Time For A Vegan Deodorant? A Tom's of Maine Review

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom’s of Maine for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you're like me, you ask loads of people everyday if they're wearing any deodorant. Oh wait, is that just me? That's life in the day of a mammographer I guess! My point is, deodorant and antiperspirants are on my mind. A lot. 

I'm one of those people who absolutely can't stand sweating and I have a keen nose, so I pick up on lots of smells that other people wouldn't even notice. Obviously, this means I'm an avid deodorant/antiperspirant user. Until I became vegan. Yep, "stinky hippie" is truly a real thing, but it doesn't have to be!

That being said, it was really difficult to find an antiperspirant that wasn't tested on animals and contained no animal products. So I decided to turn to a more alternative product, but I couldn't find a good combination deodorant/antiperspirant.The few I did find were too wet feeling and just seemed to make the situation worse. So, I ditched the antiperspirants and decided to just use a deodorant (oftentimes I just wear nothing, I swear on Chaos Field Roast Cheese that your body acclimates, really, but I won't go into that). Turns out I don't actually sweat that much either. Lucky me! Goodbye antiperspirants, and hello deodorants! 

I've tried a few different deodorants in the past couple years, since I ditched antiperspirants. While I really liked the smell of them, they were comprised mostly of coconut oil and so they would leave big grease stains on my scrub shirts that were difficult to get out. Um...no thank you. That's how I ended up with four different deodorants in my work desk drawer...I'm happy to say that I think I've finally found the perfect deodorant!

Tom’s of Maine  makes a Long Lasting Natural Deodorant that is vegan and cruelty-free. I've been using it for about a week now and confess I really like it! It goes on a little more wet than I like, but it doesn't leave marks. There have been no big oil stains on my shirts like the other brand I sometimes use. The Wild Lavender scent is absolutely lovely too. It's not too strong and I just get a small whiff of it throughout the day. You can also choose from a Natural Powder scent and an Unscented one as well. 

Tom’s of Maine deodorant is natural, which means it has no aluminum, no petrochemicals, no parabens, and no artificial fragrances or preservatives. Woot, woot! It's been clinically proven to provide 24-hour odor protection using odor-fighting hops and odor-trapping zinc, which is always a good thing. I love that their packaging is completely recyclable, too. As a vegan hippie, recyclable products are important to me. It's why I spend three times the bank on Bailey's eco-friendly poopie bags. A clear conscious has a price, apparently.

Finally, say'll be saying no animal testing and animal ingredients with Tom's of Maine deodorant. If that wasn't enough, 10% of Tom’s of Maine profits go back to helping people and the planet, and they've been around for over 45 years based out of Kennebunk, Maine. All feel-good stuff, and who doesn't like that?

It's the deodorant I use everyday at work, but depending on my day's activities  I'll sometimes use an antiperspirant if I know I'm going on a long run or have a social outing. 

Do you use a cruelty-free deodorant? If not, maybe it's time to make the switch. When you do, here's some things you should know:

• When trying a new and/or natural deodorant for the first time, know that your body might need a little time to adjust. I'd test it out for at least a week.

• Natural formulas are free from chemicals and artificial ingredients that are usually found in conventional deodorants. 

• Make sure the scent smells good on your body. Sometimes the product smells wonderful straight from the tube, only to find out that it doesn't mesh well with your body's natural scent.

Tom’s of Maine can be connected with on Facebook 

Ranch Pitas w/ Roasted Potatoes & Chickpeas

This is a super easy and perfect way to use up those russet potatoes you found in the back of the cupboard that might have started sprouting (guilty!) The roasted chickpeas add a wonderful little crunch, and the homemade ranch dressing lends a nostalgic creaminess, all cozied up in a soft, warm pita! 

Thank you all for your support on my cookbook announcement and for the birthday wishes. You're all so incredibly sweet and kind. It's been a crazy few months over here, but in a good way. Todd and I just found out that we will be able to secure the builder we wanted for our house as well!  Hopefully, we'll be excavating in just a few weeks. Hurray! Are there any things you wish you had known when you built, bought, or renovated your home?

Between the house, the book, and a full-time job...whew doggy...some things can fall to wayside. Namely hair-brushing, using makeup, and my running regime. Do I look like a scraggly, homeless chef most days? Maybe. Some things though have been on the upswing though! Mostly my chocolate consumption...

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.”

— Mary Kay Ash

Potatoes hiding in the back of the cupboard that were about to start sprouting. Fresh spinach from my CSA box. Chickpeas taking up residence in the fridge after I used the liquid from the can (to make vegan meringue). That's basically how I came up with these drop dead delicious pitas. I was thinking of what could tie it all together and a homemade ranch was just the ticket! Just look how scrumptious! Comfort food! 

Ranch Pitas w/ Roasted Potatoes & Chickpeas

Recipe by Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

This is a super easy and perfect way to use up those russet potatoes you found in the back of the cupboard that might have started sprouting (guilty!) The roasted chickpeas add a wonderful little crunch, and the homemade ranch dressing lends a nostalgic creaminess, all cozied up in a soft, warm pita!

Yield: 4 pitas

Ingredients

• 3 medium russet potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (save the liquid for vegan meringue!)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh celery leaves, chopped
• ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• ½ tsp mustard (I use stoneground)
• ¼ tsp dried dill
• ¼ tsp dried tarragon
• 4-5 cups fresh baby spinach
• 4 soft pitas
• ¼ cup sprouts or microgreens, optional

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) with parchment paper.
2. Dry off the potatoes and chickpeas and place in a medium bowl with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well to coat and transfer to the baking sheet, roast for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are golden-brown. Flip the taters halfway through and give the chickpeas a shake.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo through and including the tarragon to make the ranch dressing. Place the spinach in a medium bowl and stir in the dressing.
4. To serve, warm the pitas for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Divide the spinach evenly between the four pitas and top with a few wedges of potato, chickpeas, and sprouts each. Serve warm. There might be a few remaining potato wedges leftover, which are great with a bit of ketchup!

Dutch Word of The Day

Potato --> aardappel (ard-apple)

Information of The Day

"Back in April 2012, the Food and Drug Administration launched an effort to address a problem that had been festering for decades: the meat industry's habit of feeding livestock daily low dose of antibiotics, which keeps animals alive under stressful conditions and may help them grow faster, but also generates bacterial pathogens that can shake off antibiotics, and make people sick." (Mother Jones) Between 2009 and 2013, use of medically important drugs used in livestock grew 20%.

CDC

Birthday S'more Pie + Huge Announcement

Hi there!

It's my birthday today. Such an occasion calls for decadence, and I pull out all the stops! It requires pie. S'more pie! But first a little story, and a put on your big-time underpants because I've got an announcement that I can't keep secret any longer. Nope, not pregnant. Glad we got that out of the way.

You know how kids always say they want to be something crazy like an astronaut or The President or a fairy princess when they grow up? Yeah...that wasn't me. Well, aside from demanding to be addressed as "Little Foot" from The Land Before Time fame or later "Ariel" from The Little Mermaid...my aspirations were a bit more...down-to-Earth.

Biologist. That was the profession of choice in my young mind, and it topped the list for quite some time. Probably because both my parents majored in Biology. Moving forward, in third grade my teacher made profession predictions (which was exceptionally exciting as she only did one every two weeks). Due to my compassion for animals, I was prophesied to become a veterinarian. However, it's because of said love for animals that it quickly became clear I would be the most bleeding heart god-awful, veterinarian out there. Scratch.

For a long time, I secretly yearned (or not so secretly by nonchalantly displaying my journals of teen-angst, melancholic poetry strewn about) to become a poet and a published author, as I'd always loved writing. Then, for a time, I knew I'd become a preschool teacher. My Dad was a teacher and I spent my days after school (when I wasn't doing sports) volunteering at our local elementary school.  Finally, at the end of high school we had to research a profession for some big presentation, something we might want to do, and I landed on Diagnostic Medical Ultrasonographer. Hey, I got pretty close with that one seeing as I ultimately ended up becoming a Mammographer! 

Besides entering the radiology field, it seems I've also obtained another one of my childhood dreams. Nope, still not a dinosaur or a mermaid yet. Because it's my birthday, which means I can do as I please (I definitely did not eat pie for breakfast in bed before work this morning), I found it fitting to announce that I'm about to become a published author! Yes my friends, I'm writing a cookbook. For you.

It will be out around April 2016. I know that seems like forever, but I've been working on it since the beginning of this year and you know how these things go. The best things in life take time. Wait no, that's not how it goes. Anyways, I couldn't be more thrilled that it's being published by (drumroll please) a division of Macmillan(!!!), Page Street Publishing. My eyes almost fell out of my head. 

I bet, much like myself, you're wondering how this may have happened to a small-time little Alaskan girl. Well, I'll tell you. For some time now I've been sporadically contacted be several publishers, "If you ever want to write a cookbook, please give us a call!" I would politely write back, thanking them for their offer but at this time I am much too busy to put in the effort necessary. Who has time to write a cookbook when you're building a house? And I mean literally chopping down the trees, goddamner. Is there time to tackle publishing a book when one already has a full-time job as Protector of Boobs? I just came up with that and really like it. Noted. Not to mention, I get frazzled easily, especially with timelines.

Nah, it's not for me. I'd seriously doubted I was talented enough, determined enough, and just plain confident enough to be a genuine author. But then, it struck me...I've been writing and developing recipes this entire time for Produce On Parade! For two years! I could definitely write a cookbook, and soon I wanted to! I really wanted to. Wait though, I thought, aren't there enough vegan cookbooks out there? Trick question. The answer to that is, of course, never. But what did I have to offer?

Well for that, you'll have to check out the book, but I can tell you that it will be filled with beautiful photography and dishes that are accessible and approachable by everyone. Meals you'll be proud to make your family and serve sneakily to your unbeknownst omnivore friends.  My book will feature wholesome recipes with a bit less of the typical vegan substitutes like vegan butter, vegan sour cream, and hard to access ingredients, etc. However, there'll still be some of those recipes so don't fret! Seriously, vegan marshmallows need a place in my life. 

This is an unbelievably exciting opportunity. It wouldn't of happened without Sarah and Will over at Page Street calling me up one day and inviting me to write a cookbook. I must have said yes because four months later here I am! If you've noticed I've been making little more than cameos here on Produce On Parade, it's because I've been recipe developing and photographing for the book. I'm not a risk taker and usually need a lot of prodding to step outside my zone of comfort. I don't like to do things until I've mastered them and I hate feeling vulnerable. That being said, I am I so overjoyed that I decided to take this leap. 

I want to know what kinds recipes YOU want in the book. Please, tell me what recipes you'd look forward to seeing. I want you to be a part of this cookbook. It's for you after all. If it wasn't for my amazing readers, none of this would be possible. I'll keep you posted on all the good details as the year passes. Thank you for supporting and believing in me!

You'll find more recipes, like my birthday Mocha S'more Pie, in the book! It was inspired by the bon fires we've been burning at the property to clear the land...inspiration abounds everywhere.