Made in Jamaica! Naniki Naturals

My first night here in Jamaica, I was bitten by mosquitos 20+ times (yes, I counted) on my legs and ankles!  And those bites were ITCHY, so I scratched them, so they became red and swollen welts that drove me crazy almost whole trip.

On Tuesday my husband and I were checking out the spa (we ended up getting a great couples massage!) at our third hotel, the Jamiaca Inn.  As the receptionist was giving us a tour of the facilities, she noticed my bites because I had been scratching at them like crazy that morning and she recommended an ointment that they sell.  I was so desperate, I said, "Yes! I'll take one of those ointments!" before I even knew what it was or how much it cost.  (Earlier in the day, the hotel's General Manager introduced himself and said, "Let me know if there is anything I can do for you." and I thought about asking him for something for my bug bites but instead I just smiled and said, "Thank you.")  Anyway, I bought the ointment that they had, Naniki Naturals Hemp Herbal Healing Ointment, and it REALLY WORKED!  My bites went from large, inflamed bites into small pinpoints right away! (The soothing effect of the massage may have helped as well.)  Anyway, I really love the ointment so I ended up dabbing it on my scrapes, my cuticles, and some mild sunburn, and it's been great everywhere I put it.  I considered buying a second jar to hoard in the fridge at home, but the receptionist mentioned that a jar lasts a really long time (it's true, a little goes a long way, I barely made a dent in it and I was putting it all over my body).

So I was in love with this ointment, even carrying it in my purse so I could dab it on any new bites as they appeared.  Later on, I noticed that the hotel amenities are also made by Naniki Naturals!  I love that they call out that there are no animal ingredients and it is not animal testing right on the label, even on the tiny 2 oz hotel size bottles!  I love the Natural Hand and Body Lotion, It has a wonderful light feel which was perfect for the Jamaican climate, and it has a faint ginger aroma that makes me think of Jamaica every time I use it.

I haven't used the Conditioning Shampoo yet because I really wasn't washing my hair that often (I love the way my hair looks air-dried with saltwater on it!) but now that I'm home I will give it a try.  Actually, let's be honest, I don't wash my hair that often even when I'm home.  I probably wash it ~2X a week, maybe 3X a week in the summer.  So it might be a while before you get a review on that, especially since I have a ton of shampoos at home already.

Massive Cruelty-Free Promo Code HAUL!!!

I'm back in NY! I have one more Jamaica-themed post coming up, but I wanted to post this ASAP because it features something I get really excited about - PROMO CODES!

I inherited a strange gene from my mother where I feel uncomfortable paying full retail price for anything - I have to have a coupon, promo code, free shipping, or loyalty card, or it has to be on sale, clearance, buy-one-get-one-something or otherwise discounted, or best of all a combination of as many as possible. I've tried resisting this strange family compulsion for many years, but at this point I just embrace it.

So can you imagine my excitement when I found a whole webpage full of promo codes for cruelty-free products (Leaping Bunny certified!)!!  So many of my favorite brands are listed:

• ALBA BOTANICA: enter BUNNY15 at checkout for a 15% discount on your total order
• AVALON ORGANICS: 15% discount on your total order when you enter BUNNY15 at checkout. 
• DR. BRONNER'S 15% discount on Bar Soaps, Lip Balms, Hand Sanitizers & 2 oz. Liquid Soaps, 10% of proceeds will be donated back to Leaping Bunny
• LATHER: 10% off at www.lather.com when you enter code BUNNY at checkout
• MEYER'S CLEAN DAY: 10% off your order with code BUNNY through 12/31/13.

And now I want to try some of the other brands listed as well, but I just ordered a ton of stuff from Alba and Yes To Carrots on Black Friday (reviews for both hauls coming up!).  I missed Aubrey Organic's deal (they make my fave sunscreen) because I was on vacation and didn't find out about this web page in time. If you want to get on the newsletter where I found out this link, sign up for the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS)'s newsletter: go to http://www.aavs.org/ and sign up to "Stay Informed).

PS I love the Leaping Bunny program because when I'm at the store, I can just see it and be like, "This one's good to go!" instead of trying to Google the company's position an animal testing on my phone, or doing tons of research online and trying to remember what's what before I go shopping. Yes, I know that there are are cruelty-free apps and pocket guides, but sometimes when you're shopping you just want to pick something off the shelf and have the leaping bunny folks do all the homework in advance so you can just check for a logo then put it in your basket!

Wannabegan Chocoholic

We interrupt this Jamaican vacation to bring you this very special announcement!  Chef John from Food Wishes just uploaded a vegan chocolate fudge recipe!

I don't cook AT ALL but this looks like I could handle it.  I can definitely handle coconut oil melting and maybe the walnut toasting.  I'll have to go buy a silicone mold and and all the ingredients when I get back to NY.  My husband is a total chocaholic, so this just might be my special holiday gift to him.  I haven't eaten anything like this before, but once I had a raw vegan chocolate mousse that was made with avocado, and it was AMAZING.  Like, while-you-are-still-eating-it-go-back-and-hoard-some-more amazing, and I still reminisce about it today.  I don't remember what was in the one I had, but this looks close enough.

Even if you don't cook, I've found that Chef John's videos are super entertaining!  He has this wonderful voice that makes me feel like he's here to feed me and take care of me.  He also inserts little funnies in the voice over on all his videos.  Full recipe over at Food Wishes!

New Fruits

Since my husband and I have been in Jamaica, we've had the opportunity to try lots of fantastic new foods!  Here's a list fruits we were introduced to on this trip:

• Ackee
• Sour Sop (as juice)
• June Plum (as juice)
• Breadfruit
• Coconut water with jelly (the coconuts here are different than the kind we get in NY, I think those are imported from Thailand) 
• Sorrel (in a drink)

I've already written about Ackee, which tastes like cheese or egg (my husband thought our Ackee dish was was egg and cheese).

The Sour Sop Juice was from a grocery store, and it was so highly sweetened it was hard to tell what the fruit flavor alone was (there was also lime juice added).  It was a bit like lemonade with a slightly different tang. If I go into town again, I might try to buy a fresh sour sop just to try it fresh and unadulterated.  (And yes, that is a rainbow in the background of the photo above.)

I had June Plum juice at breakfast one day, which slightly reminded me of lemonade, but with a vague shiso-leaf-esque flavor that made it more refreshing. 

Breadfruit was served sliced into a cube, and it tasted like a slightly dry, more dense, and highly refined cube of Wonder (white) bread.

The Coconut Water and Jelly is similar to the Thai coconut, except it is not as sweet, and the meat (the jelly) is much lighter.

Sorrel is delicious in a drink, I had it as a sort of iced tea (it looks and tastes similar to hibiscus, which it is related to).  It is a bright red tangy drink, sweetened with sugar.  My husband has had a Sorrel cocktail every night we've been at this hotel!  Here's the hotel's recipe (in case you can't see the photo above):

Sorrel Daiquiri
2 oz Light Rum
1/2 oz lime juice
3 oz Sorrel Juice  

You can add ginger to make it taste even more Jamaican!

    

Wannabegan in the Sun

Hello from the verandah of my hotel in Jamaica!  The weather here has been so beautiful! I've been swimming in the ocean every day, letting my hair dry naturally in the sun, napping in hammocks and chaise lounges, and generally feeing incredibly grateful for my wonderful life!  

The sun can get intense here, even though it's December.  Being an observant and card-carrying Asian woman, I eschew the sun for fear of inviting wrinkles and sun spots. My favorite sunscreen (and I've tried so many!) is Aubrey Organics SPF 30 Unscented Sensitive Skin Sunscren.  I'm super picky about sunscreen and this is my favorite because it is:

• Cruelty-free (a requirement for me)
• Uses minerals as opposed to hormone disrupting chemicals as active ingredients (a requirement for me)
• Fragrance free
• EWG safety rating of 1
• not sticky
• not pasty-white

IN ADDITION to wearing lots of sunscreen, I supplement with:

• SPF 50 extra-long sleeve hoodie (with thumbholes, so it covers the back of your hands) from Uniqlo
• Wide brimmed hat (gift from my aunt, but I've also gotten nice ones in the summer at Uniqlo)
• Solar Shield over-your-glasses sunglasses (polarized lenses make the sky and water look even more beautiful!)
• SPF 50 mini sun parasol by Totes

PS I tried a sample of Yes To Cucumbers Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, which isn't fragrance-free, but  it is:

• 97% Natural
• SPF 30, Broad Spectrum
• Water resistant (40 minutes)
• Hypoallergenic
• Petroleum, SLS, & Paraben Free
• Cruelty-free

I found it a little stickier feeling than the Aubrey sunscreen, so that's why I didn't list it as my favorite, BUT I have a promo code!  It's "YESTOSUN" and it's good for buy one get one 50% off on their website.  The sample came with a big order of Yes to Carrots products that I will review once I am home and start using them!

Jamiacan Me Wannabegan!

Hello from beautiful Jamaica! 

We got in on Tuesday, that day was a bit of a wash with all the travel, but Wednesday and today have been non stop fun!   

The first night we were super tired, so for dinner I ordered "Rasta Pasta" from the hotel restaurant, which seemed like a pretty standard dish: pasta and some vegetables. But there was something totally unfamiliar in the pasta, it looked like small dumplings, but tasted a bit like cheese and had almost the same consistency.  I thought it was mysterious, but great!  I ate every last bit and made a note to take a closer look at the menu the next day to see what it was.

The next morning at breakfast, my husband and I sat with a Jamaican native and he ordered a dish that looked like scrambled eggs and vegetables.  My husband ordered the same thing, and it turns out the dish had no eggs whatsoever, is actually a fruit called ackee.  And that's exactly the same thing that was in my pasta the previous night! 

I had never heard heard of this fruit before, and I asked some locals why.  It turns out, if ackee is harvested too early, it can be poisonous, so it was banned in the United States for a while.  If harvested properly, it is DELICIOUS!!  I am amazed that there isn't a huge ackee vegan cheese/egg replacement industry in the United States, because it would be a huge success! 

(photo: UNRIPE ackee growing on a tree in our villa grounds.  Don't eat it in this state, you have to wait for it to open like a flower before harvesting the edible part.)

She's a Wanna Wannabegan

Guess who has totally been copying me?

Hint: I started this blog on December 2, 2013.  On December THIRD, this person announced going vegan (for 22 days)

Hint: I booked a flight to Jamaica MONTHS ago (September) and I fly out tomorrow morning.   Guess who just showed up in Jamaica this week?  Classic "I'm not stalking you" move by anticipating my whereabouts and then casually appearing there before I arrive.

It's Beyonce!  OK, I fully realize that Beyonce is not emulating a blogger with only 8 posts. But it's nice to imagine.  I'm the wannabegan, not her (especially since I'm not actually vegan).  Here are some celebs who are actually vegan for real.