Archives: December 2010

20 Dec 2010, Comments (2)

Organic Valley Organic Salted Butter

Author: Healthnuttxo

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With the holidays approaching and lots of yummy treats being made, why not try something different? I’m all for organic and natural foods, and try to eat them whenever possible. So what about in the next cookie or cake recipe that calls for butter, trying an organic brand, like Organic Valley Organic Butter? I tried this in a recipe not too long ago, and although the taste wasn’t much different than the standard butter I normally would have used, I did have a little piece of mind knowing it was organic. I had no problems with the butter and it went great with my recipe. Plus, I think every little bit helps!

Do you use any organic products when you make cookies or other treats? Or, slightly off topic, but I’d like to know what do you do to make the holidays healthier? Please leave me a comment below! :)

I was provided a coupon to try the Organic Valley Organic Butter for free.

18 Dec 2010, Comments (5)

Kashi Organic Strawberry Fields Cereal

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Nothing like a good bowl of cereal to start off the day. One of my favorite cereals is Kashi Organic Strawberry Fields. Since I don’t consider it really a whole grain for my consumption of the day since the first ingredient is “Organic Long Grain Rice”, I usually pair it with a whole grain cereal, like Cheerios, and half a banana with some almond milk for breakfast. It’s description on the box is “Organic Crispy Rice & Wheat Flakes with Organic Strawberries and Raspberries”, and let me tell you, it is 100% delicious!

I find each time I buy the box it’s always something different for the shapes of the flakes. One time I got rather small pieces, and the last time I purchased this cereal I got really large flakes. Nonetheless, they are crunchy flakes with a sweet coating and sheen to them, with a bit of strawberry flavor. My favorite part, of course, is the freeze-dried strawberries. While I won’t eat the strawberries without having them soak in my almond milk for a while [they can be a bit tart], they plump up quite nicely in the milk and are great.

A downfall of this cereal is that sometimes the dried fruit part is not even. I remember once I only got about 4 or 5 freeze dried strawberries in the whole box! I was very disappointed. I also find that there are not a ton of raspberries in the cereal, but that’s okay for me because I prefer strawberries over raspberries anyway.

Another thing is that like I said before, the first ingredient is “Organic Long Grain Rice”, although there is “Organic Whole Wheat” as the 3rd ingredient, but not enough to make this count as a whole grain serving for me for my day. But it’s too delicious to pass up on. Sweet, crunchy, and just perfect in milk, or straight from the box.

Overall, I give this 4 1/2 stars. One of my favorites! I love that it’s organic, delicious, and only 9 grams of sugar per 1 cup (32 grams) serving.

What’s your FAVORITE cereal to eat for breakfast?

1 cup (32 grams) is 120 calories, 0 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Organic Long Grain Rice, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Whole Wheat, Organic Freeze-Dried Strawberries, Sea Salt, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Freeze-Dried Raspberries.


17 Dec 2010, Comments (3)

ProBar Sweet & Savory Maple Pecan Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo


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I got some free bars, courtesy of ProBar, that came in the mail the other day, and was quite excited. I’ve heard about these bars and seen them in WHole Foods, but never actually bought one. One of them I was sent was Maple Pecan. First off, I hope you all know my great love for maple flavored things and how much I also looooove Pecans. Strangely, I love them more than I love peanuts, and yet peanut butter is one of my favorite things. Anyway, that’s off topic. Moving on… =)

This was called a “Whole Food Meal Replacement”, along with being vegan and organic. Knowing that it was a “Whole Food Meal Replacement” bar made sense after looking at the nutrition. This bar, which is bigger than most bars I have eaten, but not incredibly large (85 grams), was 390 calories, 23 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar and 10 grams of protein.

So I certainly wouldn’t call this a snack. Although a little low in the protein department in my opinion for a “meal” it was overall pretty good. But how did it taste?

Well, the first thing I noticed was it was a brownish colored bar with several things, such as chocolate chips, pecan pieces, raisins, some flaxseeds I believe, and a bunch of other things all mushed together. It was rather sticky and chewy, but with some crunchy consistency from all the pieces of things in there. The flavor was quite bizarre, actually. I didn’t quite pick up a “maple pecan” flavor, but more of a sweet, fruity tasting bar, with maple-orangey flavor, with a toasted nut taste, and just a teeny bit salty. I know, a lot going on. I would have preferred a bit more of a salty flavor, but that’s just me. The raisins were plump and pretty good, and the pieces of nuts were OK, if found them to have a kind of off flavor.

One of the things I really did not like was the chocolate chips. I looked at the ingredients and saw “unsweetened dark chocolate”. Now, I’m not a fan of dark chocolate to begin with as I find it kind of bitter, but especially when it’s not sweetened, I found it extremely bitter. In other words, I would have totally been fine with this bar had it not been for the chocolate chips.

So, summing it all up, I think these bars are convenient for when times when I’m on the go and don’t have time for a sit-down meal. The fact that it has a high fat content I think makes up for the low protein content as fat from nuts and such helps me stay satisfied. If the chocolate chips were omitted or swapped for something else, I would have liked it much more. Otherwise, this gets 3 stars.

Question- What do you eat when you dont have time for a “sit down meal” on the go?

15 Dec 2010, Comments (1)

Divine White Chocolate with Strawberries

Author: Healthnuttxo

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So, I went to Whole Foods the other day [shocking, I know.. =) ] and they were handing out free samples of chocolates. Why not? I thought. How could I turn down a piece of natural chocolate? I opted for the White Chocolate with Strawberries, as it seemed interesting. I ate a small piece, and really liked it, so I bought a bar, and took it home( I also REALLY liked the wrapper- how pretty !!)

In fact, the entire ride home I couldn’t wait to eat it. I ate it so fast when the samples were given out, I felt as if I didn’t really get to enjoy it. No worries- I mean I DID have an entire bar waiting for me…

I opened it up, and noticed little squares of chocolate making up a rather large bar. Pale white/beige in color, but as I broke off a square there were a bunch of pinkish-red spots within the chocolate- alas! The strawberries!

I broke off a piece and ate it. Mmmmmm. Honestly, even if you don’t like white chocolate, I think you’ll like this. Why? Because- it doesn’t even taste like white chocolate- it tastes like STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM! Immediately when I tried it I thought of strawberry icecream, with vanilla undertones. Creamy and sweet, with just the slightest bit of texture from the peices of strawberries. Just absolutely delicious.

This is getting 5 stars from me. Hands down the best white chocolate I have ever had. It’s not the healthiest thing to eat given the high calorie and fat content, but it’s a ver indulgent and very delicious chocolate. I’ll take this for my Holiday treat!

10 blocks (42 grams) is 220 calories, 12 grams of fat (8 saturated), 25 grams of carbohydrates, 24 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

15 Dec 2010, Comments (0)

Musselman’s “Simple Steps, Big Impact”

Author: Healthnuttxo

Hey everyone!

Here’s a great thing going on soon, involving one of my favorite foods- APPLESAUCE! =P

Ms. George from Musselman’s e-mailed me about this promotion where they are partnering up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation. You can help out by purchasing some Natural and Healthy Picks Apple Sauce during the month of JANUARY, for 10 cents of every package is donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation!

You can find out some more information about it here.

12 Dec 2010, Comments (4)

Archer’s Farms Cinnamon Peanut Butter

Author: Healthnuttxo

Yesterday I went to Target, and although I have about 30 jars of nut butter in my house already (literally there is a “Nut Butter” Spot in my closet), something drew me to this peanut butter. Creamy Cinnamon Peanut Butter by Archer’s Farms. I have been drawn to this peanut butter before, but never actually bought it until yesterday.

I was so excited to try it, the second I got home I took off the lid and gave it a stir. It was very runny, even after stirring it didn’t thicken up much. I thought about refrigerating it, but it said it capitals on the back “DO NOT REFRIGERATE”. So, I didn’t want anything weird to happen, so I listened. Nooooo refrigeration for this peanut butter!

Anyway-

I tasted it, and was slightly taken aback. I was expecting a cinnamon-sugar tasting peanut butter. Like a sweet peanut butter with a cinnamon after taste. Nope. THis was the type of cinnamon that was in those red cinnamon candies. Almost like a slightly spicy cinnamon. It was so bizarre.

While I can’t say I hated it, I also can’t really picture eating it out of the jar like I would with my other nut butters. Perhaps I’ll try it out on toast and see how it goes.

Until then, 3 stars. Not super excited about the taste or texture for that matter, too runny, but it was a very creamy peanut butter. Only 3 ingredients and all natural too!

*What’s your FAVORITE cinnamon-flavored thing?

2 tbsp (32 grams) is 180 calories, 14 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber 5 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein.

Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Cinnamon Oil.

11 Dec 2010, Comments (0)

Brummel & Brown Spread Made with Yogurt

Author: Healthnuttxo

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I’m reviewing one of my favorite spreads- a delicious buttery spread made by Brummel & Brown. I saw Hungry Girl for promoting this delicious product in the recipes, so I thought to give it a try. Plus, it’s made with yogurt- and I’m a TOTAL yogurt kind of girl :)

Now, the ingredients aren’t as thrilling as I’d like them to be, but nonetheless, they still aren’t that bad. When I opened up my tub of spread, it looked like regular spread tub butter. A pale yellow with a swirl on the top. It was soft, and melts easily. Not too salty, but a good buttery flavor. I couldn’t really tell the difference between full fat and this Brummel & Brown spread!

My favorite way to use it is on an english muffin with scrambled eggs. I find it really made a difference when makiing french toast as well. Normally I would use non-stick spray, but using the Brummel & Brown really gives it a buttery flavor, without a ton of calories or fat.

Overall, 4 1/2 stars. A fantastic product. I highly reccomend giving it a try!

*Question–> What’s your favorite spread for toast? Mine is butter with cinnamon and sugar, or other favorite would be good ol’ peanut butter. Mmmm.

1 tablespoon (14 grams) is 45 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber and 0 grams of protein.

Water, Vegetable Oil Blend (Soybean Oil, Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Canola Oil), Salt, Gelatin,  Nonfat Yogurt (Cultured Nonfat Milk), Soy Lecithin, Vegetable Mono and Diglycerides, (Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Disodium EDTA) Used to protect quality, Lactic Acid, Artificial Flavor, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene (color).

10 Dec 2010, Comments (0)

Nutritious Creations Low Fat Banana Walnut Cookies

Author: Healthnuttxo

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During my rather busy day yesterday, I ran into a little grocery store and bought myself a greek yogurt and a Nutritious Creations Low Fat Banana Walnut Cookie. The store had a few options to choose from, but I was in the mood for banana, so I bought that one. I liked, for one thing, how BIG the cookie was. Not the typical homemade or medium sized store bought, but a large cookie. Perhaps the size of a CD. This cookie is made with natural ingredients, and although not something I would normally indulge in, seeing as it was made with corn syrup and wheat flour as opposed to whole wheat, I decided to buy it anyway.

Anywayyy…

Because it stated it was low fat, I was expecting a rather dry and very sweet product,  but it actually wasn’t that bad. It had a good amount of sweetness, and was only slightly dry. It overall had a good amount of moisture and a chewy texture, which I also think was from pieces of rolled oats throughout the cookie. The banana flavor was really good- a real banana flavor, not a fake, artificial one, which I really enjoyed. The walnuts were also a nice touch, not big chunks, but rather small pieces dispersed throughout the cookie. What I did not like at all was that there was these rice crisps throughout the cookie, and it was sort of offputting for me. It was like eating a chewy cookie and then an unexpected piece of puffed rice got in the cookie. I didn’t really like it, and it sort of took away from the cookie in my opinion.

Overall, pretty good cookie. I would totally buy it again if there was an option without the rice crisps. I liked that there was 4 grams of fiber and 170 calories for a rather large cookie. However, this cookie also had 18 grams of sugar, and was made from wheat flour rather than whole wheat, so I would use it as a “treat” rather than an everyday snack. 3 stars

1 cookie is 170 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein.

Question- what’s your favorite cookie variety? Please leave me a comment below!

5 Dec 2010, Comments (2)

Quaker Hearty Medleys Apple Cranberry Almond Instant Oatmeal

Author: Healthnuttxo

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I normally always have cold cereal with fruit and almond milk for breakfast, but in the mood for something new, I wanted oatmeal. I didn’t want old fashioned oatmeal as I wanted to go to the gym after breakfast and I find old fashioned is much more satisfying than instant, and I kind of wanted some quick energy.

So, I decided to try the new Quaker Hearty Medleys Apple Cranberry Almond Instant Oatmeal. I believe I got a free sample that came with my daily newspaper, so I thought why not?

I decided to do the microwave method, which required putting the oatmeal in a bowl with 1/3 of a cup water or milk and microwaving for 30-60 seconds, give or take. I remember thinking only 1/3 of a cup? it seemed kind of low, but I followed the instructions.

After cooking, I noticed I probably could have added more water, as it was a little pasty in consistency. As for the fruit and nuts,  the package claimed it was “loaded with real fruits & nuts”, so I was a bit skeptical, but quite pleased. While there weren’t a ton of apples and cranberries (in fact, I really didn’t find that many apples,  but the cranberries were delicious!), but there were a good amount of sliced almonds. They had a weird texture, not crunchy, but not soft, sort of an inbetween, like a chewy texture. Nonetheless, they were still good. It was different than any oatmeal I ever had. There also was a nice touch of cinnamon that provided good flavor.

Overall, 3 1/2. It was pretty yummy, but the portion was kind of tiny, and the texture was a bit pasty. Perhaps if I ever buy this I’ll add more water, or use the stovetop( boiling the water )method instead. But, what I did like, was that I had this oatmeal with some fruit, and it was rather satisfying and provided me with the energy I needed!

1 pouch (36 grams) is 130 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein.

4 Dec 2010, Comments (0)

Suzanne’s Specialties Chocolate Rice Nectar

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Now that the cold weather is here (I will wait for you, summer…) what’s better than the holiday treats and hot cocoa?

To add to those treats, Suzanne’s Specialties makes Chocolate Rice Nectar, which according to the bottle, “will replace supermarket type chocolate syrup in any recipe”, and can use it “over frozen desserts, cakes” or even “directly from the bottle”. This product is also “gluten free and is made without the use of any cane or beet sugars”.

So, I decided to give it a try! I had some straight from the jar, and wanted to make some chocolate milk.

First I took a spoonful out. It was very thick, almost like caramel, with a very dark black/brown color. I tasted some, and it was certainly sweet, but had a chocolatey tang to it. Not exactly like chocolate syrup I’m used to, but very close. I couldn’t get over how THICK it was!

Next, I wanted to make chocolate milk. So I stuck a spoonful in a cup, added some milk, and stirred. Rather, I attempted to stir. I kept mixing, and although the milk did change color, there was a rather decent amount of the Rice Nectar still on the bottom of the cup. Hmm.. what could I do?

Microwave! I heated it up for about 20 seconds, and make a mock Hot- Cocoa! And DELICIOUS it was. Almost like a burnt milk chocolate flavor. The rice nectar worked very well warm.

I also plan on dipping strawberries or cut up apple slices in this rice nectar. Can we say YUMMY!?!

Overall, pretty yummy! While I wouldn’t eat it straight from the jar, I think it’s better eaten with things. I also wouldn’t eat it everyday, as 2 tablespoons has 125 calories (but also 2.5 grams of fiber!) 3 1/2 stars

2 tablespoons is 125 calories, 0 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 19 grams of sugar, 2.5 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

Brown Rice Syrup, Cocoa Powder, and Natural Vanilla.

*I recieved this product to try for free from Suzanne’s Specialties*

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