What do boots and chocolate have in common? Not a whole heck of a lot, except when they are vegan. I'm not a vegan myself but given the chance to reduce my dependency on animal products, I'll go for it. Recently, I had the chance to check out a couple of unique, vegan products - boots made from vegan leather and a vegan chocolate making kit.
Jambu Colorado Boot
Jambu makes fun shoes. I reviewed a pair of cherry-mesh sandals last summer so I'm already a big fan of the brand! This fall they were kind enough to send me a pair of boots to review. I chose the Colorado boot, which is made from vegan leather (a synthetic, non-animal leather) with a bit of mesh in the back and outsoles made of partially recycled rubber. The pink and brown color combo is different from anything else I own - and I was trilled to discover that I had a pink and brown skirt (from the thrift store, no less) that matched them perfectly! What do you think?
They are super comfy. I wore them all day long on the J.R. Watkins tour a few weeks back. Jambu shoes and boots are available on Amazon and Zappos - plus I've seen them in a few shoe stores around town. Follow their Facebook page for news about deals and giveaways.
Navitas Naturals Chocolate Kit
Have you heard of Navitas Naturals? I hadn't until recently. They specialize in nutrient and antioxidant rich superfoods - some of which you may have heard of like acai, pomegranate and chia and many that may be brand new to you (at least they were to me) like maca, lucuma and camu. The idea is to mix various powders and seeds into your smoothies or sprinkle on top of your granola.
That's not what they sent me though. They sent me a chocolate making kit!! An Organic Superfood Chocolate Making Kit with Goldenberries to be exact. Here's what was inside: a bar of cocoa butter, a packet of cocoa powder (mixed with mesquite, lucuma and maca) and a bag of goldenberries. All certified Organic, raw and vegan.
It was the perfect project for my 11 year old son and me to make together! We mixed up the ingredients in the double boiler (they have directions for keeping it raw if you prefer) and froze the chocolate in our Mumi & Bubi baby food trays.
After dinner, we had a chocolate tasting. Mmmm....absolutely delicious and unlike any other chocolate I have tasted. A smoky, slightly cinnamony taste - even though it does not contain cinnamon. We chose to sweeten our chocolates with Fair Trade honey although we left a couple chocolates unsweetened for comparison. The unsweetened chocolate was surprisingly good - the flavors were so complex that we really didn't miss the sugar.
You can find Navitas Naturals products at Whole Foods and many other health food and specialty stores. Or purchase online using the coupon code navitas15 for 15% off! I'll be picking up a couple of chocolate kits for holiday gifts for sure!
Are you a vegan or are you trying to use fewer animal products? What vegan products do you buy most often?
(Full Disclosure: I received free products from Jambu and Navitas Naturals in exchange for my honest opinion. There are a couple of affiliate links in this post.)
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I LOVE those boots on you. You were stylin' on the J.R. Watkins road trip!
Posted by: Lori @Groovy Green Livin | November 15, 2011 at 01:38 PM
You're so sweet to say that Lori! The best part is how comfy they are!
Posted by: Micaela | November 16, 2011 at 02:37 PM
I had to get up and get some chocolate looking at your photos!
Posted by: Tia G | November 26, 2011 at 03:09 AM