Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway

*** Giveaway Now Closed ***

Congratulations to Sue!

 

Have you heard of Tropical Traditions?  They have all kinds of quality products available for purchase including skin care products, healthy oils, household goods, and supplements just to name a few!

They also have some great recipes available on their site.  I chose to make the Beef Stroganoff recipe found here.  I made it without mushrooms which may seem silly but I am not really a mushroom fan.

 Sylvia and my Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil

 One of our dinners last week, yum!

My coconut oil was easy to use and I am looking forward to making many more recipes with it, maybe a baked good will be next!  Would you like to try out Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil for yourself?  Keep reading!

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America's source for coconut oil.  Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the  advantages of buying coconut oil online.

Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Now onto the giveaway!  Tropical Traditions has generously offered one of you  1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.

Mandatory Entry:  Follow me on google friend, that's it!  Please be sure and leave your email so I can contact you if you win!

Extra Entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.  As you can see, there are lots of extra entry opportunities!

1.  Follow my google+ page (2 extra entries)

2.  Follow my facebook page (2 extra)
3.  Follow me on Pinterest (2 extra)

4.  Follow me on twitter here (2 extra)
5.  Follow Tropical Traditions on twitter here (2 extra)
6.  Follow Tropical Traditions on facebook (2 extra)
7.  Follow Tropcial Traditions on pinterest (2 extra)
8.  Follow Tropical Traditions on google + (2 extra)
9.  Subscribe to Tropical Traditions newsletter (2 extra)

Giveaway will end on June 15th at Midnight. Winner will be selected using a random number generator and will have 48 hours to respond. If there is no response, I will randomly select another winner.  Open to US residents only.

Disclosure:  Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Mud Soup

 

A and B made soup for dinner tonight!  We checked out the book Mud Soup from the library and it has a recipe in the back.  The girls were so excited to make it.  It turned out really yummy, Delicioso!  And it was a great way to use Sylvia this week, love my crock pot :)

 Cooking the black beans

The recipe

So Happy Together

This weekend I pulled out Sylvia and Claude to make dinner!  I was so happy to see them together.

Claude left, Sylvia right

What did I make?  I found a recipe on Pinterest for Slow Cooker Enchiladas so I tried it and I made queso to go with it.

 Going into the crock pot

 Going into the crock pot

 Finished!  While I wouldn't call this meal enchiladas (to me enchiladas are stuffed rolled tortillas) it was quite delicious.  I will definitely make this again.

 Who doesn't love queso?  Ok, besides my brother.

Pot Roast & Donuts

 What I put into Sylvia this morning.

Our dinner tonight!

And the kids and I tried out my donut maker today!  Donut maker?  Yes, my sister gave me a mini donut maker for Christmas.  It worked really well.  It bakes the donuts (they are not fried) so that is healthier right?

 My new gadget

 In goes the dough

 And out come the donuts

 I chose to roll them in powdered sugar

 A enjoying her donut

 And of course B

I do not have photos of C, D or I enjoying them but rest assured that we did!  Thanks Stephanie :)

Sylvia has a friend

This weekend I made Chicken Tortilla Soup in my crock pot.  I have a great recipe and it is so yummy!  One of the best things about this soup is that it is flexible so you can change it up a bit based on what you have around and what you are in the mood for (extra spicy, mild, etc).

Bowl of soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Ingredients: 6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed, 1 can chicken broth, 1 can beef stock/broth, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can diced rotel tomatoes, 1 can whole kernel corn (don't drain), 2 10oz cans V8 tomato juice, 4 cups water, 3 Tbsp Worcester sauce, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, Saute: 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 diced onion, 2-3 celery stalks diced, and 3 cloves garlic

Directions: Saute ingredients then add with liquid and chicken, simmer 1-2 hours on stove top or slow cook in crock pot.  Serve with chips and cheese on top!

So, that's the base recipe.  I usually buy a whole chicken and boil it so I have plenty of chicken and my own broth.  I also use no salt instead of actual salt.  You can use as many can products as you need to or fresh - that's what I love about this recipe :)

And guess what I found while getting ready for A's party?  A smaller crock pot that I didn't know I had.  Apparently my parents had given it to me awhile ago and I completely forgot about it.  What a great time to find it!  So without further ado, meet Claude.

Claude, Sylvia's new best friend.
Thanks Mom & Dad!

Corn Chowder

 Our dinner tonight

The weather is a bit colder (33 today vs. 74 yesterday) so I thought it would be fun to have something warm for dinner!  While this was not David's favorite meal thus far it was pretty tasty for a chowder.  Thank you Sylvia :)

Here is the requested recipe: 

Ingredients:  2 cups peeled/diced potatoes, 2 packs (10 oz each) frozen whole kernel corn (broken apart), 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 can (16 oz) cream style corn, 1 Tbs sugar, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 cup water, 6 diced slices of bacon (omit if vegetarian :)

Basically put everything in your crock pot and cook on low for 4-7 hours, pretty simple.

Our dinner tonight

 Corned Beef and Noodles

I am a lot less familiar with corned beef than with most other meats but this one looked easy and different.  I guess I am liking variety.  And now that I am discovering some sides (and believe it or not desserts) that I want to make in my crock pot I am wondering if Sylvia needs a friend.  Thoughts?  Do you own more than one slow cooker?

Smoked Sausage Gumbo

This receipe is a winner.  Just wish I had thought to double it!  Had just enough of a kick...

And, did you know that you can make corn on the cob in your crock pot?  Yum!

More Cooking Fun

I enjoyed turning my previous slow cooker meal this week into stuffed peppers!

 

 These were quite delicious!

My seond slow cooker meal for this year was Shrimp Creole, which we ate last night.  I think I am going to try and use my crock pot at least once or twice a week this year.  We shall see how I do.

Shrimp Creole

Yes, we are still using our Holiday plates :)

Do you have any great slow cooker recipes?  Is so, I would love to hear about them.

Rediscovering My Crock Pot

 My leftovers

Yesterday, I made Barley/Black Bean/Corn Bake in my crock pot and felt like I was rediscovering an old friend (in fact, I decided to name my crock pot Silvia).  This was a new recipe for me and it is excellent.  I was excited that it is essentially a one dish meal.  It is meatless and fabulous.  Last night we had it in tortillas with sour cream and salsa.  Tonight I am cooking the mixture in stuffed bell peppers.  I love that this is going to be a diverse recipe that you can really change up for leftovers.  I am so excited that I have two more slow cooker recipes lined up to go!  Thank you Silvia - looking forward to seeing what we make in 2012!