Categories: Snacks

4 Oct 2016, Comments (0)

Love Our Nuts Raw, Whole, Natural Almonds

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Nuts are one of my favorite snacks. There are only a few things that I crave when I am insatiable (despite eating enough) or in a mood where I want something crunchy and satisfying. I LOVE the sweetened (honey roasted…) versions of nuts, and typically I go for roasted or salted.

Love Our Nuts has some gluten free, raw, whole and natural nuts. You can get 2 lbs for only 13.99 which I think is a STEAL seeing as these small cans of nuts at the store is 6-7$. If you aren’t a fan of raw, you can totally roast and flavor these yourselves!

They are a hard and crunchy nut, fresh, and bursting with flavor. There is no salt, and they are not roasted. Typically, I prefer roasted/salted nuts, but I cannot lie, these are yummy! I tend to prefer roasted because the raw almonds are usually “soft”, and I like a crunchy nut in order to be satisfied. However, these were really good!

They are smaller than most almonds I have seen, the shell of the almond doesn’t fall/flake off, and you don’t miss the salt. They almost have some type of SUPER mild “vanilla” type flavor, which must be the natural almond flavors shining through. I like them.

I think these would be great in a trail mix, with some sweeter components, such as raisins and some chocolate. They are plain, but have that “real” flavor. Unadulterated, nothing added, almonds. Can’t argue with nature. 4 stars
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I received this product for free. This is an unbiased review.
2 Apr 2016, Comments (0)

Vitamin Shoppe the Power of Protein reviews

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Hello!

I got a box of goodies from the fantabulous (yes thats a word) Vitamin Shoppe! I was sent an assortment of protein powders, a shaker cup, a shirt, protein bar, protein chocolate, and a protein cookie! Perfect gift box for the avid weight lifter like myself. So let’s get started!

First up, let’s get to the protein powders.

Bodytech Whey Tech, Micellar Casein, Hexatein, and PRO PUDDING samples. Note: all proteins (except pudding) were mixed with unsweetened almond milk.

Bodytech Whey Tech is a quick absorbed protein and good for post workout. I got these in Strawberry  and Chocolate Mint. They both mixed relatively easy.

The Strawberry flavor was not a favorite of mine. It tasted and smelled overly fake, and had a funky strawberry flavor. Reminded me of a muted strawberry milk, but the artificial sweetener was too prominent to enjoy. 2 stars.

The Chocolate Mint flavor was…eh. It tasted like spearmint, with very mild chocolate undertones. It was very, very mildly sweet so the flavors were sort of muted. Not a fan. 2 stars. 

 

Moving on…

Hexatein. I heard good things about these!

IMG_1249 These proteins are a blend of whey, casein, and egg protein for assorted absorption and digestion rates. I got these in Chocolate and Vanilla. Both flavors were on the harder side to mix without getting clumps.

The Chocolate flavor tasted like cocoa powder moreso than chocolate, but did remind me of a chocolate milk. It had a creamy taste and mild sweetness, but it was a bit chalky. Not too bad. 3 1/2 stars.

The Vanilla flavor reminded me of a frosting, but was not nearly as sweet (obviously). It was creamy, and had an okay vanilla flavor, however the fake sweetener aftertaste was a tad too noticeable for me. 3 stars.

Next…

The Casein protein. Casein is a slow digested protein, and typically consumed before bed. I got this variety in Cookies and Cream, which happens to be my favorite protein flavor usually. It was thick, mixed easily, creamy. I kind of liked it because it had a mild cookie flavor, with mini pieces, but not too sweet. I don’t like overly sweet powders, they make it hard for me to drink. My favorite of all the proteins. 4 stars.

Next up, The PRO PUDDING!

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IMG_1254 These were mixed with 5 ounces of cold water. You have to let them sit a bit for them to set up and thicken. To be honest, I did not like either one of them. The vanilla reminded me of a sugar free vanilla jello (that you make from the box), but the flavor was lack luster, too artificial tasting, awkwardly sweet, and too much to consume with one muted flavor. The chocolate was a little better, not too sweet, chalky, and tasted more like cocoa powder. Both were OK but need mix ins. I can see how they can be useful during dieting with some mix ins, perhaps a crunchy component, or some banana slices, but I was not a fan. 2 stars. 

Next up, the Complete Cookie by Lenny and Larry’s in Birthday Cake flavor. Oh MAN was this good! A HUGE cookie ( be careful…two servings!!!) It was sweet, but not overly sweet, had NO protein flavor, was soft baked but dense, had a somewhat brown sugar flavor…very good, just not super healthy. 370 calories and 30 grams of sugar for one cookie, but if you need protein and you are craving sweets, this is totally the way to go.  4 1/2 stars

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Next, the PowerCrunch Dark Chocolate bar. This had two servings in it,surprisingly. and overall was OK but not worth the calories. If I am craving chocolate, I was CHOCOLATE! It had a semi sweet but more on bitter side flavor with little krispies in it, kind of like a Crunch bar, but not as sweet. The chocolate was not smooth in consistency, and it was OK. 3 stars

 

Lastly, and a product I actually purchased again for both awesome nutritional stats and flavor, the Oh Yeah! ONE protein bar in Birthday Cake flavor. Only 1 gram of sugar with 21 grams of protein, and freaking awesome flavor. Dense, chewy, sweet, tastes like a sugar cookie meets vanilla cake. I love it, and the sprinkles on top make it feel decadent. This is my new favorite protein bar! 4 1/2 stars.

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Overall, got some good stuff! The shirt and shaker bottle from Vitamin Shoppe added a nice touch. The shirt was super comfy, and fit well. The shaker cup was sturdy, and had a jack-like shaped object instead of those annoying metal wire balls that you cannot get untangled if you store them together or throw them in dishwasher, which helped mix protein. Thank you, Vitamin Shoppe, for my care package!IMG_1248

 

This is an unbiased review. I received these items for free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 Sep 2015, Comments (0)

Snyder of Berlin Classic Dill Pickle & Honey Bar-B-Q flavored Potato Chips

Author: Healthnuttxo

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The lovely folks over at Snyder of Berlin sent me a package of some yummy potato chips! I will be honest, I am not a HUGE chip eater…not because I don’t find them delicious, but because I would rather eat a snack that will fill me up. However, BBQ flavored chips happen to be my favorite, so I certainly could not pass these up!

Naturally...I tried the Honey Bar-B-Q first 🙂

These were a sweet BBQ flavor! The honey here definitely was a star. They were crunchy, yet crispy, sweet yet middle salty, and overall just delicious. These are almost a perfect BBQ chip for me. If you prefer sweeter over spicier or saltier BBQ chips, you will definitely enjoy these. I had to give the rest of the bag to my dad…couldn’t stop taking handfuls from the bag!! (and this is why I don’t buy chips often! 😉 ) These babies are also gluten free. 4 1/2 stars
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Next up, the Vlasic Dill Pickle flavored chips!

To be fair, I do not really like pickles. I pick them off my cheeseburgers, and I refuse them at diners. I think you are either a pickle person, or you are not, and I would consider myself not a pickle person.

However…despite my apprehension, I can appreciate the flavor of these chips. My whole family was a bit weirded out too. My dad first refused to try any, my brother thought they would be too weird,  but my mom decided to be the guinea pig and try them first. She loved them! Dad went up next…he loved them! My brother tried some…walked away…and came back for more. I guess you could say they were a hit!

I was not super fond of them, but again, they were a favorite with 3 other pickle people 🙂

The vinegar flavor I found a bit strong, as it had a bit of a sour feel. They tasted almost identical to a Vlasic pickle. They were salty, crispy and crunchy. I will admit they grew on me, and I had more than I had expected (curse you, chips!!! Evil deliciousness!!!). Both of my parents decided it would be awesome on a sandwich instead of a pickle…like a deli type of sandwich. Combining my personal feelings with my family, I will give these 4 stars for a pickle person, 3 for a non pickle person.

 

The nutritional information is listed below. Overall, I think these are worth a try!

 

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4 Mar 2015, Comments (9)

Bearitos Limited Edition CinnamonSugar Pita Chips

Author: Healthnuttxo

I got a free bag of the Limited Edition CinnamonSugar Pita Chips by Bearitos. These are non-GMO verified, which is always a plus. I don’t necessarily go out of my way to get non-GMO foods, but seeing a product non-GMO verified is definitely a positive!

I have a love hate with Pita chips. Love them, hate the calories and carbs. A serving size is usually like 7 chips from most brands that I’ve seen, because Pita Chips are so dense and thick. Who can only eat 7?!?!

Anyway, I was excited to try these. I was informed there is also a chocolate flavor that they make. I was sent the cinnamon sugar flavor. Here’s what they look like

As you can see, they have some seasoning on them but do not look drenched in cinnamon or sugar, which I’ll admit, I was already a bit disappointed. BUT, I tried these with an open mind.

Unfortunately, they were not as good as I hoped. They were a solid, crunchy chip, just as a pita chip should. However they were really bland. There was not a lot of cinnamon nor sugar flavor, and I had a predominant flavor of just a bland pita chip. I tried a couple chips, even some that looked like they had more coating than the others, and still to no avail.

The overall flavor was way too mild for me. If mild, and by mild I mean SUPER mild, is your thing, you might like these. I checked the sugar content of the chips, and it only had 1 gram of sugar. I suppose this is a plus, but I probably wouldn’t buy these if I saw these in store. Too bland, and not worth it if I wanted a sweet treat.  I did like the crunch these chips provided, but they just didn’t do it for me. I do NOT eat a lot of sugar (I am a Diabetic), so it’s not even as if I am used to a high exposure of sugary foods- these just barely had any flavor besides wheat.

2  stars

9 Jan 2015, Comments (7)

Uncomplicated Foods Tali-O Bites- Powerfully Peanut, A Hint of Almond, Double the Coconut

Author: Healthnuttxo

Hello!

I got some  yummy treats from Uncomplicated Foods to try for free called Tali-O Bites! They are these bite sized treats made from organic dates and other flavors, to make for a healthy snack. They come in 3 flavors, Powerfully Peanut, A Hint of Almond, and Double the Coconut. All 3 flavors are gluten free, vegan, non GMO, soy free, and free of added sugars, according to the package. The Double the Coconut and Hint of Almond flavor are also paleo friendly.

As you can see, they are tiny!

I tried the Double the Coconut flavor first. These were soft and chewy, and had a sweet and fruity taste. You can certainly detect the fate flavor. The coconut flavor was prominent, but I wouldn’t say it was “double” in terms of flavor strength. I am assuming the powder on the bite was some type of extra coconut flavor. There were tiny pieces of nuts that gave it a teeny crunch, which was nice and added texture. These were really yummy! I used them pre workout early in the morning (I’m talking 5 am…) for a boost since it was too early for me to eat a full breakfast. 4 stars

Next up, Hint of Almond. This one was not my favorite of the 3, but it was still good.  Almond was not the first thing I thought of when eating these, however. It had a sweet taste to it, but moreso tasted like an almond butter after-taste. It was soft and chewy, and had a rather peculiar flavor that is a bit hard to describe. Almost like if you took almond butter and dates and made it into a chew with teeny nut pieces. Overall, 3  stars.

Lastly,  Powerfully Peanut. This flavor was my favorite! It had a yummy peanut flavor and was mildly sweet. THere was a hint of coconut flavor and almost tasted a little like vanilla. They were soft, dense and chewy. Very good! Definitely want more of these!

Overall, these are good! I do not have or know the nutritional facts, but I do have the ingredients for Double The Coconut listed below.

7 Dec 2014, Comments (8)

Pearson Farm Natural Elliot Pecan Halves

Author: Healthnuttxo

Pecans are by far, my favorite nut. So when I got an email asking to review some of the “BEST. PECANS. EVER!” , you bet I was down to give them a try!

I got sent a bag to try for free from Pearson Farm. I was slightly skeptical after reading the ingredients. Just…pecans? No salt? Not roasted? Hmm…

However, these are fantastic! They are soft, have a slight mapley/sweet flavor to them as well, which HAS to be natural! They have no oily taste to them, and do not have a funky aftertaste to them that I find raw nuts sometimes have. The pecans are nice and big, and just very flavorful. Easily the best raw pecans I have ever tried, and very yummy for a “plain” flavor.

I think these would be great for baking. With holiday cooking and baking right around the corner, I think they would be excellent for making a pecan pie or a topping for cookies. However, they are delicious right out of the bag as well. I will always be a fan of roasted over raw, but for no salt AND raw nuts, these are very good, and very flavorful. Really allows the pecan flavor to shine through. I applaud! 4 1/2 stars from me.

Q- what is your favorite nut?


ALSO- the winner of the giveaway for the BP monitor is Kenny! You were chosen randomly via random.org, You will be contacted soon to claim your prize.

17 Oct 2014, Comments (6)

Nutiva O’Coconut Coconut Treats and Numi Organic Tea

Author: Healthnuttxo

I got some goodies!!! Nutiva sent me some yummy coconut treats to try, and Numi sent me a variety of some organic teas! I thought the idea was cute, since teas and “cookies” often are paired together 🙂

Let’s do the coconut treats first. These treats were individually packaged, and teeny! About a third of the size of my palm each. The hemp & chia coconut treat was yummy. It was lightly sweetened, but still had a nice sweet flavor to it. It reminded me of one of those macaroons you could buy at a bakery, but a lot less sweet. It was very soft, with a predominant coconut flavor, and a vanilla aftertaste. If you don’t enjoy piecy coconut consistency, this would not be for you! The little bite was also rather dense and chewy. As for chia or hemp flavor? I didn’t really detect much, but I wasn’t really complaining because it was still good. 4 stars.

Next up, the classic flavored. This one was also good. I found it to be a tad bit more dry than the other treat, but it wasn’t as flaky/piecy as the hemp & chia flavor. It was also dense and chewy, with a yummy vanilla flavor. I could definitely taste the cane sugar syrup that was used, or the tapioca syrup, but it wasn’t as if it was in excess to where it was gross. I am just familiar with those flavors, and thought it went nicely with the coconut. Overall, I liked it! 4 stars

Next up, the teas! To be fair, I did NOT sweeten any of them or add milk, etc. I had them straight up! First, the Jasmine Green tea. Gotta say, not my favorite. The Jasmine predominated the Green tea flavoring, and was quite strong. The smell was also quite strong, and it almost tasted exactly how Jasmine smells, if that makes sense. However, I passed this tea along to another tea lover, and she loved it, BUT she loves Jasmine. So, safe to say, you may enjoy this one as long as you like Jasmine. I wouldn’t drink it again, but it’s just not for me. Based on both of our ratings- 3 stars

Next, the Moroccan Mint! This one I thought I wouldn’t like, but really enjoyed! It was soothing, with a very faint minty flavor, almost like a peppermint. It was enjoyable, and reminded me of sleepytime tea with the flavoring. Like I said, the mint flavor, VERY subtle, so one a 1-10 scale, 10 being very minty, it was around 1.5. Which I liked! I thought it would be overpowering but was pleasantly surprised. 4.5 stars

Lastly, I got to try the Breakfast Blend Tea. I do not have a picture of this one, however, I can say it was also quite delicious.  I thought it might be harsh since it was a black tea, but it wasn’t at all. Not to say it was light in flavor, but it wasn’t bitter or overpoweringly strong. I let a friend try this one, and she ended up drinking the whole dang box on me! Guess she liked it 🙂 4 stars

OVERALL, enjoyable! Kudos to Nutiva and Numi. Now I have to ask, what is your favorite flavor of tea?

6 Aug 2014, Comments (5)

CredibleCravings organic whole food bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

I have a new product to review!

CredibleCravings sent me a few of their organic whole food bars to try. According to the label, these bars are “developed to support the nutritional needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy”. They are organic, have no GMOs, have probiotics, free of soy, and are made with no artificial sweeteners. And ALTHOUGH I am not pregnant… I could still use some whole goodness in my life!

The bars come in 3 flavors- Lemon Ginger Greens, Oatmeal Cranberry, and Chocolate. *Naturally* I tried the chocolate flavor first 🙂

The chocolate flavor is on the sweeter side, and has almost a raspberry flavor to it. It is dense, chewy and very moist, with chocolate chips scattered throughout the bar, and a prominent chocolate flavor. There is a slight crunch to it, probably from some of the added seeds. Some bites were a little on the sweet side, but it was very good! My favorite of the 3. 4 stars

Next, the Lemon Ginger Greens, was my least favorite of the 3. The flavor was okay. If I had a word to describe it, it would be “earthy”. I could almost taste the kale or some type of green the bar was made with. The lemon flavor was definitely there, some bites more prominent than others. The bigger lemon flavor I detected, the better I liked the bar. The ginger was sort of an aftertaste, but it provided just a zing of flavor on the tongue. It was okay, but I wouldn’t eat it again. However, I have had some “greens” types of bars and this is definitely one of the better ones. 2 1/2 stars

Lastly, Oatmeal Cranberry. This bar was good too! It was on the sweeter side, with a nice cranberry flavor. It had a little bit of tartness, but not too much, and just the perfect amount of sweetness to balance it out. The bar reminded me of oatmeal, and almost had a “hearty” texture to it from the oats and the crunch from the seeds. I enjoyed this one. I would eat it again. 4 stars

Here is a pic of the bars: Top= Chocolate, Middle= Oatmeal Cranberry, Bottom= Lemon Ginger Greens

And the nutritional information:

Thanks CredibleCravings!

Note: I received these bars for free. This is an unbiased review.

30 Jul 2014, Comments (1)

Live Love POP all natural popcorn- Lime Fresco, Sea Salt, Truffle Salt

Author: Healthnuttxo

Popcorn is by far my favorite snack (this post is still not biased!!). I was sent 3 flavors of a brand of popcorn I have never heard of, or even seen in stores, for free. Live Love POP sent me Lime Fresco, Sea Salt, and Truffle Salt popcorn, all made with minimal ingredients, and waist line friendly (30 calories per cup!).

The popcorn comes in brown bags that were both easy to open and close to stay fresh. I like that it had a nice sturdy bag, but also a natural feel, and had a zipper built in the bag. My number one pet peeve with snacks is that the cheap plastic breaks and then you have a bag ripped down the middle, thus, either snacks all over the floor from improper opening or stale snacks. BOOO!

I decided to try the Truffle Salt flavor first. And boy was I not disappointed! It was SO good! I never had truffles, or truffle salt, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, this popcorn had a lot of flavor and almost reminded me of a garlic knot. Garlic knot flavored popcorn for 30 cals a cup? COUNT ME IN! I did not miss the butter or anything on this popcorn, flavor was covered! It also had a good amount of salt, but not too much. My only complaint was that bag was too small! heh! 4 1/2 stars

Next up, the Sea Salt. This one was honestly pretty bland. I know it had no other flavor really except salt, but it was even lacking in the salt department. It was crunchy and fluffy popcorn, which kept me eating the rest of the bag, but I wouldn’t buy this one in the future if I had the chance. Not enough salt to have a sea salt flavor. 3 stars

Lastly, Lime Fresco.

This one I had high hopes for, especially after the Truffle Salt flavor. It sounded semi exotic, and a new flavor I never tried when it came to popcorn! The popcorn was a bit odd. It had a lime flavor, some bites more potent than others, that was a bit sour, mixed with some salt flavor. The flavor reminded me of a lime rub you would put on chicken to grill with. It got better as I ate more of it, and although it wasn’t my favorite, it wasn’t bad. I feel like a touch of butter would have been perfect, but again, 30 cals a cup a can’t really complain! 3  stars

Overall, I like the popcorn! I would LOVE to have more of that truffle flavored popcorn and love to see if Live Love POP has any more flavors to try. I think they would make a really good sweet flavored popcorn, because I like the direction they are going in! These popcorns are vegan, all natural, and GMO free 🙂

29 Jul 2012, Comments (2)

Nutorious Nut Confections Ooo La La Original

Author: Healthnuttxo

Presenting…. (da da da DAAAA!) One of the BEST things I have ever purchased. So good I ate the whole bag in 2 days (dangit!!!)

I found these browsing the grocery store in the natural foods section. They were on there own little showcase and had 3 or 4 flavors to pick from. There was only one of the Ooo La La Original flavors left, and it sounded the tastiest to me, so I picked this one up.

Opening up the bag, there weren’t a lot of nuts, but a good amount. Pecans, walnuts and almonds, all dusted and covered with what looked like a graham cracker type of outside.  The taste? AMAZING! The walnuts and pecans had a soft crunch to them, and the outside was sweet but not too sweet, and definitely had a buttery taste. It reminded me of peanut brittle, because of the sweet and buttery taste, and then the nut flavor to accompany. The almonds were much crunchier and not as heavily coated as the walnuts and pecans, but delicious none the less.

Did I mention they’re delicious? Because I ate the WHOLE BAG in 2 days. Oh well. I need the calories to fuel my hard workouts, and at least there are plenty of healthy fats in nuts 😉 (butter…not so much but moderation is key, peeps!)

OVERALL, 4.5 stars. A tad high in sugar, and lower in protein than just a handful of good ol’ nuts would be, but overall a yummy snack. WILL buy again!

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