I must say, even though I generally have a good diet, I do take a multi-vitamin (in the gummy form of course. What can I say? It brings out my inner childhood )

Something new I was offered to try for free, the AlternaVites Kids Strawberry Bubble Gum Quick-Melting Multivitamin & Mineral Crystals. Some facts about this product I was provided with, is that they have 0 grams of sugar, no aspartame, and have no artificial colors or flavors! Sounds like my kind of vitamin. And in flavors like Strawberry Bubble Gum and Raspberry Cotton Candy? Let me try!

I opened up on of the packets. The consistency was a fine, white powder. It came in a tube, kind of like those you would get for Crystal Light on the Go, but skinnier.

It recommends to not pour the entire tube at once on your tongue (good thing I read the directions, I had plans to do that!) and I can see why. I did about half the tube, and although it dissolved very quickly, the whole tube would have been too much.

As for the taste? The taste was pretty good. Mildly sweet and a bit tart, it had a creamy strawberry flavor to it, with a bubble gum aftertaste. It did kind have that “toothpastey” flavor, as it was “sweet” without really being “sweet”. It was good, but not amazing flavorwise.

However, I like these! I would love to try the other flavor to see what it’s like. They are convenient, and only 5 calories, and provide a lot of vitamins and minerals per tube. Super easy, and super fun way to get kids to take a multivitamin/supplement !

Overall, 3.5 stars. Worth a try!

Um………confession time.

I am a Cool-Whip addict. But seriously.

I KNOW, it’s full of not-so-good for you ingredients, I think I’ve even seen the really evil ones like HFCS or trans fats, and I KNOW it practically has no nutritional value and I KNOW why don’t I just eat natural whipped cream?

Well, I can’t explain it. Something about cool-whip. Good enough for me to eat straight from the container. (Don’t judge me…)

SO, in hopes to find a healthier alternative, I saw Truwhip the Natural Whipped Topping at Whole Foods. YES I thought, FINALLY a healthier alternative. This one was made with natural ingredients, was gluten free, trans fat free, and gave me a bit more piece of mind. It was also around the same price, at 3 dollars a container.

Notice the dent I made….

So how was it? It was fluffy and light, just like Cool-Whip. But it certainly had a different, odd, taste. Almost like a fake vanilla marshmallow? Odd. It was sweet, and melted in my mouth, and did not have that oily feel to it but a very natural one which was a plus. BUT, if definitely had some weird flavor to it I really couldn’t not think of how to describe!

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t horrible at all, it was different! It had a pleasant sweetness, and was almost vanilla/tapioca in flavor. It was good, but not amazing. One thing I noticed though was that it didn’t have that chemically aftertaste I get with Cool-Whip (sorry Cool-Whip…you’re amazing and all but that aftertaste has to GO!!). So that was definitely a plus.

Although the question is, buy Cool Whip, love the flavor, and dislike the aftertaste? Or buy Truwhip, better ingredients, not crazy about the flavor, but good aftertaste? Decisions, decisions.

Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars. Would I buy it again? Maybe. Only if Cool Whip wasn’t available…. ;’)

good thing I just got a manicure!

]]> http://healthnuttxo.com/2012/04/05/truwhip-the-natural-whipped-topping/feed/ 11 http://healthnuttxo.com/2012/03/27/health-kismet-incredible-greens/ http://healthnuttxo.com/2012/03/27/health-kismet-incredible-greens/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:41:14 +0000 Healthnuttxo http://healthnuttxo.com/?p=3627

Something new to try! I was offered to try Health Kismet Incredible Greens for free. It has a bunch of awesome stuff in it, and you know I’m a sucker for anything with a bunch of healthy ingredients! Take a look!

But what to mix it with? I was given some suggestions, and had to work with what I had available in my teeny tiny apartment (hence teeny tiny fridge…)

I tried mixing it with water first. Mildy minty aroma, and turned the water a very dark green once mixed. The flavor isn’t bad- it’s mildy sweet, but also has a bit of flavor to it. It reminds me of that flavor that protein drinks sometimes have, but it’s very subtle since I mixed it with water. I wouldn’t say I would like to drink it like this all the time, but it’s certainly not bad.

What I liked about it mixed with the water is that it wasn’t grainy. It mixed really smoothly, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a power addition by drinking it. As in, it didn’t feel “piecy” in my mouth at all, I just felt like I was drinking a flavored water beverage.

NEXT UP,  in some chunky applesauce. It may not look super pretty but…

how did it taste?

Not bad! I really couldn’t taste too much of the powder. I added about half a scoop since it was a 4 oz cup of applesauce. It provided a tiny bit of flavor, almost providing a “creamy” aspect to the applesauce. But really, it didn’t hinder the flavor of the applesauce too much, and I kind of liked it !

This could totally be used on halloween too for it’s green and spooky appearance. Green Goblin grub, anyone??

Lastly, I tried it in some cranberry juice! Cranberry juice is super healthy and one of my favorite juices. I figured the tart flavor of the cranberry might go good with the Incredible Greens.

It was a pretty good paring! As predicted, I didn’t taste too much of the Greens, but it gave a creamy-ish texture to the juice and a “creamier taste” as well. I think it was pretty good!

OVERALL, 3.5 STARS. Sometimes I think a full scoop is a little strong, so  you may want to start out with half a scoop and work your way up, depending on what you mix with. It has a bit of an acquired taste, but it’s really not too strong that when mixed with something can be a great addition. I think this product is worth a try!

You can see more about this green superfood powder and other products here.

And want to try it for yourself? For a limited time, you can get a tub of Health Kismet Incredible Greens for 50 % off. Just use the coupon code: healthnuttxo

Voila! Let me know if any of you try it and how you used it!

This was a sponsored review, and I received the product for free. In no way, shape or form is my opinion about the product altered.

Source

Something new to try! I got a free box of Nimble bars by Balance bar. I was excited, especially when I heard that they had a PEANUT BUTTER flavor. Like music to my ears…

I also love that the bars have calcium, fiber, protein and are sweetened with truvia! More nutritional music to my  ears (wait…what??)

Plus, something new, there is lutein, beta-carotene and antioxidants c and e which are good for the skin (“when consumed daily for 2 weeks” as the box says).

And…. only 120 calories each! Nice. However, to throw a con in there, they are a bit on the tiny side :/

However, let the review of the flavors commence. The bar itself was very soft, and chewy, and also quite dense. The flavor was ok, not super peanut buttery, but I can tell its “peanut butter flavored”. It was sweet but not too sweet, but NOT sugary tasting. It also had that salty flavor, and a little bit of an aftertaste.

I noticed that both bars had tiny little orange dots in them. If you look closely at the pic, you can see it!

This one gets 3.5 stars

Next up, the Yogurt Orange Swirl-

I noticed that it was sweeter than the peanut butter flavor, but also soft and chewy. It had  a rather good orange flavor, and actually tasted kind of like a creamsicle! Mmm : )

This one also had a tad bit of saltiness to it, but I enjoyed it as a whole. This one also gets 3.5 stars

Overall, pretty good. Have water nearby as they made me crave a cup of it! They are kinda tiny which is something to note, but I like the nutritional facts, the ingredients, and the flavor is quite good. AND only 4 grams of sugar! Woo! Two thumbs up!

Nutritional Information for the Peanut Butter flavor (SOURCE).

Nutritional Information for the Yogurt Orange Swirl flavor (SOURCE).

Source

I’m hesitant to post anything even mentioning the word “snow”. It may be bad luck. So far, where I live, we lucked out and got little to hardly ANY of the white fluffy stuff. And, call me boring, but I’m glad. I hate snow. 1-2 inches? Sure. Enough to get the ground looking pretty and the feel of winter really in the air. 1-2 feet of snow? Me hauling the shovel for 2 hours with frostbitten fingers and then a useless back the next day and sore body? Driving in that slippery stuff to get to work? Looking at the gray, gross and dirty snow a few days after the storm? Noooo. Me no likey.

SO, if it snows upon me posting this review, I apologize. And if it snows upon me posting this review and you like snow, then, hey, you’re welcome! But if it actually does snow I may be freaked out just a tad…

ANYWAY- I went to Crumbs Bake Shop and ordered the Chocolate Snowball Cupcake. It just appealed to me. It didn’t have a ton of toppings, and was simple, shiny and looked really good. Come to think of it, I’m not a big sprinkles person, and this cupcake was rimmed with sprinkles, so I don’t really know why I bought it. Impulse buy. *Sigh*

However, I am glad I got it! It was $3.75, which isn’t too terrible but also not cheap, and I usually only eat half a a time anyway because it has a lot of sugar (like any dessert).

The top was a thick chocolatey layer, almost waxy in consistency, and dark chocolate in flavor. I almost wish it was a milk chocolate rather than a dark chocolate flavor, as it was a tad bit bitter. I can see why they added the dark chocolate layer, perhaps to balance out the cupcake, but I would have preferred a more milk chocolate icing/frosting flavor.

The sprinkles on the side were softer than I expected, but still added a tiny bit of crunch, and some added chocolate flavor. Underneath the chocolate layer, was a layer of chocolate mousse . I wasn’t crazy about the mousse- it was a bit too tangy for me. It had a bit of a cream cheese flavor which I didn’t really enjoy, but I did like the soft, thick and smooth texture. Lastly, my favorite part, the cake. A delicious chocolate cake- rich, moist, and fudgy, it tasted like a brownie but had cake consistency. I don’t know what they do, but  I ALWAYS like the cake part of their cupcakes! (at least the ones I have tried so far!)

Overall, a pretty good cupcake. I have yet to find a cupcake at Crumbs that I love 100%, but I will keep looking (and reviewing!!) until I find one. However, this one gets 3 1/2 stars, because it was tasty, and not as sugary-sweet as I expected it to taste.

Oh…bonus! This cupcake has only 400 calories- not bad considering I’ve seen some hefty caloric cupcakes at this place!

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 )

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.

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!

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.

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! =)