten
  • Free of Genetically Modified Ingredients

And,  I already spotted Love Grown granola on the shelf at my local Kroger!! This is nice to see because often times natural food products are only sold at organic markets, which many people may not have access to. I grew up in a small town so I know what it’s like to feel left out of the loop when certain products aren’t sold at stores near you.

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I used the Sweet Cranberry Pecan to top a batch of pumpkin spice yogurt. Another non-recipe with 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, stevia, 2 T of pumpkin puree and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.

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I love dried fruit in granola and the cranberry coconut combo in this variety is phenom!

I finished off my large container of yogurt for the week already so now it’s time to get creative with the granola. Who knows what crazy combos I’ll come up with, but believe me you all will be the first to find out!

And be sure to look for all the Love Grown Foods varieties (in the organic section) at a grocer near you.”

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Check out the rest of this fabulous blog and be sure to try some of the DELICIOUS recipes on Eating Bird Food!

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Good Bye Phoenix, Hello Salt Lake!
March 30, 2011

Posted by Love Grown Foods / Comments Off / Maddy's Blog

Alex and I headed out of Phoenix Sunday and made our way to Salt Lake. I must admit that I forgot that it is still winter after having been in 80* sunny weather for 2 weeks! Phoenix was simply amazing! In addition to spending time with Alex’s parents, we met incredible fans, made some awesome LOVE DROPS, and spread the LOVE in Fry’s!

 

We are excited to have the LOVE of Love Grown Foods finally out there given it’s Alex’s hometown! Plus, to my surprise I continually am impressed by how much of a foodie heaven Phoenix is! This city is FULL of amazing restaurants and great places to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

 

We are now in Salt Lake and excited to see mountains and snow! We have to refrain from taking days off and skiing…I guarentee after one run we would reconsider heading home until the season was over. Nonetheless, there is something magical about being in mountains. That feeling of home, the crisp mountain air, the sight of snow-capped peaks all instill a sense of comfort within me.

 

We will be here through the weekend spreading the LOVE before heading back to Denver for a bit. If you are in Salt Lake or have a friend who needs a LOVE DROP, let us know because we will gladly spread them loads of LOVE on your behalf!

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The Spiced Plate: Love Grown Breakfast
March 29, 2011

Posted by Love Grown Foods / Comments Off / Mentions

The below is taken directly from The Spiced Plate:

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“As I was driving home yesterday, my stomach was grumbling.  Usually I don’t become hungry between meals, but my body was telling me loud and clear that it was going to require some fuel before dinner, or I’d be one cranky girl.

Quite serendipitously, when I pulled into my parking spot, I saw a promising package awaiting me on my front steps.

A package from Love Grown Foods! I’ve been hearing about this lovely gluten-free high fructose-free granola around the Internet, and was pretty excited when I won a contest of theirs on facebook.  My new granola stash consists of their Cocoa Goodness, Simply Oats, Raisin Almond Crunch, Apple Walnut Delight and Sweet Cranberry Pecan.  Needless to say, with my level of hunger rising by the minute, I dug right in.  I chose the Cocoa Goodness, and was pleased when I opened the package and got a wonderful waft of chocolate comfort.
Look at those huge clusters of cocoa-coated oats, screaming to be chomped down upon and eaten.  And those chocolate chips are indeed dark chocolate.  What’s even better, these oats are certified gluten-free.  No wheat cross-contamination happening here.  Sweetened with agave and honey, a handful of this was the perfect way to prevent a blood-sugar drop from killing my afternoon.  No yucky hydrogenated oils, trans-fats,  or GMOs in these delightful bites, either.  Definitely a new food to LOVE.
As usual when I get a new goodie, my brain and taste buds combine forces to develop a recipe.  Since we had some bananas hanging out on top of the fridge, I thought about how satisfying it would be to combine this cocoa bliss with the bananas to make a nourishing and satisfying breakfast.
I love how light, nutty, and fluffy quinoa can be, and it makes a great way to begin the day at breakfast.  The hint of nuttiness of the quinoa complements the nutty taste of the granola, and the banana makes every bite a bit creamy and luscious.  Cinnamon and ginger compliment the chocolate in the richest way.  This breakfast might be a favorite for a while.  Bananas are a great way to get some sustained energy throughout the day — this kept me full until lunch time.  Bananas are also full of potassium, which may help relieve headaches, and are a good source of iron.  This tropical fruit also contains an amino acid that gets converted into serotonin, which helps improve your mood.  If this, paired with chocolate, doesn’t improve your morning, I don’t know what will.
Spiced Quinoa with Banana and Cocoa Goodness
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 1/4 cup cocoa goodness granola from Love Grown Foods, or other chocolate granola, or granola with cocoa powder and chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger

Start off by bringing the water to a boil.  Add the quinoa and salt, and make sure the burner is set on medium heat.  After 15 minutes, or when the quinoa is translucent in the center with a pretty little ring around the outside of the seed, mix in the spices and chopped banana.    Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with the granola.  Dig in.  This serves one person, so make extra if you want to brigthen up someone else’s morning!”

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Check out all of Lauren‘s amazing recipes and great blog on her site THE SPICED PLATE.

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OliePants: Oh, it is LOVE!
March 29, 2011

Posted by Love Grown Foods / Comments Off / Mentions

The below is taken directly from the blog OliePants:

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Can I just say that I have some of the nicest and most caring readers anyone could ever ask for?!  So many of you e-mailed and commented with really great advice and personal stories regarding yesterday’s (very personal) post.  I was feeling much better by the end of the day.  LOVE was truly in the (blog) air!

It’s quite amazing how people you never met could show you so much LOVE when you need it the most.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  And I truly do LOVE you all.

And I want to show you some LOVE in return.

About a month ago, LOVE came to Dallas.  LOVE by the name of Maddie and Alex.  This power couple is the brains and LOVE behind Love Grown Foods.  Love Grown Foods is really a granola movement – granola for everyone.  Love Grown Foods granola is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, trans fat-free, preservative free, and free of artificial flavors.  In addition to all this, Love Grown granola is DELICIOUS – it actually tastes like LOVE has been put into every oat cluster.  Ask Dorry and Lindsay - they know!

Despite our plans to meet up, scheduling issues kept us from meeting.  Despite this, Maddie still sent some LOVE my way.  (P.S. If you ever meet/talk to her, you’ll see – she’s quite LOVEly.)

So, in an effort to pass along the LOVE, Maddie has agreed to give some LOVE to a very lucky reader.  One lucky reader will receive the bag of their choice, along with mini bags of the remaining flavors so you can sample them all!

And, because you have been so good to me, I will send another reader TWO bags of your choice.  Now, keep in mind, I have already tore into the Cocoa Goodness so that’s out.  (Whoops!)

There are four other delicious flavors for you to choose from.

-  Apple Walnut Delight

-  Simply Oats

-  Sweet Cranberry Pecan

-  Raisin Almond Crunch

Take a look at the Love Grown Foods website and blog, the adventures of Maddie and Alex as they tour and promote their granola full of LOVE!

The following are many ways to enter for a chance to receive some LOVE yourself:

1.  Leave me a comment telling me what flavor of the Love Grown Food granola you would like to try.

2.  Leave me a comment telling me a blog post or recipe that you liked on my blog.

3.  Follow me on Twitter (@oliepants) and leave a separate comment letting me know.

4.  Tweet the following (@oliepants is giving away some @LoveGrownFoods LOVE!  http://wp.me/p16dO9-bJ ), and leave a separate comment letting me know.

5.  Mention this giveaway in a blog post and leave a separate comment letting me know.

6.  Follow @LoveGrownFoods on Twitter and leave a separate comment letting me know.

7.  ”Like” LoveGrownFoods on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know.

Whew!  Is that a list or is that a list?!

You can comment until Friday, April 1, 2011 at 11:59 p.m.  I will announce the winner on Monday, April 7, 2011!

**This giveaway only ships to those in the U.S.!**

So, what are you waiting for?  Spread some LOVE!!”

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Be sure to enter into her giveaways and follow her blog!

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