Tags: non-gmo

15 Jul 2018, Comments (0)

Modern Table Lentil Pastas

Author: Healthnuttxo

 

HEY GUYS!

Sorry it’s been a while. I was working 70-80 hour work weeks for the past month and a half and didn’t have time to sit down to write a quality review…but I am back and I know you missed me! 🙂

So Modern Table sent me some yummy pastas to try. They are full of PROTEIN from red lentils and peas, which is something that is important to me. I am very active and at the gym 6x a week, so if I want a side with my lunch or dinner, I want it to have some type of protein component, to fill any gaps I might be missing with a busy lifestyle. They are complete proteins– you might ask what that is. Amino acids are building blocks of protein, and 9 of them your body CANNOT make and you must eat. The issue lies that protein from plant sources may not have all of the 9 essential amino acids (meat does), but since this pasta is a combination of lentil, pea and rice, together it has 9 essential amino acids. So this is another added bonus! This pasta seemed to be the perfect fit. In addition, they are GLUTEN FREE and NON-GMO certified, with no artificial preservatives.

As a warning, most of these have you cook the pasta about 6-8 minutes. It will be more al dente, so if you like it softer, I suggest cooking it longer. Also, I have yet to cook a batch where they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, even with lowering the temperature. So be warned!

ALSO –> I also asked my friend for help to review these because she is more of a pasta fan than I am. So here is both of our takes on most of these:

First up, Classic Cheddar Mac & Cheese.

Well this was….delicious. A super Cheesy flavor, moreso on the salty side, and reminiscent of that classic blue box. The Lentil Noodles are just like normal flour type but slightly more al dente/firm
FRIEND FEEDBACK: she wrote,
I did like it a lot actually and I liked that it could be cooked al dente and wasn’t mushy like a lot of non-flour based pastas are. There was a bit of an aftertaste but I don’t remember what you said it was made of but way better than other lentil pastas I tried. I would probably buy it in the future so I could feel better about eating pasta
Her rating: 3.5. My rating: 4. So we shall give it… a 4.

 

 

Next up, the 3 cheese mac & cheese, penne style.

This one was also super delicious, and I actually liked the idea of penne mac and cheese versus elbow. The cheese flavor was “deeper” for lack of a better word, and less salty. I liked this one more than the classic cheddar, as it was smoother, more flavorful, and I think complimented my meals better.

 

Next up, Sundried Tomato Basil.

 

This one was yummy! Definitely a strong tomato and parmesan cheese flavor. I cooked mine al dente and preferred it that way, because it gave a nice bite. It was a little on the salty side, but still great flavor. I also detected a nice zing at the end– maybe lemon? Regardless…I am a fan. 4/5 stars.

 

Parmesan Pesto

Again, a yummy one! The pesto flavor was pretty strong but balanced well with parmesan, and I loved the baby peas and carrots that were intertwined. I let my friend try this one as well, who is a bigger pasta fan than I am, and she said she enjoyed it

 

I honestly have minimal complaints  with these pastas except they are  VERY carby! Around 60-70 carbs for one serving, which is actually a bit more than your traditional flour based pasta. However, keep in consideration they are lentil based, which are very carb rich to begin with, but have more fiber and a lower glycemic index, as well as more protein. So 10 or more carbs might be worth the trade-off!

I definitely suggest giving these a try, the meals were delicious and my entire family enjoyed them (no one knew it wasn’t wheat pasta!!), with additional benefit of protein & fiber.

 

Please follow my IG at lisa_liftsx for more fitness and food fun!
DISCLAIMER: I was sent these products to try for free. This is an unbiased review. All statements are my own and not intended to be medical advice.
25 Nov 2016, Comments (5)

Thrive bars by Go Macro + BLACK FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Hi Guys!

Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I know I ate too much. But certainly enjoyed all the food, and hope everyone else did too AND enjoyed their family time.

In the spirit of Black Friday, I will be hosting a giveaway today based on this review.
Go Macro sent me a box of bars, the “Thrive” line. These bars are organic, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, kosher, vegan, and low glycemic.  They come in a variety of flavors, which we will go over below.

The bars more or less had the same texture- dense and chewy. They were hearty and most had a sesame seed and date flavor.

Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt--> this one was pretty darn good. The chocolate amount was decent– I feel like sometimes when companies add chocolate chips you get like 3 chips for the whole bar and they have the NERVE to call it a chocolate flavored bar… haha, not the case here. The dark chocolate chips are prevalent. The cashew flavor goes well with the chocolate. The sea salt? lacking. Needs more of that, however, still good.   —-4 stars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip--> this one was a bit more dense than the others, but very good. A peanut butter base, with peanut butter chips and a hint of chocolate. Picture a peanut butter cup but in a “granola” bar form. So did I like it? Yeah I liked it. Do you like peanut butter cups? Yea? Okay, you’ll like this one.  — 4 1/2 stars

Almond Apricot–> this one is pretty good. Seems “nuttier” than the others in flavor, a tad bit more crunchier. The apricot gives a nice sweetness that is scattered throughout the bar, and the almond adds that crispy crunch you sometimes crave in a “chewier” bar. —-4 star

Blueberry Lavender–> lavender… personally I am not a fan of ingesting lavender. Makes me feel like I am eating soap. But I digress…. anyway, this bar was okay. Lightly sweet, slightly bitter aftertaste. The blueberry flavor was prominent, and lavender had a hint. I think the flavor overall was a bit flat and almost needed a pinch of salt.    — 3 star

Ginger Lemon–>The ginger in this bar was mild, but prevalent, and went really well with the lemon flavor. I happen to be a fan of ginger, and the “burn/spice” you get from ginger was not present, which is good for those who don’t enjoy ginger, however I felt myself missing that.  However, it was a great combo and almost reminded me of a cookie. But again, I felt it was a bit flat/missing something.  —- 3 1/2 star

Caramel Coconut--> my personal favorite, wish I could order a box of just these. It was super, super yummy! Lightly sweetened with coconut and a mild caramel flavor, but went oh so well together. Reminded me of these coconut condensed milk brownies my mom makes for the holidays. The coconut flavor shines through and overall, a delicious bar.  — 4 1/2 stars

You can try these bars 30% off with the promo code THRIVE30  here!

GIVEAWAY!!!!

You will win 1 box of assorted Thrive bars! 🙂

TO enter….
1) you must like Go Macro on one of their social media outlets. Please leave a comment below telling me which outlet you used (IG, Twitter, FB, etc.)

2) If you do not have any social media, you may leave a comment below saying which bar you would like to try the most.

3) for an additional entry, follow my fitness/blog IG at lisa_liftsx. Leave a comment saying you did so!

U.S. only. Giveaway closes 1 week from today, December 2nd, 12 pm.

 

 

 

disclaimer: I received these bars for free. This is an unbiased review.

25 Apr 2016, Comments (0)

New Grounds Food Eat Your Coffee Coffee Bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Do you like coffee for the taste, or the caffeine? What if you like both? Then I have a treat for you! New Grounds Food has come out with a product called Eat Your Coffee , Coffee Bar which comes in Coconut Mocha and Caramel Macchiato flavors. There is 1 cup of coffee in each bar, and each bar is also made with fair trade coffee, is vegan and gluten free, and organic!

Let’s get started!

Caramel Macchiato

This one has a bit of a bitter and strong coffee flavor. Most of the sweetness comes from the dates, and the date taste is prominent. The caramel flavor is lacking. There are some dark chocolate chips which are smooth and sweet, and very good. The texture is chewy and a bit dense, and somewhat “grainy”. It’s pretty good.

 

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Coconut Mocha

This one is dense and chewy, and has a date flavor. Again, there are a lot of little seeds and nuts scattered in the bar, which some of I believe is Quinoa. The Coconut flavor is on the mild side. The bar has baby chocolate chips or something of the sort scattered in the bar, which add a nice touch. The bar is on the sweet side, but not overpoweringly so. I actually really enjoyed this one!

 

Overall, I like the bars. They have similar tastes, so I would give them a 3.5 star rating each. I think they are a good idea for a pick me up at work, or a good way to get some caffeine in, especially if you suffer from heartburn. Coffee is a KILLER sometimes to me, but I drink it anyway (and suffer…LOL) because I want the caffeine. I would comment that the sugar and carbohydrate content are a bit high for a small bar (about 10 grams of sugar –mostly from dates– and 32 grams of carbs), so I also think it would be a great pre-workout snack. Natural sugars, carbohydrates, and caffeine!

I received these bars for free. This is an unbiased review.
29 Nov 2015, Comments (0)

BFree Wheat and Gluten Free Foods

Author: Healthnuttxo

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A company that just expanded to the East Coast, I got some yummy bread samples from from BFree! They create products that are gluten free, wheat free, nut free, dairy free, soy free, no sugar added, Non GMO, and more. They can appeal to anyone with special dietary needs, especially those with severe allergies.

With Celiac’s Disease and gluten intolerance on the rise, it’s important to have companies that care to replace bread or pasta products in people’s diets that are allergy friendly, and also I think it’s great these products are also nut and dairy free, because more often than not, you find people have Celiac’s AND another allergy/intolerance to dairy or nuts. The GI tract is connected, so it makes sense!

Anyway, moving onward. I received a plethora of samples from BFree, including wraps, dinner rolls, bread, and bagels. Let’s get to it!

First up, Soft White Sandwich Loaf.

Here’s what it looked like toasted:

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And with some PB&J

 

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The sandwich loaf bread crisped up nice in the toaster oven. It had a nice crunch but was relatively bland on it’s own. The texture and consistency are good, chewy and soft underneath a crusty exterior. It doesn’t have much flavor, so it’s perfect for eating with toppings, just not alone. It doesn’t mask flavors either, so it went well with the PB&J. I think toasting is necessary. 3 stars

Next up, the Brown Seeded Sandwich Loaf. 

Here it is, toasted.

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This one, as you can see I also had with some peanut butter and one with butter, since plain and toasted is relatively flavorless. I noticed this one (and the white) take a while to toast in comparison to the bread I usually have. I didn’t really like the one with the butter…becuase the flavor of the bread isn’t masked. Alone, the bread has an odd seedy kind of rye bread flavor. With the peanut butter, the flavor is masked, and it is a crunchy piece of bread with a soft interior, that doesn’t affect the flavor of the peanut butter. So again, this bread is good if you have a spread you like on top. 2 1/2 

 

Next up, the bagels! First, the multi-seed bagel. 

Here it is toasted with some butter. Right off the bat, I am kind of annoyed because these aren’t pre sliced..HAH. I guess I am spoiled and used to pre-cut bagels.

This one toasted wasn’t bad. The texture isn’t 100% like a gluten filled bagel, since the dense chewiness comes from wheat gluten. But, this is pretty darn good for a gluten free bagel. It is chewy in a different way, and fluffy. It had the consistency of the chewiness of the bread but thicker since it it a bagel. The flavor again is really not there, very bland, and the seeds didn’t provide much flavor. I think all of these previous breads need a touch of salt or something to help bring out flavor. However, I think it would be good with butter and jam, or butter and a fried egg 🙂  3 1/2 stars
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Next up, the white/ Plain Bagel.

This one we toasted and put cream cheese on!

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This one was not really a hit. I also let my brother try this one (it was his cream cheese after all…) and he was not a fan. It was very bland, airy, and didn’t have that chew like the seeded bagel did. Even after toasted the inside of the bagel didn’t change color much, so I couldn’t really tell when it was done. Just not a fan, it almost took away the flavor from the cream cheese, and the consistency not as good as the seeded bagel. 2 stars

Next up, the Quinoa and Chia Seed Wrap.

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Made a turkey and cheese wrap with lettuce on this one.
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This one I am iffy about… I liked it at first, then as I made more wraps with it and continued to eat it, I grew to dislike it. One problem with the wrap for starters is that after you defrost it, it is WET. You need to really get the moisture out with a paper towel unless you will have a soggy wrap. I am used to having frozen then fresh wraps, and usually you just wipe off the little bit of condensation, but this one you need to really blot or toast to get some of the water out. I assume that is because it is made with rice, which holds onto water.

Anyway, this wrap doesn’t offer much flavor other than the seeds, so if you like a seedy flavor, you may like it. However, the consistency got semi- mealy after I continued to eat it. Not really a fan. It ripped really easy and isn’t chewy like a wrap normally is for me, and is a bit stiff. 2 stars

Lastly, the dinner rolls! Brown Seeded and Soft White. 
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These we heat up slightly in the oven and then cut open and put pats of butter on them.  The Brown roll was earthy and nutty tasting… it reminded me of a granola bar almost with some pumpkin seed flavor. It was pretty bland otherwise and needed some salt. The texture was chewy and a little dense which I actually kind of liked. 2 1/2 stars

The white roll was pretty good.

Again, a little bland, needed some salt, but tasted pretty close to a gluten filled white bread roll. Chewy and the thickness of the roll went well with the warm butter and dinner. I would eat this one again. 3 1/2 stars

Overall, BFree Foods has some hits and some misses in my book. HOWEVER, these are definitely some of the better gluten free products I have tried. Due to the nature of rice, a lot of GF products end up being piecey in consistency, or fall apart in your mouth, and just plain awful. These products, while a tad bland, were versatile and textures were honestly pretty good. The wrap was my least favorite, and I think the more “bread-y” products did better. I think these are definitely worth a try, especially if you have allergies.

BFree is on FACEBOOK here.
BFree is on TWITTER here. 

 

I received these products free from the company. This is an unbiased review.

 

 

9 Jan 2015, Comments (7)

Uncomplicated Foods Tali-O Bites- Powerfully Peanut, A Hint of Almond, Double the Coconut

Author: Healthnuttxo

Hello!

I got some  yummy treats from Uncomplicated Foods to try for free called Tali-O Bites! They are these bite sized treats made from organic dates and other flavors, to make for a healthy snack. They come in 3 flavors, Powerfully Peanut, A Hint of Almond, and Double the Coconut. All 3 flavors are gluten free, vegan, non GMO, soy free, and free of added sugars, according to the package. The Double the Coconut and Hint of Almond flavor are also paleo friendly.

As you can see, they are tiny!

I tried the Double the Coconut flavor first. These were soft and chewy, and had a sweet and fruity taste. You can certainly detect the fate flavor. The coconut flavor was prominent, but I wouldn’t say it was “double” in terms of flavor strength. I am assuming the powder on the bite was some type of extra coconut flavor. There were tiny pieces of nuts that gave it a teeny crunch, which was nice and added texture. These were really yummy! I used them pre workout early in the morning (I’m talking 5 am…) for a boost since it was too early for me to eat a full breakfast. 4 stars

Next up, Hint of Almond. This one was not my favorite of the 3, but it was still good.  Almond was not the first thing I thought of when eating these, however. It had a sweet taste to it, but moreso tasted like an almond butter after-taste. It was soft and chewy, and had a rather peculiar flavor that is a bit hard to describe. Almost like if you took almond butter and dates and made it into a chew with teeny nut pieces. Overall, 3  stars.

Lastly,  Powerfully Peanut. This flavor was my favorite! It had a yummy peanut flavor and was mildly sweet. THere was a hint of coconut flavor and almost tasted a little like vanilla. They were soft, dense and chewy. Very good! Definitely want more of these!

Overall, these are good! I do not have or know the nutritional facts, but I do have the ingredients for Double The Coconut listed below.

6 Aug 2014, Comments (5)

CredibleCravings organic whole food bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

I have a new product to review!

CredibleCravings sent me a few of their organic whole food bars to try. According to the label, these bars are “developed to support the nutritional needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy”. They are organic, have no GMOs, have probiotics, free of soy, and are made with no artificial sweeteners. And ALTHOUGH I am not pregnant… I could still use some whole goodness in my life!

The bars come in 3 flavors- Lemon Ginger Greens, Oatmeal Cranberry, and Chocolate. *Naturally* I tried the chocolate flavor first 🙂

The chocolate flavor is on the sweeter side, and has almost a raspberry flavor to it. It is dense, chewy and very moist, with chocolate chips scattered throughout the bar, and a prominent chocolate flavor. There is a slight crunch to it, probably from some of the added seeds. Some bites were a little on the sweet side, but it was very good! My favorite of the 3. 4 stars

Next, the Lemon Ginger Greens, was my least favorite of the 3. The flavor was okay. If I had a word to describe it, it would be “earthy”. I could almost taste the kale or some type of green the bar was made with. The lemon flavor was definitely there, some bites more prominent than others. The bigger lemon flavor I detected, the better I liked the bar. The ginger was sort of an aftertaste, but it provided just a zing of flavor on the tongue. It was okay, but I wouldn’t eat it again. However, I have had some “greens” types of bars and this is definitely one of the better ones. 2 1/2 stars

Lastly, Oatmeal Cranberry. This bar was good too! It was on the sweeter side, with a nice cranberry flavor. It had a little bit of tartness, but not too much, and just the perfect amount of sweetness to balance it out. The bar reminded me of oatmeal, and almost had a “hearty” texture to it from the oats and the crunch from the seeds. I enjoyed this one. I would eat it again. 4 stars

Here is a pic of the bars: Top= Chocolate, Middle= Oatmeal Cranberry, Bottom= Lemon Ginger Greens

And the nutritional information:

Thanks CredibleCravings!

Note: I received these bars for free. This is an unbiased review.

20 Apr 2010, Comments (6)

Mary’s Gone Crackers Cookies

Author: Healthnuttxo

Mary’s Gone Crackers is a company dedicated to making snacks that are organic, high quality, and gluten and wheat free. Mary, the founder of the company, began making her products since 1994, when she and her son developed a gluten intolerance. Their signature snack is their crackers, but I got to try their new gluten free cookies out courtesy of the company.

The cookies come in 4 flavors- N’Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, and Ginger Snap was sent the Ginger Snap, Chocolate Chip, and N’Oatmeal Raisin flavors to try

The cookies nutritional stats are rockin‘. They are all organic, non-gmo, kosher, wheat free, gluten free, vegan, dairy free , have no trans fats, and are made with low glycemic sweeteners (yay for no highly refined sugars!). I was definietly excited for these- were they going to be my new favorite cookies?!

Unfortunately- these were not really a big hit for my taste buds, or my friend’s taste buds. Another thing that was upsetting, these cookies are TINY!!  In my opinion, are really more of a “bite” than a “cookie”.

Chocolate Chip- a soft cookie, that has a crunch to it- (perhaps from the chia seeds?). It wasn’t really that sweet, until you hit the dark chocolate chips, which were probably the best part of the cookie. It has flavors of molasses and coconut. It was also kind of dry by itself, I’m thinking a glass of milk or a quick 10 seconds in the microwave might help : ) 2 1/2 stars

N’Oatmeal Raisin- not bad, and definitely better than the Chocolate Chip variety. It has a very strong nutmeg flavor to it, and wasn’t too sweet overall. Some of the sweetness that was there was provided by the raisins, nice, chewy and plump. 3 stars

Ginger Snap- I can’t say these were my favorite. First of all, I don’t know how the word snap got in the name, because these are  rather soft! No crunch really whatsoever, and are almost dense. Also not very sweet. There was a very strong ginger flavor, so for those of you who like gingerbread cookies, you might like these. I think they would be better if they had a coating of icing or something sweet on them, to compliment the strong ginger flavor. 2 1/2 stars

Overall, not bad, I might buy the N’Oatmeal Raisin flavor, but certainly not the ginger or chocolate chip. I really do like that they are gluten free, organic and made with great ingredients! However, they are a bit too tiny for my preferences,and I prefer cookies I eat to be just a bit sweeter. However,  if you prefer a more toned down cookie, perhaps give these a try.

Chocolate Chip- 2 cookies is 130 calories, 6 grams of fat, 19 carbohydrates, 1.5 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

N’Oatmeal Raisin- 2 cookies is 120 calories, 4 grams of fat, 20 carbohydrates, 1.5 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

Ginger- 3 cookies is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 23 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

Chocolate Chip- Organic gluten-free flour blend (organic brown rice flour, organic tapioca flour, organic potato flour, organic potato starch, organic amaranth flour), organic palm sugar, organic dark chocolate chips (organic cane sugar, organic cocoa paste, organic cocoa butter, soy lecithin [non-gmo], organic vanilla), organic palm fruit shortening (palm oil), organic tapioca syrup, organic yellow split pea flour, organic ramon seed powder, organic coconut oil, organic prune extract, organic chia seeds, organic vanilla extract, sea salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, organic roasted carob powder, organic rice bran extract.

N’Oatmeal Raisin- Organic quinoa flakes, organic seedless raisins, organic gluten-free-flour blend (organic brown rice flour, organic tapioca flour, organic potato flour, organic potato starch, organic amaranth flour), organic tapioca syrup, organic palm sugar, organic palm fruit shortening (palm oil), water, organic prune extract, organic coconut oil, organic chia seeds, organic vanilla extract, sea salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, organic rice bran extract.

Ginger- Organic gluten-free flour blend (organic brown rice flour, organic tapioca flour, organic potato flour, organic potato starch, organic amaranth flour), organic palm sugar, organic palm fruit shortening (palm oil), organic tapioca syrup, organic blackstrap molasses, organic yellow split pea flour, organic coconut oil, organic ginger root, organic prune extract, water, organic spices, baking soda, organic vanilla extract, organic chia seeds, sea salt, xanthan gum, organic black pepper, organic rice bran extract.

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