Tags: health nut xo

14 Feb 2012, Comments (0)

Popcorn, Indiana Dark Fudge Chocolate Chip Kettlecorn

Author: Healthnuttxo

Ohhhhhhhhh man. Who knew they even MADE popcorn like this right? Dark Fudge Chocolate Chip KETTLEcorn? That’s like chocolate on top of amazing-ness….Am I right?

I got this bag for free from the company, but I highly recommend you go out and buy yourself one. Seriously.  There are no words for this popcorn besides that it’s one of the best things I have ever eaten (have I ever lied to you before???)

You want sweet? check. You want salty? check. You want CHOCOLATE? check! You get all three! (Ok…now onto the review, since I’m starting to sound like a TV Advertisement (“but that’s not all!!…” ;] )

The sweet and sugary tasting kettlecorn was crunchy and also had a bit of saltiness going on. Almost every piece of popcorn had some chocolate on top of it. The chocolate coating was rich, smooth and sweet, and just the perfect addition to the kettlecorn. It did have a dark chocolate flavor, but was also sweet enough that a milk-chocolate lover like myself could enjoy it.

This popcorn was like a twist on chocolate covered pretzels. So many delicious flavors, all in one! And seriously addictive. I would be lying if I told you I only had one serving (jokes!). Good thing the serving size was rather decent, I weighed a nice portion of it, and it was only a little bit over 28 grams (the serving size).

On the down side (womp womp), this snack is kind of high in sugar ( 12 grams per serving) and saturated fat ( 4.5 grams per serving). BUT, it’s so good! Eat in moderation (and…don’t eat the whole bag in one sitting!!) and you are good to go. This is a must try! 4.5 stars

If you could drizzle anything on popcorn, what would it be? Uhh peanut butter and jelly popcorn anyone?? (hints to you, Popcorn, Indiana!)

27 Jan 2012, Comments (0)

Smart-meal snx FRUITMANIA Mixed Berry Fruit Drink

Author: Healthnuttxo

How many fruits and veggies do you REALLY eat daily? No, I don’t personally count the 3 pieces of freeze-dried fruit in your cereal or the bag of potato chips you had as a fruit or vegetable serving, although some may. I try to eat as many fruits and veggies as possible, but understandable, sometimes it is hard to reach that quota of a daily reccomended serving.

SO, I was excited to try Fruitmania Fruit Drink, a free sample I got that also came with Smart-meal snx PROGEL, which I shall review at a later date. According to the box, this is a drink that has “12 fruits and vegetables and essential nutrients”, “No artificial sweeteners, no artificial coloring, no preservatives” is dairy, fat, lactose, gluten, wheat, yeast and cholesterol free AND has “no aspartame”. To top it all off…the letters on the box say “over 2 lbs. of fruits and vegetables packed into every bottle!”

Hmm. I was skeptical. I’m always skeptical. Even if there are this many fruits/veggies, how would it taste?! Bitter? Overly sweet? Like spinach juice? Here’s a closeup of what it looked like.

Not exactly appealing…however, it smelled kind of like a cherry/strawberry fruit-roll up I used to eat as a kid. But how did it taste?

Not bad, but not exactly fantastic. It had a strawberry-cherry flavor, and was sweet yet toned down at the same time. It left an after-taste in my mouth, kind of like when I drink an artificially flavored/sweetened fruit drink or something like that, although it stated it had no fake sweeteners on the box. It had the texture of an almond milk, where it was smooth but had a little bit more thickness than water.

It was only a 2.5 oz bottle, so I think if I had this again I don’t need to sip on it slowly, and can just drink it rather quickly, or maybe add it to a smoothie. It didn’t taste bad at all, but didn’t taste as “natural” as I thought it would.

After reading over the ingredients, I saw it had Stevia in it, which I would account for that less-than-just-fruit-juice flavor. However, it really isn’t bad, and if given in the future I would drink it as a pre or post gym pick-me-up. I also read the fine print- which said “1 Bottle is infused with: 12 concentrated fruits and vegetables and 5 grams of prebiotic fiber”. So, the mini bottle is basically just fruit/veggie concentrates, with a few other ingredients, which doesn’t give me the same satisfaction as actually eating the whole fruit or veggie, but still isn’t bad.

So overall, 3 stars.

How many fruits and/or veggies do you eat every day? I’d say most days I get 2 servings of fruit, 4-6 servings of veggies. Not bad if I don’t say so myself!

24 Jan 2012, Comments (0)

Campbell’s Select Harvest Chicken with Whole Grain Pasta Soup

Author: Healthnuttxo

What do cold wintry days bring? Multiple trips to Starbucks and hot bowls of soup. Well at least for me. The weather was beyond bitter cold and windy the other day, and I thought the only thing to help my winter woe’s was to have a nice hot bowl of soup.  In the mood for something new, I tried, Campbell’s Select Harvest Chicken with Whole Grain Pasta Soup that I bought and was chilling in my pantry.

The ingredients weren’t bad, pretty good in fact. Take a look =)

So I cooked up the soup, noticing there wasn’t much to it. I’d say it was 50 % broth, and 50% content, mostly noodles with a few carrots and maybe 1-2 pieces of celery. I transferred to a bowl, but left some of the broth in the pot which is why it looks fuller.

I took a spoonful of the broth- oh. Where’s the salt?

Looking at the ingredients I noticed it was made with “lower sodium natural sea salt”, and although I don’t know exactly what that is, I assumed the lack of salty flavor was because that was used. But there really was a difference- I’m used to the salty soups!

I tried the chicken first, big cubes of it. It was chewy, yet soft, and again, not too salty tasting. It was pretty good, yet standard.

Next up, the noodles, and a LOT of them. They were whole grain, so that was good, and not mushy at all, also a plus. They kept well in the broth,and were a teeny bit softer than al dente. However, they were really bland.

The veggies were scarce, but good. Soft carrots and tender celery- I wish there was more so it would have “bulked” up the soup a little bit.

Overall, it was kind of a bland soup. Boring, lackluster, and really not enjoyable for that matter. I like that it’s low in sodium but it still needs flavor! How about some extra garlic or onion powder? Something. I felt like I NEEDED crackers or a piece of bread with butter to eat this soup, and I was even tempted to add salt (I refrained…). I also wished there were more veggies, as the soup didn’t satisfy me and I was still hungry (insert handfuls of Ritz crackers here).

With that said, 2 stars. I won’t buy this again, unfortunately.

20 Jan 2012, Comments (0)

Dunkin’ Donuts Turkey Sausage Flatbread Sandwich

Author: Healthnuttxo

I ordered something so out of my element. Turkey. Sausage. Normally if I eat out, I’ll get the vegetarian option of a sandwich, but this time I wanted to try something different. (WHO am I? And what have I done with myself?)

So, alongside a medium coffee (caffeine addict right here), I ordered a Turkey Sausage Flatbread Sandwich from Dunkin’ Donuts. It was made fresh, and was steaming hot when I got it, so I was quite content with that.

Another weird quirk of mine, I never eat sandwiches whole. I eat them piece by piece. So first I ate one side of the flatbread, then the egg/sausage component, and then the other side of the flatbread with cheese. I can’t help it, I just like to eat sandwiches this way. Although I did also try a bite of the sandwich all together and it was quite delicious.

And here’s a closeup of the sandwich.

The flatbread itself was chewy and doughy on the inside, and then the outer edges had a slight crisp/crunchiness to it. It was rather bland in flavor by itself, but went well with the egg and cheese component when I ate it together.

The egg part was really delicious, and had a fluffy consistency which surprised me that it wasn’t rubbery at all. It had some green pieces in it which I’m assuming would be spinach, along with pieces of turkey sausage. The turkey sausage was really good, and had a bit of spice to it. I haven’t had sausage of any kind in the longest time, but the turkey sausage (from what I remember) tasted very similar to regular sausage.

The cheese on the other piece of flatbread melted well, but really didn’t add too much to the sandwich. The flavors of the egg and sausage part overpowered the flavor of the cheese.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It was kind of small, maybe about the size of my hand with extended fingers. It had a lot of flavor and was really quite good. I would buy it again for sure, and it wasn’t terribly high in sodium, fat or calories. It had 280 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 770 mg of sodium. I would give it 4 stars.

Full nutritional information can be found here . Although after looking at that ingredient list, I don’t think I will be buying this very often. Too long!

What’s your favorite thing to order at Dunkin? I used to love the cinnamon roll donuts :’)

16 Jan 2012, Comments (4)

Perdue Short Cuts Grilled Italian Style Carved Chicken Breast

Author: Healthnuttxo

These things are a staple in my fridge. Any given time of any given day, they will be in there. And….I never tried them. Until now of course. After a quick scan of ingredients and nutritional information accompanying a growling stomach after a workout, I decided the Short Cuts Grilled Italian Style Carved Chicken Breast would fit the bill.

Here’s a close up-

I’m not even a big meat/poultry eater- no pork or beef whatsoever, and turkey/chicken maybe 1 or 2 times a week tops. I prefer eggs and peanut butter for my protein sources, along with occasional beans/tofu. However, these looked good. And I was craving something that would keep me full and fuel my muscles post kickboxing workout.

So, I tried these two ways. Cold and straight from the fridge, and then heated up in the microwave. Since it was seasoned, I tried it as is, with no toppings/sauces or sides.

The chicken itself was chewy, and some pieces were a bit too chewy which turned me off a bit. However, the chunks were relatively fresh tasting. It certainly was very salty, which I expected since it’s a prepared and flavored product. I tasted parsley and herbs, as well as onion and garlic flavors. It actually was rather flavorful and I enjoyed it by itself. There was also just a hint of lemon.

Then I heated up the rest of the chicken, and I think it was much better this way. The flavors came out even more, and it took on almost a chicken parmesan flavor. I think it would be really good with some (low sodium) tomato sauce and some shredded cheese on top, like a take on chicken parmesan, but without the breading and frying in oil.

What I liked about these is that they were also MSG free, low in fat, and gluten free. However, the sodium was really quite high, and it even tasted too salty which is a turnoff for me. ESPECIALLY for the person who buys this in my house all the time and eats it frequently, that’s a lot of sodium. (But hey, thanks by the way for letting me eat some ;’) ) SO, overall, I would give this 3.5 stars. I don’t know if I would buy it in the future, but if it was laying around in my fridge (which it will be, no doubt…) I might eat it again.

9 Jan 2012, Comments (6)

Peanut Butter & Co Mighty Maple Peanut Butter

Author: Healthnuttxo

Another nut butter to add to my addiction and to subtract money out of my wallet (*sigh*…that wallet never had a chance against any nut butters). Insert, Peanut Butter & Co Mighty Maple Peanut Butter. One of the tastiest I have tried from Peanut Butter & Co., this one is also gluten free and vegan

SIDENOTE: How cute is that monkey?! With a barbell!

This was a thick peanut butter- not much stirring required, hardly any actually. Look here, didn’t even move as I turned my fork to the side. (WHHHHAAAAAT you don’t eat nut butter out of the jar with a fork, too?)

The peanut butter has a mild sweetness, but I can definitely taste both the maple and the peanut butter. It has a roasted peanut taste, and then a hint of maple flavor. Not too salty or too sweet, but just right. I ate this directly from the jar, like most of my nut butters, and I can’t get enough of it. This isn’t my first jar, and it will not be my last.

One thing different from other peanut butters is I can “taste” and detect the granules- like a very mild grittiness to the peanut butter. Not like sand, or like anything that would ruin the peanut butter, but it is not 100% smooth.

Overall, delicious and addictive. A made a significant dent in my jar the first night. I’m too ashamed to show you the picture and I also don’t want to think about possibly eating 3-4 servings in one sitting, so I’m going to pretend it never happened. (*What peanut butter??*) I get remarks all the time about how fast I can finish a jar of peanut butter, and quite frankly, it doesn’t bother me a bit. Heart healthy fats, protein, and hey, I can think of worse things to inhale on a 2-3 day basis (sad, yet true. Shelf life of a jar of peanut butter in my house is 3 days tops).

One thing, is these are a bit pricy, I’ve seen them as much as 6+ dollars for a jar. So, from me, this one gets 4.5 stars =)

What’s your favorite flavor/variety from Peanut Butter & Co. if you have tried it? Mine is this one here.

13 Dec 2011, Comments (8)

Justin’s Nut Butter Maple Almond Butter

Author: Healthnuttxo

I finally bought a jar of this stuff. I pass by it almost every time I go to Whole Foods (probably because I ALWAYS go down the nut butter aisle).

What stops me? This jar of Justin’s Nut Butter was so good, so why not buy another?

the 10 dollar price tag. My wallet cries everytime I buy nut butter. So pricy. But so worth it. Keep on crying, wallet.

So I bought this nut butter, and home it went. I opened it up and noticed considerably oil separation, so a little stirring and I stored it upside down ( a trick I learned from a friend! keeps the oil on the bottom!!) until I got to try it.

Yea I eat my nut butters with plastic forks. Don’t you?

The first thing I noticed- it was THICK. I tried this when I was already a bit thirsty, and that was a mistake. It literally stuck to my mouth. So, have some water on hand!

It had a mild sweetness, and mild maple flavor. The predominant flavor is definitely ALMOND. It has the gritty texture I find most almond butters do, and every now and then a rush of salty flavor would happen. It was a bit “pasty” but not bad.

And while it’s quite good, it’s not amazing. I wish it was sweeter, or saltier, or both. I wish I could taste the maple flavor more, because I’m not sure I would be able to say “this is MAPLE almond butter” if I was given a blind taste test. And you know me (or hopefully you have picked up on) and that I LOVE maple flavored things. (Like these cookies? YUMM!)

Overall, 3 stars. I don’t know if I would buy this again, especially since it is 10 dollars,  but I want to try more Justin’s Nut Butters! Just have to save up some money first…. =P

Whats the most you EVER spent on nut butter??

28 Oct 2011, Comments (3)

Maine Root Pumpkin Pie Soda

Author: Healthnuttxo

Pumpkin Pie Soda. Say whaaaaaat?!

I saw this in Whole Foods, and KNEW I had to try it. Really? Pumpkin Pie soda? How can that even be?!

It came in a 6 pack, or individual. I thought it would be best to try one, and then if I (hopefully!!) liked it, go back and buy the 6 pack of these sodas. I mean, how on earth could Pumpkin Pie Soda taste bad, given the fact I LOVE pumpkin, LOVE pumpkin pie, and well, not going to lie, soda is yummy too!!

I opened up the top and poured some out. It certainly screamed pumpkin with the color, and it even smelled like pumpkin. We were headed off to a good start.

Eagerly, I took a sip.

:( Gross.

In fact, it turned my stomach a bit. It was nasty. It really was not good at all. Upon first taste, ALL I tasted was sugar. It had this syrupy, sugary taste to it. Almost like a artificially flavored pumpkin lollipop would taste if it was melted down and carbonated.

It had somewhat of a vanilla creme flavor too, but it was not good. BLECH. I only took two sips and poured the rest out.

OVERALL, my first 1/2 star rating. I would never buy or drink this again. And I’m really disappointed because I really wanted to like this!!!!!

Here’s the nutritional facts, which also aren’t pretty. And no wonder it was so sweet, look at all that sugar!!

23 Oct 2011, Comments (4)

Whole Foods Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Author: Healthnuttxo

I hope everyone knows how much I love Whole Foods. Super awesome finds, and their prepared food is SO GOOD. Seriously- if you haven’t tried their prepared pot pies or anything from the hot bar, I highly recommend it. Everything’s so tasty!!

So, shopping around I spotted a chocolate angel food cake. It was only 5 dollars for the whole cake, so I figured I could stretch it out over 4 days which is pretty reasonable for the price. I bought it and took it home, and could not WAIT to try it.

I have a special spot in my heart for angel food cake. I feel most people either love it, or loathe it. I am definitely a lover. I love the soft, fluffy aspect of it, and how it goes just perfectly with a smidge of vanilla frosting on top. mmm.

So, here’s a closeup of the cake. Excuse the dim lighting aka my lack of photography skills (wah!)

And…..a forkful I took out

So, after eating this all I could think was….this is a Whole Foods fail. It really was not good at all. I was SO upset, that not only did I waste 5 dollars but I could not eat what should have been a delicious chocolate angel food cake!!

First off, it should have been called a cocoa angel food cake, because it had way more of a cocoa flavor than a deep chocolate. It was very dense, and even as I picked the cake up I noticed it was kind of heavy. Not like “hey, this is as heavy as the dumbbells I use at the gym” heavy but more heavy than a cake should be in my opinion.

Another turn off, it was SO DRY. I felt like I wanted, no NEEDED a glass of milk to eat this. The combination of a cocoa flavored dry cake that was mildly sweet made a liquid to drink a necessity. I had intentions of putting peanut butter on it [ obviously ; ) ] but that was out of the question. Way too dry for that.

Giving it another chance, I took another piece and tried to eat it. Blech. It tasted like burnt sugar and cocoa.

WHERE IS MY FLUFFY , MOIST ANGEL FOOD CAKE!? I was so upset. Whole Foods, you let me down buddy =(

But….that doesn’t mean I won’t be back to buy your other delicious foods. I just wont buy this one ever again. 1 star

Angel Food Cake- are you a fan? Or no? Strawberry angel food cake is really good too!

12 Oct 2011, Comments (3)

Enjoy Life Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix Mountain Mambo and Beach Bash

Author: Healthnuttxo

Who doesn’t love trail mix? Crunchy, sweet, salty, savory, and satisfying- all in one! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a box on my front step from Enjoy Life, and inside was their  Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix in Mountain Mambo and Beach Bash varieties.

Take a closer look. Here’s the Mountain Mambo

camera fail. blurrrrrry! :(

And heres the Beach Bash flavor

Alrighty, let’s get down to business. The first one I tried was the Mountain Mambo. It had apple pieces, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and more.

The apple pieces were so yummy! Soft and chewy, and perfect addition.

The raisins were a little off tasting. Not super sweet like I’m used to, and I was a bit disappointed. Especially since in the bag, there was a LOT of raisins. Seriously- I got a big blob of raisins right in the middle all stuck together!

The sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds were very fresh tasting and crunchy, and not really salty at all. However, not salty doesn’t mean they weren’t flavorful! :)

Then, I shook up bag a little and found…

Chocolate chips!

These were yummy! Smooth chocolate, and tasted like a milk chocolate would.

Another surprise was I found  VERY few cranberries. Only got like 2 in the bag ! However, the two or so I got were quite tasty, and not too tart. So for this variety….

3 ½ stars

Next up, the winner in my eyes, BEACH BASH variety.

Seriously, in a word,- yum.

There were sunflower seeds, pumpkin, apricots, pineapple, cranberries and more. On a brighter side, there were definitely more cranberries in this one and yummy too! Sweet, not tart and chewy!

The pineapple pieces were BEYOND delicious. Seriously- I want a bag of just the pineapple! It was soft, and sugar sweet! I may or may not have picked all the pineapple out of the bag the first day I got it….. oops ;)

The apricot pieces? eh. Kind of hard and dry and tart. Not  a fan. Would rather more pineapple…

Overall, 4 stars

Overall, yummy! Both are NUT FREE, wheat free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, peanut free! And yum-my! I like beach bash better. I would totally buy it!

What would you put in your ideal trail mix? Mine would be dried pineapple pieces from above, glazed pecans, cashews, reeses pieces, and pretzels!


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