Warm up with Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee

I have to admit, I have heard the term 'Fair Trade' many times in the past, but I never really knew what it meant until becoming a part of BzzAgent's new campaign for Green Mountain Coffee. Turns out, Fair Trade coffee is a very good thing. Here's why:

According to ChooseFairTrade.com, "Fair trade certification gives farmers a fair price for their beans with a guaranteed minimum, which means they can invest in their crops, their communities, and their future.". This is so very important! Also, because of Fair Trade, Green Mountain Coffee gets to works closely with farmers, which in turn means better tasting coffee for all of us caffeinated coffee freaks. 

It's a win for everyone!

Kelly Clarkson recently visited the Fair Trade community of Agua Azul, Peru to learn more about Fair Trade. You can view her beautiful travel diary here. It is very inspiring.

As for my participation in this campaign, I was sent several samples of Green Mountain Coffee's Fair Trade Three Continent Blend. According to the website, this particular blend is made with beans sourced from "Sumatra, South America, and Ethiopia".  I immediately brewed a k-cup and put it in the fridge to cool to use for my morning iced coffee. I loved that this particular blend is a medium roast and is extra bold. This is the type of coffee I prefer to brew because it holds up so well to ice without becoming watered down. I have to say, the Three Continent Blend is fantastic and I even prefer it over the other k-cups I was using every day. It has a very bold taste without any bitterness and there's a subtle sweetness that I really enjoy. I prefer mine with a splash of half-half and a little bit of sweetener. It's my go-to beverage every single morning.

I encourage you to visit ChooseFairTrade.com and explore all of the varieties of FairTrade k-cups Green Mountain Coffee has to offer. I personally can't wait to try the Pumpkin Spice variety.

Product Review: Campbell's Go(TM) Soup-- Moroccan Style Chicken w/ Chickpeas

There's a saying about the weather in Central Texas. It goes something like this: If you don't like it, wait five minutes.

True enough as yesterday I was blasting the A/C and today it barely made it to 60 degrees. It was drizzly and cold all day long-- all I wanted was soup.

I was lucky enough to receive a sample of Campbell's Go(TM) soup in the Moroccan Style Chicken with Chickpeas variety and figured today would be perfect to try it out.

Have you seen these on the shelves? I love the design of the bright white pouches.

Initial Impression: Hmm, I'm not a huge chicken fan, but typically it's easily identifiable in most soups so I can just pick it out. Moroccan? Not sure what that flavor profile is usually, but I enjoy chickpeas and the ingredient list doesn't look too obscure, so let's give it a try. . 

What I liked: 

• It was easy enough to heat up the pouch in the microwave and I really appreciated the "cool touch" spot on the pouch to avoid burning my fingers after heating.
• Can eat out of the pouch or pour into a bowl
• Very thick consistency. The soup was hearty and satisfying. 
• The soup was well-spiced, but not spicy. It was very flavorful.
• Plentiful chickpeas
• Small pieces of pulled chicken-- nice touch, felt like it was a homemade soup
• 320 calories per pouch (of this particular flavor)
• 3 grams fat/pouch (of this particular flavor)
• 12 grams fiber & 26 grams protein (of this particular flavor)

What I didn't like:

• Strong hint of cinnamon both in smell and taste. I didn't see cinnamon on the ingredient list, so I'm not sure where this was coming from. Different and slightly off-putting, but it didn't prevent me from finishing the soup. 
• 1580 mg of sodium/pouch! (of this particular flavor)

Final thoughts: With a coupon, I'd likely buy this variety of soup again. Speaking of coupon, print your $1 off coupon here!The pouch packaging is very convenient and much more appealing to me than a can for some reason. Aside from the sodium content, I think this is a tasty & decently healthy lunch/dinner option.

Other Campbell's Go(TM) Soup Varieties:

• Golden Lentil with Madras Curry
• Creamy Red Pepper with Smoked Gouda
• Coconut Curry with Chicken & Shitake Mushrooms
• Chicken and Quinoa with Poblano Peppers
• Spicy Chorizo and Pulled Chicken with Black Beans

I was provided a sample of Campbell's Go(TM) Soups by Smiley360.com. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.