The Latest & Greatest Must-Haves from Wesley's
Can you believe we’re already nearing the end of January?
2017 is off with a bang, the horses are rounding their first lap, and for those
of us who vowed to make this year a healthy one, I hope you’re staying the
course rigorously.
In theory, it’s always nice to commit to a hard and fast
goal, like losing 10 kilos, or exercising an hour a day, or nixing refined
sugar from your diet. The reality is, however, that we are humans, which means
most of us are not so mechanical in our approaches. Sure, we're capable of commitment, but must we subscribe to an austere regimen? And need we achieve
the end result in mere days?
Of course, not. The beauty, after all, is in the journey,
more so than the destination.
Which is why this year, I’m deepening my pursuit of raw,
wholesome, good-for-you foods whose ingredient lists are short, sweet, and decipherable. Naturally, I’m turning to my neighborhood megastore
Wesley’s Wholesale to help foster that lifestyle.
And Wesley’s is on my wavelength. Every month
I discover a new array of edibles at the imports wholesaler that fits my checklist
for healthy, all-natural, nourishing and delicious.
Here are my latest buys:
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| A whole section dedicated to Nature Nate's real honey |
Who knew that most honey bottles on a supermarket shelf are actually pasteurized and filtered? High-temperature heat treatment destroys the important enzymes present in raw honey, and filtration eliminates the pollen. The end product is far from naturally-produced honey.
Nature Nate’s is the mission of one man – Nate – who found
his calling in getting honey to customers just as nature intended. Little is
done to it before it is bottled up or packaged, and you can find it in cute
individual servings perfect for the office or on the go! No messy honey dipper to
bother with.
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| Individual portions of honey in convenient little packets |
I’ve been drizzling it on my oats, atop goat cheese, and
even on my pancakes – au revoir, maple syrup! This stuff truly is the nectar of
the gods.
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| I'm not sure what you can do with this, but there you have it -- bee pollen bottled up! |
Back in the day, there was just butter and peanut butter. No
one ever thought to ground other members of the nut family and sell them en
masse. In the past five years, we’ve started to see creamy spreads derived from
pecan, cashew, almond and even coconut, and their health benefits cannot be
touted enough.
What I love about Barney’s #spoonworthy almond butter is the
fact that the almonds are California-born and –bred (like me!), starting with
the highest grade and quality you can find in Central Valley. They are then
blanched for an extra smooth texture untethered from the bitterness and
grittiness linked to roasted skin.
Certified gluten-free, peanut-free, GMO-free,
and vegan, Barney’s almond butters come in eight varieties spanning Bare
Smooth, Bare Crunchy, Honey + Flax, Raw + Chia, and, my favorite, Vanilla +
Espresso. It’s studded with tiny flecks of crushed espresso bean for a
simultaneously subtle and robust feel, and it goes beautifully with banana.
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| Barney's almond butter varieties |
Just the term protein bar conjures up so many reservations in my
head. Not only is its taste usually suspect, but the biblically long list of
ingredients is enough to send even a chemist into a mystified stupor.
Enter the folks behind RXBAR (one hails from Lebanon!), who fashion their treats from egg whites, fruits and nuts. In
fact, each bar’s packaging reflects a list of the core elements going into the bar
and ending with “No B.S.” Pretty bold proclamation, but these people are
willing to put their money where their mouths are (chewing RXBARs, surely, and boy are they chewy!).
Devoid of gluten, soy, and dairy, these novelties come in
flavors as fun as blueberry, mint chocolate, and pumpkin spice, and they weigh in
at 210 kcal a pop.
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| RXBARs (L-R: blueberry, mint chocolate, chocolate sea salt, pumpkin spice, peanut butter, coconut chocolate, and coffee chocolate) |
Coming soon!
So named because they reflect a departure from the trashy foods flooding our stores, Rebel Kitchen produce organic coconut milk drinks, or “dairy-free mylk,” as they’re dubbed. Flavors are as enticing as Chai, Chocolate, Green Tea, and Coffee, drawing on a common base of spring water, organic coconut milk, and organic date nectar for a sweet touch.
They’re bottled in nifty 200-ml juice boxes to wonderfully
outfit your child’s lunchbox, but don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone if you’re
sneaking a few for you!
So this one is NOT edible, although if you’re like me,
anything artistic and colorful passes as potential feeding material. Seriously
now, writers and creatives, you'll want to keep reading.
Husband and wife team Nathan and Anna Bond launched a
stationery business from their garage, keen on spreading passion for the
memento-like quality of a handwritten card or note. Today, Rifle Paper Co. is an
international brand with a huge roster of products, from agendas and address
books to postcards, coaster sets, totes and recipe boxes. The full collection
will soon be housed at Wesley’s Orange Label in Hazmieh, but in the meantime, you can nab Valentine’s
Day cards, 2017 calendars and personal planners.
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| Valentine's Day cards by Rifle Paper Co. |
You didn’t realize Valentine’s Day was just two weeks out,
did ya? Admit it.
What would you do without me (and Wesley's), huh?
I'm accepting candy grams for Hearts Day ;)
What would you do without me (and Wesley's), huh?
I'm accepting candy grams for Hearts Day ;)
Hazmieh
Blvd. Camille Chamoun
Antoine Gharios Center
For other branches, see here.
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Beirutista has joined forces with Wesley’s Wholesale as Brand Ambassador. What exactly does that mean? Well, if you liked this post, you can look forward to similar ones every month or so. I’ll also be blogging about a variety of exciting new projects Wesley’s has underway, in addition to sneak peeks and product leaks! Expect cool new product giveaways from time to time, and if you’re a real Wesley’s obsessive like I am, I’ll gladly hook you up with 10% off your next visit. Just shoot me a message at any of my contact coordinates listed here.
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