ShiftCon Love Package Review

Back in February, ShiftCon held its 4th annual influencer conference. If you haven’t heard of ShiftCon, you should check it out – it’s a community that I’ve admired since the very beginning of my blogging days. As the name suggests, ShiftCon was built on the idea that as individuals and influencers, we can profoundly impact the world by shifting the way we eat, raise our families, and choose to live.

The ShiftCon community strives to “change the grocery store one brand at a time.” The idea is that when “Shifters” (as their influencers are called) promote eco-friendly products, consumers in turn will purchase better products. In other words, by leveraging their collective voice, influencers can create real environmental change.

The ShiftCon Social Media Conference gives wellness and eco-friendly influencers a place to network, share ideas, learn from experts, empower one another, and organize their efforts into social change. The conference includes:

• Professional workshops on social media growth, wellness topics & ways to increase your revenue without compromising your values
• Keynote messages from professionals who are pioneers in their field
• An exhibitor hall with over 50 brands and organizations who want to work with influencers
• Fitness events and NonGMO meals

I didn’t get to attend this year, but I did get to do something pretty cool – I received a “Love Package” with sample products from some of the brands that participated in the expo. I had some really good mail days! I can’t share them all here with you (there were lots of them!) but I do want to tell you about some of my favorites.

ONA Functional Fuel Bars

Out of all the products that I received, the ONA Functional Fuel Bars were probably my favorite. To be honest, I was surprised. I’m a very picky eater, and I’ve tried some truly terrible protein bars. But these were GOOD. Not just tolerable, but eat-them-for-a-snack good.

ONA Functional Fuel Bars are soft and chewy, similar to a Larabar but heartier. They’re made from a blend of organic nuts, plant protein, and coconut. They’re full of healthy fats, probiotics, and plant-based protein (a sunflowerr + pumpkin protein blend, plus other nuts and seeds). They are paleo-friendly, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and soy free; plus they contain no refined sugars. Each bar (one serving) contains 200 calories and 10 grams of protein.

The Almond Coconut Bar is absolutely delicious. My kids, who are even pickier than me, argued over the last few bites.

The Functional Fuel Bars are currently sold out on onafoods.com, but you can find multi-packs of ONA bars on Amazon.

White Oak Pastures Tallow Hand Soap

One afternoon on their way home from running errands, Vic and Sophia stopped at an estate sale. Sophia picked up some old books, including one about making soap. She was hooked – making handmade soaps became her new life mission.

Until she started researching soap making, I’d never heard of tallow. (If you haven’t either, you can read a bit about tallow here.) I was a little…unsettled…by it. So it was great to see an actual tallow soap – especially one that smelled fantastic!

White Oak Pastures is a 150 year old family farm that cooperates with nature to create artisan products, like soap, lip balm, leather jewelry & wallets, and candles. They also sell meat, broths, jerky, sausage, and, yes, tallow. They pride themselves  on their commitment to ethical practices:

We work hard to ensure that all of our production practices are Fair, Sustainable, and Humane. We never fail to conduct our business in an honorable manner, for the sake of our animals, our land, and our people who produce and consume our goods.

You can learn more about White Oak Pastures, their products, and their mission & values at whiteoakpastures.com.

Cybele’s Free To Eat Superfood Veggie Pasta

This was another timely product: it was Passover, we were starving, and Cybele’s Free to Eat Superfood Veggie Pasta was the perfect solution! Cybele’s has 5 different varieties of veggie pasta:

• GREEN: Made with Green Lentils, Kale, Broccoli, and Spinach
• ORANGE: Made with Red Lentil, Pumpkin, Butternut Squash
• PURPLE: Made with Red Lentils, Beets, Sweet Potatoes, and Carrots
• RED: Made with Red Lentil, Tomato, Red Bell Pepper
• WHITE: Made with Green Lentils, Cauliflower, and Parsnips

Each flavor has up to 25 grams of protein per serving and provides more than one full serving of vegetables! And (more importantly?) it tastes good! I served the green pasta with a garlic butter sauce, and everyone liked it. Plus with no wheat or other leavened products, it was a great Passover-friendly pasta.

Cybele’s Superfood Veggie Pastas contain no dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, or shellfish. They also make gluten free and vegan cookies, which I want to try. Cybele’s products are available in a number of grocery stores, and you can also purchase them on Amazon. Check cybelesfreetoeat.com for coupons.

So Many Other Great Products!

Big thanks to the other brands that sent us samples, including:

• PlusCBD Oil
• Organic Valley
• Oral Essentials Teeth Whitening Strips (haven’t tried these yet but I can’t wait!)
• Earth Mama Organics
• Simply Real Foods
• Kyo-Green Green Blend
• Clearly Filtered
• Flora Women’s Care Probiotic
• Just Thrive Probiotic
• NeoCell Super Collagen Powder
• Ridgecrest Herbals ClearLungs Immune
• Betsy’s BestGourmet Cashew Butter
• NutriGold Organic Women’s Multivitamin

And thanks especially to ShiftCon for selecting me to receive the Love Package! My family and I had so much fun trying out all the fabulous products.