The Healthy Shopper’s 2014 Fall Picks ~ #Review

The time has come when I am digging out the mittens, hats, and sweaters. Just recently, I had to turn on the furnace just to keep us warm in the house. I am not too excited that Fall has arrived however I am excited to announced The Healthy Shopper’s 2014 Fall Picks. Let me recap who is The Healthy Shopper: Co-founder Randy Boyer and Andrea Donsky started back in 1999 as a coupon book to help Canadians save on organic and natural products and later in 2007 added e-coupons on their website. They have received many comments from customers that through using their coupons, they have enable them to try new healthy products they have never heard of or tried before.

Their first choice is Olympic Dairy’s new Chia yogurt, the first yogurt on the market with chia seeds. “It’s not only innovative and a “must try,” but it’s delicious,” said Donsky. Adding chia to its yogurt is in keeping with food trends that advocate including chia in all sorts of food,” she adds.  The addition of chia seeds makes Olympic yogurt even healthier and completely surpasses other yogurts that contain artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. Chia is also considered a super food and is a source of protein and fiber. It’s the richest plant-source of healthy Omega 3 oil, important for heart and cholesterol health, and is now recognized as a weight-loss helper too. Olympic yogurt also contains pre- and probiotics for an extra immunity boost. Flavours include strawberry, vanilla, plain and pandan.

Olympic Dairy has been one of my go to yogurt brands. I love them because they carry two of my favourite flavours – coconut and mango (not combined). I have never heard of Chia before but I was willing to try it. I went adventurous and tried their pandan flavour. I have no idea what pandan is but at least it was sweet. The texture of the yogurt was almost like a cross between pudding and plain yogurt. The chia was on the bottom and they are so small you barely even notice them in the yogurt. At first I didn’t know if I like it or not but after each spoonful I could not stop eating it. I really enjoyed it so I am looking forward to try the other flavours.


A new favourite is the second pick on this season’s shopping list, Made Good Organic Granola Bars and Granola Minis. They’re nut-free, making them a school safe lunchbox essential and each bar or package of minis is made with whole grains and a vegetable powder equivalent to the nutrients found in one serving of vegetables. This yummy snack meets a minimum of 20% of an adult’s required daily intake of vitamins A, B1, B6 C, D and E coming from the vegetable sources. Made Good Organic Granola Bars and Minis are non-GMO, wheat-free, vegan and Kosher. “They’re really delicious tasting and your family won’t even know that they’re so good for them,” says Boyer. Flavours include chocolate banana, chocolate chip, strawberry, apple cinnamon, and mixed berry.


I was very curious about this product so it was the very first product I opened. I eat granola all the time. They are the best food to eat on the go and I am always going and rushing out somewhere. They are also the best snack food to quench my hunger at 3pm because I am rushing out of the office to pick up my girls. I love the fact that this is nut free because it is getting really difficult to know what to pack for my daughter’s snack. This Made Good Organic Granola Bars/Minis tastes great. Once I opened the bag of minis it was very hard to stop. Before I know it, the whole bag is empty. My youngest daughter and I enjoyed every flavour but the best one is strawberry. It was so good it did not last between the two of us. My daughter was disappointed to see the bag was empty.  She demanded I get some more.


Next up is Pamela’s Products and its wheat and gluten-free Sugar Cookie Baking Mix and All-Purpose Flour Artisan Blend. “This season we’re featuring Pamela’s Sugar Cookie Baking Mix because these cookies are a great tasting treat for the entire family. You can roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to create fun shapes and decorate with your favourite frostings and decor,” says Boyer. "Pamela’s wide selection of baking mixes are all free of gluten and suitable for a variety of individuals with multiple food allergies. The All-Purpose Flour Artisan Blend can serve as a one-for-one replacement in any of your recipes and no one will know the difference.”


I love baking. I prefer it over than cooking. If I had the time and no distractions I could bake for hours. One time I was baking up a storm of all sorts of treats and goodies. Christmas is just around the corner and I can’t wait to bake some Sugar Cookies. I have so many cookie cutters that are waiting to be used. My daughters are old enough to help me out this year to cut and decorate so I will need to purchase some frostings and candies. Pamela’s Sugar Cookie Baking Mix makes baking so easy that I need to add is butter and eggs. It could make 12 large cookies, 18 medium or 36 small ones.


The Healthy Shopper has also revisited Simply Natural and this time chosen the top four best-selling organic Pasta sauces because they’re low in sodium, gluten-free, non-GMO and such great value. “At $3.99 you can’t say that they’re too expensive because they’re organic. They should really be a household staple because they save so much time,” says Donsky. “They’re so delicious that you don’t need to make your own.” The top four include Tomato and Basil, Tomato and Roasted Garlic, Fra Diavolo and Vodka Cream Pasta Sauce.


I use pasta sauces all the time. I try to keep my pantry stocked with pasta and pasta sauces. They are the most easiest and fastest meals I could make. Some pasta sauces I have purchased are priced at $2.49 or even $3. When an organic and gluten-free pasta sauce is priced at $3.99, I would have to say it's a bargain since I would think it would cost $5 or $6. I am looking forward to making my Nann pizza using one of these pasta sauces. I would take my Nann, pour the sauce on top of it, add cheese and maybe chicken. Pop in the oven until the cheese melted and viola! Dinner.


This fall, if you're looking for a way to prevent and treat colds and influenza, bacterial, fungal and viral infections, The Healthy Shopper selected and recommends Allimax, a high-quality herbal supplement designed to help maintain a healthy natural defense system. Allicin found in garlic, is the ‘mother’ substance and responsible in total or in part for many of the properties attributable to garlic. The sophisticated refinement process of Allimax allows allicin to be captured and delivered to where your body needs it. Allimax has all the benefits of garlic locked in an odour-free, 100% vegetarian capsule.


The cold and flu season is back and a few co-workers have it already and have taken time off of work because of their cold. One co-worker always has a cold coming back from a vacation. We have no idea why it happens to her. We could only guess that it is bad timing that someone on the plane has a cold and it affected her. I should recommend her taking these pills when she is on the flight coming home.  I use to take garlic oil pills when I was growing up.  It was the best cold preventative because  I don't recall having too many sick days.


Finally, this season The Healthy Shopper has chosen Hyland’s Homeopathic Baby Tiny Cold Tablets and Baby Cough Syrup. Its Baby Tiny Cold Tablets instantly dissolve in your baby’s mouth. Ideal for cold sniffles, runny noses and congestion, and of course parents can be assured that they’re natural. Hyland’s Baby Cough Syrup is naturally sweetened and a safe way to soothe babies six months and up, by relieving the harsh symptoms of coughing.


My daughter will most likely need it this winter. Whenever she has a cough I always give her a homeopathic cough syrup and it works wonders. When she had an awful cough and I wanted to give her something but the other brands does not allow kids under 7 to take it. However, I was able to give a homeopathic cough syrup and that helped her a lot.  I hate to see her suffer and unable to do anything thing.  I am so happy to find homeopathic cough syrup in regular drug stores.


As in previous seasons, The Healthy Shopper encourages Canadians to put healthy and organic options in our shopping baskets. Today, parents want less and less artificial ingredients and more natural when it comes to feeding their families, with 58% of them purchasing natural and organic. So, The Healthy Shopper Picks have become a much anticipated and trusted resource for educating consumers on finding healthier organic alternatives to some of our favourite products.


Once again I am so glad to participate with The Healthy Shopper Picks for this fall season.  There is always something new to try and discovering new favourites.  I can’t wait to look for them in my regular stores. I am so glad that I don’t have to go to a Speciality store for them. I can’t wait to see next year’s pick.  Stay Warm and Happy Shopping.


About The Healthy Shopper 
For 15 years, The Healthy Shopper has become a trusted source for helping families eat healthier and live better. Passionate about the natural health industry, it was founded by Randy Boyer and Andrea Donsky in 1999 to encourage Canadians to pursue and maintain a naturally healthy lifestyle while saving money. Their book “Unjunk Your Junk Food,” has become a very meaningful resource for educating those searching for healthier alternatives to their favourite junk foods. The Healthy Shopper Coupon Book has encouraged consumers to try high-quality natural and organic products at more affordable prices. This past January they opened their online store.  www.thehealthyshopper.ca https://www.facebook.com/TheHealthyShopper

*Disclosure -  The product in this review was provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.