Brand New Name, Same Great Store!
If you’ve walked along our stretch of the Danforth lately, you’ve probably noticed that it now says Moberly Natural Foods where it used to say, well, nothing. That’s because Better Bulk has officially made the transition into more of a natural food store than a bulk store, and we thought our name should reflect that.
Come check out our new page at moberlynaturalfoods.com
You can also find us on Facebook as Moberly Natural Foods
On Twitter as @moberlynaturals
On Instagram as @moberlynaturals
And on Pinterest as Moberly Natural Foods
Thanks for all your support, and we’ll see you at Moberly!
We’ve Been Nominated!
A big thank you goes out to NOW Magazine for including us in their “Best of Toronto” nominations.
We’d love it if you could throw a vote our way (if you think we are the Best Bulk Food, that is)
Just click our name, then Cast Your Vote!
Thank you for all your support.
Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Not a clever title, I know, but so descriptive.
A while back, I was trying to make cookies from Elana’s Pantry. She has lots of wonderful gluten-free, paleo, nut-free, etc. recipes. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me at the time, her almond flour recipes only work with a specific type of almond flour, not just the ground almonds we carry.
After a few runny batches, I decided to take matters into my own hands. After polling the Facebook page for baking tips, and chatting up a couple of baking-savvy customers in store, I set to experimenting. A few rock hard, charred batches later, I came up with a cookie that “tastes like it’s made with white flour and white sugar . . . but it isn’t”. They are gluten-free, vegan-friendly, paleo-friendly, and taste bud-friendly. Let me know how they work for you!
Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup Blanched Ground Almonds/Almond Flour
3 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Dutchman’s Gold Honey OR Wholesome Sweeteners Raw Agave Nectar
1/4 cup Maison Orphee Coconut Oil
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Fine Atlantic Sea Salt
1 1/2 tsp Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Camino Dark Chocolate Chips
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients. You may want to heat your coconut oil a little to soften it. Add wet ingredients into dry and mix thoroughly. Form dough into one inch balls, and press onto an If You Care Parchment Paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.
Makes approx. 1 dozen cookies
The cookies will seem a little liquid-y when they first come out, but they will solidify as they cool. You’ll know they’re done when they start to brown a little around the edges. Don’t worry – they still stay chewy and delicious after cooling. No hockey puck cookies here!
My favorite part about this recipe: no eggs means you can safely eat the cookie in its dough form! Not that I’ve done that . . .
*recipe originally published on Fearless Nutrition
In With The New (Moon Kitchen)
Do you like cookies?
I’m not sure if anyone, if they searched their deepest, truest soul could answer in the negative.
Meet my favorite cookie-makers: New Moon Kitchen!
From newmoonkitchen.com
This Toronto-based company has been making delicious, health-conscious cookies since 1997, and now they are coming to Better Bulk!
We are bringing in three flavors to start:
Chocolate Chip – oat-y, chocolate-y goodness
Goldies – the chewiest, most delicious oatmeal cookie in existence
Momints – chocolate mint. Enough said. These might be my favorite.
*UPDATE* We just added the gluten-free Mackies to the family. Delicious Chocolate Coconut made with rice flour
All of their cookies are made with organic spelt flour, which is easier to digest than your standard wheat, and has a lower glycemic index. They use no dairy and no eggs, so the cookies are vegan, cholesterol-free, and safe for those with egg or lactose allergies. They are also safe for those with nut allergies: New Moon Kitchen is a nut- and peanut-free environment. No preservatives make them a great choice to give to your kids, or enjoy yourself! These cookies also contain 15-20% of your daily iron intake in just 2 cookies. Who says cookies can’t stave off anemia?
If you want to know more about this fantastic product, check out their website here, or stop by Better Bulk and try them for yourself!
A Holiday Thought . . .
This holiday season, we’d like to give a little bit back to Mother Earth. As a holiday present, please help us by bringing your own reusable bags, so we can cut down on the amount of trash we send out into the world. Who knows? There may just be a candy cane in it for you . . .
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
We survived the move, and we’re loving our new home at 2044 Danforth. So much more space!
If you were around the Danforth and Woodbine area around the first of the month, you may have seen us wrestling fridges and freezers across the street, trying not to get hit. (And a big thank you to all the cars that did NOT hit us).
A whole lot of packing, cleaning, unpacking, and organizing later, we’re in our new space! There are lots of new products lining the shelves, and while our stock is still working its way out of boxes, back onto the floor, we’ll do our best to help you find whatever you’re looking for.
Thanks to our friends at Silly Goose Kids for the photo collage
Thank you to everyone who has offered support and encouragement over the past few weeks. We’ve had some wonderful customers helping us show off our space by filming their Better Bulk Happy Dances. Check them out on our Facebook page, and don’t forget to “Like” us while you’re there!
MOVING DAY!!!
It’s happening, friends! This weekend, we’re closing our doors at 2035 Danforth and reopening Monday at 2044 Danforth! We’re really excited about this move (and judging by our customers’ enthusiasm, you are too!) and we want to thank you for your support, understanding, and encouragement through the whole process.
MOVING WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Wednesday, November 28, 10 am-7 pm: Last Day at 2035 Danforth
Thursday, November 29: CLOSED
Friday, November 30: CLOSED
Saturday, December 1: CLOSED
Sunday, December 2: CLOSED
Monday, December 3: OPEN at 2044 Danforth
Make sure you come and visit us by 7 pm on Wednesday, November 28 to stock up for the weekend. You never know when you might need diapers, or milk, or jelly beans . . .
We’re Movin On Up!
As most of you have probably read on our Twitter or Facebook accounts, we are indeed moving! But fear not: we’re just crossing the street.
The new storefront, as seen from behind the counter of the old store. Not far at all! (We’re not keeping the Food Family Sign, either)
We’ll be in our new location at 2044 Danforth Ave as of November 1 mid November. We need a bit more time. It’s a bigger space, and we’ll be able to bring in even MORE great products for you.
We appreciate your patience as we consolidate, shuffle, and relocate our current stock in preparation. We’ll have a few days where we’ll need to close, but it won’t be too many, and we’ll keep you well informed via our social media accounts and store window signs.
We hope you’ll love the new space as much as we do, and we can’t wait to see you all there in November!
Why Bulk Is Best For Back To School
Back to school shopping is almost a ritual in North America. New backpacks, clothes, pens, pencils, binders, it all adds up. We can’t help you with that stuff, but we can help you out when it comes to school lunches. And easy breakfasts. And on-the-go dinners. Here are our 3 top tips for making back to school simpler, greener, and more cost-effective.
1. Bulk Up Your Lunch
School lunches are a great place to take advantage of buying bulk. Dried fruit makes an amazing snack, and buying it in bulk then transferring it to reusable containers makes it environmentally friendly as well. Same goes for nuts and seeds (if your school allows), and even crackers and cookies. Buying the larger packages of Shasha snaps, as opposed to the single-serve, saves you money and cuts down on waste.
2. Quick and Easy (Nutritious) Breakfast
Cereal is a great breakfast option on the go. Nature’s Path Cereals come in Eco Packs, and have many healthy-yet-delicious options. You can also add your own nuts/seeds, etc. to bulk up the protein content. Hemp hearts make a great addition to any cereal, packing in 8 g of protein in every 25 g serving. 
Even more cost-effective is bulk oatmeal. Steel-cut oatmeal is the most nutritious option, but is often overlooked due to its long cook time. Luckily, if you make a batch in advance, it keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator. All you have to do in the morning is reheat it with your favorite milk (I like Almond Breeze) and any additional fixings to make a great breakfast. My favorite at-home oatmeal features chopped apple, almond butter, chia seeds, cinnamon, and a little bit of stevia or sweetener like maple syrup or coconut palm sugar that won’t spike your blood sugar levels.
3. Dinner On The Run
When everyone in your house has lessons, after school sports, clubs, etc., finding time to eat dinner together, let alone cook it is a challenge. We have lots of quick and easy meals, like Amy’s Frozen Burritos, and Patel’s Micro-Curries. Eggs are also an easy go-to. When I’m pressed for time, I like to keep pre-cooked grains and beans in my fridge. A batch of quinoa, like steel-cut oats, will last for a week. Same goes for cooked beans. Quinoa, beans, a few vegetables and spices makes a meal in minutes.
And now for the hidden 4th tip: getting around that pesky “No Nuts” rule at school. Wow Butter has come out with a nut-free, soy based “peanut butter” that is a great sandwich substitute. It even comes with lunch labels so teachers don’t have to worry. Give it a try!
Do you have any great back to school tips to share?
Superfood of the Day: Chia!
Welcome back to the Superfood of the Day series! Today’s featured food: chia!
If you watched TV at all during the 80s and 90s, I’m sure you’re familiar with Chia Pets, those strange little animals and heads that grew leaves. Well, the seed used for those are the same chia seeds that are now SUPERFOOD!
What makes chia seeds so awesome? Joy over at Joyous Health wrote a great post on 8 Benefits of Chia. I’ll summarize for you here:
- Chia seeds help to balance and stabilize your blood sugar, which is key for everyone, but especially for diabetics
- They help lower insulin sensitivity which can, in turn, help reduce belly fat
- They are INCREDIBLY high in fibre and good fat. They have the highest incidence of Omega-3s, and ALA (alpha-linoleic acid), a key fatty acid.
- Chia seeds contain the amino acid tryptophan, which helps in the production of seratonin (happy hormone) and melatonin (sleepy-at-appropriate-times and keep-away-the-cancer hormone)
- They help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar after meals
- Chia also contains many nutrients: calcium, magnesium, manganese, folic acid, phosphorous, and iron
“Awesome,” You say, “Sounds great! But how do I eat a chia seed? They’re tiny, and have next to no flavor.”
Very true. But this is the key to the chia seed’s magic: it can be incorporated seamlessly into almost anything without altering the flavor. You can blend them into smoothies, sprinkle them on salads or yogurt, or add into sauces etc. The possibilities are endless!
My favorite way to eat them takes advantage of one of their other magic properties. If you add water to chia, they take on a gel-like texture, and simultaneously soften and expand. This is perfect for making a no-cook chia pudding (it’s still hot – who wants to cook?)
Take 2-3 tablespoons (daily recommended serving of chia) and soak in your favorite milk (I like coconut or almond milk). Add cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, cacao powder, whatever flavoring you like, and let it sit for a few hours (or in the fridge overnight). You can add nut butter and fruit to make it a hearty breakfast pudding, or just eat it as a snack or dessert.
How do you eat YOUR chia?
Better Bulk Danforth 