Seventh Generation Energy Smart Dishwasher Detergent Test

Product testing is awesome. What's even better is when the products that you're testing are in line with your philosophies about health and the environment. I have been a part of Seventh Generations's Generation Good for a few months now and have not been disappointed by one thing I have been asked to test, which is not something I can say about all of my other product testing opportunities. Here's a pin I made of the product I was able to test for free this time around:

Seventh Generation's new Energy Smart automatic dishwasher detergent uses a plant-based formula designed for high performance cleaning whether in cold or warm water settings, and without phosphates or chlorine.

Some fun facts about Seventh Gen's Energy Smart Automatic Dishwasher Gel:

- Formulated for high performance cleaning in low energy settings.

- Plant-based gel formula

- Formulated to clean even tough loads without phosphates, chlorine or synthetic fragrances

- No harsh fumes

- Septic-safe

Writing a review for @SeventhGen's Energy Smart Automatic Dishwasher Detergent. Up on the blog soon! #gotitfree

A photo posted by Victoria (@lsgtorie) on Sep 20, 2015 at 8:22pm PDT

Well I gave this stuff a month of testing, versus my usual dish washing detergent and this is what I found:

This product smells great. It's not an overpowering, so-far-up-your-nostrils-it's-in-your-brain scent, but it's clean and fresh smelling.

There is way less residue left on my dishes than with my regular detergent. I have hard water. It's just something I deal with all throughout my home, but I've been resigned for awhile to the fact that my dishes would never be totally clean. Well, I am so pleased to say that I was wrong! This has probably been the cleanest my dishes have ever been. I've used detergents with bleach, other natural detergents, powder detergents, individual "pak"-type detergents, rinse aids, you name it! This was the best (and least toxic) by far.

It is not messy! The gross thing about those wrapped detergent "paks" is that sometimes, some of the pack gets left behind in the detergent cup. I've also had it make the dispenser get stuck, and therefore not release the detergent AT ALL (extra disappointing and frustrating. Waste of water and detergent)! This gel formula is easy to pour, and stays in the cup until it's needed.

My dishwasher is not a new one. Admittedly, I have no idea how old it is, because it came with our condo when we bought it two years ago, but it looked old, even then. Even though my dishwasher may be on it's last leg, this detergent has helped it be effective, even though it's days are numbered.

New blog going live in 5 minutes: Product testing - Seventh Generation Energy Smart Automatic Dishwasher Detergent

A photo posted by Victoria (@lsgtorie) on Sep 26, 2015 at 7:48pm PDT

All in all, I am impressed with the effectiveness of this product. Green or not, this is one of the best dish washing detergents that I've ever tried and I highly recommend it!

SB&J Burgers

Okay, so this was the first thing I was actually nervous about trying in a very long time. All the ingredients I love separately.

Burgers? Delicious!

Strawberries? I grew up in Santa Maria, California. We live strawberries.

Sunbutter? Awesome.

Together? Ehhh... Yep, that's right! Hesitation.

This is what I pinned:


The Sprout and I took a trip to the farmer's market today and then went to get the usual groceries. After the little guy went down for a nap, I decided I was hungry and started poking around a copy of Well Fed 2 I borrowed from the library to see if anything looked good. I couldn't believe it when I thumbed over this recipe from The Clothes Makes the Girl's Melissa Joulwan. Sunbutter and Jelly... ON A BURGER? Woah.

I had all the ingredients... Why not? Besides, it's Whole 30 compliant and I've got a day and a half left to go!

I started by washing and cutting up our fresh strawberries. I ended up only using one of those lemons, but I think I probably could have gotten by with a half a little lemon.

I added in the ginger powder and set this bowl aside. I got the burgers made with the salt and pepper and got them in my pan. In the recipe, it says to grill your burgers, and I'm sure that tastes 10x better! They still came out pretty good.

While those were cooking away, I dumped my strawberry mixture into a small skillet and got to stirring! I didn't want these to burn, especially because all of the fruit sugar, so I kept a close eye on these berries.

Teaser video for new blog post coming out tonight! Making SB&J Burgers from @meljoulwan! So excited, but actually a bit nervous. Going to take a bit of bravery to eat this one, but I have a feeling it will pay off...

A video posted by Victoria (@lsgtorie) on Sep 6, 2015 at 7:38pm PDT

So everything got all bubbly and delicious! I put the mixture into a bowl and set it aside to cool. I popped a bit of the Sunbutter into the microwave for a few seconds to get it all soft and easy to pour.

A quick tip about green onions: try putting them in a cup of water when you come home from the store. They will last a lot longer, and they'll keep growing! You'll get way more for your money! Just change the water every other day. I use my kitchen shears to cut off just what I need.

And... they were pretty darn good! I think that I could make two improvements. 1. I would put less lemon in the strawberries. I got a little too lemon happy. Hazard of not being a person who measures. 2. I would try to get the hubby to grill these bad boys up. I was not down to clean the grill tonight, so that will definitely be happening for round two... YES! Round two! These are just weird enough to be really, really good! Melissa also has a variation on her recipe that's called "Fat Elvis". That's exactly what it sounds like; a burger with banana, bacon, and Sunbutter (or almond butter)! 

That has to happen.