Look-ee what I got in the mail, as a complete surprise to me…

YEP- some Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte LARAbars! With a cute little bag, button, sticker and slice of information pie.

What a nice welcome surprise once I walked in the door and had a package waiting for me. Thanks, LARAbar!!!

Now, down to business. It looks like your standard LARAbar….

….but it’s not.

This one ROCKS!!!! I noticed the bar seemed softer than usual when I took a bite, but still had that sticky density we all know and (hopefully) love. As I kept chewing, I really loved this bar. It tastes like chocolate covered cherries!!

It was sweet and tart, with that classic date taste. But,  then you get a hint of  dark chocolate flavor and a teensy bit of crunch. I really felt like I was eating almost a cordial cherry, with chocolate covered coating. This is definitely one of my new favorite Larabars!! And, according to the wrapper, this baby is Gluten Free and gives 1/2 of a fruit serving. What’s not to love??

Overall, this gets 4 1/2 stars. Really delicious! I will definitely buy in the future!!

What’s your favorite food involving cherries? I cant say I would turn down a slice of cherry pie

chipped nail polish. *sigh* forgive me???

So this ones for you guys. Bacon seems like it’s such a big deal. As in a big deal as in people love it.

To me? Eh.

While I do appreciate a good slice of turkey bacon, I never liked bacon as a kid. Always left it on my plate on the diner, and scrunched my nose when I saw the grease my dad would pour into a glass jar after making breakfast. But that’s just me.

So when I saw this product, Popcorn, Indiana Bacon Ranch Popcorn I knew it would be a perfect thing to review. Plus, well, ok….it sounded pretty awesome. And I’m all for snacking. Guess what store I bought it at. No really, guess.

Why, WHOLE FOODS of course!

Anyway, here’s what a bowl of the bacony-ranch goodness looked like.

*sniff* *sniff*….does someone smell bacon?

This popcorn was unbelievably delicious. It had a soft crunch to it, and a light residue on top of each piece of popcorn. I barely found any pieces that didn’t have a good coating on it, which was a positive. Nothing like a plain piece of popcorn to bring down the flavor party. Yea, I said flavor party.

Anyway, there was a salty taste, and a sharp white cheddar cheese flavor. And yes….I tasted bacon. There were also onion flavors as well, and it just really had a powerful and delicious ( insert ADDICTIVE) tastes. It reminded me of the Smoked Gouda popcorn I really loved as well.

This popcorn gets 4 1/2 stars. Why not 5 you ask? Well, it’s called Bacon Ranch popcorn, and I sort of missed the “ranch” element. It was more of a cheesy-bacon popcorn to me, with a bit of onion flavor.  It’s also a touch high in fat and sodium. Regardless, beyond good, and highly recommended.

What about YOU- fan of bacon? or no?  I like Veggie Bacon too!

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Look at this goodie I picked up from Whole Foods! I wanted some sort of sweet treat to follow up my lunch- and this was it! I bust my booty at the gym every day, usually after breakfast, so I like to have some “reward” for my hard work as part of my post-gym session. I was hoping these would be as delicious as they looked- and the fact that they are all natural, and have “no refined sugar” as the package states, didn’t hurt either!! =)

So after the trauma Hurricane Irene has caused last week (bless any and all who faced hardships!), let’s bring some good back to the name “Irene” with these cookies. They were delicious!

The first bite I took was all of the outer part of the cookie, and none of the raspberry middle. It was thick, and very rich, and reminded me of a homemade pie crust. It had that flavor and texture that made me crave a drink of water.

The raspberry part was smooth and sweet, but not overly sweet. They had a fresh raspberry taste, and reminded me of a raspberry jelly or jam. As I stated before, these cookies were made without refined sugars, so that’s something (as a Diabetic) I especially appreciate. Sweetener is sweetener to me, but the less refined the sweetener, I notice the less of an impact on my blood sugar levels. So a less guilty sweet treat for me? Count me in!

Overall, a perfect post-lunch treat. A good sized cookie, at only 110 calories and 4 grams of sugar. They reminded me of mini raspberry pies, but with a thicker crust! I’m not really sure why they are called puffs- I was expecting an airy or “puffy” cookie, but this was actually quite dense. Oh well, still yummy! 4 stars

Question- what’s your favorite thing involving the name “Irene” ? Let’s get some positive things to bring a better light to the name Irene after the hurricane!

Little high in saturated fat, but it’s a treat! And hey, it’s made with delicious butter

So far, I’m a fan of Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn. The ever-so delicious Smoked Gouda **highly reccommended**, pretty yummy Movie Lover’s Buttered Popcorn, and also pretty good Hatch Chili Con Queso flavors. I was excited to try the White Cheddar.

You see… I sort of had an obsession with White Cheddar popcorn when I was younger. There would always be a bag of it in the house, and I was known to demolish the whole bag (yes….the WHOLE thing) in a sitting. Who counts serving sizes or calories when they are little? I sure didn’t!  ; )

Then I just grew out of the bag a week White Cheddar popcorn phase. And then when I received Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn White Cheddar for free to try in the mail, my love was rekindled. YES. White Cheddar Popcorn we meet again!!

So I opened the bag, and here’s how it looked.

The popcorn itself was light and fluffy, with a great crunch. Just as popcorn should be. It left a slight residue on my hands, but not so much where I had to wipe my hands all over the couch cushions (KIDDING!). I wouldn’t say the flavor screamed White Cheddar , and in fact some pieces I questioned to myself what flavor was it exactly?

It wasn’t really salty, and had a mild cheese flavor. It also had a bit of a buttermilk flavor that reminded me of Ranch dressing. It was certainly a unique flavor, where some pieces were very flavorful, and others left rather bland.

So does Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn White Cheddar live up to my past of White Cheddar popcorn love affair?

Not exactly, but it was still good. I would eat it again, and would buy it if I saw it in stores. 4 stars

How do you like yo eat YOUR popcorn? sweet? salty? Let me know!!!

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.

Source

Now, I’m not a cheese kind of person. I could totally live my entire life without eating any, and I’m even known to pull the cheese off my pizza (sorry!). So I wasn’t expecting this popcorn to be anything special.

Ok, ok. Smoked Gouda. Probably tastes like the rest of the popcorn I had in the past. I thought.

But I was so wrong.

This popcorn, is ah-mazing.

Sure, it looks like your average, store bought popcorn. But it wasn’t.

It was light, and crunchy, and fluffy popcorn. Fluffy might be a weird adjective to describe popcorn, mostly because I immediately asociate fluffy with pillows, but it was fluffy. And yummy.

It was cheesy, light and had just a wee bit of heat/spice to it. There was almost a (get ready for it) BACON flavor to it. I haven’t eaten bacon in years, but bacon is goood. Turkey bacon always hit the spot for me, and this popcorn had flavors vvery similar to bacon. Perhaps it was the “smoked” aspect of the popcorn. Regardless, I’m going to roll with it.

It was also a bit salty, but in a good way, and some other deeper flavors going on. I really, really liked this popcorn. And if I see it in the stores, I’m definitely buying it again. Minus the fact I already demolished the bad. So much for sharing.

4 1/2 stars. I may be becoming a cheese convert. Also loving that it’s gluten free, all natural, and has some healthy and filling fiber : )

What about YOU- what’s your favorite type of cheese? If I had to pick, parmesan all the way!

I received this bag of popcorn to try for free from the company. Regardless, my opinions are unaffected and genuine.

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! =)

I think I should start off by saying I don’t like dark chocolate.  I will eat it, but I find it too bitter, hardly sweet, and just unenjoyable for my taste buds. My taste buds much prefer milk chocolate, and white chocolate (with my FAVORITE white chocolate review here!) Nutrition courses via an accredited online college for people who have decided they want to
pursue their knowledge about health and nutrition further. It is helpful to learn from each other as well as experts and books.

So, before eating this, in the back of my head I thought, aw man, DARK chocolate? Boo! But who am I to judge based on the name? Who knows what it will taste like? It could be cookie heaven.

And it was…

As you can probably see, it was a bit crumby, and broke apart very easily. Kind of like the other gluten free cookie by Fabe’s. It was dense, and a bit “piecy” as I chewed it, but wow was it DE  LIC  IOUS. And yes, delicious is three words now, you didn’t know that? ; )  (kidding). Literally, this cookie melted in my mouth as I ate it. It was very sweet, and tasted like a brownie. Or just like chocolate frosting. Actually, how about a brownie WITH chocolate frosting on it. SO GOOD!

Seriously, Fabe’s knows how to make cookies. Yes, there are some crumb issues going on, so I wouldn’t reccommend eating this while your wearing white or at a friend’s house who can’t stand crumbs anywhere. In fact, I advise you don’t eat this cookie at that friends house, or I predict he or she will be very angry at you. However, feel free to eat it on your way out the door because you can’t wait until you get home. It’s that good. It’s so good I made up an imaginary friend for you who doesn’t like crumbs. Your welcome.

ANYWAY, this one gets 4 1/2 stars. Again, the crumb/consistency of the cookie is a bit off, but the flavor is right on. And the nutritional facts will set you back 280 calories if you polish off the whole cookie (hey…don’t point your finger at me. I only ate 3/4 of the cookie this time! =) ). Regardless, I think you should try this if you have the chance to!

I got this cookie to try for free from the company.

Along with the delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookie I was sent for free from Fabe’s, they also sent me some others, including the Sweetened by Nature Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Cookie. According to the wrapper, this cookie is also  vegan, egg free, dairy free, all natural, and has no refined sugar.

I’m always a bit skeptical when something says it’s free of a lot of ingredients, as are some of my friends who I have heard comment to me in the past. Well, if it has no refined sugar, no eggs, no dairy, no gluten…what’s it made of? And HOW could it possibly taste good?

Well. I don’t know….doesn’t this look delicious?

Well – no worries here, Fabe’s has you covered. This particular cookie was actually quite delicious. The first thing I noticed is that it was VERY crumbly. It literally started to fall apart as I opened the wrapper, but I liked how it was a bigger cookie. However, there are 2 servings (read 1 serving if you’re me) in this cookie.

There were are a good amount of cranberries, which were chewy and sweet, and slightly tart. The cookie had a melt in your mouth consistency, and had a different texture than any cookie I ever had. It was almost like a crumb cake in texture. It was VERY sweet, but delicious, with a predominant orange zest flavor, and a  coconut flavor as well!

Overall, Fabe’s has proved that even without eggs, dairy, gluten or refined sugar, yummy cookies can be made. If I hadn’t eaten the whole cookie myself (ooooops….) I would bring it over to my skeptical friends to prove them wrong. This cookie gets 4 stars, because I wish it was a tad less crumbly. Also, this cookie has two servings, and it’s WAY too hard not to eat both. So delicious!

Cranberries- are you a fan? I would say I’m on the fence. If they are sweet and dried, I like them. But if they are too tart, I could definitely do without them!

Anyone guilty of eating frosting from the container?….Yea. So bad, but so, sooo good! When I heard of Baked Classices Vanilla Frosting Multigrain Crisps I was very intrigued- any opportunity to eat something that tastes like vanilla frosting (without getting the weird looks from me eating it from the container…) is definitely worth a try!

The company sent me some of these crisps to try for free. From the information they gave me as well, these crisps are gluten free, kosher, and all  natural. I even thought the saying on the front of the bag was pretty cute - “Licking the bowl is okay. Just make sure it’s your own bowl”.

light dusting of deliciousness on top =)

Round in shape, these were crunchy and light. They had a slight powdery residue on it, which was probably the flavoring. The taste was sooo yummy! Sweet, but not too sweet, and really did remind me of vanilla frosting! I liked how I couldn’t taste the “chip” flavor. For example, when potato chips are flavored, I dont like when I get some chips that have hardly any seasoning at all, and taste like potatoes. These crisps were evenly flavored for the most part, and really delicious!

Another thing I loved? Only 4 grams of sugar!! I think that’s pretty awesome, and they still have a vanilla frosting appeal to them. Due to my sweet tooth, I would like them just a tad bit sweeter (I am one to eat straight from the container, after all), but they are pretty delicious as is. 4 1/2 stars

What’s your favorite flavor of frosting? Have you been guilty of eating frosting from the container as well? It’s so hard to resist! =)