I had to laugh when I saw Eden’s latest rant on giveaways, because I had in my mind planned to do a giveaway today. My dear snarky friend always comes up with a topic to stir the debate pot and perhaps raise a bit of hell, and this particular post was just too appropriate for comfort.

But I realized I’ve never stated my own policy on giveaways. So here it is:

1. I don’t email companies asking for free samples.

Admittedly, I used to do that in my early blogging days as all new bloggers do, giddy with the possibility to trying new products for free, but I’ve come to despise ingratiating myself to companies just to score freebies. I’d rather preserve my reputation than score a few free cookies that probably comes from the close-to-expiry stock. A freebie whore is not an image I want to portray to myself or my readers.

2. I only do giveaways on products I actually like.

You can be certain of that, because I really don’t want someone to receive something that tastes like skunk poop and send me an angry email demanding counseling services for gastronomical trauma.

3. I don’t do giveaways for the sake of viewership.

Are you kidding? Giveaways should never be done for the sake of ratings. That’s kind of sad…it’s like an eager-to-please loser kid who spends his/her lunch money buying shiny stickers for the popular kids so they can notice him/her. The popular kids will take the sticker, but forget you even existed the moment they turn their heels.

4. I try not to do giveaways too often.

Because I think my original posts about me, myself and I are way more fun. But that may just be my self-absorbed pride talking.

So. Now that I’ve clearly stated my giveaway policy, I can confidently declare that this giveaway is for YOU, my dearest, loveliest readers. And that’s from the bottom of my heart. Truly, thank you for being wonderful. I especially appreciated the sweet, comforting comments on my post about the tough time I had at my internship, and I know I’ve already expressed my gratitude, but here’s another one.

I’m not The Pioneer Woman (whom I freaking adore!!) and I struggle with personal finances, so I can’t regularly host my own giveaways. But Love Grown Foods happened to offer me some samples…which was perfect because recently I’ve been quite a granola-whore. I just can’t get enough! So I accepted the offer to try them, and I actually really liked them.

Love Grown Foods sent me three different kinds of granola. Here they are, from left to right:

• Sweet Cranberry Pecan
• Cocoa Goodness
• Raisin Almond Crunch

Apparently they were created with love. But other than that mushy stuff, they were also created with lots of agave-and-honey-sweetened rolled oats, whole nuts, milled flaxseed, and other lovely chunks of whole foods.

Here’s the Sweet Cranberry Pecan:
Ingredients: Certified Gluten-Free Oats, Honey, PECANS, Cranberries, Organic Agave Syrup, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Coconut, Sunflower Seeds, Spices, Milled Flaxseed, Cinnamon, Sea Salt.
I really appreciated the plentiful pecans in there. My pet peeve is granola that is just mostly cheap grains and just a spotty sprinkle of nuts and fruits here and there.
I also adored the huge slivers of coconut! They are both aesthetically and texturally pleasing.

Next up, Cocoa Goodness:
Ingredients: Certified Gluten-Free Oats, Honey, Organic Agave Syrup, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, 63% Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, SOYA LECITHIN, Pure Vanilla), Sunflower Seeds, Spices, Milled Flaxseed, 100% Pure Cocoa Powder, Sea Salt.
I’m not all that into chocolate-flavored stuff so it wasn’t my favorite out of the three, but I’ll bet this is one of the customer favorite.
The chocolatey flavor actually comes from a mixture of 63% dark chocolate chips and cocoa powder, so you really taste the chocolate without the sweetness of milk or white chocolate (sob).
This granola is for the dark chocolate snobs out there. You actually get a faint dusting of cocoa on your fingers. Perfect for licking.

Last, the Raisin Almond Crunch:
Ingredients: Certified Gluten-Free Oats, Honey, ALMONDS, Raisins, Organic Agave Syrup, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Coconut, Sunflower Seeds, Spices, Milled Flaxseed, Cinnamon, Sea Salt.
Again, love the chockfull of whole almonds!
I also liked that the raisins were plump, and not emaciated and dry and tough like stale raisins in some granolas can get. The spicing was nice, too. Bold but not overwhelming.
As for the texture of these granola: they aren’t just crunchy. They’re a blend of different textures: crunch, crisp and chewy. I’m a huge texture person, so that part was what won me over.

So. Because I liked it, I asked Love Grown Foods whether they would be willing to host a giveaway too for my U.S. readers, and they are happy to send out a package to one lucky reader, who will receive three packages of Love Grown granola.
Yup, I’m spreading the love.
To stick to the company’s motto, here’s how you enter: leave a comment spreading love to…anyone. Anything. Just give a shout-out of love; it can be to your husband who finally remembered to put the toilet seat back down, or your trash collector who smiled at you this morning, or even the firm toilet paper that didn’t tear in your hand while you…you know. I mean, don’t you hate that?

For extra chances to win, you can follow Love Grown on Twitter or Facebook. Just remember to comment again saying you did so.

Ready? Let me start:
I spread the love to my IKEA bowls, which is the perfect serving size for my granola. I got them at the baby section. They are awesome because they come in funky colors and they’re small enough to allow a second (or third) helping.

Okay, your turn now!

Related posts:

1. “Spread the Love” Winner
2. Zevia Winner!
3. Tips: How To Avoid Becoming an Overwhelmed Student (me)
4. A camping trip with rice-cookers and no s’mores

Tagged as: granola