I went to Expo West on a media pass. Smooches to Leah.
I had never been to Expo West, but getting a hold of a pass and making room to go (I had to chaperone a field trip which dug into my time) made for a wild weekend.
With my first time at the Expo, I laid down a game plan for myself, hoping to visit several brands booths and find some resources that follow in my family’s current path – dairy free (for the toddler) easy to access and especially affordable. I did have some fun and am working on trying out some new things that would be a splurge, but with MY word of the year, Thrive, it would be worth it.
Here is my roundup of some of the companies and products I discovered at Expo West (and I mean some. We’re still snacking and exploring!)
Moonshine Sweet Tea is IT, ya’ll. I tried a mango and was sad I didn’t sit there and try everything. I was told I can get it at Sprouts for at least another couple of weeks, so jam over there. Seriously.
I don’t like pickles but my son is, but I’m on the hunt for the pickled carrots after I found them from Woodstock. Right now I’m loving their ketchup, since our usual Heinz is so sweet I’ve been putting in sriracha sauce for my sweet potato fries addiction.
Sambazon has acai products, and after trying a smoothie bowl at their booth I kept an eye out for their brand. I found the smoothie packs at my local Costco (I am loving Costco right now, more on that another time) so we can make breakfast bowls at home like the one my son had once. I’m sure you’ll hear more about this company, which also has sorbets and other products.
I drooled all over the snacks at the Go Raw booth, and tried out sprouted watermelon seeds. They have a bunch of protein and were a hit in their snacks they made. These would totally rock a breakfast bowl or salad, or a quick toss in the mouth with some trail mix. They also have cookies, granola and more snacks.
Popcorn is a whole grain. I try to keep that knowledge in hand as I let the boys cover my couch in popcorn while watching a movie so I can get some work done (and then vacuum). I brough home some Boom Chicka Pop for their next movie day. They have so many good flavors, y’all, I tried the sweet and spicy one and remember seeing giant bags of it at, yes, Costco.
My love for Stonyfield is no secret – I actually passed off wearing the Stonyfield shirt I got at ShiftCon on the local news 
Wonder Boy got to try their new birthday cake flavor and loved it – and since I have been finding these at Target, Stater Bros and Costco, I’m happy.
I had a long conversation with one of the owners of Sunfood Super Foods, and she kindly gave me some samples I immediately split with my paleo friend for her opinion. We both have a sample of moringa powder, which is something I was recommended to replace my coffee with (not sure I’m ready to leave ol’ Joe, but I’ll try it out!) As we adventure with smoothies I am on the lookout for ingredients that we could try out, and even if some of the ingredients seem weird at Sunfood, a lot of their products have $1.99 1-oz packages (think single serving) you can buy to have with you when traveling or for a try on a new recipe.
Made In Nature debuted some new flavors of Figgy Pops, I got a hold of a couple chocolate flavored ones my toddler taste-tester would not share. Again, we find them at Costco, but I hope to see more of a variety in flavors, but they are still good bribery on lil’ Wonder and a quick snack for me!
I used to get the Peter Rabbit pouches when we went through the drive through at Starbucks as a special treat for the boys (their appetites have outgrown them counting as a meal) but I had to share the Pumpkin Tree Oat Crush samples I was given. For the mom on the go, these are pretty good – I got to have the mango passion fruit one and it was good!
And my son was SOLD on the butter-flavored organic coconut oil that Nutiva just released – perfect for our popcorn nights when we make a batch big enough for everyone!
Did you go to Expo West? What was your favorite products?
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