Enter to win any pair of GladSoles minimalist sandals by using the widget below. Contest ends next Monday March 31st, 2014 at midnight. The winner will receive one pair of GladSoles (any model: Lite, Original or Trail)
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Whether you’re hiking the trails or just going for a walk, GladSoles will get you where you need to go in style and comfort. GladSoles come in 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm Vibram® soles. The lace is recessed into the bottom of the sole, and very easy to swap out.

Sizing:
Every pair of GladSoles is completely custom-made by hand, based on tracings of your feet. Take it slowly when you trace your feet, as an accurate tracing ensures a perfect fit.

The GladSoles Trail Specs:
Weight: 3.2 oz (per sandal, laces included, size 9)
Thickness: 8 mm
Tread: aggressive tread – durable, oil resisting, non-slip
Ground Feel: very good – slightly muted feel compared to GladSoles Original
Does it float? yes
Other: Vibram Newflex 8mm is a rubber/foam composite blend with an advanced traction pattern on the out-sole. Lightweight and overall the most comfortable sole material we offer.

Comparing the different GladSoles models:

• GladSoles Lite – As you can tell from the name, this is our lightest weight and thinnest (4mm) model. Great for the pool & beach. This model has less structure than the Original or the Trail. Best suited for those of you who really want to feel every little nook and cranny that you might encounter on and off-road. Kids really love this model.

• GladSoles Original – This is where it all started. The GladSoles Original is our most versatile sandal. It’s 6mm thin, really light weight and works well on many surfaces. Recommended for all first time, barefoot sandal wearers! This sandal has some structure to it, and will mold to your feet after you wear them around for a few days. Perfect for running, walking, hiking, casual wear – it’s a great all-around sandal.

• GladSoles Trail – This is our most secure and rugged sandal. It is 8mm thick, but will mold to your feet within a few days. Great for all of your off-road adventures. It has an aggressive tread that really grips the trails well, but will wear down a little quicker on asphalt and other man-made surfaces. The Trail model is made for all you trail runners out there, plus it’s an all-around, really comfortable everyday sandal.

Warranty:
It’s really simple. If you have an issue with your sandals, just let us know and we will fix it. We take great pride in our sandals and want to make sure that you love them as much as we do!

Shipping to all countries

I have to confess that eggs were tough to give up, and letting go of parmesan cheese on my pasta was the very last thing I did.  Kind of like the last finger holding me on the side of the cliff before I took the plunge.

This week, a study came out on the Journal of the American Medical Association that compared 3 diets: your classic low-fat diet; a high protein diet similar to Atkins, and a low glycemic diet.  The results were basically this:  simple carbs are really bad for us, that the Atkins diet is good for the short-term but not the long term, and that eating whole grains, lots of legumes and veggies is the best way to go.  It got me thinking about our plant-based ways, and how wonderful our diet makes us feel, and I wanted to share some recipes with you.

As the kids get older, more and more of their friends are becoming vegetarian. Several of the parents have asked us what we feed our family. They want to make sure they’re giving their growing kids enough nutrition, and not just replacing meat with junk, or becoming full-on cheesetarians.

So, here are a couple of ideas for tasty, easy meals that can be enjoyed by vegans, vegetarians and omnis equally:

Rice & Beans:

This is good, Friday night fare, simple and easy!

Baked brown rice:

–        3 cups brown basmati rice, rinsed.

–        6 cups water

–        2 tbsp. coconut oil

–        Salt to taste

–        1 tsp. Turmeric if I’m in the mood for yellow rice

Pre-heat the oven to 375º. Place all the ingredients in a baking dish and stir to combine. Cover tightly with tin foil.  Bake for 1 hour.  When it’s done baking, turn off the oven, uncover it, and let it sit in the oven for a while.  The top will get a little crispy.

Beans – my bean dish is pretty haphazard. I throw an onion and garlic in the pan and sauté it.  Add some chopped green & red bell peppers and jalapenos if I’ve got them, salt pepper to taste, let that sauté till softened.  Then I add about 6 cans of beans – usually a mix of black, pinto, kidney and garbanzos and maybe some hot sauce.  I let it simmer for a while, and then the big trick to make it seem like it’s been cooking for hours is to mash the beans with a potato masher.  You don’t have to be too precise about it, but it does add lovely flavor and texture to the dish. Adjust the seasonings and enjoy!

Serve with taco shells, salsa, avocado if it’s in season, more hot sauce…

BBQ Tofu:  Make sure to get the Super Firm Tofu – Trader Joe’s has good deals on it!

–        2 packages of super firm tofu

–        Juice of 1 lime

–        4 garlic cloves, crushed

–        ¼ cup olive oil

–        Tablespoon of prepared bbq sauce – I love Annie’s Organic – it’s vegan!!

–    Salt & pepper to taste

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.

Cut the tofu up into 1/2” chunks and put in a big bowl.

Toss the marinade with the tofu and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Pre-heat a grill pan and grill up the tofu on it – let it get nice grill marks on at least 2 sides.  Delicous!

Rich’s “Meat” sauce:

–        3 tbsp coconut oil

–        2 packages of veggie “meat” grounds – I don’t love to use this stuff too much, but it does add some good oomph to the dish and passes the Max test – very important!

–        1 Large onion, chopped

–        1 Red bell pepper, chopped

–        1 Yellow bell pepper, chopped

–        Garlic – 6-8 cloves – or 2 cloves of elephant garlic, whatever you’ve got!

–        2 28 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes

Saute the veggie grounds in 1 tbsp of the coconut oil till browned. Take it out of the saucepan and set aside.

Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan and sauté the onion, peppers & garlic until softened.

Add the 2 cans of tomatoes and 1.5 cans of water. Bring it up to a simmer and let it go for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and blend the sauce with an immersion blender.  When it’s all blended together, add the veggie grounds back in, stir and heat through.

Serve over whole wheat pasta!!

Follow with a giant salad!

ARTICLE ON DIET:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/which-diet-works/?src=me&ref=general

With Facebook’s IPO all over the news, the New York Times posted an article on the understated wealth of Silicon Valley’s overnight millionaires.  According to the story, the preference in Palo Alto is not to shove one’s good fortune in peoples’ faces. A photo of your flashy new car posted online is more likely to get ridiculed than admired, and instead of a handmade tailored suit, jeans and hoodies are the preferred uniform.

The creature comforts are there, but in an understated fashion:  Home theaters are buried underground, away from view.  People ride the streets on 20,000 hand-painted Italian bicycles. And some executives are sporting custom-made jeans from 3×1, that cost $1,200.

It occurs to me that a great pair of our hand-made GladSoles could be the perfect shoe to complete the look, and the perfect complement to a pair of custom-made jeans. Like 3×1, we don’t see any benefit to a mass-produced product.  We take pride in making each and every pair of our sandals, by hand, for the individual. And like those $20,000 bikes, each pair of our sandals has its own individual look.

The big difference is that you don’t have to be an overnight Facebook millionaire to outfit yourself with GladSoles. Imagine only paying $60 for a pair of completely custom-made sandals that fit only your feet, and that will last and last and last.

Links:

NYT Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/technology/a-start-up-is-gold-for-facebooks-new-millionaires.html?hpw

VeloTech cycles: http://velotechcycles.com/

3×1: http://3×1.us/