Tags: egg free

 

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.

I’ve tried a cookie by Nana’s Cookie Company before, and thought it was great! Well, they also sent me the Double Chocolate Cookie to try, and I was equally as excited.

According to the package, this cookie has no “eggs, no dairy, no refined sugar” and is “fruit juice sweetened”! That sounds like my kinda cookie! =)

This cookie, is BIG. In fact, One cookie has 2 servings, one serving being 50 grams or half of a cookie. It is a dark brown in color, with pieces of walnuts. I’ll be honest- this cookie was REALLY good. I didn’t miss the eggs or the dairy a bit! =) It was soft, rich, and buttery tasting. I loved how it had a rich chocolate flavor, and was fudgy too. The perfect amount of smeetness! The addition of walnuts also added a really nice touch, and I enjoyed them.

Overall,  4 1/2 stars. The only problem in my eyes, is half of a cookie is 210 calories and 10 grams of fat, with only 1 gram of fiber. Something as tasty as this- it’s easy for me to eat half if not the whole thing! Good thing it’s a rather large cookie =) !

Have you ever tried Nana’s Cookie Company products? If so which ones and which ones are your favorite? *If you’d like to answer, please leave a comment below!*

1/2 cookie (50 grams) is 210 calories, 10 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein.

Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Fruit Juice (pear, apple, grape), Rice Dextrins (a natural and unmodified starch), Expeller Pressed Canola Oil (GMO Free), Chocolate Chips (whole grain malted barley and corn, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin added as an emulsifier, and pure vanilla), Dutched Cocoa, Walnuts, Baking Powder (non- aluminum), Baking Soda, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt.

Time for me to bake, er, bake and review, some cookies! : )

Another box of baking mix I recieved (please see previous post) for free was the Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. This mix, according to the front of the box, was vegan, dairy free, egg free, and nut/peanut free! What I also enjoyed was the front of the box had Arthur on it- one of those cartoons I remember watching as a kid! I could just feel this was going to be one of those nostalgic baking experiences!

So, I took out 1/2 cup of butter, 1/4 cup of water, and the mix, and put it in a bowl. I started to mix with a spoon and smelled the delicious chocolate aroma- ooh, I was getting HUNGRY! I  saw there was a lot of chocolate chips, that were rather large too, and was impressed!

As I was mixing, I did notice it was a bit crumbly and dry, so I decided to add a little more water as I was having difficulty stirring it. Then, I decided to just mix by hand, which was convenient since the next step was to roll these cookies into small balls.

After baking, I saw that these cookies did not spread out as I had expected them too- they rather “puffed up”. Normally when I bake cookies, I space them far apart expecting them to expand in a circle. With these, they expanded a little, but mostly rose up.

But, that didn’t affect the taste! They sure were good- buttery rich tasting and sweet but not too sweet. Since there was a lot of chocolate chips, they also had a good chocolatey flavor. They also became crispy and crunchy cookies, rather than super soft cookies. I do prefer soft chocolate chip cookies over crunchy or hard, but these were still enjoyable. I can see myself eating these with a nice glass of milk! 4 stars

Have you ever watched Arthur? Or what was your favorite cartoon growing up? If you’d like to answer, please leave a comment below! :)

Ingredients in mix: Unbleached Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Evaporated Cane Juice, Granulated Brown Sugar, Non Dairy Chocolate Chips ( sugar, chocolate liquor, dextrose, cocoa butter (no dairy derivatives), soy lecithin, pure vanilla extract), All Natural Vanilla Flavor, Non-Alluminated Baking Powder, Sea Salt.

30 Jul 2010, Comments (1)

Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Cake Mix

Author: Healthnuttxo

Who likes CAKE? I know I do! : )

Cake is great. For birthdays, bake sales, or even just to bake for fun (like I often do!). I was given a box of Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Cake Mix to try, and I was very excited. This cake mix was a bit different than ones I have used in the past- according to the front of the box, this cake mix was all natural, vegan, dairy free, peanut/nut free, and egg free!  I also thought the front of the box was adorable- it looked as if there were two cartoon children standing on top of a piece of chocolate cake, flying a “piece of chocolate cake kite”. Adorable!

What I noticed first after reading the instructions, was that this cake mix was made to make either 12 cupcakes or one 9-inch cake. I decided to use a pan instead of cupcakes, as I wanted to cut them into squares when I was finished. I also decided to swap 1/2 cup of applesauce for the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil that was called for. I sometimes do this when I bake breads or cakes- I can’t tell the difference!

I poured the cake mix, water, and applesauce in a bowl. The cake mix itself looked like a soft brown cocoa powder, and smelled absolutely delicious- just like a chocolate bar. I started mixing, and was puzzled at first. Why aren’t these bumps going away? Then- surprise! They were chocolate chips! I had no idea they were in the cake mix!

Then I poured the cake batter, which was a good consistency- easy to pour- into my pan and put it into the oven. When it was done cooking, it certainly puffed up! They were a deep chocolate brown, with “crispy-type” edges bordering the pan.

After letting them cool, I tasted a piece- these weren’t bad!  I tried another piece the day after, and noticed that they were much more like brownies than cake- as in they were quite “fudgy” in consistency and flavor! The chocolate chips added a nice touch too! Sweet enough as is, I didn’t even need to put frosting on my piece to enjoy it. I really liked the edges of the cake- they were slightly more chewy and crispy than the rest of the cake- but still yummy! Overall, this product gets 4  stars. Pretty good, and easy to make! : )

Unbleached flour [wheat, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], evaporated cane juice, non-dairy chocolate chips [sugar, chocolate liquor, dextrose, cocoa butter (no dairy derivatives), soy lecithin, pure vanilla extract], natural cocoa powder, all natural vanilla flavor, baking soda, sea salt.

12 Jun 2010, Comments (1)

Ener-G Ginger Cookies

Author: Healthnuttxo

Doing a double post tonight, seeing as I won’t be able to post a review tomorow. Aw, man!! :( But, anyway. Enjoy !!

I’m sure you guys have heard of Ener G . They make an assortment of foods that cater to the needs of those with special dietary needs. This includes breads, pretzels, cookies, etc. According to the website, “We not only offer wheat free, gluten free products, but also products for low protein diets and dairy free products. Additionally, all of our products are free of peanuts, tree nuts, and are also Kof-K Certified. Our bakery is dedicated to wheat free, gluten free baking, guaranteeing that contamination from gluten will not occur.”

That’s great- I love companies that try to make products that everyone can enjoy! :)

Anyway- Ener-G sent me some of their products to try, and of the ones I was sent, one of my favorites was the Ginger Cookies. I’m a fan of gingerbread cookies around Christmastime, and a good ginger snap is always tasty to me. So, I was happy to try these. These cookies in particular are gluten free, wheat free, egg free and dairy free.

These cookies certainly smell delicious, with a fresh ginger scent. They are crunchy and sweet, and have a light ginger flavor, which was actually quite nice. It wasn’t overpowering at all, or too spicy. They were sweet enough to keep eating right out of the package!  A light, yet flavorful cookie. Goes perfect with a cold glass of milk, or even by itself.

The best part about these cookies… only 50 calories each! Yea! They are only 1.5 grams of fat each, so they are low fat, low calorie, and yet still quite tasty. I give them 4 1/2 stars, because although they are delicious, they lack fiber, and the first ingredient is organic evaporated cane juice. However, gluten free products tend to be lower in fiber than non-gluten free, and they are cookies, so I think they are a delicious treat. Especially if you like ginger! :)

1 cookie is 50 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 9 carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of protein.

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, White Rice Flour,Potato Starch, Filtered Water, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Unsulphured Molasses, Egg Replacer [ (tapioca flour, potato starch, leavening (calcium lactate, calcium carbonate, glucono delta lactone), sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose], Ginger Powder, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Vanilla Powder [(vanilla bean extractives, dextrose (corn sugar)], Sodium Carbohymethylcellulose.

No Nuttin’ Foods Inc.  makes snacks that can be enjoyed by almost everyone, as they made products that are gluten free, nut free, egg free, dairy free, and are also all natural and healthy, too! These snack range from granola bars, to trail mixes, to granola clusters, and come in several yummy flavors.

The company sent me a few snacks to try, so I decided to try the Vanilla Caramel Granola Clusters and the Apple Cinnamon Granola Bar. Those sounded most appealing to me. Vanilla Caramel? Count me in. Apple Cinnamon? We all know I love apple anything!

First up- Vanilla Caramel Granola Clusters. They came in an individually sized bag, with about a large handful of clusters. They smelled pretty good, like a light caramel. I put a few pieces in my mouth and was actually surprised. These weren’t crunchy. I sort of expected at least some kind of crunch, including they were supposed to be granola clusters. They were more chewy and kind of stuck to your teeth a bit as you ate them, almost sticky in texture. Perhaps they would have been better in yogurt rather than straight from the bag, but not too bad. They weren’t too sweet, and they only had 5 grams of sugar per serving. They had a very light vanilla flavor, but mostly a caramel flavor to me. 3 stars

Apple Cinnamon Granola Bar- Well, I opened this up, and half the bar fell off. These bars fall apart super easy! It was a bunch of crisp rice and oats, held together very loosely by brown rice/rice syrup. The texture sort of reminded me of a rice krispie treat- but as if you were making them homemade. However, the flavor saved this bar. It was sweet and had a nice apple & cinnamon taste, that was actually very good. I would have liked it better if the bar had more staying power, but overall not bad. 3 stars

Overall, these aren’t bad. They are a good option if you cannot tolerate gluten, and cannot have peanuts or nuts. I liked how the granola clusters and granola bar were low in sugar, but I just didn’t really care for the texture of either too. Also, they are both kind of low in fiber and protein, but if paired with some fruit or yogurt/protein, they could be good snacks.

1 packet of vanilla caramel granola clusters (30 grams) is 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 19 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Pure oats, rice syrup, expeller pressed canola oil, brown sugar, organic crisp brown rice (organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, sea salt), natural vanilla flavor.

1 apple cinnamon granola bar is 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 19 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein.

Pure oats, rice syrup, expeller pressed canola oil, organic crisp brown rice (organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, sea salt), dried apples, brown sugar, organic cinnamon.

1 Jun 2010, Comments (1)

Enjoy Life Not Nuts! Nut Free Trail Mix

Author: Healthnuttxo

Nut free trail mix? What’s THAT !?

Well, Enjoy Life is a company notorious for producing allergy friendly foods. As part of their product line, there are the gluten free, nut free, dairy free, soy free, and egg free Trail Mixes in Mountain Mambo and  Beach Bash flavors.

Enjoylife asked if I would do a review of these, and how could I turn it down? I can see myself a trail mix girl- I like some sweet & salty combos, and I’m a fan of dried fruit. Sure, I’ll try it ! :)

So, Enjoylife sent me 1 bag of each Mountain Mambo and Beach Bash Trail Mixes. I tried the Mountain Mambo first- according to the website, this trail mix is “Made with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), fruit and chocolate chips, our nut-free trail mix is both wholesome and delicious.”
I noticed there were TONS of raisins in the bag- really, if you are a raisin fan, try this trail mix! There was also little bits of dried apple, which were chewy, but didn’t provide much flavor. The cranberries were tart, but only a few in the bag. There was, however, also a TON of seeds! They added a nice crunch to the otherwise softer textures in the bag. One thing also lacking was the chocolate chips. The picture on the website depicts a lot of mini chocolate chips, but my bag was lacking. Aw, man! Don’t scrimp on the chocolate!! :( 3 1/2 stars

Next, was Beach Bash. I liked this one much more. I love, love LOVED the bits of pineapple! Not tart in the least, they weer soft and chewy and soooooo delicious! I wish EnjoyLife sold a bag of just the pineapple! The apricot, however, was super tart, and counteracted the sweetness of the dried pineapple. There was a ton of sunflower seeds in this one, which also added good crunch and flavor. I can see myself snacking on this one at the beach 8) 4 stars

Overall, I think you should try these, and especially reccommend the Beach Bash flavor. They are good for a boost of protein and fiber, as well as some healthy fats, and have some yummy sweet flavors as well.

Mountain Mambo- 28 grams is 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 12 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar and 5 grams of protein.

Raw Sunflower Kernels, Roasted Hulled Pumpkin Seeds (Sunflower Oil (Sunflower Oil, Citric Acid), Salt), Raisins, Dried Apples, Chocolate Chips (Evaporated Cane Juice, Chocolate Liquor, Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter), Cranberries.

Beach Bash- 28 grams is 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 13 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein.

Raw Sunflower Kernels, Pineapple, Roasted Hulled Pumpkin Seeds (Sunflower Oil (Sunflower Oil, Citric Acid), Salt), Cranberries, Apricots

28 May 2010, Comments (1)

Nutridel Pecan and Almond Cookies

Author: Healthnuttxo

Nutridel is a great brand that makes all natural, delicious cookies. These “cookies” are different than your typical chocolate chip, or sugary treat. They are filled with yummy nuts, seeds and grains, and don’t contain any refined sugar!

I tried the Oatmeal and Flaxseed varieites of the Nutridel cookies once before, but the folks over at Nutridel also sent me the Almond and Pecan flavors to try. Well- let me tell you, I LOVE THESE TWO FLAVORS! Thanks a bunch for sending me them, Nutridel, because I am now officially HOOKED!

Each cookie is flat, crunchy and about the size of a CD. You can see bits and pieces of nuts or seeds in each cookie. They all contain fiber, antioxidants, and are free of eggs, dairy, preservatives and hydrogenated oils. Sounds like my kind of cookie ;)

Almond- a pleasant almond aroma, this one has actual big slivers of almond throughout the cookie. Absolutely delicious. The almond flavor is so nice, you can even detect the “almond essences” listed in the ingredient list. Lightly sweet, but still very enjoyable. 

Pecan- oh, wow, YUM! This is my favorite flavor. It has a buttery rich taste of pecans, with an almost fruity aftertaste. You can taste the light sweetness of the molasses as well. Satisfyingly crunchy and absolutely great.

Overall, I really love these 2 flavors. I give them 5 stars. Since I got my samples, I’ve already bought a few boxes of the Pecan and Almond flavors off of the website. Really, these cookies cannot be beat. Low sugar, high fiber, and made with whole wheat flour and all the good stuff! I like having these with yogurt, and I crumble them up on top of my “chocolate muffin/pudding sundae” for a nutritious boost and healthy crunch!

1 cookie is 59 calories, 1-2 grams of fat, 14 carbohydrates, 1.5-2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Almond- Whole Wheat Flour, Wheat Bran, Amaranth, Almonds, Molasses, Sunflower Oil and Natural Almond Essences.

Pecan- Whole Wheat Flour, Wheat Bran, Amaranth, Pecans, Molasses, Sunflower Oil and Natural Pecan Essence.

Nana’s Cookie Company makes all their products in a special way- without eggs, dairy, refined sugars, cholesterol, no beet/cane products, and without trans fats. They make several types of delicious cookies and cookie bars, that are each unique and sure to please.

I’ve seen some of Nana’s products at my local Whole Foods, but never picked them up (and now I ask myself, WHY NOT!?!). So, you can bet I was excited when the company sent me their Coconut Chip Cookie, sweetened with fruit juice.

First off- WOAH. This cookie is BIG. I’m not talking “yeah, put too much cookie dough on the pan and it expanded too much” big. I’m talking BIG! This is definitely more than just a snack, it’s an indulgence, if you will. In fact, the company’s website states, “More than a treat, this rewarding combination of chocolate morsels and naturally sweet coconut is a delight from the first mouth-watering bite.”

Well, my mouth was certainly watering before I even took my first bite ! ;)

I opened up the cookie and just kinda stared at it for a minute to take it all in. Big chunks of chocolate chips, the sweet smell of coconut, and a thick, lightly browned cookie sat in front of me. There was no way I would be able to stick to the 1/2 a cookie serving size. I broke off a piece… COOKIE HEAVEN! It was sweet, buttery and rich. The chocolate chips melted in my mouth and was surrounded by a fragrant and delicious coconut flavor. WHAT a combination. This was soooo good. Soft and crumbly, an ideal cookie.

BUT- WHY on EARTH is 1/2 a cookie 180 calories? ACK! That’s the only reason this cookie isn’t getting 5 stars, because If you ate the whole thing, it sets you back 360 calories (whoops!). But honestly- it’s so worth it (props to you if you can have 1/2 at a time!) In a word, it’s delicious and addictive (guess that’s 2 words). I’m giving it 4 1/2 stars. Plus there’s no refined sugars and it’s sweetened with fruit juice- can’t be beat!

8 Dec 2009, Comments (4)

Dr. Lucy's Gluten Free Cookies

Author: healthnuttxo

Looking for a delicious, gluten and food allergy free cookie? Well, your searching ends here my friends, I found some DELICIOUS, gluten, milk, egg, peanut and almond free cookies. They are developed by Dr. Lucy, who is an M.D. and a mother of a child who has very bad allergies. She says, “I know how difficult it can be to find high-quality foods that taste great. That’s why I started my own line of cookies”.

The cookies come in 4 flavors, Cinnamon Thin, Sugar, Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal, and are all natural and mostly organic. They come in individual pouches with 4 cookies in each, or in box format. Each cookie is about the size of a Nabisco Chips Ahoy cookie, and is crispy. They have a light, airy, crunchy feel to them, and are the opposite of soft-baked/chewy cookies. Still delicious, none the less. Read on!

Cinnamon Thin- yum! These reminded me of snickerdoodles. It has a nice melt-in-your mouth consistency and had lots of cinnamon flavor.

Sugar- soo good. Tasted just like Mom’s homemade sugar cookies during Christmas season. You could totally decorate these with some icing and pass them off as homemade ;) . They are covered with sugar crystals and have a buttery flavor. The vanilla also added a nice touch.

Chocolate Chip- This one tasted like the sugar cookie, but with some chocolate chips. I really enjoyed the chocolate chips though, they were perfect in the cookie, I just wish there were more! There was also a nice mixture of a vanilla/brown sugar taste in these. Very enjoyable and different from the standard chewy chocolate chip.

Oatmeal- oatmeal? AH, how can this be gluten free?! Don’t worry- Dr. Lucy ensured that these  oats are gluten free! And, also delicious. This one wasn’t as sweet as the others, but still very good. Had a nice oaty taste to it, but not overpowering at all. I spread some peanut butter on these and it was just heavenly. :)

Overall, I’m giving these 4 1/2 stars. Not only are they gluten and allergy free, they are all natural, do not use refined sugars, are relatively low in fat, have a good portion size and taste EXCELLENT. They pair well with milk or by themselves. Why didn’t they receive 5 stars you ask? Well, my only complaints are 1. They lack fiber (but most gluten free and cookies in general do) and 2. The individual pouches have four cookies per pouch but a serving is three cookies. And with cookies that taste THIS GOOD, who in their right mind would be able to resist the 4th cookie in the bag?? Certainly not me, so i just pretend a serving size is 4 cookies :D

Dr. Lucy, your cookies rock. I hope you come out with more products or another flavor. Chocolate brownie? Caramel?? :)

1 serving (3 cookies) ranges from 120-130 calories, 4.5-5 grams of fat, 18-21 grams of carbohydates, 1-2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

*indicates organic
Cinnamon Thin-Evaporated cane juice*, Dr. Lucy’s Flour Blend (garbanzo, potato starch, gluten-free oat, tapioca, sorghum and fava flours), soy milk*, palm fruit oil*, soybean oil*, canola oil*, olive oil*, filtered water, flavoring and citric acid from corn, crushed soy beans*, soy lecithin*, cinnamon, non-dairy lactic acid, beta carotene, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, calcium carbonate, annatto extract color, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose.

Sugar-Evaporated cane juice*, Dr. Lucy’s Flour Blend (garbanzo, potato starch, gluten-free oat, tapioca, sorghum and fava flours), soy milk*, palm fruit oil*, soybean oil*, canola oil*, olive oil*, filtered water, flavoring and citric acid from corn, crushed soy beans*, soy lecithin*, non-dairy lactic acid, beta carotene, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, calcium carbonate, annatto extract color, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose.

Chocolate Chip-Dr. Lucy’s Flour Blend (gluten-free oat, garbanzo, potato starch, tapioca, sorghum and fava flours), evaporated cane juice*, vegan chocolate chips, gluten-free rolled oats, soy milk*, brown sugar*, soybean oil*, palm fruit oil*, canola oil*, olive oil*, filtered water, flavoring and citric acid from corn, crushed soy beans*, soy lecithin*, non-dairy lactic acid, beta carotene, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract*, salt, xanthan gum, calcium carbonate, annatto extract color, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose.

Oatmeal-Dr. Lucy’s Flour Blend (gluten-free oat, garbanzo, potato starch, tapioca, sorghum and fava flours), evaporated cane juice*, gluten-free rolled oats, soy milk*, brown sugar*, soybean oil*, palm fruit oil*, canola oil*, olive oil*, filtered water, flavoring and citric acid from corn, crushed soy beans*, soy lecithin*, non-dairy lactic acid, beta carotene, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract*, salt, xanthan gum, calcium carbonate, annatto extract color, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose.

Last chance to win some DONUTS and 150$! The giveaway by Holey Donuts! ends DECEMBER 15th. Just visit the website and put MY blog name and website in the subject line, and fill out the contact info. Then leave me a comment. More info provided HERE.

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