Cinnamon Sweetheart Pancakes

One week away from Valentine's Day and I was invited back to Global Calgary to talk cinnamon and showcase a healthy pancake recipe perfect for sharing with your sweetheart!

There are a multitude of reasons why we should be incorporating more cinnamon into our diets but very few people know the differences between different types of cinnamon and which one is actually better for you. True Cinnamon is our bestselling spice and always receives stellar reviews from customers. To find out why you need it, click here to watch the segment and read more here.

 

It's time to share that recipe so that you can plan an extra sweet and healthy Valentine's Day breakfast for your sweetheart!

Cinnamon Sweetheart Pancakes
(gluten free)
(makes 12)

1 cup    Brown rice flour
1/2 cup Urad dal flour (found in most Indian grocery stores or ethnic sections in supermarkets)
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda (aluminium free)
1 Tsp    Spice Sanctuary Coorg Bold Cardamom Ground  (a known aphrodisiac)
10        Strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
400 ml Water
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder (undutched preferably)
1 Tsp   Spice Sanctuary True Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Sweet Delight Spice Blend (optional)
Coconut oil
Maple Syrup

How to Make:

1. Combine the flours, baking soda and cardamom in a bowl and mix well.

2. In a pan, reduce the strawberries down in about 100ml water on a medium heat until the berries soften and it is almost a puree consistency. 

3. Add the reduced strawberries into the dry mixture and add the remaining water and whisk into a smooth fairly thick batter. If you need to add more water, do so.

4. Lightly grease the inside of your heart moulds, if using, and heat a little coconut oil in a non stick frying pan on a medium heat. Ladle enough batter to fill up the mould or one ladle to make a round pancake. 

5. As soon as the outer edges start browning and you see holes perforating through, gently flip pancakes over. If you are using a mold, gently prize the edges away from the mold, lift the mold away before flipping the pancake.

6. Cook the pancake for another minute or so. Repeat until all the batter is used up. The batter will also keep in the fridge for a few days.

How to Enjoy:

When you are ready to serve, mix together the cocoa powder and remaining spices, using a sieve, sift the mixture generously over the pancakes and drizzle with some maple syrup.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Spice Detox with Golden Milk Tea

2015 is here and it's going to be a great year so why not start the year as you mean to go on or at least try!! Ever since coming back from Vietnam (more on that trip later!) I have been feeling a little sluggish and was inspired to create a Spice Queen version of a drink my Mum used to give me as a child to get me over my winter ailments and blues.

Golden Milk is a traditional Ayurvedic drink made with turmeric and milk and then different variations of spices after that, used both for cleansing and improving immunity against colds and flu.

The colouring agent, curcumin, in turmeric, the key spice in this recipe, helps increase bile production which the liver needs to eliminate toxins from our bodies. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory and so works the digestive system too which is equally important in detoxing. It is important that the better the curcumin content the more effective using turmeric for this purpose will be.

The response I received from viewers when I demonstrated this recipe on TV recently was amazing so here is the recipe that will get you addicted to this beautiful golden healthy drink!

Ingredients (Serves 1):

1 Cup Almond or Organic Milk

1 tsp  Spice Sanctuary Turmeric ( known as a liver cleanser)

1/4 tsp Spice Sanctuary Coorg Bold Cardamom Ground (a good diuretic and good for digestion)

1/4 tsp Spice Sanctuary Ginger Powder (known to help blood flow and digestion)

pinch   Spice Sanctuary Saffron (known to help cleanse the liver)

1 tsp   Organic Coconut Oil

Honey to taste

How to Make:

1. Pour the milk and spices into a blender. Blend together for a minute or half that time if you have a high speed blender.

2. Next, transfer to a saucepan, add the coconut oil and honey and bring the milk to a boil on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

How to Enjoy:

1. Drink this golden deliciousness immediately and preferably first thing in the morning and at least an hour before bedtime. If the spices leave a residue on the bottom of your cup, give it a stir as you're drinking.

HAPPY DETOXING AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Chai Spiced Party Punch

The theme for this past weekend's TV segment on Global Calgary was a Chai Spiced Party Punch. Originating from India, Punch derived its name from the Hindi word "panch" meaning five. Traditionally this drink was made up of sugar, water, lemon, spices and other fruit juices. When it was subsequently transported to England and other western countries, it started taking on many other forms.

To stay true to this versatile and easy to make party drink, I wanted to create a recipe using five healthy and delicious ingredients, one of them obviously being spices!

Watch the video here to catch more of my personal tips on when to use whole versus ground spices and how to get more out of using your spices with one simple storing tip!

Chai is also traditionally Indian and means "tea" but in modern times we relate it to more of a spiced tea made up of warming and digestion enhancing spices. The below versions allow for both a caffeine free version and not.

Chai Spiced Party Punch

Serves 2-4

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of no added sugar Apple Juice

1 cup of no added sugar Pineapple Juice

5 Spice Sanctuary Coorg Cardamom Pods, slightly cracked open

6 Spice Sanctuary Cloves

1 Tbsp  Unrefined organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Ginger Powder

1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Nutmeg Ground

1/2 Tsp Spice Sanctuary True Cinnamon 

1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Coorg Cardamom Ground Seeds

1 cup  Coconut Water or brewed black tea

1-2 measures of Rum or Brandy (optional)

Lemon and Orange Wedges to garnish

How to Make:

1. Pour the apple and pineapple juices into a pan and add in the whole spices and a few twists of a good black pepper. Bring to a boil.

2. Next, add in the apple cider vinegar and remaining spices and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes to fully allow the spices to both infuse and impart into the juices.

How to Enjoy:

1. If serving cold, let the spiced juice cool completely before, straining into a punch bowl and then adding in some cold and naturally sweetened coconut water and (alcohol) adding the citrus slices to garnish. The longer you leave the spices in the juice, the better!

2. If serving hot, turn off the heat and add in a cup of brewed black tea, before straining, adding in the alcohol and transferring into a crock pot, adding the citrus slices and keeping it warm.

The name says party but really you can enjoy this anytime!

Delicious Appetizers With A Twist of Spice!

With the Holiday Season well underway, there is always so much to do and prepare for that it becomes more stressful than enjoyable when entertaining. The key to any dish is pairing ingredients that go really well together and then adding flavouring that also pairs with those ingredients too which is where I come in! So why not keep it simple yet delicious this year and take a little inspiration from my three appetizer ideas with a twist of spice!

You can watch the TV segment featuring these gorgeous creations here:

 Canada's Spice Queen on CTV Morning Live

Smoked Salmon & Cucumber Bites

Gluten Free Friendly

Winter Spiced Banana Mallow Dippers

Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Potato Wedges with a Curried Spinach Sauce

Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Try these and let me know which one was the show of your party!

8 Hidden Truths About Additives in (Organic) Spices

When you go to buy eggs in the grocery store, you do not expect to read the ingredients label to find anything other than eggs listed in it so why should it be any different for spices and seasonings?

If there is one thing in the spice industry that both frustrates and saddens me the most, it has to be the amount of non-spice ingredients companies feel they have to add into spices and blends in the name of "preservatives" when it is probably just another profit enhancing move.

I was perhaps quite naive when I started my company, Spice Sanctuary, as it did not even occur to me to include any non spice ingredients into the blends that I created. Yet this is common practice across North America and something many consumers may not even be aware of.

Before I go into the nasties present in so many spices, it is worth noting that for organic spices and even non-GMO spices, only 95% of the ingredients need to be certified organic or non-GMO and so the other 5% can be non organic or GMO leaving room for the nasties to creep in yet the product is still considered an organic product or non-GMO as the case may be.

I have taken a sample of Canadian and US companies offering both conventional and organic spices and blends within Canada to seek out the hidden truths everyone should know.

1. Silicon Dioxide

Silicon Dioxide is usually synthetically produced and is an additive in spices to act as an anti-caking agent to absorb moisture and prevent clumping. There should be no need to add this in at all because if the quality of spices is high and they are fresh and meet all Health Canada requirements, there will be no clumping. 

2. Citric Acid

When you think of citric acid you might think of lemon or lime acting as a preservative but no, this is far from a derivative of something so natural. Citric acid is in fact produced synthetically using ingredients such as sugar, beets, corn - in other words the most common offenders of genetically modified foods. The rationale for adding it to spices is to act as a preservative but again I bring the Devil's Advocate out of the closet and ask why is this needed if you are getting the freshest best spices? Even the Globe & Mail had something to say about its unsavoury production!

3. Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil

Essentially an oil extracted from the seeds of the cotton plant (a common GMO), it is yet another additive found in spices such as cinnamon to extend shelf life. Cinnamon is one of the most used spices in North America yet companies feel the need to extend its shelf life? 

4. Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is yet another synthetically produced additive, this time to act as a thickening agent or some sort of sugar substitute. Ironically, it is made from starches and contains glucose in its composition and results in a high glycemic index of 85-105. The starches used to make it are usually corn based (a common GMO).  Healthwise, it is said to deplete the body of vitamins and cause other issues too.

5. Sugar

Spices and herbs are so often marketed as healthy alternatives to flavouring food with sugar and salt yet there are many seasonings (organic and not) that go on to contain sugar. The convenience that blends and seasonings bring may mean that consumers then don't have to think about adding sugar and salt when using it but in reality I wonder if they still go on to season it further?

6. Salt

Admittedly sea salt is better than table salt but again the contradictions in marketing spices and herbs as healthier alternatives to high sodium intake sends confusing messages to the consumer. If the blends and seasonings are well balanced and developed, there should be no need to add in salt and probably better to leave it to the consumer to manage their own intake.

7. Natural Smoke Flavour & Spice Extractive

I have to admit, as resourceful as I may be, even I don't know what exactly this means, how these are produced, whether they have any adverse effects and what they really add to any spice seasoning. Again, I go back to my fundamental belief that spices and herbs are natural food ingredients and if they are the best quality then their flavour should not require any further modifications or additions.

8. Ethoxyquin

I think this extract from Wikipedia says it all about this E324 additive/preservative:

"Ethoxyquin has been shown to be slightly toxic to fish.

Ethoxyquin is not permitted for use in Australian foods nor is it approved for use within in the European Union. It is an approved food additive in the United States."

As sad as it is, I encourage you to read the labels and ingredient lists of the spices you buy as it is clear not all spices are created equal and organic is definitely not enough when it comes to flavouring your food with the beautiful spices and herbs our planet has been blessed with.

7 Amazing Warming Spices to Use This Winter!

Last Saturday, I made my second TV appearance on Canadian television which was very exciting!

This time, the theme was winter warming spices. I am all about versatility when it comes to everything, especially food and so what better way to showcase 7 amazing warming spices in a dish that  can then be deconstructed and made into at least 3 other dishes too! I have included the recipe below.

Here are the 7 spices I used and a brief description of why they will help you get through winter!

1. Cinnamon

This beautiful spice is known to create internal heat, improve blood circulation as well as lower blood sugar levels. Make sure it is True Cinnamon you are using though!

2. Cumin Seeds

Naturally high in Vitamin C, this earthy aromatic spice has been long used to help ward off colds and coughs. Cumin Seeds are also high in iron so helping to improve energy too.

3. Cardamom

My favourite spice of all time can be used in savory and sweet dishes. Excellent as a digestive aid and also helps to open up the respiratory channels. Add crushed pods to rice or grind the seeds and add to desserts, fruit salads, nut butters.

4. Red Chili

Chili, as you might expect, raises body heat but also helps with increasing metabolism and acts as an anti bacterial. Chilis are also naturally high in Vitamin A and C so another great winter spice!

5. Cloves

Cloves are known to improve blood circulation and ease digestion too. Great to steep in a tea or infuse into a rice or dessert dish. Remember my tip for good quality: because the volatile oils are predominantly in the heads, make sure the heads are intact and they should float vertically in warm or hot water.

6. Nutmeg

Nutmeg is extremely warming but needs to be used in small quantities and it should be tested for aflatoxin and ochratoxin at source if possible.

7. Nigella Seeds

Nigella seeds (aka Kalonji seeds) are universally versatile. Add into salad dressings, yogurt dishes, rice, roasted veggies or onto lean meats and into stews and curries and dips. It has the most powerful plant based antioxidant compound in it so one to have in your spice cupboard for sure!

Why not grind a little bit of each of the above spices for a unique winter Garam Masala!!

Warm Apple & Butternut Squash Salad

(serves 2) (Gluten Free)(Vegan) 

 

2 cups  Butternut squash, cut into 1” cubes 
1/4 tsp Spice Sanctuary Red Chili Ground
1 tsp     Spice Sanctuary Cumin Seeds

1/2 tsp Spice Sanctuary Nigella Seeds
1 Tbsp  Grapeseed or olive oil
2 Tbsp  Coconut Oil
8           Spice Sanctuary Cloves      

1     Golden Delicious Apple, skin on but cut into small 1” cubes 
1 tsp    Spice Sanctuary True Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Spice Sanctuary Nutmeg Ground
1/2 tsp Spice Sanctuary Cardamom Seeds, Ground

1 Tbsp  Hemp Seeds
Pomegranate arils and parsley to garnish (optional)
Method:

1.     Preheat the oven to 400F. In a bowl, coat the squash with the red chili ground, cumin seeds and nigella seeds first before adding in the oil and mixing it all well. Season with a little sea salt before transferring onto a baking sheet and roasting in the oven for about 30 minutes until you can put a skewer through them with little effort. Make sure you turn them over every 10 minutes to ensure they do not brown too much.

2.     Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the coconut oil on a medium heat. Add in the cloves and allow them to simmer in the oil for a minute or so to allow the volatile oils to release. You should be able to smell the cloves at this point.

3.     Then add in the apple cubes and gently cook for a couple more minutes.

4.     Next, add in the remaining spices and continue to cook down until they just begin to soften, usually only another couple of minutes. There should be some residual spiced sauce left.

5.     Transfer the butternut squash and cooked apples into serving bowl. Sprinkle in the hemp seeds for a protein boost and toss well so that the sweetness of the apples melds with the heat in the squash. Drizzle over any remaining spiced coconut oil and garnish with some chopped parsley and pomegranate arils and enjoy immediately.

Other Deconstructed Dishes:

1.     To make a delicious heartwarming soup, add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water into a blender together with the cooked apples, squash and hemp seed and blend until smooth. Heat again prior to serving.

2.     Use just the cooked apples for a smoothie or breakfast dish or cook down further to make a spiced apple pie filling or reduce even further for a sugar free applesauce.

3.     Add just the cooked squash to curries or stir fries. Or serve the squash as a side to any dinner.

Bon Appetit!

Are Organic Spices Better?

With Organic Week around the corner, it seems only appropriate to go back to basics when it comes to spices and talking about whether organic spices are better.

Better compared to Conventional?

Organic spices are grown without the use of pesticides and chemicals whereas conventional spices are usually grown using pesticides and chemicals. So, organic spices are definitely purer. Adhering to organic production also means that the spices cannot be genetically modified. They also typically do not contain MSG or any other nasty fillers either. In addition, organic spices won't have been irradiated or fumigated.

Better in Taste?

Now this is where I feel consumers are being misled. Just because spices may be organically grown, it doesn't mean they taste better. Taste always comes down to the quality of spices and as I have talked about before, there are many factors that contribute to quality. 

Think of it like the outside of a  house and 'organic' as the foundations to the building. You need the foundations to start the house but to complete it you also need walls, floors, windows and the roof. In this case, the rest of the house would be the pillars of quality being grades, volatile oils, harvesting methods and processing, harvest year and last but not least journey time. The house would not be the best it can be and there would be no point to the foundations if any of these components were not built or completed properly as we saw with a recent peppercorn recall.

Better for You?

Recently there has been research in the UK that showed eating organic produce was better for our health. The fact that spices are organic and not grown with chemicals is obviously a good thing in that we are not ingesting those toxins but as to nutrient value or other benefits, any purported benefits or therapeutic benefits from consuming more spices can only be as good as the quality. If, for example, one is taking turmeric to help with inflammation, it is the curcumin content in the turmeric that will help with this ailment. If the curcumin content is low (typically by the lighter colour of the turmeric as it is also the colouring agent in turmeric) then you are going to need more of it. Further, if that turmeric was harvested years ago, got repackaged and oxidised multiple times and has not been used regularly, its volatile oils will have depleted and what is commonly known as a healing spice is not so healing any more.

To conclude, in answer to the question whether organic spices are better - yes they are but they are not necessarily the best - that comes from the layers of quality you need to build on top.

Buy Local, Buy Organic, Buy Online!

Over the past year or so, we have personally seen an increase in the number of sustainable online grocery delivery companies that have listed the Spice Sanctuary spices. Coming from the UK, online grocery shopping is quite a tried and tested phenomenon and it is so exciting for me to see that growing in Canada!

The emphasis here, though, is on these companies offering locally grown or sourced, organic and sustainable produce, groceries and more. It is changing the mindset of the consumer from driving to the grocery store or multiple stores if one store does not carry everything to having it all delivered to you. It has never been easier to support local farmers, local producers, Canadian brands and eat more sustainably and healthier. Check out these five reasons to eat local below (while our spices may not be grown in Canada, our Farm to Pantry and Best Grade Promise means these reasons also easily apply to our products).

 

The Organic Box, Spud.ca, Green Earth Organics, On The Move Organics, Peacefull Pantry, Farm Box, Eat it by Vitahealth all carry and offer our organic spices and blends but more importantly, they are all stewards and shining examples of where the natural food retail industry is heading in Canada.

What Spice Recalls Mean for Canadian Consumers

Just a few days ago, a major US brand issued a recall both in the States and Canada of their whole organic peppercorns for salmonella. 

The full recall notice can be found here as well as details of what to do if you have bought the affected items:

 http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/newsroom/food-recall-warnings/complete-listing/2014-04-05/eng/1396736705517/1396736719852?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#recall-media

The impact a recall can have on both consumer and brand is significant. Organic spices are a food product (usually free from irradiation and fumigation) and therefore not immune from microbiological issues and pathogens. Indeed, no food company is immune from this happening to their products or spices but there are ways this can be mitigated by both the brand and consumer (believe it or not), especially as not all organic spices are the same. 

There are many factors that contribute to pathogens like storage conditions, transit times, micro analysis at harvest and beyond. However, the larger the company, the more likely they are to buy their products in very large quantities leading to potentially longer warehouse and storage time until sold, increasing the risk of pathogens growing in the product. This also increases the reach of people who could have bought the products, taking longer and making it harder to contain the issue and to ensure safe return of affected products. Recalls on a large scale may also cause price fluctuations in the affected product for other brands and ultimately you, the consumer. So what can you do?

What can consumers to do to mitigate their risk?

• Buy from local or smaller companies.
• Don't be afraid to try other brands - you might be pleasantly surprised!
• Don't be afraid to ask questions to the brand. You are the consumer and you have the right to know!
• Consider buying packaged versus bulk organic spices as this ensure better traceability in case of recall issues.
• Consider choosing brands that offer the shortest supply or most recent harvest.
• Use your spices everyday to avoid long term storage issues in your home.

What does Spice Sanctuary to do to mitigate this risk?

• Buy their products in smaller batches
• Ensure products meet all requisite screening parameters before and after buying them
• Ensure products are recent harvest to maximize freshness and minimize spoilage
• Ensure products are only packaged the once - rebranded or repackaged goods are exposed to multiple environments that may contribute to contaminants.
• Ensure spices are the best grades available - high volatile oils can act as inhibitors to bacterial micro-organisms

Meeting the Spice Farmers

Wow, it has been over a year since we've posted a blog! This hiatus was not because we had nothing to write about but the total opposite..we were extremely busy building up the business and spreading the Spice Sanctuary spice love!

We started this year with 55 retail locations across Canada stocking our spices and a fabulous trip to go and meet the farmers who are growing our increasingly popular products! Apart from learning so much about how far organic farming has come along in India and of course seeing the spices in their sapling form to ready for harvest, the one thing we took away from our tours was just how much love, effort and skill these farmers dedicate to growing such beautiful spices. Their infectious smiles and warm hospitality was only a tiny glimpse into the love they pour into their farms and crops. No wonder we feel so much more connected to our products and more appreciative of their freshness and journey.

Meet Farmer Dehra AKA the King

He owns a small farm near a windfarm in southern Indian growing organic ginger. The ginger is then washed, sliced, sun dried and then powdered. Did you know that the ginger crop takes up so many nutrients from the soil that, once harvested, ginger cannot be grown in that same plot of land for a few years? This means Farmer Dehra has to be so versatile in what he grows on this plot in future years and hope that the yields will be good.

Meet Farmer Joy and his daughter

Farmer Joy has a 2 acre farm growing ginger and turmeric. Both of these spices are from the ginger family so grow in similar soil conditions. Turmeric takes about 9 months to grow and when the leaves are dry, the roots are ready to harvest. Shortly after, it is boiled for many hours before being sun dried (what the daughter is holding) and powdered.

Meet Farmer Shruthi, the Cardamom farmer

Farmer Shruthi's farms are in the Coorg region of India where the best Cardamom in the world is grown. Who knew that cardamom needed such skilled pickers for it to be the best quality - the difference between the inside of your cardamom pods being black seeds or gray or brown seeds is all down to the picker knowing which pods are ripe or not. The pods are then dried and graded by size and volatile oil content, bold grade being the best available.

Meet Farmer Ganesh

Farmer Ganesh owns a beautiful farm with his family and brother. They, like many farmers, utilise intercropping. This means they learn to grow different crops among different trees and soil conditions to optimise yields. Here we saw organic nutmeg, bananas, vanilla, turmeric, tamarind, lemongrass, dragonfruit and more!

We met so many other farmers and saw how organic composting and manure is made and even visited a biodynamic farm where the crops are grown using an astrological calendar and other prescribed methods and the crop yield has multiplied by 30%. There is only word to describe this experience. 

Amazing.

Will the Real Saffron please stand up?

Ahead of the imminent launch of our own organic saffron, I came across something quite disturbing. It seems the practice of selling fake or adulterated spices continues even in the 21st century and Saffron is the biggest victim of them all.

Knowing what you buy is just as important for food as it is for anything else. When you buy a computer, you would want to know the memory space, speed, processor details so why not know where your spices come from and what grade they are?

How to tell the True Saffron from the Fake?  Here are some ways to tell the difference:

Name

The fake saffron is commonly known as American Saffron or Mexican Saffron. True saffron is Greek Saffron, Spanish Saffron or true Saffron.

 Botanical Name

Fake saffron is derived from the dried petals of Safflower (or Carthamus tinctorius), a stiff thistle plant (bottom). In India, true saffron is sometimes replaced or mixed with turmeric as another form of adulteration. Strands of dyed gelatin or corn silk have also been used. True saffron is derived from the stigmas of the crocus sativus plant (top).

Colour

As you will see from the photos below, fake saffron (top) is much lighter in colour than true saffron (bottom).

Shape

The fake saffron strands are straighter and coarser. True saffron strands are finer and usually have trumpet like shape ends.

Pigmentation

American Saffron or other fake saffrons do not contain crocin which is the colouring agent found in true saffron and which has the potential brain health benefits of saffron. Fake saffron usually releases a red-orange colour and pretty quickly too whereas true saffron should release its colour slowly to a beautiful golden yellow colour. Some fake saffrons even dissolve in the water or leach the dye colour to leave behind different coloured strands.

Grading

True saffron is usually graded to ISO standards and any good manufacturer or supplier should provide this information on the labeling.

Category I details

 The higher the colouring strength (crocin) the better the saffron and its other attributes: aroma (safranal) and flavour (picocrocin)

Price

True Saffron costs considerably more than its fake counterpart. This is not surprising when it takes  stigmas of approximately 200,000 saffron flowers to produce 1kg of saffron.

Categorization & Taste

If you look at our grades of taste profiles for spices (hot, pungent, tangy, sweet & mild), the true saffron would be pungent and the fake, mild. The true saffron has a woody aroma with a slight honey taste. The fake saffron often has no taste or if it derived from safflower, a bitter sweetness.

Moral of the story:

I was once asked in a cooking class why you couldn't just buy lots of the American Saffron and use more of it instead of spending so much on the real stuff. The answer is simple: quality over quantity. It is the quality that provides the potential health benefits and superior taste.

In short, Know what you buy and why you are buying it before you buy it!