happy 2013 everyone! i hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating this holiday season. i certainly did, but as much fun as it was, i am a little glad to be returning to a routine. my body is craving good food, exercise and normalcy.
to start off the new year it seems fitting to share a review with you of the company rich nature and their products. everyone always goes into the new year with healthy eating on the mind and rich nature offers high quality superfoods to help you do just that!
a couple months ago i was contacted by rich nature to conduct a review of some of their products and i gladly agreed. life got busy so i apologize for the delay on this, but i wanted to be able to do the products and company justice!
first off, here is the haul they sent me, it was so generous!
![IMG_2254_thumb[2]](http://veggienook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_2254_thumb2.jpg "IMG_2254_thumb[2]")
in the mix: chocolate covered mulberries, goji berry powder, goji berries, seabuckthorn powder mulberries and chocolate-covered goji berries
first up, the chocolate covered golden berries:
from the website, “each sweet, tart, and chewy golden berry is covered in dark chocolate then sprinkled with sea salt and turbinado sugar.”
might as well get the negative out of the way before we move on. this was the one product i didn’t enjoy. i was really excited to try them since i love the tartness of golden berries and figured that adding chocolate could never be a bad thing! however for me, the tartness of the berry was overcome by the intense sweetness of the chocolate, and the sea salt and turbinado sugar was overpowering. after having my first bite i turned the pack over to discover they weren’t vegan either :( milk in the chocolate…
on the other hand, i brought them home with me for my parents to try and they really enjoyed them. so i’ll leave you guys to decide for yourself!
now let’s get to the good stuff!
seabuckthorn powder:
“with just 10 calories per serving, this powder will help you glide through your day by giving you some antioxidant boost with vitamins e & c, or add a splash or tartness to your bitter but yummy pomegranate juice”
this wasn’t a product i was very familiar with before receiving it, so i did some research prior to using it. turns out seabuckthorn grows under incredibly treacherous conditions, making the plant extremely resilient, giving it loads of nutritional benefits from antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. it can be used both internally and topically for inflammation, cardiovascular concerns and as an anti-microbial and for digestive concerns.
i added this to smoothie with banana and blueberries and thought the tartness of the powder went great with the sweetness of the fruit. however, perhaps my favourite way to use this was topically as part of a facemask! on on particular day when i was feeling under the weather and my face was a little puffy, i mixed some into some plain coconut yogurt and applied onto my face and let it dry. the effects were amazing! much of the redness was gone and my skin felt plump and healthy.
i also mixed it with some water as a digestive tonic and it eased some upset i was having.
so ultimately this was fantastic product both for flavour and medicinal qualities.
next up, goji powder and berries:
from the website:
goji berries contain:
- 11 macro & 22 trace minerals
- 5 carotenoids including: beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, crytoxanthin
- 5 unsaturated fatty acids including essential fatty acids- linoleic acid & alpha-linoleic acid
- 6 essential vitamins including: vitamin a (beta-carotene), vitamin c, vitamin b2 (riboflavin), calcium, vitamin b1 (thiamine)
- 18 amino acids
not bad for a little berry! goji berries are a regular addition to my diet, usually appearing as a smoothie topper. these goji berries were especially awesome! i found these ones to be a little less dry than other brands i’ve tried and were deliciously chewy. since they were a little softer, they also blended into my smoothies easier than other brands, since i don`t have a super fancy blender.
the powder made a great addition to smoothies as well, giving a nutritional boost and a nice tart flavour. i also used the powder mixed in water with some msm powder (not always the most palatable supplement to take and it helped to greatly enhance the flavour of my drink! keep reading for a recipe using this!
and now for the mulberries:
“naturally sweet, chewy, multi-seeded clusters of vanilla scented goodness”
mulberries are another amazing superfood to add to your diet. they are very high in antioxidants like quercetin to help defend against disease and to keep you looking younger. mulberries also happen to be very high in resveratrol which is a phenol that helps protect your body from harmful bacteria and fungi. they are also low glycemic, helping to satisfying a sweet tooth without causing your blood sugar to spike!
the flavour of these was just delicious! they have a fruity-vanilla taste with a great chew. these are fantastic as a part of a trail mix, on top of a smoothie or oatmeal or just eating from the bag! they also make a great addition to a savoury dish for little pops of sweetness.
![IMG_2540_thumb[4]](http://veggienook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_2540_thumb4.jpg "IMG_2540_thumb[4]")
here i made a lovely quinoa dish with sautéed onions, garlic, mushrooms and kale with savoury spices and mulberries! the mulberries really helped round out the dish and gave a surprising pop of sweetness every now and then.
finally, chocolate-covered goji berries!
![IMG_2357_thumb[2]](http://veggienook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_2357_thumb2.jpg "IMG_2357_thumb[2]")
“ark chocolate goji berries are covered in semi-sweet, perfectly crunchy dark chocolate to give you that perfect bite each and every time”
do you even have to ask why these were my favourite? these were the perfect treat! sweet but tart berries covered in a dark chocolate crunchy coating…getting in your antioxidants never tasted so good! i HIGHLY recommend these.
in fact i loved them so much, i decided to create a superfood packed smoothie to replicate their flavour. i used goji berried and goji powder from rich nature to capture the intense goji berry taste and some cacao powder for the chocolate. i of course topped the smoothie with some of the chocolate covered goji berries, because, why not? this smoothie is such a treat yet healthy enough for breakfast!
![IMG_2336_thumb[2]](http://veggienook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_2336_thumb2.jpg "IMG_2336_thumb[2]")
chocolate-covered goji berry green smoothie (vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, raw)
ingredients
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 a frozen banana
- 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
- few leaves of kale
- 1 tbsp goji berries, soaked
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp goji powder (optional, but really enhances the goji flavour)
- stevia to taste (~3 drops)
instructions
first blend the hemp seeds and water to form a quick hemp milk. then add in everything else and blend until smooth. garnish with more goji berries, chocolate-covered if you have them!
finally, the mazing people at rich nature have offered to extend to you, my lovely readers a discount on merchandise ordered from their website. just use the code VEGNOOK12 to get 18% off some awesome superfoods! this code is good for 1 year.
You lucky gal- what a great bounty of goodness! I can totally see why the chocolate covered goji berries were your favorite- they sound delightful! When I was in Hawaii, Chris’s favorite acai bowl had seabuckthorn oil in it and we were going to get some until we saw how expensive it was! It’s good to know that we can get it in powder form and make it a little easier on the wallet. :-)
Hehe thanks Kristy! Yes seabuckthorn oil is wild isn’t it! The powder is definitely more affordable so I’m glad you’ll be able to indulge in your favourite treat without the ridiculous price :)
Such nifty stuff! I had only heard of seabuckthorn oil, and never powder. I really hope I can get my hands on some, since I’d love to experiment a bit. It’s in some of my favorite skin care products- I can’t imagine how it would taste!
Thank you Hannah! It’s definitely got a unique taste but I know if anyone can turn it into something fabulous it’s you!!
WOW what a great line up! The seabuckhorn powder, mulberries & dark chocolate covered goji berries are all on my wish list!…..thankfully the code is good for a year, I think these would blow my weekly grocery budget experiment for the month of January out of the sky for sure!
Oh I know, my grocery budget goal is already being tested- sooo many good products out there to try! But I’m holding strong :)
Happy New Year Gabby! Hope the first week has been well for you!
Thank you for the informative and honest reviews. I love that you try products in ways that are outside the box, like in the quinoa dish. Still, I’d have to agree that I bet the goji berries would be my favorite too :)
Happy New Year Reia! I’m glad you liked the review. I definitely want to be honest when I post reviews, because let’s be honest, no one’s ever going to like EVERYTHING and I feel like people should know what I actually think. The mulberries were great in the quino dish, I love the combo of sweet and savoury!
Never heard of this brand before, but I’m digging some of their products! I’ll have to check it out :-)
Definitely should, they are great quality!
Happy New Year!! Hope that all is well! Great post and the smoothie sounds awesome!! We miss you at Gluten Free Fridays! Hope to see you around there sometime soon :)
Happy New Year Cindy! I will try and come back soon, I haven’t been participating in any blog parties lately- so little time :( Will try soon though!
Happy New Year Gabby! Took a scan through all the posts I missed while being away and it looks like you had a great Christmas – yummy eats! The seabuckthorn powder looks interesting!!! Mulberries are one of my favorite dried fruits – ive had them fresh before too, but prefer them dried.
Happy New Year Heather! I’ve never had fresh mulberries before, interested! I wouldn’t even know where to find them!
These look amazing – lucky you to have such a myriad of awesome treats right in front of you ;) Yum!
I would also like to invite you to my Potluck Party – it’s featuring The Best of 2012 Recipes this week ;) Hope you can make it!
http://www.lifeologia.com/potluck-party-best-recipes-of-2012/
xo
Ella
ps. there will be voting set in place for this one ;)
Yes I feel very lucky :)
Yay totally joined the potluck, love the idea!
Hope you are well my dear!
These products sound wonderful! What a great company! And a stellar discount! I’m totally ordering some to make the smoothie! Yum!
Yay I hope you like their products as much as I did!
I want those chocolate covered goji berries! What fun products to review!
I’ve never heard of goji powder – that’s fascinating! Nice to discover new companies so thanks for the review – these guys sound cutting edge when it comes to natural foods!
Sounds like a great company! And hey, the smoothie is Christmas-coloured, too :)
Hiya, Gabby!
I’m wondering how you get so many companies to contact you about product reviews? I’d love to start doing some on my blog, but feel like waiting for companies to “discover” me is inefficient. Any tips?
Thanks, girl!
-Ali.
Hey Ali! I think sometimes it has to do with me linking to certain companies in some of my posts- there have been a couple occasions where I’ll use a specific brand and I link to it and then they contact me. They must have a system that alerts them to links? Sometimes though I’m really not sure! Maybe discussing specific products that you try on your blog, even if it’s not a full review (but it can be) woul show companies you are open to it? I also know some companies will arrange to send samples and do reviews if you contact them directly so check out some companies and see if they do! I know Tropical Traditions and Artisana does (unfortunately Artisana doesn’t for Canadians :(). I hope this helps! :)
It does, indeed! Thanks a bunch, Gabster. ;)
Happy New Year Gabby :) I think I’d eat all of these products with no problem at all but chocolate covered goji berries are definitely something I love!
Hehe those were definitely the first product I finished :)
Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year Gabby!! What a great post to start off the new year! What a great assortment of goodies! Bummer about the one not being vegan :( That is so cool that you can use the seabuckthorn powder in a face mask! It’s so versatile, I love that! The smoothie looks really beautiful too! Sounds like it would be fun to experiment with superfoods! :)
Great to have you back!
Thanks Sarah, I had so much fun with the new ones and finding new ways to use the familiar :) Seabuckthron powder was amazing, definitely try it if you see it!
Glad to be back :)
Mmmm I love gogi berries, the smoothie looks awesome!
The products look great! I will look out for them.
Happy New Year Gabby =)
Thanks Kim! Definitely be on the look out- so good
Happy New Year!
And I should add that …
the parents enjoyed the chocolate covered golden berries …
the parents didn’t get to sample the chocolate-covered goji berries, probably because they didn’t make it through the trip to the parents …
:)
Hah nope they were long gone ;)
Yum – wow what fabulous products – you’re so lucky to have all that delicious nutritious goodness in your life :) I LOVE chocolate covered goji berries!
I know I am so lucky! Most of them re gone now though, so delicious! Chocolate covered goji berries are a new fav. Must get more!!
I’m loving this review! When I’ve tried goji berries in the past, I have always been turned off because they were so dry. It’s good to know that there is a company that produces a chewier berry!
Yes Molly, they can be tricky to find but they are out there :)
Happy new year, Gabby! These superfoods look like a great help to turn back to healthy eating after a indulgent holiday! I have to admit: I didn’t even think of eating the mulberries on my tree for years, then were suprised to discover they weren’t just delicious but quite nutritious. Good fresh in smoothies and fruit crumbles, and this year I’ll try dehydrating them after being introduced to dried mulberries by Marni Wasserman.
Oh definitely, I need to get back to healthy eating, I indulged my heart out :) That's so cool you have fresh mulberries!
How do you know Marni? I volunteer with her!
Wow – what a superpost filled with superfoods! :) What a way to start a new year. Best wishes for health and happiness in 2013, Gabby. :)
Thank you so much Janet! Best wishes to you right back :)