Chinook Book Deal!

If you are a Portlander, and you like supporting local businesses, and eating organic, sustainable food...then now is your time! The Chinook Book which regularly retails for $20.00 is on sale now at New Seasons Market for $15.00. I have the coupon book and have used it many times over, saving a load of money. Here is one great example of one of the valuable coupons:

Bob's Red Mill buy an organic product for half the price. If you buy in bulk (and I do often) then you can actually cover the cost of your book with this coupon. Buy any organic item at Bob's Red Mill-ie. 20lb oatmeal/or 50 lb oatmeal for half the price.

There are many, many valuable coupons-it's a super deal. You can check out ecometro.com for more of the details.

I'm a BzzAgent...

...And you can be too! Recently, I signed up at bzzagent.com to get an opportunity to try out new products (for free!) All I had to do was fill out a few easy surveys, and now I am getting sent some great products to sample. My job is to tell people about what products I have been sent to "spread some bzz." This works great for me, because if I love something, I want people to know about it. They are currently looking for people in the Portland area to try out some pre-made food for families on the run. I am looking forward to seeing what this is all about. So, if you get a chance, or you like trying out new prodcts for free-check it out!

Afrin Pure Sea

The other day when I received a box in the mail...it felt almost like my birthday!! I finally got my first "campaign" from Bzzagent.com and I am very pleased with the product. It is a nasal rinse made with 100% purified sea water and that is all. Being very familiar with nasal rinsing (using neti-pots in the past) I am more than happy to spread the word on the benefits of using this product. Many people who have suffered from chronic sinus infections have seen dramatic reductions and improvements in their health by regularly rinsing their nasal passages.

Here is Afrin's suggestion of people who may be interested in trying their product.

• anyone exposed regularly to air pollution


• people working in dusty environments


• those with allergies or congestion in nasal passages


• people continually exposed to germs (teachers, flight attendants, hospital workers)


• parents with young children or infants


• people interested in all-natural health and well-being products

Gerald and I both tried it out and I noticed instantly my sinuses were cleared and my senses heightened. Great product.

And for those in the Portland area, I have a handful of $3.00 off coupons if you are interested in giving it a try.

The Academy Theater

This may just be my all-time favorite theater. The Academy has been recently renovated after many years of suffering disrepair. It was first built in 1948, and was apparently a very popular place for movie-goers in the Montavilla neighborhood. Today, with the careful restoration and the attention to keeping it's vintage charge, it remains a great place for families to come for a bit of theater entertainment. As if the building itself were not enough to peak your interest, the prices are the real hook. On Tuesdays they offer buy one get one free movies! This is great for families on a tight budget, but still wanting to support local businesses.

Here are the details:

• Adults $4.00/kids $3.00 (I told you it was great!)
• 7818 SE Stark, 97215 503-252-0500
• academytheaterpdx.com
• and just to make it even sweeter, The Academy offers Flying Pie Pizza, beer, and wine!

Experimenting with Raw Foods

I've been on a raw food kick for a while now and have enjoyed experimenting with different recipes. The good news is that it is quite simple to prepare raw foods (no cooking involved!) and my family seems to really enjoy the new things they are eating.

There are many benefits to eating raw:

• you have more energy
• you naturally eat more fruits and vegetables
• when food is cooked the live, valuable enzymes are destroyed
• people who eat all raw claim to never get sick
• many more others you should research!

Currently, our goal is to eat one raw meal a day, and one day a week completely raw. I've been eating up everything I can find by raw foodie Ani Phyo. She has a great "uncook" book out called: Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

She also has a website: Aniphyo.com

Below I have two recipes of some delicious, easy treats from Ani's book and website. Check it out!

Chocolate Almond Milk

Chocolate "Mylk"

1 cup almonds (soaked overnight)
1/2 cup pitted dates
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
3 cups H2O
* optional 2 Tbs. coconut oil

Blend in a powerful blender or food processor.
*from Aniphyo.com
You can't even possibly imagine how good this is!!!