The peeps over at Modern Oats compiled a fun list of facts to celebrate National Oatmeal Day tomorrow. Enjoy below, and check out their website! They have some pretty yummy looking flavors. I will be sampling some in the near future!
Happy snacking!
The peeps over at Modern Oats compiled a fun list of facts to celebrate National Oatmeal Day tomorrow. Enjoy below, and check out their website! They have some pretty yummy looking flavors. I will be sampling some in the near future!
Happy snacking!
I got this sample of Livionex Dental Gel to try out. Notice, I said dental GEL, not toothpaste. This is intentional. This dental gel is made without fluoride, dyes, detergents, and antimicrobials, and is aimed to reduce plaque. Â You are instructed to use it twice a day, with a pea sized amount.
The gel comes off easy on the toothbrush, so for those of you who are used to wetting your toothbrush, applying toothpaste, then wetting it again, this is a habit that will have to be broken. I did that, and the gel comes right off. I had to learn to place gel on the toothbrush, start brushing, and then wet the brush.
The gel is mildly flavored, very mild mint. The fact that it is not that minty and does not have microbial fighting agents makes me worry about breath smell post pungent meals. I am a gum chewer, so I never really worry, but for others I do not know how effective it would be.
It does not foam up at all when brushing. Since it was thin, I felt I hit my gums more brushing (I use a soft brush). However, my teeth did feel nice and clean after. Like smooth and clean of food residues.
Some spillage underneath the toothbrush. The gel is very thin, so it comes off the brush easily.
Overall, I like it, but I am not crazy about it. I like to brush with something minty, BUT, I do like the fact that it is mild and 1) doesn’t burn my mouth like some toothpastes do and 2) I can still have orange juice after and have it not taste bad 🙂 We all have done that…brush your teeth upon waking, go have a glass of OJ…yuck!!!
Overall, 3 1/2Â stars. I wish it was thicker and had more body to it, and maybe was a tad mintier or some antimicrobial effects. It claims to virtually eliminated plaque, which I can understand because it leaves a very clean mouth feel. I also wonder the efficacy for dental cavities, since it is fluoride free. It is also a tad expensive, at $20 for a tube.
Hot Pockets sent me some yummy goodies! I got some coupons to try complimentary new Hot Pocket Snack Bites, and saw these 2 at my local Stop n Shop. Pepperoni Pizza and Ham and Cheese.
These are perfect since Halloween is right around the corner, and they are filled with yummy protein and carbs to fill you and your kids up before a night of trick or treating! Also they are cooked in roughly over a minute per 4 bites. Quick, yummy, and easy!
Here is the Pepperoni Pizza up close. They didn’t ooze out the sides like I am used to with a Hot Pocket (there’s always a LITTLE bit of filling that comes out!)
The Pepperoni Pizza ones were pretty good. They lacked on the pepperoni flavor, but I certainly tasted the sauce and cheese. They were a little doughy, and I feel the filling to dough ratio was a little off, and wished there was more filling. They weren’t super salty or anything, but tasty none the less. A good little carby snack, great for kids after school, because a 4 piece serving is perfect.
Next up, the Ham and Cheese. These were a little doughy as well, and needed a tad more filling BUT they were more full than the other flavor. I wish the crust was a little more buttery or toasted in flavor, as it felt a bit undercooked in terms of flavor. They weren’t super salty, and I actually really liked this flavor. The ham had good flavor, like a cold cut, and it tasted like american or cheddar cheese.
a 4 piece serving (Pepperoni Pizza) is 210 calories, 8 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of protein. They are not loaded with protein, but these snacks will fill you up. I had two to try them out, and was pleased with the size. The sodium is roughly 330 mg per 4 bites, which is high but not horrible for a frozen food.
Without a coupon, these were roughly 3-5$ (depending on the store) which is a little expensive. I got them for a little over 3 dollars, but bought them again and they were 4.99$. Â You get 3 servings out of them, which is good for 3 small kids, or one hungry older brother (ahem…my older brother).
Overall, 4 stars. 
Truth: I have NEVER had an air purifier before! I’ve been told they are great products, but never thought of getting one. I was offered one to try for free by Airfree. This purifier is supposed to help clear the air and help those suffering with asthma and allergies, as well as prevent yucky things like mold and germs!!
How does it work? The infographic below shoes that the air enters the purifier, they are heated to 400 degrees F (and killed!!!!), the air is then cooled and then put back into the environment.
As you can see below, it helps get rid of odors, dust, mold, viruses, pet dander and more.
First I placed the filter in my room. It is a bit of an odd shape, and very light. You are not supposed to keep it by an open window (for then, all the clean air gets out!!) or directly by a strong wind/air conditioning. I placed it in the corner of my room.
It is completely silent when it is on. It is slightly warm and there is a blue light that turns on so you know it is plugged in and working. You are NOT supposed to unplug it…just leave it and let it do it’s job!
Honestly…I loved this! I felt my room felt less stuffy, and my mild allergies were reduced. I ended up putting this downstairs near our dog since she is super old and now has a lot of accidents. I wanted to see if it would help any odors. While it did not eliminate them, it definitely helped decrease pet odor which was a plus.
I love that it is quiet too. It also does not need any filter to be replaced, only a quick and easy clean up. Overall, 4 1/2 stars. Great product 🙂
Well, this product couldn’t have come at a more perfect timing. Everyone knows the scenario…Fall comes around and all of a sudden, everyone is SICK!! Like out of no where, germs fly all over the place and suddenly everyone around you either has a cold, Strep or the big one…the FLU!!!
I was offered to try this product by Culturelle, a supplement for immunity support. It contains a probiotic, Vitamin C, Zinc, and antioxidants. Â We are advised to take one per day, for adults and children 12 years and up. This product is free of gluten, dairy, lactose, wheat, soy and preservatives.
I have taken probiotics before and took them before trying this 10 day trial. When starting any new product there may be some bloating or side effects.
These pills are harder than I imagined, most of my other probiotics were in softer, more flexible capsules. They aren’t too large, and they are easy to swallow. I was just getting over a cold when I started taking these. I noticed no change in recovery time, but this is immune DEFENSE so I didn’t expect it to help an already existing cold.
I was a little bloated and gassy on this supplement. I had some mild nausea. I do not think the nausea was from the pill. I have nausea daily and I need a strong probiotic to keep in under control. The probiotic part of this pill was not strong enough for me, and the bloating was consistent throughout the 10 days.
At the end of my 10 day trial, I contracted another cold. I work at a gym, I workout at a gym, and I go to class in public places with sick people. This is not expected to be a miracle pill. but I found it ironic I took a immunity defense pill and I got another cold a week after recovering from one.Â
Overall, I probably wouldn’t use this in the future. I need a stronger probiotic (this one claims to have 2.5 Billion CFUs of Lactobacillus GG)Â and the immune part either was ineffective, or a 10 day trial wasn’t long enough to see real results. Overall… I like the idea of this supplement, but the effectiveness…It’s OK…Â 2 1/2 stars
Celsius sent me some of their “Fat Burning Beverages” and the Flo Fusion Berry Pre-Workout to try. According to the website, drinking 1 beverage a day can help burn up to an extra 100 calories. Â However, if you read the disclaimer on the bottom, it states that people who drank Celsius also participated in proper dieting and exercise, and those who drank the Celsius had better results than those who did not.
I am skeptical if it actually burns extra calories or not, and the beverage also states it is not intended for weight loss without diet or exercise. Anyway, let’s get on to the taste!
I got 3 flavors to try, Sparkling Wild Berry, Peach Mango Green Tea, and Sparkling Cola. All 3 of them had clean energy. No extreme jitters, and mood was elevated. However, it was nothing special. It was a “mild pre workout”, if you will, and I think would be good for someone who doesn’t take those harsh powdered pre workouts all the time, or drinks a lot of caffeine. The two flavors that were intended to be carbonated, were VERY mildly carbonated..almost flat. I don’t know if that was intentional, or because they got banged up in the mail.
The Sparkling Wild Berry was OK. It was not super sweet, and I could tell it was sugar free. It was a blend of like raspberry/blueberry flavors. The Peach Mango Green Tea was not carbonated at all (intentionally). It had equal peach and mango flavors, and did not scream green tea. Again, it was lightly sweetened, but pretty good.
The Cola had a pretty flat coke flavor. It tasted like a commercial Cola, but a lot less sweet, and again, lacking carbonation.
Overall, these were unimpressive. I like that they are Aspartame free, as well as HFCS free, but the flavors were OK and the energy level was mild. 3 stars
Moving on to the pre-workout, these came in stick form with powder. Again, claims to burn up to 100 extra calories, and has been enriched with vitamins. All you have to do is add it to water, or a beverage of your choice (non  caffeinated). I had a friend try this, who drinks pre workout every day for the gym. He stated 1 packet was mild, and he ended up using 1.5 packets the following workout. He stated it was a mild pre workout, not that intense. There was no pump, and he felt no increase of strength, or that drive he normally feels while on his other pre workouts.
The flavor…is delicious though. It tastes almost like a watermelon berry, and has a good amount of sweetness. I really enjoyed the flavor.
Again, 3 stars.
