Hey everyone! Thank you for sharing all of your cell phone stories with me yesterday! I’m glad I am not the only one to lose and break phones! Let’s brighten things up today with a giveaway!
For the past 6 months or so, I’ve been using coconut oil for just about anything and everything! It has so many health benefits and can be used not just for food, but for your skin and hair too! I was very excited when Tropical Traditions offered to send me their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to try out.
Here is a video made by Tropical Traditions entitled, “How We Discovered Virgin Coconut Oil – An Interview with Brian Shilhavy, CEO Tropical Traditions”
About the Virgin Coconut Oil: (source)
This Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is a truly unrefined coconut oil.This coconut oil is made on Mt. Banahaw and surrounding areas from organic coconuts. Coconuts are used fresh (within 24-48 hours of harvest) from small family farms on Mt. Banahaw and other rural places in Quezon Province, the coconut capital of the Philippines. Only the highest quality coconutsare hand-picked from each harvest. The volcanic soil of Mt. Banahaw makes these organic coconuts some of the most nutritionally rich coconuts in the world!
Testing done in independent laboratories reveals higher levels of phenolic antioxidants than other coconut oils. The fresh coconut meat is shredded (wet milled), and then cold-pressed using the water from inside the coconuts to make coconut milk. The milk is then allowed to sit for about half a day, while the oil naturally separates from the heavier water. The oil is then filtered from the curds (coconut solids). No chemical or high-heat treatment is used, and this oil contains no trans fatty acids. We do NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years. Our coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. The families who produce the oil are also trained according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and re-certified each year. This high-grade Virgin Coconut Oil has a long shelf life due to the high antioxidant properties. The Gold Label standard is our highest standard for Virgin Coconut Oil.
I personally like using coconut oil to cook with because it can be heated at high temperatures unlike extra virgin olive oil. According to the Tropical Traditions website:
As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.
Last night I used it to cook my broccoli and mushrooms.
I added some cumin and pepper for a little extra spice. The vegetables had a wonderful flavor with lots of added health benefits!
They made the perfect side dish for my Amy’s Burrito! Great dinner!
I also enjoyed using the coconut oil in smoothies!
This one contained coconut oil, almond milk, frozen berries, maca powder, spirulina, and goji berries. Talk about a morning energy boost! Here are some other Coconut Oil Recipes from their website.
Before we start the giveaway, I want to offer all of you the free Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Book: “How it has changed people’s lives, and how it can change yours”
When you place your first online order, just head here and choose “Referred by a Friend.” Enter the User ID: 5611802 and the book will be automatically added to your order!
GIVEAWAY!
One lucky reader will win their own quart of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil!
There are 5 ways to enter:
1) Leave me a comment telling me how you would use the coconut oil.
2) Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter (@Troptraditions).
3) Tweet this giveaway. “@MissyMaintains is giving away a quart of @Troptraditions Virgin Coconut Oil! Enter here: http://bit.ly/d5wy4d”
4) Become a fan of Tropical Traditions on Facebook.
5) Become a fan of MissyMaintains on Facebook. If you already are, announce the giveaway on your Facebook profile.
I will choose a winner this Friday, July 30th at 9:00 am. Good Luck!
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
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don’t enter me! haha i still have a HUGE container of this that i have yet to crack into. it’s liquidy..is it supposed to be? should i start using it? and does it realllly give a coconutty flav? because if it does then i’m ALL over it.
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MissyMaintains Reply:
July 27th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Yes this one is supposed to be liquidy! It gave my veggies a coconutty flavor last night! Start using it!
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Love this! Never tried coconut oil! I have the coconut cooking spray though : )
I would love to try this in a smoothie for some healthy fat addition!!!!!
Have a great day love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxoxo
Katie recently posted..Berry Chocolate Yogurt Bowl Parfait!
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Yum..I think I would love to use this as you did, to sautee my vegetables. I bet veggie fajitas would be good with this!
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I’ve never tried coconut oil, but my sister (really her hubby) is obsessed. I’d really like to try it in some baked goods – like carrot cake and muffins. I saw an awesome recipe for coconut crepes so that’s probably the first thing I’d try.
BTW – I became a twitter fan of Tropical Traditions and I tweeted the contest. I really want to win
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i need to get some of that lovely oil! ASAP! keeping my fingers crossed. I would use it in my cooking for sure!
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I would make tropical mango coconut smoothies. I would also put it on the ends of my hair which are DRYYYYYYY
love the blog! 
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I’d definitely try the coconut oil in some baked goods- like my banana bread or carrot cake!
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Oh, I LOVE coconut oil. I use it as a replacement for butter often – both for frying and just as a spread. It’s delicious on toast with blackberry jam! I also enjoy it in smoothies
Gracie @ GirlMeetsHealth recently posted..the workout that wasn’t
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Coconut Oil sounds amazing! I’d use it for cooking, baking, in smoothies. I’d also try it in my hair and on my face
I also became a follower of TropTraditions on twitter.
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I really want to use coconut oil to make stir fry! stir fry is my go-to easy dinner when I come home from work and I’d love to try something new to take it up a notch.
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I think it would be a great addition to baked goods!
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Thanks for the opportunity! I would love to use it in baking. Angela from ohsheglows.com has some wonderful looking raw recipes and baked goods using coconut oil!
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I would love try try it instead of olive oil to saute my veggies.
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oh, i think this would be great to use for all my baking projects. i love all the added health benefits!
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I would use the oil in a recipe from http://www.nourishedfitness.com for coconut protein cookies!
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I tweeted about the giveaway!
http://twitter.com/kstrembel/status/19674623100
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I’m a fan of Tropical Traditions on facebook!
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I would use it as “magic hard shell” like Kath does in her SIABS!
http://www.katheats.com/livin-on-the-edge/
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I would love to use this oil!! I’ve just started incorporating more veggies into my daily diet regimen and would love to use this verses a vegetable/canola oil. Also, it would be great for when I stir fry some veggies and chicken on the stove. And, I bet it is DELISH in smoothies!
Fingers crossed..
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I would definitely use it to saute or roast veggies. I love veggies and I’m always looking for ways to add healthy fats to my diet. This is a great giveaway!
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I’m a fan of Tropical Traditions on FB!
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I’ve been a fan of yours on FB for quite awhile!
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I would use it for stir fry and baking! Thanks for the chance to try it!
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i would use the coconut oil for cooking stir fry dishes and for making healthy desserts and baked goods!
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Nothing screams summertime to me than a cool, moist coconut cake. This oil would make it extra “coconutty” and I’d loveee it!
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I would definitely put the coconut oil to good use for my recent baking kick. It would make a great addition to the double chocolate cookie cake I made recently, as well as my quest for the perfect pancake.
Following TropTraditions as well.
Bess @ I Dream of Greenie recently posted..Rock On Wit Yo Bad Self Music!
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I LOVE coconut oil. LOVE it. I use it to cook, I use it in smoothies…it’s truly amazing what a REALLY all-natural product can do!
Not to be super cliche, but I’d keep this on my nightstand! Lately I’ve been using it as body oil because I had it around. It melts as soon as it hits your skin and is perfect for moisturizing, especially after shaving. My skin looks amazing!! And my BF is pretty appreciative of it as well, for different reasons.
Rachel Wilkerson recently posted..My Very Worst Date- The Fist Bumper
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Also I Tweeted it!!
Rachel Wilkerson recently posted..My Very Worst Date- The Fist Bumper
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i would bake with it!
i folllow both you and tropical taditions on both facebook & twitter & posted about both of them!
wildchildchelz71
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I would make some coconutty french toast
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I’ve heard about the benefits, but never tried it. I’d like to try it in a smoothie.
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Tweeted..
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CO for oil-pulling. It keeps your gums healthy and whitens teeth as well.
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I would love to try this coconut oil. The brocolli and mushrooms looked great and I would probably start there. I could also fry or braise veggies from my garden as they come in.
Thanks
Anne
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I would love to use coconut oil in baked goods like pancakes, crepes, cookie, muffins etc. Using it in veggies looks like it’s worth giving a try!
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I love coconut oil for roasting veggies and to moisturize my feet.hehe:-)cc
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Well I would use this oil in my baking that I am famous for in my household and use this in my cooking as well do to it way much better for us than other oils. I just don’t have the guts to buy this in the store or I would already be using this coconut oil. Besides all that I love the smell and the taste of coconut it is the best.
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1) I would give it to my mom so she can put it in her english muffins instead of yucky margarine! I already have my own that I do that for.
4) Become a fan of Tropical Traditions on Facebook. – DONE
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I would use the oil in my morning green smoothies.
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I became a fan of Tropical Traditions on Facebook.
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My daughter has a lot of digestive problems, and coconut oil has really helped her. I add it to her muffins, smoothies, and scrambled eggs!
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I’ve been comparing oils and I’d really love to try coconut oil!! I’ve already found that I’ve been able to reduce our cholesterol by using real butter and olive oil to cook foods that aren’t fried at high heats…but how to achieve a good stir fry or saute without putting the oil through a chemical change…how else?! I’d be supremely jazzed to be a winner of coconut oil!!
Glennis – Can’t Believe We Ate recently posted..The Royal Foodie Joust- Tomato Paste- Honey and Local Brew
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I had read somewhere that some veggies taste tons better if cooked in a fat (sauteing) rather than water (like steaming or boiling). This sounded intriguing, so I tried asparagus this way with a little organic butter. Wow was it gooooood!
I would love to try the experiment again, but use coconut oil instead of the butter!
I’m actually excited about so much… this year I put in a garden and I kinda went overboard! I’m growing kale, swiss chard (both green and red), beets, onions, garlic, squashes (summer variety called Peter Pan; and winter varieties of butternut and acorn), pickling cucumbers, peas, sugar snap peas, green cabbage, brussels sprouts, lima beans and black beans, three varieties of potatoes, and of course a zillion varieties of tomatoes and sweet peppers! I’m already getting the greens, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers to eat! Yum!
I also planted baby trees and shrubs: apple, peach, sour cherry, sweet cherry, three kinds of grape vines, three kinds of blueberry bushes, and a ton of strawberries and asparagus (not really a tree or shrub, but won’t be ready for next year).
I am having soooo much fun! Watching things grow is amazing! And being able to cook the bounty and have it taste just out of this world makes it even better
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I would use the coconut oil for baking! Cookies, brownies, cakes….:)
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I have come across a lot of recipes using coconut oil and can’t find it in any of my local stores! I would love to have the coconut oil to bake with!
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I would use the coconut oil when cooking, baking, and unbaking (No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars)
rollerbeth at gmail dot com
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I’m a fan of TT on Facebook
rollerbeth at gmail dot com
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I am now a fan of Missy Maintains on Facebook
rollerbeth at gmail dot com
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I have never tried coconut oil but have been seeing it all over the blog world! It is so expensive! The health benefits are amazing though I am always look for news ways to incorporate healthy fats into my diet! I would definitely try it in a dish that i just recently made…Spicy shrimp and coconut stew! Recipe soon to come!
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I would like to use it in smoothies and for pie crust.
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