Top 10 Expo West Finds (2019)

Expo West is officially over, and, to be honest, it’s a bittersweet feeling. We are so happy to be off of our feet, not carrying heavy backpacks and enjoying a little bit of peace and quiet after the show! The show goes by so very fast, and, while I do what I can to take it all in as it’s happening, it’s a bit chaotic and can be overwhelming. I call it a “BEAUTIFUL CHAOS”… It’s over stimulation of all the senses. It’s loud. It’s stressful. It’s painful (we’re both sore from the many miles of walking) and, at the same time, it’s exciting! Expo West is my favorite time of year next to Christmas!

It’s a joy to meet the people behind the brands that we know and love and to get to know them and see them every year. Getting to find and meet new brands and try new products is equally exciting! Trying new products before they launch, giving feedback & watching brands go through changes and rebrands and seeing their evolution over the years is pretty cool.

This year, an Expo West highlight was the Vital Proteins Collagen Water Launch Party! It was at this beautiful home here in Orange County and had ice sculptures, food, drinks, Collagen Water waterfalls and lots of familiar faces. So thankful to be able to attend and support one of my favorite brands! You can watch a video all about it, here!

Every year I compile a list of my top 10 favorite finds of the show, and this year the list is so good. I really love each of these products and brands below. Some are brand new to me and have never been featured in any of my Expo blogs, and there are also a few brands that consistently break barriers and create amazing new products. None of this is sponsored. It’s all my honest opinion, and I hope you are able to try some of these product soon and fall in love with them just as we have!

What an honor to be a part of this amazing industry. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am, and I don’t take any bit of getting to be at Natural Products Expo West for granted. What’s pretty sweet is now getting to bring my hubby along for the ride.

This year I was also featured in an article: 50 Influencers To Know At Expo West!

Here are my top 10 favorite finds from Expo West 2019 in no particular order.

1) Eating Evolved’s Chocolate Chips

organic, gluten free, paleo, vegan, cane sugar free, dairy free, nonGMO, keto

EatingEvolved is a brand that I have loved for a long, long time! Their paleo, vegan chocolate bars, roasted coconut butters, coconut cups and other goodies have been a favorite of our whole family for at least 3 years (maybe longer)! To finally get to meet Rick and a lot of the team in person was such a highlight. I feel like I already knew them via The Gram, but they blew my mind at Expo with their new “coming soon” launch of their Chocolate Chips line, which will come in 5 different variations: Cashew Milk, 72% Cacao, Keto, Baking Chocolate and 85% Cacao. I knew this product line would come some day, but I wasn’t sure when. The entire line of chocolate chips are, in fact, paleo and vegan. Two of the variations are also keto-friendly.

I cannot wait for this launch. As soon as it’s available I’ll be sharing it on social media! Coming soon: https://eatingevolved.com

2) Siete Foods Grain Free Taco Shells

gluten free, vegan, paleo, nonGMO, dairy free

Siete does it again, friends! This new product launch is epic! Everything they make is golden, and the second I saw this at their booth, my jaw dropped for about 2 minutes. I couldn’t even believe it! Being able to safely eat chips, tortillas, cashew queso and now crunchy tacos that are all corn free, paleo, vegan, dairy free, gluten free and grain free is pretty amazing. Five years ago it wouldn’t have been a thing. I am so grateful to Siete for making it easier to eat as a family. “Juntos es mejor” means “together is better,” and I love that they preach this because they have created something so unique and always make everyone feel like they are a part of their family. I am so thankful for this brand! www.SieteFoods.com

3) Revive Kombucha’s Strawberry Lemon

organic, vegan, dairy free, nonGMO, gluten free

Revive has always a favorite of ours. My hubby loves their Mocha Java Coffee kombuca so much, and every time we are at Mother’s Markets he gets one. We love that their new line of kombuchas are offered in cans! That makes it easier to take kombucha to Disneyland (I always have Disney on the brain). The tasty new flavors are: Cherry Hibiscus, Citrus Ginger, Mango Orange and Strawberry Lemon. We also happen to love the Revive team. Everyone is so friendly, warm and inviting. Their booth is always the place to be. It’s where the party is at, where the music is bumpin and the kombucha is ever-flowing! https://www.revivekombucha.com

4) Live More Naturals’ Smoothie Cups

gluten free, organic, nonGMO, dairy free, (some vegan)

It’s a funny story how I found this brand. I won’t get into details, but let’s jut say it was meant to be that I found this way awesome company and that I LOVE their new products! They launched 3 smoothie cups that are all organic, have minimal ingredients and are ready to blend! They have the Beauty Blend Cup (contains collagen), the Antioxidant Cup (vegan) and the Keto Blend Cup (vegan). All are dairy free, organic and made with real, simple ingredients. They come frozen, and you just add liquid and optional protein powder into a blender and BOOM you have a fresh smoothie. Stay tuned and follow them HERE on instagram to see when they will launch! You will love these smoothie cups! Coming soon. https://www.livemorenaturals.com

5) Artisana Organics' Hazelnut Cacao with MCT

organic, vegan, gluten free, paleo, dairy free, cane sugar free

They said you couldn’t make “Nutella” without cane sugar... Artisana Organics said “oh yeah?!” And that’s exactly how it was made! Okay so maybe that’s not a 100% full account of what happened, but that’s how it happened in my mind. This new nut butter is so good & it’s sweetened with coconut sugar! It could almost be frosting on a cake, though it’s not too sweet, either. I’m truly a big fan of their line of nut butters as they are all organic & made with raw nuts. My most favorite is the cashew butter, for sure, but the new products are coming in close second! Coming soon: https://artisanaorganics.com

6) Cybele’s Free To Eat New Superfood Pastas

gluten free, allergy friendly, vegan, nonGMO, dairy free, plant based

I found this brand back in 2017 at FABlogCon and immediately fell in love with their line of pastas and cookies. I love that their superfood pasta ingredients contain vegetables and have clean ingredients, too. With 24g of protein and more than one fully serving of vegetables per serving, this pasta tastes like regular pasta, but it has lots of benefits that plain pasta doesn’t. The new shapes, which include shells, penne and macaroni, will only broaden your creations and recipes. With Cybele’s amazing line of pastas (and cookies) that are free from artificial preservatives, color, flavors and GMO’s, you are FREE TO EAT! Coming soon: https://www.cybelesfreetoeat.com

7) Simple Mills Brownie Mix

gluten free, dairy free, paleo, nonGMO, grain free

Oh my 'lanta! Brownies that I can actually eat? Is this real life? I heard about this launch prior to Expo and couldn’t wait to get my hands on a taste (or 12)! We specifically looked for their booth the first day so that I could give these brownies a try and let me just say holy moly they are beyond delicious! They remind me of an unhealthy brownie mix that my friend used to make all the time in high school. I cannot even tell you how fantastic these brownies are! You definitely need to try them for yourself. Every year Simple Mills just kills it with their new product launches. These brownies might be one of my favorites in the entire line. You can order it HERE.

8) Malk Organics Almond Milk Coffee Creamers & Oat Milk

organic, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, nonGMO, cane sugar free, paleo

Malk is another brand that continues to amaze me in everything they do. Everything they make is incredible, and their new creamers are beyond delicious. They also have a new Oat Milk aside from this line of Almond Milk Creamers which is tested and free of glyphosate (whoo hoo)! It's so delicious. Their new Almond Milk Creamers go above and beyond. With clean, organic, simple ingredients, these new creamers will blow your mind. Don’t worry, if you aren’t a coffee drinker you can use them for matcha lattes, mushroom superfood drinks and golden milk, too! Coming soon: http://malkorganics.com

9) Ora Organic’s Good As Gold: Golden Milk Powder

organic, vegan, nonGMO, gluten free, soy free, dairy free, cane sugar free

I’ve loved Ora Organic since we saw them on Shark Tank back in 2017. They continue to blow me away with their high quality line of organic, vegan products that taste great and have many functional benefits. Their new Good As Gold is packed with turmeric, ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, and ginger root. It also contains black pepper which helps your body absorb the active ingredient in turmeric called curcumin. You can add it to a smoothie, make a golden milk latte or simple mix it with almond milk and enjoy this delicious organic golden milk powder blend! Order HERE.

10) Banza’s Rice Made From Chickpeas

vegan, gluten free, grain free, nonGMO, dairy free, plant based

Banza has been making tasty chickpea pasta for a while now, and it comes in all pasta shapes and sizes. Now they are changing the game with the addition of their new Rice. We tried it at Expo, and, honestly, we were shocked and stoked at the same time that we were eating chickpeas! You’d never know it! I can’t wait to play around with Banza’s new Rice and create some yummy recipes with it. It’s so cool to see companies creating products that are great alternatives. Their Rice has more protein and less carbs than traditional rice, and I am all for it! Order some: https://www.eatbanza.com