Fair Trade Mother’s Day Brunch and giveaway
Hi friends! Happy humpday! Hope you had some fun Cinco de Mayo adventures. I’ll be back later today with a recap of ours, but in the meantime, how about a little brunch date??
When my friends at Fair Trade asked me to participate in their virtual Mother’s Day brunch, I definitely wanted to join in the fun. I picked a recipe that’s quick to put together yet special enough for holiday. This one includes two of my savory favorites: California toast and sweet potato hash.
Sometimes the most delicious breakfasts are the simplest. The best part: the company surrounding you at the table. <3
For the California toast, I grabbed some brown rice bread to put in the toaster, pico de gallo, goat cheese and avocado. Next, I chopped two small red bell peppers, 1/2 a sweet onion, and 8 very small sweet potatoes.
(You can find Fair Trade avocados and bell peppers at Whole Foods)
I boiled the potatoes for about 5 minutes to soften them, then drained.
Next, I added them back to the same pot with 1 heaping tablespoon of coconut oil, the onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, the chopped bell pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, salt and pepper. I cooked these on medium while the Pilot made perfect poached eggs.
To get each toast ready, I topped with sliced avocado, salt and pepper,
added the poached egg, then pico, crumbled goat cheese, and cilantro.
It’s my dream perfect savory brunch: something I’d happily order at a restaurant, but simple enough to make for a weekday quick breakfast.
My friends at Fair Trade kindly sent me a box of goodies, packed with treats from some of my favorite brands.
Here’s some more info on the Fair Trade mission, which has a significant positive impact on fair wages, safe working conditions, and environmental sustainability across the world.
Similar to my last post, they paired me up with a Fair Trade mom so I could learn more about her story and experience with Fair Trade. This is Basingwa Maria, an inspirational coffee farmer & member of the Dukunde Kawa Cooperative in Rwanda.
(doesn’t her beautiful spirit just radiate from her smile?)
Basingwa Maria started farming in 1974. She says that after her husband died in the war she poured her heart into her coffee trees. Coffee was her family’s sole source of income, and she had to make it profitable. She joined the cooperative in 2000, and with the increased income she has received from her fair trade coffee over the years, she has been able to bring running water to her home and invest in solar panels on her roof. She hopes to bring electricity to her house soon.She has also been able to diversify her family’s nutrition. They used to eat potatoes and beans everyday with no change, and they could not afford food at the market or oil for cooking. Now her family is able to buy food from the market and do not have to soly rely on growing everything they eat.
While she never attended school, she says that because of the cooperative all of her children were able to attend school and two of them are currently in university.
“After the war I never believed we could get this kind of life. Having this beautiful house, sitting with my children having discussions of how to improve our lives.”
She has twice won the cup of excellence award from her cooperative, and she says that her high quality coffee is due to following the agronomist’s advice and also from investing in cows which provide organic fertilizer.
My friends at Fair Trade offered to send one lucky reader the same package they sent me, filled with these awesome treats:
(Thank you to Simple Truth, Vosges, Cascadian Farm, Near East, Arrowhead Mills, Prana, Unreal, Eco Lips, Numi Organic Tea, Nutiva, Wholesome!, Lake Champlain, Bark Thins, Just Love Coffee Roasters and Whole Foods!)
Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment below with your all-time favorite brunch spot or order
Pin an image from this post, and leave an extra comment with the link to your pin
I’ll pick a lucky winner this Sunday (5/10) at midnight (EST) and will announce the winner Monday morning.
Ready, set, go!
xoxo
Gina
This post is not sponsored. I’m just excited to spread the word about fair Trade and share some fabulous goodies with a lucky winner. xo
494 Comments
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My fave brunch order is an omelet!
I love a big plate of Cracker Barrel pancakes for brunch…
What an awesome goodie package! I love eggs benedict!
Pinned it!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/461056080578816052/
My favorite brunch order is omelet with smoked salmon and muffins!
There’s a place in Milwaukee called blue’s egg that has the best Monkey bread! We usually go to a place called Café Hollander because it’s so child friendly, always a plus. I love fair trade! There’s a few stores in Milwaukee and Chicago that only sell fair trade handcrafted goods. It’s a great place to go buy unique gifts that support a wonderful cause.
Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon or huevos rancheros without cheese are my favs : )
I love ordering an omelet with a bunch of veggies!
favorite brunch item to order — mutligrain pancakes or homemade french toast!
There’s an amazing brunch spot in Austin, Texas that we love to go to! They have whole grain banana pancakes the size of your head!!
pinned: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/205899014191028395/
My fave brunch item is jacked up French toast! 😉
I love an egg white omelette with lots of veggies and cheese!
Yummy french toast!!
My favorite brunch order is pancakes.
Eggs benedict 🙂
Ah, I love this. After reading up on the “fair trade” movement, I try to buy products marked with the ‘fair trade’ logo whenever I can. Also, that brunch looks divine. In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that my ‘breakfast’ tastes have switched over from sweet to savory – unless it’s a juice, smuice, or smoothie. Not sure why…… because I love carbs.
I love the emphasis on fair trade and supporting growing communities around the world. I always buy my mom locally made teas or fair trade jewelry from sites like 10000 villages and Fair Trade. Love this post!! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/341147740500305234/
I am so easy to please with brunch. I typically order sides if they dont have what I like- 2 eggs, sausage, hashbrowns. If we order cinnamon rolls or another sweet treat to start, youve made my day!
Best brunch spot is butterfields in Scottsdale. They squeeze fresh OJ. I would get the Santa Fe skillet without chorizo and a side of pancakes. Yum! I miss it!
At my favorite breakfast place I always order the children’s breakfast burrito (eggs, refried beans, and cheese wrapped in a tortilla made fresh!) and add veggies of the day (whatever is in season from local farms) and salsa. I’m short so the child’s size is perfect!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/202099102005228259/
scrambled eggs with cheese – my hubby’s
Check this out on Pinterest.
california toast (1 of 1)-4.jpg – http://pinterest.com/pin/310678074271594285/?s=3&m=messages
I ALWAYS get sunny side up eggs with sausage, tomato slices and an english muffin!
http://pinterest.com/pin/226657793723312244/
My favorite breakfast is Butternut Squash Spinach Breakfast Bake! http://skinnyfitalicious.com/butternut-squash-spinach-breakfast-bake/
I love brown rice french toast drizzled with coconut nectar and fresh berries.
Crab cake eggs benedict! My favorite is our make at home version but it’s a copycat from a local brunch spot. So good!
My favorite brunch spot is a local place called Shine Cafe (in Sacramento) because they have the most divine vegan waffles and you can choose your own toppings and its just amazing <3
I can’t turn down pancakes at brunch!
pinned it! the sweet potato hash looks delicious!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/242912973628367533/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/351140102173702178/
A veggie omelet with lots of avocado 🙂
5&10 Benedict at 5&10 in Athens, GA. Everything they make is wonderful!
Stuffed hashbrowns from Blue’s Egg (Tosa, WI). Stuffed with green olives and goat cheese with a paprika sauce on top. Seriously that best.
I pinned a picture of all those fabulous things! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/53902526766682355/
My fave brunch is Eggs bennedict.
Would love to win this givaway to share with mom as well. Would be a great bday gift on 5/10.
I love scrambled eggs with a buttery homemade biscuit!
Favorite brunch is poached egg over sauteed potatoes and onions with diced avocado. I’m salivating over that meal just thinking about it!
My favorite brunch dish is huevos rancheros. But not the authentic style… I like the Tex Mex style the best!
I prefer savory breakfasts — anything with bacon is a winner for me!
I love the veggie hash and French toast at Cody’s in La Jolla, and recently became obsessed with the yogurt + granola at Fig Tree Cafe! Their strawberry yogurt is just fresh strawberries blended with vanilla yogurt, and you pour it over homemade granola (: LOVE. The giveaway looks amazing.
The best huevos rancheros I have had are at this little breakfast/dinner place in Spring, Texas, called Dosey Doe. They are only open for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, but it is delicious!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/389842911471147094/
My favorite brunch dish is very similar to yours… I like a gluten free toast with avocado, a fried egg (with just a little bit of butter), and smoked salmon… so so so good
My favorite brunch spot is this diner near my house that my husband and I love!
My favorite brunch order is Eggs Benedict with sliced avocado, yum!
I order eggs benedict every time we go out for brunch!! But my dad’s eggs benedict at home tops them all!
The more homefries, the better!
I would have to say my favorite brunch is the vegan sweet potato hash with tempeh bacon and lots of jalapenos from Home Grown Cafe! YUM 🙂