Archives: August 2017

24 Aug 2017, Comments (0)

Skim Plus Lactose Free / Fat Free Milk

Author: Healthnuttxo

 

So for those of you that still drink Cow’s Milk… I know, with so many options out there, Cow’s milk seems to be thrown to the side!!… here is an option that is both figure friendly and tummy friendly. Skim Plus, Lactose Free and Fat Free milk. As an added benefit it has 11 grams of protein per serving, a tad more than regular serving of skim milk. It’s also ultra pasteurized, which extends the shelf life, and it’s also in an eco friendly, recyclable container.  The milk (and the cows…) are not treated with hormones or antibiotics — (however the fine print says it is only tested with Beta- Lactam antibiotics — often combined with penicillins, etc.)

NOW… I grew up on regular skim milk. Then Mom accidentally bought whole milk once…woo was that a game changer, and then because of all the fat, we went down and compromised on 2%. However, cow’s milk does give me an upset stomach if I drink it or have yogurt too early in the day. Not super convenient for someone who needs a cup of Joe the second the wake up at 6 am…

So this milk definitely had some appeal to me. Compared to regular skim, it definitely is a tad more creamier. However, if anyone has ever tried skim milk vs lactose free skim milk, you WILL notice a change in flavor– think about it– Lactase is added to break down the milk sugar, lactose, so naturally the flavor will be different. I feel like this one had a stronger flavor change than other lactose free milks I have tried.

It worked pretty well in coffee. Naturally, if you’re used to having whole milk in your coffee and then you switch to skim, you’ll need some extra to compensate. However I didn’t mind adding extra, since I knew it wouldn’t upset my stomach (it didn’t), it had extra protein, and was fat free (nutritional facts below).

Now would I buy it in the future? The company provided me a coupon so I got this carton for free, but it was $5.00 for a carton at the store it was purchased from. That’s a bit steep for a half gallon of milk. I mean I get it– lactose free, antibiotic and hormone free, eco friendly container– but 5 bucks?? For someone who already prefers a higher fat content of milk, not sure if I would buy in the future. I don’t consume enough glasses of milk where I feel I need to chop the extra cals and fat grams and get skim for my coffee, but for someone who consumes a lot of milk, or eats a lot of cereal, etc., I think it’s a good switch. I would personally like to see this brand make like a 1% or so, may appeal to more customers who prefer that fat flavor other milk has to offer.

HOWEVER, if you use regular skim milk, and have the extra money to spare, I think giving this a try is definitely worth your time. 4 star

 

 

I received this for free from the company. This is an unbiased review.
17 Aug 2017, Comments (0)

Banana Wave Dairy Free Banana Milk

Author: Healthnuttxo

An alternative for those bored of soy, almond, or can’t tolerate regular milk, in comes BANANA MILK!!! I love the concept of this, every now and then when I make oatmeal or something, I like the flavor of banana but I HATE warm bananas– changes the consistency and bleh — but something like this would come in perfect.

Banana Wave is made with actual bananas, so none of that artificial flavor banana stuff. That also means you get the added benefit of Potassium with your banana milk, a pretty important mineral to prevent muscle cramping and maintain proper conduction of your heart, etc.  This milk is vegan, kosher, gluten free, and has no artificial colors or flavors.

I tried it 2 ways– in my morning coffee in the place of milk, and with my oatmeal (again, in place of milk).

The milk itself is mild in flavor, and has the consistency of a thicker almond milk. In coffee, it was okay. I usually use whole milk in my coffee, because I like it light and sweet, and hate the bitterness of a cup of Joe. The flavor is pretty mild so a little bit of banana flavor came through but unfortunately the coffee flavor still predominated and the bitterness remained.

In the overnight oats, it provided mild sweetness and banana flavor, which went fantastic with peanut butter. Seriously, what a great find. I used it with overnight oats– so I didn’t actually “cook” the milk– but put 1 cup of Banana Wave with 1/2 cup of oats and 2 Tbsp of peanut butter in a container and let it sit in the fridge overnight, and then just put in microwave for 30 seconds in the morning to take the chill out and melt the peanut butter. Delish!!

Here are the nutritional facts: more or less the same as a banana in terms of calories, but does have added Cane sugar so a serving will cost you 18 grams of sugar (Forgot about this when I had my oatmeal –> high blood sugar… whoops)

However, a good alternative to almond/soy/cow’s milk and good to spice it up every now and then. But watch your sugars!

4 stars

 

DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free from the company. This is an unbiased review.
17 Aug 2017, Comments (0)

Thunderbird Real Food Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

 

WELL sorry it’s been a while guys…life got a little hectic the past month but I’m back, never fear 8)

Coming at you with some Real Food Bars by Thunderbird. They sent me 4 varieties to try, all vegan, no added sugar, and grain/gluten free. They are nut, seed and date based. As an added benefit, they are also paleo certified. (NOTE: This applies to the bars I got from the company, if you check the website they have several flavors to pick from and details may vary!)

So let’s get started:

As I said above, all of them more or less have the same texture, nutty/seedy with a fruity, date base. The date flavor was there in all 4 bars.

Hazelnut + Coffee + Maca

Coming from a coffee lover, this was not my favorite. It was…gritty. Like I would take a bite of the bar and then grit.  WHAT IS THAT?!?! I checked the ingredients, and it seems it could have been the coffee beans or chia seeds, not entirely sure, but not entirely a fan. The coffee flavor was definitely strong, but overpowered the hazelnut component because I did not taste that too much. The date was sweet and strong as well…If I had to rename this bar it would be like “A Date with Coffee”…because it really just tasted like dates and coffee.

2 stars.

Cashew + Fig + Carrot

Alrighty, moving on. This one was okay. As a whole, it was entirely too sweet without much of another component to balance it out– needed more crunch, or something even slightly salty, etc. The Fig + Carrot together gave it a sweet potato vibe. & like I said, this one was lacking on the crunch factor, a cashew is a pretty soft nut to begin with so it was kind of lost in this bar. Overall, too sweet, too fruity, needs something else. Maybe almond would have been a better choice.

2.5 stars

Peach Pecan Vanilla 

In this bar, the peach and date flavor really shine through. The vanilla flavor is somewhat lost. It’s a sweet bar, but not overly sweet, and almost gives off an apricot type of flavor. Chewy, dense and nutty, and the pecans add a nice crunch. I almost taste a bit of cashew in this one. Overall, this one was pretty good, I’m a fan.

3.5 stars

Texas Maple Pecan

Well, well, well, moving on to the star. This one was kind of like pecan pie 🙂 Chewy and dense, sweet but not overly so, huge chunks of pecan and a nice cinnamon flavor. It goes well with the date because it reminds me of the condensed milk, etc. they use to make pecan pie. The maple flavor is subtle,  but delicious. There is some type of “zing” to the bar, and I can’t quite figure out what it is–perhaps the cinnamon– but I like it. Basically if you’re like me and will eat the topping of a pecan pie, you’ll like this bar.

4 stars.

OVERALL, I like the idea of these bars. Gluten free, paleo, minimal ingredients, no added sugar. I think some need a tad bit of tweaking, BUT you have to also consider the minimal ingredient component. I would definitely try the Pecan based flavors, and I would be interested in trying the other flavors (like ummm they have this cool Pecan Goji Pistachio flavor!!) Thunderbird has to offer.

Check them out!

 

DISCLAIMER: I received these bars for free from the company. This is an unbiased review.

 

Related Posts with Thumbnails