Categories: 3 1/2 stars

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.

******

Hey guys! One of my readers Missy, asked kindly to help me promote her sister who is entering the “Happy Ever After” Contest for an awesome wedding at Disney! If you’d like to vote for them, please click here. Good luck!

12 Mar 2011, Comments (2)

Vitalicious BlueBran VitaTop

Author: Healthnuttxo

I got some free stuff from Vitalicious a little while ago, and since I couldn’t possibly eat them all, I froze them. One of the flavors I froze and then did a quick heat-up in the microwave was the BlueBran flavor. When I opened it up, I thought it resembled the Cran Bran flavor I had tried (and loved!) in the past, except with blueberries.

The stats were impressive. 1 BlueBran VitaTop was 100 calories, with 5 grams of fiber and only 9 grams of sugar. I took a bite, and thought it was pretty good. It was mildly sweet,  with a pretty good amount of blueberries embedded in the VitaTop. It was chewy, a bit “grainy”,  and had a whole wheat flavor. Also, it was kind of like the Cran Bran flavor, but with blueberries, just as I had suspected.

Overall, 3 1/2 stars. I can picture this to be quite tasty with a Blueberry Chobani Yogurt, or even a glass of milk. Mmm!

1 VitaTop is 100 calories, 1 gram of fat, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein.

Have you ever had a Vita Top? What’s your favorite flavor?

5 Mar 2011, Comments (2)

Chobani 2% Mango Greek Yogurt

Author: Healthnuttxo

I LOVE Chobani yogurt. My favorite flavors are the pineapple and strawberry banana, which always seem to satisfy my taste buds. I noticed Chobani came out with some new flavors, including the Lemon flavor that I reviewed, and the Mango one I’m reviewing today.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the cup, was some  liquid on the top that resembled milk. No big deal, just stir it in and it’s all good (or sometimes I just drink it =P )

I took a scoop of this yogurt, and was a little surprised. It was a bit more tart that I had expected- as I was hoping  for a sweeter mango flavor. What I did like was that this yogurt was still very rich and creamy, and the bottom there was a LOT of pieces of mango. As a whole it kind of reminded me of a tart peach flavor.

Overall, pretty good. I think it’s a tad too tart for me, but still enjoyable. So far, the pineapple and strawberry banana flavors still are on the top of the list for me. 3 1/2 stars

1 6oz container is 160 calories, 3 grams of fat, 21 grams of carbohydrates,  0 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar and 13 grams of protein.

Have you tried the MANGO flavor yet? What did you think?

26 Feb 2011, Comments (5)

Annie’s Organic Peanutty Chewy Yet Crispy Granola Bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

everytime I look at this picture, i think the peanuts in the top corners are my fingers holding the box up. hah.

Browsing Target, I spotted something new by Annie’s- Organic Peanutty Chewy Yet Crispy Granola Bars! Since I love new products (aaaaand I’m a total impulse buyer) I bought them and took them home.

On the box, it states that these have “NO Artificial Ingredients, Preservatives or High-Fructose Corn Syrup- EVER!”, so I could tell I was already starting to like these!

I opened up the box, and was a bit disappointed at the size. They were about the size of a LARAbar, but not as wide. Usually I prefer a more heftier sized bar for a snack, but then again, taste is what it’s all about!

I took a bite, and found it to be rather dense. It indeed did live up to the name, it really was “chewy yet crispy” in consistency! I also thought it had quite a bit of a sticky feel. It had a good peanut flavor, but really wasn’t all too sweet. I also detected just a hint of vanilla flavor.

the last bite.

While these won’t replace my love for Annie’s Chocolate Chip Bunny Grahams, they were still pretty good. I do wish they were a tad bit sweeter, and also a bit bigger. 3 1/2 stars

1 bar (28 grams) is 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 5 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein.



20 Feb 2011, Comments (2)

EnjoyLife boom CHOCO boom bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

Chocolate! Nothing is better than chocolate. Ok maybe peanut butter, but there’s room for debate on that one. ANYWAY, EnjoyLife sent me some boom CHOCO boom bars to try for free. I already reviewed the Rice Milk with Crispy Rice variety here, and thought it was pretty good. Today’s review is on the Dairy-Free Rice Milk Bar and the Dark Chocolate Bar.

Both these bars are free of nuts, soy, dairy, gluten, wheat, fish, shellfish,  and eggs as stated on the wrapper. They are also both vegan.

I tried the dark chocolate one first, although hesistantly. As you probably know, I’m not a huge dark chocolate fan. I love the health benefits, but not a fan of the bitterness (Why can’t milk or white chocolate be as healthy as dark chocolate!!!??) I DID like how cute the squares were. Here’s a picture

So, I took a bite of the square, which was rather thick and had a nice bite to it, and was pleasantly surprised. Not as bitter as I thought it would be! It was creamy, actually kind of sweet, and there was a vanilla aftertaste as well. Pretty good! 3 1/2 stars

Next up, the Dairy-Free Rice Milk bar. At first this one was smooth and sweet, but as I continued to eat it, I noticed it had some kind of an aftertaste. Hmm. Have you ever had sugar free chocolate? I have, and I always noticed it had some sort of an aftertaste which was similar to what this bar had. Also what I found odd was that I could almost taste milk in this bar, despite the fact that it was dairy-free. Bizarre. It was OK, but not my favorite. 3 stars

Well, look at that! I actually liked the Dark Chocolate one more than the Dairy-Free Rice Milk bar! Go figure ;)

Dark Chocolate boom CHOCO boom bar- 1 package is 200 calories, 15 grams of fat ( 9 saturated) 22 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein.

Dairy-Free Rice Milk boom CHOCO boom bar- 1 package is 230 calories, 17 grams of fat (11 saturated), 21 grams of carbohydrates, 1 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

If you could invent your own chocolate bar, what would it have in it? I would have a peanut butter filled milk chocolate bar with bits of banana in it. MMM!

5 Feb 2011, Comments (4)

Kozy Shack CowRageous! Strawberry Pudding

Author: Healthnuttxo

I love pudding. In fact, I eat a chocolate pudding cup every day. I love the sweetness, the creamy texture, everything about it. So, at the store the other day, I went to purchase my chocolate pudding but I saw something new on the shelf- CowRageous! pudding, in STRAWBERRY flavor, by Kozy Shack. You know I was tempted. Well temptation won, because not only did I buy the strawberry pudding, but I also bought the chocolate pudding as well (you know, just in case!!)

First off, I loved the cartoon cow- how cute! I also love how this is made with natural ingredients, is gluten free, and has some fiber and calcium per cup. It was a bit on the small side, so I do wish that the serving was bigger.

Anyway, I opened up the cup and decided to have it with some fresh strawberries (and whipped cream, because, well, why not!?). Here’s what it looked like

Yea... I ate more whipped cream than that. :)

As you can see, my strawberries and whipped cream kind of swallowed up the pudding. Not a lot of pudding in the cup, but that’s what toppings are for!

It was thick and creamy, almost like a gel/pudding consistency, with more of a vanilla flavor with strawberry undertones. It wasn’t really all that sweet, I was expecting sweeter. In fact, my strawberries and the whipped cream were sweeter than the pudding. It also had a bit of a funky aftertaste, but nothing too overpowering. It was pretty good snack, and I enjoyed it, but it certainly won’t replace my love for my usual- the chocolate pudding.

Overall, 3 1/2 stars. It’s only 100 calories with 3 grams of fiber and 10% of the calcium needs per pudding cup. It was a bit small, however, so I would reccomend eating it with something else as well.

1 pudding cup is 100 calories, .5 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

If you could invent any flavor pudding, what would it be? I would do chocolate chip cookie dough pudding, or peanut butter! Mmmm! =)

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