Oh yeah- YOGURT MAKER!!

A little while ago, the generous folks at CSN gave me a 30$ giftcard to get the item of choice on their websites. I chose the Tribest Yolife Yogurt Maker, seeing as I LOVE yogurt and totally loved the idea of making any flavor I wanted (I’m thinking of doing a “peanut butter and jelly” the next time I try this machine!!)

So, I opened up my box, washed the containers and got ready to go.

Uh-oh. One thing missing. I needed yogurt cultures! So, I packed up the yogurt machine and went looking for yogurt cultures at some stores.

So after some searching  I finally found some. Hooray! Now I can make tasty yogurt from home!

What kind of flavor did I want to make? Fruity? Savory? Sweet? (I ended up using 1/4 cup sugar, a little bit of stevia, 1 tablespoon of banana extract, and a little bit of vanilla extract as well to the milk.)

I heated 4 cups of skim milk in a pot (before a boil) and let cool. This whole process took about an hour or so.

Then I had to put the cultures in a separate cup with a little bit of the heated then cooled down milk, and stir. I noticed that it sort of smelled like cheese! Then I added that little cup of milk back to the pot, and mixed again.

I ended up filling 6 of the little jars that the yogurt maker came with the milk mixture, and put them in the yogurt machine (without the jars’ lids on), and then placed the cover on the machine. I plugged it in, set the timer for 12 hours and well. Now all I had to do was wait!

The whole process took about 16 hours. I started at 4pm Friday and took it out around 8 am Saturday. Then of course, I had warm yogurt, so I had to stick it in the fridge to cool off. I let it sit for 24 hours in the fridge, and then took one out. It sort of had a silken tofu appearance, or resembled when I once had a soy yogurt. It looked firm on top, but then when I scooped some with my spoon, it kind of fell apart. It sort of looked like watered down cottage cheese in a way. Perhaps the next time I try it I’ll leave it in the yogurt machine longer? Or use different ingredients?

Overall, this gets 3 stars. It was a little time consuming, and didn’t really give me the texture I wanted. I do like the concept of being able to make custom flavors, and  being able to control the nutrition.

So, a question(s) for you readers! What flavor should I make next? Do you have any exciting or good ideas? Please leave a comment below if you’ d like to give me some ideas! =)
*also-Has anyone used a yogurt machine maker and can give me some advice on how to get firmer yogurt? I would appreciate it!

Although I have already done a review of Zevia soda in the past, I’m doing another. And guess what? A GIVEAWAY TOO!

For those of you who never heard of Zevia, here’s some info about it from the website “ZEVIA is the first all natural zero calorie soda. With only pure ingredients, ZEVIA contains none of the chemically processed artificial sugar substitutes, artificial flavors or artificial colors found in other diet sodas. ZEVIA is all-natural, has zero calories, zero net carbs, zero fat, and little or no sodium (depending on flavor).”

Zevia was even mentioned in the September issue of O magazine!

Well? Let’s get started! =)

I opened up the Ginger Root Beer first. Ah, a crisp, good flavor. Can definitely taste some of the ginger. It wasn’t super sweet, but rather just the right amount. I also loved that there was no caffeine in this flavor! 4 stars

Next up, Lemon Lime Twist. So refreshing! Also, not too sweet, but just the right amount. Also a really good blend of both lemon and lime flavors. Perfect to drink on a sunny, warm day! 4 stars

Next, Cola. This one was a bit sweeter, and not as carbonated/bubbly as the other flavors. It had sort of a cola syrupy taste to it, but was enjoyable. Went perfect with my dinner of pizza & steamed broccoli! 4 stars

Moving on to Orange- This one had a delicate yet tasty flavor. It was mildly sweet, with a tiny bit of zest to it. Yummy orange flavor! 4 stars

Next up, Dr. Zevia. Yum! I really liked this one. A good about of sweetness, and light cherry flavor. There was just a little bit of a zing or spice to it as well. It wasn’t super carbonated/bubbly, which I liked, and was quite tasty. This one gets 4 1/2 stars

Black Cherry- my other favorite, this one had a good amount of sweetness, was bubbly, and I could certainly detect a black cherry flavor. Refreshing! 4 1/2 stars

Now, THE GIVEAWAY!!

1 winner (United States Only) will win ONE SIX PACK of assorted flavors of Zevia!

How to enter:
Please leave a comment for each below. If the entry counts as two  entries, leave two comments!

1. *Mandatory*
What if your favorite way to use stevia? If you don’t currently use it, then what is your favorite sweetener to eat/use?

*Optional*
2. two entries! Blog about this giveaway, and leave a link in the comment section!
3. tweet about this giveaway!
4. Follow me on twitter!
5. Add me to your blogroll!

Contest ends Sunday, September 12th, 2010 at 12PM.

Growing up, I remember when I was little and my family would go out for icecream, I would very often get strawberry ice cream with peanut butter topping. An odd combination perhaps, but I loved it. I remember my favorite part of strawberry ice cream was the big chunks of frozen strawberries- delicious.

Well, I got a coupon to try a free ice cream from Alden’s Organic Ice Creams, and how could I pick any other flavor but strawberry? Would it be possible to re-live my childhood memories of strawberry icecream, with an organic ice cream?

Well, I took this container out of my freezer and immediately was pleased. It scooped out of the container relatively easy- which I was SO happy about. I HATE when I have to dig and dig at a carton of icecream because it’s so cold and hard, that it takes so much effort to get it out of the carton! It sort of makes me not want ice cream anymore! But- not the case here!

I slid the creamy ice cream in my mouth and thought now this is strawberry ice cream. Absolutely DELICIOUS. So pure tasting, the perfect amount of sweetness, and an awesome strawberry flavor. I just loved it. I even loved how I got an occasion strawberry seed which made this have a real, homemade feel. I also loved that I could taste the cream in this icecream. Just SO good!

Of course, ice cream isn’t exactly diet friendly, but if I’m going to eat ice cream, I want some real ice cream and this stuff is really good. This is getting 5 stars =)

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? If you’d like to answer, please leave me a comment below! =)

Here we go- a natural NON food review! And this time? It’s about soap! =)

Jason sent me some coupons to get $1.00 off a product, so I ended up using them on some all natural soaps. I prefer to use soaps from a pump or container rather than a bar of soap when it comes to handwashing, so I thought these would be pretty good. As a bonus, they were all natural, AND could be used on the face!

According to the website, here’s some notes about the Lavender, and Mango & Papaya soap I chose to  buy.

“No Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates
Concentrated & Moisturizing
Never Dries your Skin
Natural Ingredients”.

I also chose the Cranberry scent, but those particular facts were not listed below the product on the website.

Anyway- onto the review!

Mango & Papaya- this one was thick and orange in color, with a light mango smell. It left my hands feeling soft, and left a very light scent on my skin. 4 stars

Lavender- this one had a stronger smell than the Mango & Papaya, but was actually quite refreshing! I loved the smooth and silky texture- a great soap! 4 stars

Cranberry- this one was my favorite of the 3. It had a very crisp, fresh and fruity smell. It sort of reminded me of fall and Thanksgiving time. I loved the sweet and fruity scent, and how it was gentle, and very clean feeling. 4 1/2 stars

Overall, I really like these soaps! I especially love that they can be used on the hands and the face- very convenient! They were a tad expensive though, I think it was about $8.99 for one at Whole Foods, so I was happy I  had a $1.00 off coupon. Another person tried this soap who has sensitive skin, and she liked it as well! Bravo, Jason! =)

Seeing as I really enjoyed the Nature’s Path Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, I was sure I would like the Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Bar that I was sent to try as well!

There’s yet another cute panda on the package of the bar, which made me feel like a kid all over again =) . The organic bar is also gluten free.

I opened up the package, and saw a brown colored bar, and a lot fo pieces that resembled puffed rice. The bar was a bit sticky, and held together quite easily. It was soft, airy, and chewy, and  not too salty tasting. It didn’t really have a savory peanut butter flavor, but kind of reminded me of a sweet peanut butter flavor, rather than the type I would eat from the jar. There was also a slight molasses flavor.

Overall, I would give this 3 1/2 stars. I consider it a rather light snack by itself, and think it would be good for those days I might not be hungry, but want something to eat. I do like that it’s organic, gluten free, and a decently sized bar for only 110 calories!

1 bar (28 grams) is 110 calories, 3 grams of fat, 20 grams of cabohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 7 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein.

Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Honey, Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Invert Cane Juice, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Soy Oil, Organic Acacia Gum, Sea Salt, Organic Molasses.

NoNuttin’ makes snacks that have a lot to offer. For example, according to the package of the Double Chocolate Chunk Granola Bar I was sent to try from NoNuttin’, this bar alone is “Gluten Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free”.

Well? Let’s give this a try!

The bar is on the smaller side, long and somewhat thin (about the width of my two fingers). It’s brown in color, with visible oats, and pices of chocoalte on the top part of the bar. It has a rather soft consistency, and fell apart easily as I lifted up the bar after I took it out of the wrapper. The chocolate on top tasted like a dark chocolate, and was more bitter than sweet. The texture of the bar is chewy, and the oats sort of have that rolled oats consistency, like how they are before I make homemade oatmeal. The taste is better than the texture. It has a sweet, chocolatey flavor, with a hint of vanilla.

I probably would have enjoyed this bar more if it wasn’t as chewy, and the chocolate pieces were sweeter. I’m giving it 3 stars. I DO like that it has a lot of things, such as being gluten free and dairy free, and that there is only 6 grams of sugar per bar.

1 bar (30 grams) is 120 calories, 4 grams of fat, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein.

Oh yea. Peanut. Butter. Muscle. Brownie.

The generous folks over at Lenny & Larry’s sent me one of these treats to try, and of COURSE I was excited. Not only was it  a brownie, it was a peanut butter brownie, AND it has TWENTY GRAMS of protein per 80 gram brownie!!

So, feeling hungry the other day and in the mood for something sweet and savory, I took out this brownie. It was a thick and rich brownie, with a decent layer of a peanut butter drizzle on top. Some actually stuck to my wrapper a little bit, but no worries! I took a bite, and… These are GOOD!

Very sweet, fudgy, dense, and moist. Just delicious! The brownie part was actually a bit too sweet, but still very good. The best part was the peanut butter topping- creamy, sweet and delicious.

This gets 4 stars from me. It was very good, but there are two servings in a 2.82 ounce package, with 170 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving. This brownie is too delicious not to eat the whole thing at once! I also wish that there was more fiber,  and less sugar. There is only 1 gram of fiber, and 12 grams of sugar per serving. On the bright side, I did like how it was filling, and certainly scrumptious. I can see myself using this as an on-the-go snack or mini meal for when I’m hungry but don’t have time to sit down and eat.

1.41 ounces (40 grams) is 170 calories, 6 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar and 10 grams of protein.

Oatmeal! While I love a good bowl of home-made rolled oats in the morning, there are times when instant oatmeal hits the spot. It’s often much faster/easier to make (quicker clean-up, too!) and often has tasty flavors!

Country Choice Organic sent me some of their instant oatmeal from the Fit Kids line, like the Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Toast flavors. Yes- Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Toast! I was SO excited to try these- they sounded like dessert for breakfast!

I tried the Chocolate Chip flavor first. At first I was a bit disappointed- there were only a few chocolate chips, maybe 3 or 4? in my packet. I was sort of hoping for more. After cooking it, I noticed it didn’t really thicen up like I’m used to with rolled oats, and was sort of loose (on another note- I noticed if you Microwave it instead of using hot water- it thickened up much better!) After cooking, the chocolate chips also sort of melted. I wish that the chocolate chips were on the side as a mix-in once the oatmeal was cooked. As for the taste? It really wasn’t that sweet, and sort of tasted like a hot cocoa flavored oatmeal. I did add some mix-ins, like crushed pretzels and sliced bananas, which made it more heartier and more filling for me, as well as a bit of stevia to sweeten it up a bit. 3 stars

Cinnamon Toast- this one I decided to cook in the microwave, and it had a much better texture. It cooked and sort of puffed up quite nicely! However, I was a bit disappointed again. It just wasn’t really that sweet tasting! It really kind of reminded me of plain oatmeal, with just a hint of cinnamon. I decided to add some maple syrup and sliced banana again, and found it much better. 3 stars

Overall, I do like that these are all natural, have 3 grams of fiber per packet, but they just aren’t sweet enough for my preferences as is. However, I found with a little bit of stevia to sweeten it, and some mixins like fruit, these were actually quite good!

*Do you have a favorite flavor of oatmeal? Or, what’s your favorite oatmeal mix-in?* Please leave a comment below if you’d like to answer! =)

1 packet ranges from 130-150 calories, 1.5-2.5 grams of fat, 26-28 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 11-13 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Along with the tasty Biscuit Mix I was sent to try from Marie Callender’s, I was also given the All Natural Corn  Bread Muffin Mix in the 7oz variety.

Now I was excited for these. I LOOOVEE corn bread, and really rarely get to eat it! I love how it’s moist and super tasty with a little smear of butter. Delicious.

So, I preheated my oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and starting making this mix. I decided to go for the swaps suggested on the back of the mix “to make a healthier version”, and switched 1/4 cup applesauce for 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup skim milk for 1/4 cup milk, and 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg, and mixed them together. Then I added the corn bread muffin mix to the bowl, which mixed very easily. Hardly any lumps whatsoever!

Then I sprayed my muffin tin with some noncook spray and added the muffin mix. I cooked it for about 16 or 17 minutes, and let it cool slightly.

These muffins were moist and soft, which was a plus for me. They were mildly sweet as well. I do prefer my cornbread to be a bit sweeter, and I sort of wish they used honey over sugar since I prefer a honey taste as well. They also had a bit of a tang to them, that I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Not super noticeable, but it had a bit of a tangy aftertaste. By themselves, I would assign this to be  a 3 star rating, but after I put a little butter on one, I liked it more, which would bring these muffins up to a 3 1/2 star rating. I did like that they were cute medium sized muffins, but didn’t like that they had 0 grams of fiber in the mix, and that the first ingredient was sugar.

Do you like cornbread? What’s your favorite way to eat it? Or do you have a favorite brand? *If you’d like to answer, please leave a comment below!*

ANNNNND… as a special bonus, here is a COUPON CODE for a purchase! By using the code  LHN01MC  you can recieve 10% off your next purchase! Woo-hoo! (can’t be combined with other coupons, and expires SEPTEMBER 14th, 2010)!

Raw Crunch Bars seem totally cool to me, and are unlike other products I have tried in the past. According to the wrapper, these bars are “Handmade, Uncooked, Unprocessed” and are also “Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Peanut Free”. That’s a lot to offer for one bar, and certainly intriguing.
However, according to the website, “All of our bars are Gluten-free, Soy-free, Dairy-free, Peanut-free & Raw, with the exception of our Organic Dark Chocolate variety. The chocolate pieces in this bar are not soy-free or raw.”

Well, the company sent me some of these bars to try, and the first thing I noticed when I opened the bars, was that these are certainly NOT like anything I have had in the past. There are soooo many nuts and seeds! I’m used to bars that are mostly oats/granola, with a few sprinkles of nuts or needs, or raisins, etc. Nope! These bars had visible flaxseeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds,sunflower seeds! Just TONS! I also noticed that both bars pretty much had the same flavor, with the exception of the variation of blueberries or dark chocolate. To me that both had a rather strong pumpkin/sunflower seed flavor, and were very lightly sweet, with a slightly salty aftertaste. I actually quite enjoyed both bars, as they were unique, yet tasty. The Raw Crunch Bar with Organic Dark Chocolate was tasty- but lacking in the chocolate department. The dark chocolate pieces were tasty, a lightly sweetened flavor, but I only got about 5 chips in the whole bar : ( 

On the other hand, the Raw Crunch Bar with Organic Blueberries, there was a LOT more blueberries! Sweet and small, they sort of reminded me of the type of blueberries that are in blueberry muffins or pancakes. Not plump and juicy, but small and sweet.

Overall, I give these both 4 stars. I love that one bar has only 10 grams of carbohydrates, with 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. A really satisfying snack!

1 bar (28 grams) is 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.