Tags: all natural

19 Jun 2011, Comments (12)

Edy’s Strawberry Fruit Bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

Ask me my favorite ice cream bar when I was little? Strawberry Shortcake bar. Favorite ice pop? Strawberry frozen fruit bars. (can we see a pattern emerging?) I was also told as a child that when eating my favorite fruit, strawberries, (which strangely enough, is not my favorite fruit anymore- I’ve graduated to the apple!) my entire face and hands would turn red. That was compltely uneccessary to share, but now you  know one of my flaws. I was a messy strawberry eater as a child. Shame on me.

ANYWAY, I saw these Edy’s Frozen Strawberry Fruit Bars in my freezer today, and decided I NEEDED to have one. How they got there, I don’t know. I suppose the appropriate thing to do would be to ask whoever bought them if I could eat one, but that never works nicely in this house.

“Can I have one?” “No.” “Why not?” “Because I said so. “

Which I then proceed to eat anyway and get yelled at, or not eat and wish I had eaten it. SO, as they say, ignorance is bliss. Or, ignorance= me eating strawberry ice pops.

it's really, really hard to take a good picture of an ice pop you plan on eating

So, now finally, enough of my rambling. Here’s how they tasted!

These bars had a very soft bite to them- I was surprised! I was expecting a harder, more icy product, but they were soft. Almost like they were strawberry ice cream bars. They also were not as sweet as I had hoped for, they were a bit toned down. Although I did like that because it wasn’t super sweet, it gave it more of a natural fruit product sort of feel. One thing I do wish is that there were more strawberry peices/chunks. In my bar, I think I only spotted one!

Overall,not bad, but not my favorite. Certainly not as good as the ones I had when I was little. 3 stars

What is your favorite ice cream bar and ice pop flavor?


20 May 2011, Comments (2)

Jamba Juice All Natural Strawberry Banana Energy Drink

Author: Healthnuttxo

I’m not a big fan of energy drinks- I barely even drink coffee (I’m much more of a latte person anyway (;  ) But, the other day I went to Jamba Juice to get a smoothie, and they handed me one to try for free. Why not? It was all natural, and I was already a fan of Jamba Juice. I had a feeling it was going to be good.

So, yesterday before the gym, I had some oatmeal, some fruit, and this Jamba Juice All Natural Strawberry Banana Energy Drink. Straight from the can, it said that the drink contains “80 mg of natural caffeine per can”, “natural caffeine to help support mental alertness”, and  ”no artificial colors, artificial flavors, taurine, or other ingredients you need a degree in chemistry to understand” (Ha- I thought that one was funny. Yet true. Some ingredients I dont know, and I TOOK a course in chemistry!)

So already, I thought I was going to like this. I love strawberry banana flavored things, and  I loved how it was a natural drink with a boost of caffeine.

I opened the slim can, and took a sip. It had a very light fizz to it, that I liked. Not so bubbly, but not entirely flat where it was like juice. It had a strawberry flavor, with a mild banana aftertaste. It wasn’t super sweet, however, and I really wish it was sweeter. I felt it was almost dulled down a little bit, and I was searching for some extra sweetness.

All in all, it reminded me of what a strawberry banana yogurt would taste like, with the light carbonation of a soda. A little awkward, but not bad. I CERTAINLY had plenty of energy at the gym, which I partly give credit to the energy drink. I was dragging a little bit during the day, and the drink helped perk me up! I would drink it again, but perhaps add a pinch of stevia. 3 stars

What’s your favorite energy drink?


11 May 2011, Comments (6)

Alexia Red Potatoes with Garlic & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Author: Healthnuttxo

I went grocery shopping yesterday, and was looking at the frozen food aisle for something to make for dinner. Then I spotted it, mashed potatoes! I definitely wanted mashed potatoes for dinner. And how easy were these? All I had to do was cook them in the microwave, give em a stir and transfer to a bowl. I put them in my grocery cart, paid, and went home to cook.

I put them in the microwave for about 10 1/2 minutes, let them sit for a minute, and then put them in a bowl. I will admit it was a bit annoying to get all the mashed potatoes off of the bag once cooked, but I really couldn’t complain. I mean, I didn’t have to wash the potatoes, peel the potatoes, boil the potatoes, cook the potatoes, mash the potatoes, or even SEASON the potatoes. All I had to do was put them in the microwave. So, instead of complaining, I just transferred them to a bowl.

Here’s how it looked, straight from the bag!

one word. yummmmmy.

I served them up with my dinner.  They were smooth and thick, with visible black pepper and red potato skins that added a little texture. I noticed they were a tad on the pasty side, which made them super thick, but still good, and hardly any bumps.

They had a garlic and cheesy flavor, with a noticeable black pepper flavor.They were just a tad on the salty side, but really quite good, and had a very rich flavor. They were really quite delicious, and I loved the natural ingredients.

I actually think the black pepper flavor was a bit too strong, but that certainly did not stop me from eating 2 servings of these mashed potatoes (; I also loved the convenience of these, I would certainly buy them again! 4 stars

Whats your favorite way to make homemade mashed potatoes? I like good ol’ butter and milk!

And as requested, here’s  a pic of the nutritional facts

ignore my finger :D

13 Apr 2011, Comments (2)

Olympus Authentic Greek Strained Yogurt 1 % Fat Strawberry Low Fat Yogurt

Author: Healthnuttxo

The other day I went to the store quickly to pick up some groceries. I knew I ate my last Pineapple Chobani so I went to the yogurt section to get some more. to my surprise… NONE LEFT. WHAT!?! What was I going to eat now!? So, I had to pick something else to fill my greek yogurt void. I saw something new that I never tried before, or even seen before really. Olympus Authentic Greek Strained Yogurt – I bought one in the 1% Fat Strawberry Low Fat variety. According to the container, this yogurt is “imported from Greece”,  as well as “all natural” and “gluten free”.

I felt special eating this yogurt. It was “imported from Greece”…GREECE! Perhaps I got a tad overly excited over yogurt, but, then again I do have a website dedicated to food so I think I’m allowed to get excited over new varieties and flavors. (Or at least that’s what I will tell myself…)

So I opened up my container and was surprised by a uniform light pink color. For whatever reason I was expecting a fruit-on-the bottom type of yogurt. Who knows? I stirred it up a bit to make sure, and sure enough, it was pink throughout. I took a bite, and I instantly liked it. Mmm. :)

It was thick, but not too thick, and had more of a fluidy consistency than other greek yogurts I have tried. It was sweet, with an amazing strawberry flavor, just the right amount of tang, and really no tart flavor at all. There were tiny pieces of strawberries in the yogurt as well as the occasional seed. I noticed I needed to drink water when I ate this, for the flavor was really quite powerful.

Overall, 4 1/2 stars. If I had to say what it really reminded me of, it would be a strawberry smoothie, but in cup form. Delicious!!

What’s your favorite food thats “Greek” or from Greece?

6 ounces is 155 calories, 2 grams of fat (1 saturated), 23 grams of carbohydrates, .31 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

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?

9 Feb 2011, Comments (7)

Lemon 0% Chobani Greek Yogurt

Author: Healthnuttxo

Source

For starters, I LOVE Chobani yogurt. Creamy, thick, and insanely yummy. Strawberry Banana and Pineapple Chobani will always have my heart, but I’m always up for change.

Sooooooo at the store the other day, I nearly jumped for a joy when I saw the Lemon, one of the newer flavors. I’m not a HUGE lemon fan, but there were no other new flavors available, so I decided to try this one. Lemon can sometimes be very refreshing, I just hoped it wouldn’t be too tart!

So yesterday I decided to have the Chobani with some granola on it as well. I opened the Chobani and gave it a stir, surprised not to see any jelly/fruit on the bottom. It looked like it was a blended yogurt. It still had the same creaminess and thick consistency that I know and love. I took a spoonful, hoping for the best, and unfortunately I was not a fan.  : (

It wasn’t really that sweet, and kind of tart, actually. It was like lemonade made without enough sugar- where it’s sweet but not sweet enough to mask the tartness of the lemon. It was good when I had the granola with it, since it toned down some of the lemony-tart flavor, but by itself I wasn’t enjoying it. I probably would not get this again in the future. For me, I’d give it 2 1/2 stars

Have you tried this new flavor yet? What did you think?

1 cup is 140 calories, 0 grams of fat, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar and 15 grams of protein.

19 Jan 2011, Comments (4)

Kashi Golden Goodness cereal

Author: Healthnuttxo

Ahh, I LOVE new products. Whenever I see them, I become an instant impulse buyer and put them in my shopping cart. This box of cereal certainly was no exception.

When I opened the box, I was a little surprised. It looks like mostly tiny flakes, with a few pieces of oats thrown in. Granola or oat clusters happen to be my favorite parts of cereal, so I was a bit bummed out.

Here's what a handful looked like

The flakes were kind of airy, slight honey flavor, and  I could certainly tell it was a wheat flake. It had that nutty after taste to it that I notice with wheat products. The oat clusters were, of course, the best part. Sweet, crunchy, slight honey/vanilla flavor. I wish there was more of them, and I wish they were BIGGER!

One thing I did love- the PORTION size! 1 1/4 cups! I hate when cereals have anything less than a 1 cup serving. I’m a cereal girl- and I like to munch on a lot with fruit and milk for a perfect breakfast :) There’s also 43 grams of whole grain per serving according to the box, and 5 grams of fiber. I’d say this is a 4 star rating for me!

1 1/4 cups is 210 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

What’s your favorite Kashi product?

13 Jan 2011, Comments (1)

Chatfield’s Carob Powder

Author: Healthnuttxo

Ever heard of Carob Powder? I remember reading about carob instead of cocoa when I was younger in health magazines and whatnot, but never actually tried it. But I was sent a free can of Carob Powder from Chatfield’s/PANOS Brands and now had the opportunity to do so.

According to the can, there is “No Chocolate, Cocoa or Caffeine” in this powder, and is also “all  natural”. I wanted to make a batch of homemade brownies, but saw that it called for cocoa powder. Coincidentally, the back of the can of carob powder said “If substituting for cocoa, replace with equal measure”. So, I ended up making the brownies with half carob powder and half cocoa powder.

Comparing cocoa to carob powder, they are similar in appearance, but I’d say carob has a deeper smell, and a different taste. I noticed that my brownies had a very rich and deep chocolate-like taste, with just a slight bit of bitterness.

Have you ever tried carob powder? What do you use it for?

1 tbsp is 20 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar and 0 grams of protein.

8 Jan 2011, Comments (4)

Amy’s Kitchen Macaroni & Cheese

Author: Healthnuttxo

Ok. I’ve heard excellent things about this dish, and I finally tried it. Seeing as the avid Amy’s Kitchen fan I am, I asked myself why have I NOT tried this yet? I’ll reiterate that I’m not a HUGE fan of pasta, but it’s yummy every now and then. So I steamed up some broccoli (my usual veggie of choice), and made this in the microwave.

After stirring up the dish, I was taken aback on how thick and creamy it was. Like almost as if a giant block of cheese was placed on a bed of noodles and left there to melt. Globby, thick, creamy, cheeeeese.

I tasted a spoonful, and thought ohh yeaaa. This is some SERIOUS mac and cheese. It had a mild cheddar taste, and no overpowering flavor, but just really good. It did need a sprinkle of salt, I felt it just needed a little bit more, but it was good none-the-less.

As I ate my meal, the mac & cheese thickened up, and it was almost like a thick, cheese paste on the chewy yet tender noodles. Tasted just like baked macaroni and cheese that was simmering in the oven for quite some time, yet was available much more quickly due to the microwave.

Overall, 4 1/2 stars. Deeeeeeeeelish. My only complaint was that it was high in saturated fat (10 grams!!), and low in fiber (only 3 grams). Otherwise, give me this dish and some steamed broccoli and I’m good to go!

1 container is 410 calories, 16 grams of fat, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar and 16 grams of protein.

1 Jan 2011, Comments (3)

Alexia Sweet Potato Julienne Fries

Author: Healthnuttxo

Source

First off, HAPPY 2011!!! As part of my last dinner of 2010, last night I had Alexia Sweet Potato Julienne Fries that I got the other day. Now, I’m not really a french fry kind of girl, seeing as I’m not usually crazy about ones that are made at home and I don’t eat fast food. But, these french fries were all natural, and on the package it even stated that they were “low sodium”.

Plus, and most importantly, I love sweet potatoes. I’d eat a sweet potato over a regular potato any day. Nothing against the regular potato, I just prefer them of the sweet variety. Moving on…

So I cooked some of these in the oven last night  until they looked slightly brown on the outside. I picked one up and noticed it wasn’t as light or airy as I had expected- quite a dense fry. Not too greasy either- not saying they were dry, but there certainly weren’t pools of oil following the fries(yay!). I tasted one, and I must admit the first thing I was missing was the salt. These fries only had 140mg of salt per 3 oz serving, so that is pretty good, and I’d be telling the truth lying if I said I didn’t add just a sprinkle of salt to them. Oh well.

As for the taste- very good!  A pure, slightly sweet sweet potato flavor, with a crispy outside and a warm, soft inside. The perfect french fry in my opinion. No soggy spots, or spots of fries that were burnt or too crispy. Just right.

Overall, 4 stars. Quite tasty, and a new way for me to enjoy the sweet potato. I love that they are all natural and have 3 grams of fiber per 3 oz serving, but I wish they had just a bit more salt. Then again, nothing too major, and a great product as a whole. If you like fries, perhaps try these!!

3 ounces is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Which one do you prefer? Sweet potato or regular potato?

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