Remember a few weeks ago, when I had the amazing chance to interview Jeff Corwin, of Animal Planet? And remember who it was the high light of my day and really helped me snap out of my down mood? Well, do you also remember that I promised a giveaway. It’s here!

My interview with Jeff Corwin was part of a campaign promoting the Lunch Roar, and Score Sweepstakes. If you haven’t entered yet, go! Do it now! You could win a a 3 day/2 night trip for four (winner and three guests) to Boston, MA to spend some quality, one-on-one time with Jeff Corwin. The Sweepstakes is open for kids ages 6-17. So go, now, enter to win. Or at least before May 3, 2010.

Now the good stuff. This month marks the kiddo’s second birthday. And to celebrate, I’m doing a ton of giveaways, all ending on his birthday. To start things off, I’m giving away a goody from Animal Planet, for the animal-loving kiddo in your family. Are you ready?

Yes, is a Geko Hoodie! I have one to give away, size 8. Perfect for the budding animal expert in your family.

Want to Win A Geko Hoodie?

This is an easy one. Just subscribe to my blog. I like friends. And I like to give things to my friends. If you already are my friend, let me know. This is mandatory and must be done before any other entries.

Want extra entries? Leave a separate comment for each one, worth one extra entry each.

1. Become an Alli ‘n Son Facebook Fan or leave me a comment if you are already a fan.
2. Follow me on Twitter or leave me a comment if you already follow.
3. Tweet about this contest. You can do this once per day. Include a comment with the link to your tweet each time you tweet.
   Enter to win a Geko Hoodie @Alli_n_Son. Perfect for the Animal Expert in Your Family. http://alli-n-son.com/2010/03/03/geko-hoodie-giveaway/ Ends 3/30 #giveaway
4. Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post on my blog. Leave a comment to let me know which post it was.

This giveaway ends March 30, 2010. The winner will be picked by Random.org.

The Fine Print: The giveaway is open to readers within the US.  The contest closes on Tuesday March 30, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. CST. One winner will be picked by random using random.org. Winner must contact me within 3 days after receiving my email with their mailing address to confirm that they want to receive the prize. I received this Geko Hoodie as part of a package for interviewing Jeff Corwin but I was in no way paid for either my review, my opinion or to host this giveaway. Everything that I have written is my opinion, and my opinion only.

As you know, I’m trying to add health foods and ingredients into our daily lives. Things that do more than just taste good. Like wheat germ which is full of protein, fiber and folic acid (it is one of the healthy ingredients used here and here). And flax seed which boasts fiber, omega 3 fats and can be added to just about anything (check it out here and here). Of course, we can’t forget pomegranate juice and avocados.

Well, last week I discovered Gold Virgin Coconut Oil, by Tropical Traditions. I’m hooked. Here’s why.

When you first check out the nutrition label, one thing will most definitely jump out at you. The saturated fat content. It’s enough to make your eye balls pop in disbelief. I of course went and compared it to the other oils and fats in the house, olive, canola and butter. Yup, just as I expected, coconut oil has them all beat. I was naturally a little hesitant to try it. After all, saturated fats have a bad name in the fat world. So, I did a little digging to find out why coconut is considered by many to be a super health food.

Health Benefits

Right on Tropical Tradition’s web site, they have a link to all of the information I was looking for. Tropical Tradition’s DID NOT conduct any of this research, and Tropical Tradition’s products were not tested. This is un-biased research people. This is what I learned over at CoconutOil.com.

• While coconut oil is high in saturated fats, the specific type of saturated fats, know as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) is different than the longer chain fatty acids (LCTs) found in other plant-based oils. LCTs are typically stored in the body as fat, while MCTs are burned for energy. MCTs burn up quickly in the body. Read more about this.
• Coconut oil has high levels of Lauric acid, which is also found naturally in saturated fat in breast milk. Read more about this.

And that’s just the tip of the ice berg. There is an abundance of research about coconut and why it is considered a healthy, super food. If you’d like to learn more, check out CoconutOil.com.

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

What does the “Virgin” in Virgin Coconut Oil mean, you might be wondering? Well, that refers to the way that the oil is processed. Tropical Traditions has guidelines in place which ensure that the taste and scent remained unchanged. You can learn more about this process here.

Testing

Like I said, because of the health benefits I’m hooked, but I need to give it a test run to be sure that I like cooking with it, and that I like the flavor. So I browsed through some coconut oil-friendly recipes, and picked this one to stat with. A twist on traditional pesto sauce, the Cilantro Coconut Pesto. Super easy, I have all of the ingredients at home. Paired with a whole-wheat pasta and we have a healthy dinner ready in a matter of minutes. On my list of things to try: Chocolate Balsamic Truffles (yum!), Coconut Vanilla Granola (what a great way to start out the day!) and this Southwestern Black Bean Soup (perfect for a cold winter’s day)

The Verdict

Both Dad-oo and I really enjoyed the Cilantro Coconut Pesto, the first time and the second (the recipe is large, there is more than enough for leftovers). The coconut oil definitely has a distinct coconut-oil taste, which was a nice addition to the cilantro. The recipe was easy (although next time I’ll use 1/2 cup almonds instead of 1 cup). Even though the coconut oil needs to be re-liquefied (it turns to a sold at temps lower than 76º), it was super easy to do, and only took a few minutes. Simply melt on really low heat in a pan, or pop it in the microwave on 50% power for about 30-60 seconds. I like this oil so much, that I’ve  used it to replace the canola oil in some other recipes, like my Super Energy Granola Bars (with success I should add!) and I will continue to use it in my everyday cooking.

Want to Buy Coconut Oil?

Pop on over to Tropical Traditions. They have amazing sales going on all the time. Right now the Virgin Coconut Oil is on sale, buy one get on FREE (through Feb 25th)! When you place your order, please click on “Referred by a Friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter my sponsor ID number 5851533.

Want to Win Coconut Oil?

To enter, simply subscribe to stop at Tropical Traditions and tell me what product you would like to try. This is a mandatory entry and must be done before the extra entries..

Want extra entries? Leave a separate comment for each one, worth one extra entry each.

1. Become an Alli ‘n Son Facebook Fan or leave me a comment if you are already a fan.
2. Subscribe to my blog or leave me a comment if you already subscribe.
3. Follow me on Twitter or leave me a comment if you already follow.
4. Tweet about this contest. You can do this once per day. Include a comment with the link to your tweet each time you tweet.
   Enter to win Virgin Coconut Oil from @Alli_n_Son & @troptraditions. http://alli-n-son.com/2010/02/18/tropical-traditions-coconut-oil-review-giveaway/ Ends 3/5 #giveaway
5. Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post on my blog. Leave a comment to let me know which post it was.
6. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions newsletter. Leave a comment telling me that you subscribed. – worth 2 extra entries
7. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter. Leave a comment telling me that you are following.
8. Become a Tropical Traditions  Facebook Fan. Leave a comment telling me that you are a fan.

This giveaway ends March 5th, 2010. The winner will be picked by Random.org.

The Fine Print: The giveaway is open to readers within the US.  The contest closes on Friday March 5, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. CST. One winner will be picked by random using random.org. Winner must contact me within 3 days after receiving my email with their mailing address to confirm that they want to receive the prize. I received a sample of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from but I was in no way paid for either my review or my opinion. Everything that I have written is my opinion, and my opinion only.

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.