“The response to fear is procrastination and the response to procrastination needs to be: to start.”- Overcoming Resistance
Winners + where to buy?
So I noticed shortly after all of the curiosity surrounding the Pink Salt flavour that…. I don’t think they make it anymore. But judging by everyone’s interest in it, sounds like they should start making it again. The website here lists it as an option, but the packaging says otherwise (pictured right).
The Winners Are:
Margie B
Jennifer P
Ladies, please send me your addresses so I can ship the yum to you!
Now that you’re all curious, you’re probably wondering where you can pick up a bar to test it if you don’t end up being one of the lucky winners.
In Montreal you can find them at:
A Votre Sante (Westmount/NDG)
Bio-Terre (Mile End)
Briimstone Chocolates & Fudge (NDG)
Club Organic (Plateau-ish)
You can find the store closest to you here.
You can buy online here.
“Exceeds Fair Trade Standards.”
This week I’m running a giveaway which you can read more about here or go straight to the bottom of the page to add your ballots. You can get another entry every day for tweeting or sharing on Facebook
You wont find the ‘traditional’ FairTrade logo on this chocolate. Giddy YoYo is certified through Fair For Life, a different certification system that claims to go above and beyond typical FairTrade standards. This is a summary of what Fair For Life is about (found here by clicking on the Fair For Life image):
“Unlike traditional Fair Trade programs that merely certify products, the Fair For Life program is much more thorough in that it reviews our suppliers products from the top to the bottom; and it evaluates and audits all their working conditions, labour practices, environmental programs, social benefits, and their company’s transparency. The Fair For Life program also reviews and monitors the origins of these products to ensure complete compliance with the program.
“Good Trade Guidelines Include:
- Fair price – Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvested credit.
- Fair labour conditions – Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labour is strictly prohibited.
- Direct trade – With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
- Democratic and transparent organizations – Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues.
- Community development – Fair Trade and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement training, and organic certification.
- Environmental sustainability – Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favour of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.”
If you want more information, go check out the Fair For Life website and then get in on the giveaway.
It’s food, not candy: FREE CHOCOLATE!
So there I was at EXPO Manger Santé in Montreal a month or so ago and I find myself at this booth that’s giving out free chocolate. So obviously I’m right up in that getting a free tester of all of these different kinds of chocolate. Dark chocolate, spicy cinnamon, sprulina, coffee etc. It was amazing. As I talked to the guy (I later learned his name is Jake) wearing this white shirt that HEAT across his chest, he told me about their chocolate. He dared me to try a 100% cacao nib and promised it would be gross.
I’ve eaten unsweetened Baker’s chocolate before. It was revolting. A few months prior I had tried a 90% chocolate bar by Lindt and also found it inedible. My problem is: refined sugar messes with my system. I get dizzy and light headed if I eat it frequently. So I don’t. But how do I live without chocolate? I keep to small doses of As Dark As Possible Chocolate.
I took Jake’s word for it and Willy and I tried the cacao nib. It wasn’t revolting. The 70% chocolate was smooth, like a mousse. It was strong and dark. It was totally different.
I noticed it was sweetened with their own Cane Sugar and so I asked about the glycemic index, which is usually what matters the most to me (I need things with a lower glycemic index than even honey, more on par with agave or even lower). He said they were getting this tested now to be sure but believe the GI is on par with a handful of blueberries. SOLD.
I used to prefer Camino chocolate (which I now find has a bizarre sweet taste, even the dark stuff – but like because its Fair Trade) or Lindt. I had a Lindt square the other day and it was waxy in my mouth. I (snobbishly) gave my second square back because it felt awful in my mouth. I was shocked.
So there you have it. LOVE this stuff. Their motto: “It’s food, not candy.” It’s raw, gluten free, dairy free/vegan, organic, “better than fair trade”, low glycemic impact etc. I have no sweet clue why they named their chocolate “Giddy YoYo” — clearly they’ve never heard of Yo Gabba Gabba or they would have chosen otherwise.
They have kindly given me 6 different flavours of chocolate that usually retail at $5 a pop (pricey, but worth it on so many levels) and a T-shirt. One winner will get the T-shirt and 3 chocolate bars. Another winner will get 3 chocolate bars. As the week (and the giveaway) goes on, I’ll post more info regarding their fair trade certification and other helpful tidbits.
The flavours are (not all pictured) Ginger, Orange, Mint, Original, Mocha, Spicy, Banana, Spirulina (1G per bar!), Vanilla Pink Salt 85%, 89% Dark, Maca, and Sweet.
Giving up before we start
Near the end of season four of How I Met Your Mother, Ted and Robyn have an honest conversation about his fears about starting his own architecture business. As I was watching this dialogue go down I knew I needed to blog about it: Ted says what so many of us haven’t been able to put into words about our dreams. I can’t seem to find a clip online so you’ll have to read the transcript.
Robin arrives home to find Ted looking extra-glum and staring off into space. She asks if he’s okay, and he says, “What if I don’t think of the books?” Robin says, “Excuse me?” Ted explains. “There’s this famous architecture story about an architect who designed this library. It was perfect. But every year, the whole thing would sink a couple inches into the ground. Eventually, the building was condemned. He forgot to account for the weight of the books. This company — it’s just me. What if I don’t think of the books?” Robin replies: “Okay, first of all, nobody goes to libraries anymore, so who cares about that guy? Secondly, you need to get on the phone and start calling clients.”
Ted explains, “The longer I put off starting my own firm, the longer it can remain a dream and not something I screwed up at. It’s like I’m giving up before I started.”
Robin laughs. “You want to talk about giving up? I used to describe my ideal guy as ‘funny, smart, passionate, challenging’, and now, apparently, I will settle for ‘in my apartment’. Didn’t you think you’d have it all more figured out by now?”
We do this, right? We sabotage our dreams by letting them stay dreams, rather than taking a step in their direction.
After this conversation with Robyn, Ted picks up the phone and makes his first try on a sales call. We learn quickly that he has actually just called Robyn’s cell phone and he was practicing his pitch on her. We laugh because he’s putting it off again except that he isn’t quite: it’s one step closer to making the real pitch.
What’s one step – even if seemingly insignificant – you can take towards your big dream, your exciting Bucket List goal? I’d love to hear about it here in the comments.
Easter Weekend Project
Four days off in a row. How awesome is that? This is the first year we didn’t spend with family. Usually we end up spending one or two days at my dad’s but this year we’ve stayed home in Montreal for all of our holidays except Christmas. I never knew how awesome four-days-in-a-row is when you aren’t obligated to do things other people want to. I was telling my dad this yesterday when I called him to wish him a Happy Easter. It was really relaxing to not have to visit family, even though I love them. They totally understood, which is very nice.
I spent a lot of the weekend writing. It was wonderful!
I’m slowly moving ahead on some of these smaller goals that lead up to (I hope) getting published one day. This one is the easy first step: an ebook related to this blog. Now, I know, it maybe doesn’t sound thrilling (or does it?), but I promise you it’s actually pretty not bad!
As I took all the most-popular posts from this blog and the other posts that are very key to what I think will help someone define goals and move towards them, over the course of the long weekend I wrote an ebook. It is meant to be short and to the point. It is meant to be given away freely. I think it does a really good job of streamlining what I’ve learned in the last several months about making life changes to structure your life to reach your goals.
So the next step is to get it edited and reviewed by a few people and then release that bad boy.
I’m excited!
