Categories: 3 1/2 stars

30 Jan 2012, Comments (0)

Batter Blaster Organic Original Pancake & Waffle Batter

Author: Healthnuttxo

Since I had such success with the last Batter Blaster I reviewed, I thought, why not? Let’s try another variety of the stuff and see which one I like best! Off to the store, and a friend of mine  picked up the Batter Blaster Organic Original Pancake & Waffle Batter for me, partly because she said it was the only option to choose from. Well…that works, including I wanted to try the original variety anyway.

This morning post gym, I brewed up some coffee, sliced an apple, and then cooked some egg whites and 1 large pancake (as opposed to 2 small ones as the nutritional information suggests). I cooked up the pancake with some butter/buttery spray as I did that last time and found it helped with the flavor. Here’s what my giant pancake (about 42 grams or so of batter) looked like.

Annnnnnnnd the inside…..

I made more of a BIG pancake (probably the size of my face) so it cooked quickly and wasn’t super thick. It cooked evenly and all it took was a little non-stick spray and the pancake gave me no trouble at all.

Post frying pan, I transferred to a plate with my scrambled eggs and put some SF syrup (would love to use a little of the REAL maple syrup, but I’m a diabetic and have to refrain from sugar!). I tried a bit of the pancake plain first, and well, it tasted just that. Plain, kind of bland, not sweet and not a whole lot of flavor. However, I feel like pancakes in general, unless flavored, don’t have a bunch of flavor. Nothing a little butter and syrup couldn’t fix!

With the butter/syrup the pancakes were really quite good. Slightly crispy on the edges, super fluffy, and yummy. They reminded me of IHOP pancakes.

I do like that these pancakes were organic, relatively low in calories and fat, and like the bottle says “No Mess- No Cleanup!” which is true for the most part, since I still have to clean my frying pan and my spatula. However, these pancakes (by themselves) lacked flavor, and lacked fiber.  So, overall, not bad, but I think I like the Buttermilk version of this much better. 3 1/2 stars

What’s your favorite toppings for pancakes? I just like butter and syrup! Mmm :o )

16 Jan 2012, Comments (4)

Perdue Short Cuts Grilled Italian Style Carved Chicken Breast

Author: Healthnuttxo

These things are a staple in my fridge. Any given time of any given day, they will be in there. And….I never tried them. Until now of course. After a quick scan of ingredients and nutritional information accompanying a growling stomach after a workout, I decided the Short Cuts Grilled Italian Style Carved Chicken Breast would fit the bill.

Here’s a close up-

I’m not even a big meat/poultry eater- no pork or beef whatsoever, and turkey/chicken maybe 1 or 2 times a week tops. I prefer eggs and peanut butter for my protein sources, along with occasional beans/tofu. However, these looked good. And I was craving something that would keep me full and fuel my muscles post kickboxing workout.

So, I tried these two ways. Cold and straight from the fridge, and then heated up in the microwave. Since it was seasoned, I tried it as is, with no toppings/sauces or sides.

The chicken itself was chewy, and some pieces were a bit too chewy which turned me off a bit. However, the chunks were relatively fresh tasting. It certainly was very salty, which I expected since it’s a prepared and flavored product. I tasted parsley and herbs, as well as onion and garlic flavors. It actually was rather flavorful and I enjoyed it by itself. There was also just a hint of lemon.

Then I heated up the rest of the chicken, and I think it was much better this way. The flavors came out even more, and it took on almost a chicken parmesan flavor. I think it would be really good with some (low sodium) tomato sauce and some shredded cheese on top, like a take on chicken parmesan, but without the breading and frying in oil.

What I liked about these is that they were also MSG free, low in fat, and gluten free. However, the sodium was really quite high, and it even tasted too salty which is a turnoff for me. ESPECIALLY for the person who buys this in my house all the time and eats it frequently, that’s a lot of sodium. (But hey, thanks by the way for letting me eat some ;’) ) SO, overall, I would give this 3.5 stars. I don’t know if I would buy it in the future, but if it was laying around in my fridge (which it will be, no doubt…) I might eat it again.

12 Oct 2011, Comments (3)

Enjoy Life Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix Mountain Mambo and Beach Bash

Author: Healthnuttxo

Who doesn’t love trail mix? Crunchy, sweet, salty, savory, and satisfying- all in one! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a box on my front step from Enjoy Life, and inside was their  Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix in Mountain Mambo and Beach Bash varieties.

Take a closer look. Here’s the Mountain Mambo

camera fail. blurrrrrry! :(

And heres the Beach Bash flavor

Alrighty, let’s get down to business. The first one I tried was the Mountain Mambo. It had apple pieces, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and more.

The apple pieces were so yummy! Soft and chewy, and perfect addition.

The raisins were a little off tasting. Not super sweet like I’m used to, and I was a bit disappointed. Especially since in the bag, there was a LOT of raisins. Seriously- I got a big blob of raisins right in the middle all stuck together!

The sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds were very fresh tasting and crunchy, and not really salty at all. However, not salty doesn’t mean they weren’t flavorful! :)

Then, I shook up bag a little and found…

Chocolate chips!

These were yummy! Smooth chocolate, and tasted like a milk chocolate would.

Another surprise was I found  VERY few cranberries. Only got like 2 in the bag ! However, the two or so I got were quite tasty, and not too tart. So for this variety….

3 ½ stars

Next up, the winner in my eyes, BEACH BASH variety.

Seriously, in a word,- yum.

There were sunflower seeds, pumpkin, apricots, pineapple, cranberries and more. On a brighter side, there were definitely more cranberries in this one and yummy too! Sweet, not tart and chewy!

The pineapple pieces were BEYOND delicious. Seriously- I want a bag of just the pineapple! It was soft, and sugar sweet! I may or may not have picked all the pineapple out of the bag the first day I got it….. oops ;)

The apricot pieces? eh. Kind of hard and dry and tart. Not  a fan. Would rather more pineapple…

Overall, 4 stars

Overall, yummy! Both are NUT FREE, wheat free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, peanut free! And yum-my! I like beach bash better. I would totally buy it!

What would you put in your ideal trail mix? Mine would be dried pineapple pieces from above, glazed pecans, cashews, reeses pieces, and pretzels!


24 Aug 2011, Comments (5)

Oogie’s Hatch Chili Con Queso Popcorn

Author: Healthnuttxo

First off, I’m already a pretty big fan of Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn. I REALLY liked the Smoked Gouda popcorn, which if you haven’t checked out already, you can read about it here.

Another bag that Oogie’s sent me to try was the Hatch Chili Con Queso Popcorn. I didn’t know what to expect with this popcorn. Would it be spicy? Would it taste cheesy? Salty? The only sure way to find out….open the bag and eat some! ; )

As you can see, it had an orangey tint. It’s even brighter than that picture depicts.

The flavor was certainly different. At first, a very slight cheesy taste, that kind of reminded me of nacho cheese. Then it tastes a bit salty, and reminded me of white cheddar popcorn. Then, WHAM! This little bit of heat and spice creeps up and is left with the aftertaste, with a slight burn lingering in my mouth. It was pretty good, and was spicy enough to detect, but not overly spicy that made me go running to the fridge for some milk to calm the spicyness.There was also a bit of oniony flavor in this light and fluffy popcorn, that added a nice touch.

While I liked this gluten free popcorn and think its very tasty,  I dont think I could eat more than a serving at a time. But hey, maybe that’s a good thing..no eating the whole bag in one sitting! Another thing I noticed with this bag and the other Oogie’s popcorn I have had, is that the seasoning is very hit or miss. Some kernels have a lot (which, I LOVE!) and others are bland. But then again, I feel that way with some other brands of chips too. I guess it’s hard to evenly coat everything!!

Overall, 3 1/2 stars. Pretty good, but I kind of wish it was a bit more cheesy tasting, for the “Queso” aspect. I also found myself coughing quite a bit from the spice/heat of the popcorn. But then again…I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy foods =P  My favorite is still the Smoked Gouda!

SPICY FOODS- yay or nay? I would take super mild peach salsa over hot salsa any day =)

I received this to try for free for the company, but my opinion remains unaffected.
14 Aug 2011, Comments (7)

Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn Movie Lovers Buttered Popcorn

Author: Healthnuttxo

What’s a movie without POPCORN? (Hey, I know a few people who go to the movies FOR the popcorn! =P)

But the popcorn at movies can be loaded with calories and fat (and I’m just going to go out on a limb here and assume, it’s NOT the healthy fats!). Plus, there can even be trans fats in some popcorns! So I was excited when Oogie’s provided me this bag of Movie Lovers Buttered Popcorn for free. Now I could pop my own movie in at home, and eat a bag of yummy, buttery popcorn!

Some quick facts, according to the bag, this is all natural, gluten free, and whole grain. So, if I wasn’t already digging this popcorn, I was slowly liking it more and more!

I was excited to try this popcorn. For some reason when I opened it, I was expecting a yellow colored popcorn, kind of like the buttery flavored drenched popcorn at the movies. However, it was a pale white which surprised me a bit.

Some pieces had more flavor than others, which was a seasoning. I wouldn’t say it was super buttery, but more of a mild butter and even a flavor akin to parmesan cheese. Was it good? yes. Yummy? yes. Suitable for those who drown their popcorn in butter at the movies? No… But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t delicious.

The pieces of popcorn were fresh and had a soft crunch. Like I said, some pieces were bland, and others had more seasoning on it. It was slightly salty, which made me crave a Zevia soda really badly (and let’s be honest…I was also craving a Diet Coke!!).

Overall, it was pretty good, but not as buttery as I would have liked. There was a good amount of popcorn in the bag, which made for a filling snack at 160 calories, and 3 grams of fiber. For me, it was a 3 1/2 star snack !

What snack do you get when you go to the movies? I used to actually get the soft pretzels and cheese instead of the popcorn when I was little! =)

8 Jul 2011, Comments (47)

Stonyfield Farm Organic Activia Review & GIVEAWAY !

Author: Healthnuttxo
I love yogurt. I could eat it every day and be totally happy. One of this things I love about it is the way I feel after I eat it. I believe yogurt is a power food, packed with healthy bacteria and more.
Stonyfield Farm came out with the Organic Activia Yogurt, that according to the sheet I was given, has no “toxic persistent pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, or synthetic growth hormones” as well as “no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners”. Sounds like the trust worthy Stonyfield that I know (and love!!)
They sent me two flavors to try for free. Strawberry and Vanilla. I tried the Vanilla first.
It was just like a standard vanilla flavor. One thing I noticed was that it really wasn’t overly sweet. A very mild tasting vanilla, with a very clean feel. It wasn’t super thick, but not super runny either. A sort of happy inbetween for consistency. 3 1/2 stars

Next up, the Strawberry.

This one had an almost strawberry-vanilla flavor.  I could tell it was made with low fat milk instead of skim by the richer flavor. Also really not all that sweet, but a mild strawberry flavor. I think it was a bit thicker than the Vanilla flavor was,  but not by much. I preferred the strawberry over the vanilla. 4 stars

nutritional facts for the strawberry flavor

Now, for the giveaway! There will be (are you ready for this?) FIVE WINNERS! Five of you guys will get a coupon book for two FREE WEEKS of Stonyfield Farm Organic Activia!

HOW TO ENTER!
PLEASE leave a comment for EACH entry!  :)

Mandatory:
What’s your favorite flavor/brand of yogurt? One of my all time favorite Stonyfield flavors is the Banilla.
Optional….but encouraged! (:

1. Follow me on TWITTER and tweet about this giveaway mentioning  me AND the link in the tweet.
2.Add me to your blog roll!
3. Mention this giveaway on your blog
4. Leave a new comment on any of my reviews!

Giveaway ends Friday, July 15th, 2011 at 12pm. United States only. If you live in CA,ID,MN,LA,NV,ND,TN or NJ, and you win, you will receive a $1 off coupon for pack of yogurt instead.

I received 2 free weeks worth supply of yogurt for free from Stonyfield Farm, and the coupons are provided for free as well.
12 Jun 2011, Comments (5)

Sahale Snacks Pomegranate Cashew Biscotti Crisps

Author: Healthnuttxo

Source

Biscottis. I’ll admit they never were my favorite type of cookie (can I label it as a cookie?). For arguments sake, I’ll say they never were my favorite type of sweet treat. I’d always prefer an ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookie or a chocolatey brownie, so I’m not sure what compelled me to buy these. Perhaps it’s the fact that cashews are one of my favorite types of nuts, or that I happen to be a fan of Sahale Snacks.

Either way, they sounded pretty good, and the nutritional facts and ingredients were Lisa- approved as well. I ended up buying one of the big bags at the store,  and here’s what a few of them looked like out of the bag

Upon first bite, I noticed a nice crunch. Not super hard, so crunchy it hurts to chew, but a good crunch. The first thing I noticed about the flavor was vanilla. What’s the name of these again? Vanilla cranberry cashew? I thought to myself. Close, but not quite. Pomegranate Cashew was more like it.

These were sweet, with a light toasted flavor. I wouldn’t say I could really detect pomegranate flavor, it was more like just a fruity, slightly sugary sweetness, even with a mild apple flavor. There was also a hint of saltyness that I detected while eating these.

As for the cashew aspect, I would assume the white pieces in the crisps were pieces of cashews, but the flavor really wasn’t there. I wouldn’t be able to say that it was a cashew flavor without being told it was cashews, but knowing there was cashews in the crisps, I could state that there was a mild cashew flavor.

However, don’t get me wrong. These are pretty tasty. Love the sweetness and the unique flavors, even though the flavors promised aren’t very prominent. The portion size is also quite decent. Overall? 3 1/2 stars

Are you a fan of Biscotti? What’s your favorite flavor or brand?


19 May 2011, Comments (10)

Cascadian Farm Organic Cinnamon Crunch cereal Vs. General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

Author: Healthnuttxo

VS.

I opened up my cabinet the other day and saw two very similar cereals. My cereal, the Cascadian Farm Organic Cinnamon Crunch, and another person living in the house’s cereal, General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Hmmm. I wonder which one tastes and I would like better? I thought. Suddenly, I took out both boxes and put them to the test!

First up, the nutritional facts. Here’s them straight off the boxes

Cascadian Farm

General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch

For Cascadian Farm, I liked that it was lower in calories, lower in fat, higher in fiber, lower in sodium, and lower in sugar.  For General Mills,  what the picture cut off was that it had 10% daily calcium needs, which I liked, as Cascadian Farmprovided 0% for Calcium. And obviously for ingredients, I liked that each had “whole grain wheat” as the first ingredient, but Cascadian Farm had organic ingredients and General Mills did not.

Now for the taste. Here’s how the cereal looked.

Cascadian Farm

General Mills

Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Crunch was smaller, sweet and crunchy, with a noticeable cinnamon flavor. It had a toasted wheat flavor as well, and a good amount of topping. Some of the squares lacked cinnamon, but not too bad. Overall, a very tasty cereal.

General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch had more visible sugar on the squares, and was sweeter. However, I felt they were lacking in the cinnamon aspect, and were more sweet than “cinnamon-y”. They felt crunchier and  more sugary tasting than Cinnamon Crunch cereal, and not as dense.

In a blind taste taste, I liked Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Crunch the best.  I thought it had less of an “airy” texture, and better cinnamon flavor.

Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Crunch was the winner for me, I would give it 4 stars, and give General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch 3 1/2 stars.

Have you had both of these cereals? Which do you prefer?

also- Do you like this format of a review? By comparing two items? Please let me know! :)

9 May 2011, Comments (11)

Luna Chocolate Dipped Coconut Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

I’ve seen this bar in the stores for a little while now, but for some reason never picked it up. Finally, the opportunity came the other day when I was hungry and on-the-go, so I needed a little pick me up. This was perfect to satisfy me, and not slow me down with  my hectic schedule! That’s what I like about Luna Bars- they have protein and vitamins/minerals, but are also tasty and easy to eat. They don’t fall apart or get ruined if they end up being smooshed in the bottom of my bag, either. (;

I opened up the bar, I really love the design! Even a friend of mine said it was one of the “prettiest” bars she had seen from Luna. Here’s how it looked

There was a chocolate layer on the bottom, followed by the “soy” part, and then a light coconut topping. At first bite, I noticed it didn’t have that thick of the middle soy layer as the other bars do, and actually, I thought this bar was thinner than the other bars I have had in the past. I didn’t find it to be incredibly sweet, and I found the coconut flavor to be mild.

The bottom layer had a milk chocolate, slightly salty flavor. The coconut flavor was not overpowering or really overly noticeable at all, and had a sweet yet salty flavor. The top layer, had a white chocolate flavor, with coconut undertones. I thought it tasted similar to the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bar. I also thought the coconut had a bit of an off flavor.

Overall, not bad. I do wish there was a more predominant coconut flavor. I also needed a glass of water to drink with this, as it has that “salty” flavor to it!  3 1/2 stars

Have you had this bar yet? What did you think?

1 bar is 190 calories, 7 grams of fat (4 saturated), 25 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

10 Apr 2011, Comments (2)

Michael Angelo’s Vegetable Lasagna

Author: Healthnuttxo

Lasanga definitely reminds me of one of two things- either eating out at a restaurant, or eating it for a holiday. Those are really the only times I eat lasagna, so it surely is something special.

Yesterday I was pretty hungry around dinnertime, and in the mood for something saucy and satisfying. I steamed up some broccoli and cooked the Michael Angelo’s Vegetable Lasagna in the microwave for a total of 6 minutes. Here’s how the top of it looked cooked

As you can see, it didn’t seem like there was a ton of cheese, but looks can be deceiving! Upon first bite, I got a lot of cheese, and found a good amount of it stayed on the side of the container (no worries- I scraped it off with my spoon!) And speaking of the cheese, it definitely tasted like mozzarella, and it was very stringy! Kind of like when I pulled my fork up a long string of cheese connecting to the dish was formed and I had to twirl my fork over and over again to break the strand.  There also was ricotta cheese, which I really enjoyed. It was chewy yet soft, and kind of reminded me of something that took place of traditional  ”meat” that may be there. When I was little, my family used to put ground beef in lasagna, so that’s what it reminded me of. So between the ricotta and the mozzarella, there was certainly no scrimping on the cheese!

Next up, onto the noodles and veggies. I saw pieces of broccoli, which were a little too firm for my likings, I would have preferred them more tender, pieces of carrots, cauliflower (which I loved!) and I think I got a piece of zucchini as well.  They were mostly in between the noodles, which were chewy and not super soft, and still had a bite to them. By themselves, I wasn’t crazy about the noodles. I think I even tasted a flaxseed flavor, which I didn’t care for.

Lastly, which I think hindered this lasagna a little bit, was the sauce. It was very liquidy. I wish there was a more heartier sauce, as I felt it was almost like a tomato juice in consistency. It was delicious, slightly salty, with mild garlic flavor, but just too thin.

Overall, pretty good. It reminded me of something I would get going out to eat. I liked that there wasn’t a ton of sodium in this dish, and that it had a good amount of both fiber and protein.3 1/2 stars

What’s the BEST lasagna you ever ate? I think my favorite one is here

1 cup is 270 calories, 11 grams of fat (5 saturated), 440 mg of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of protein.

I was provided a coupon to try this lasagna for free from Michael Angelo’s.

******

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