Tags: organic

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.
19 Nov 2015, Comments (0)

Perky Fruit Bodies- Cacao Banana Coconut, Coconut Banana, Strawberry Banana

Author: Healthnuttxo

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I got some yummy Perky Fruit Bodies to try! What is that, you say? These are organic, raw, vegan, gluten free, and kosher “fruit leathers”.

Let’s get to it! ^-^

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Coconut Banana– this one is squished!

IMG_7576The color and appearance isn’t appetizing, but we always go beyond that for food reviews! The flavor is OK. Banana and coconut flavor is strong, the banana provides the natural sweetness, and tastes like an over-ripened banana. It is dry, and a bit flaky. It is not “sticky” like you would picture a “fruit roll up”, and is more like a natural fruit leather, but still on the drier side. It’s alright. 2 1/2 stars

Strawberry Banana– this one is good!

IMG_7578Tangy from the strawberries, and sweet from the banana. Tastes like a strawberry banana smoothie in fruit leather form. It is a bit chewier than the Coconut Banana, and more held together, which I like. It has a bit of a “rip” to it when you bite it. I would eat this one again. 4 star

Cacao Banana Coconut-  this one I also like.

IMG_7577The cacao flavor is pretty strong, but it gives a chocolate covered banana flavor to it. Good amount of sweetness. The Cacao gives almost a dark chocolate feel as well. The coconut flavor is very mild, and lacking, but I don’t mind because I think it tastes good the way it is. Chewy and has a nice “rip” to it…I like this one! 4 star

Overall, not bad! They run 60-130 calories each, ranging from 14-18 carbs and 0-7 grams of fat depending on the flavor. I think they would go great as a pre workout snack, as you are getting a boost of energy from the sugars from the fruits, and they are light enough where they will not make you feel sluggish during a workout. I also like how they are individually wrapped and easy to bring with you on the go. You can view nutritional information below.

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I received this product to try for free from the company. This is an unbiased review.

 

 

 

 

 

6 Aug 2015, Comments (0)

Growing Naturals Organic Rice Protein in Strawberry Burst

Author: Healthnuttxo


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Alrighty! So, I do not drink a ton of protein powder- not my style, I am much more of a food eater, but it definitely has a place in my diet. I tend to stick to low carb whey proteins, and use them when I need calories post workout and do not feel hungry or for convenience in the morning.

I received Growing Naturals Organic Rice Protein in Strawberry Burst to try. I have never had rice protein before. This one in particular is:

Organic
Vegan
Allergy friendly
Made with brown rice protein (raw),
Has 3 grams of carbs (1 sugar), 24 grams of protein
&& is NON GMO certified

There is a complete panel of the Amino Acid profile of the rice protein on the BPA free plastic, which is definitely a plus (see below). There is even an explanation of what an essential amino acid is, which essentially (hehe) are a few of the 20 or so amino acids that your body cannot produce on it’s own and you NEED to eat.

SO, I opened the tub and saw brown powder. I was a little shocked and expected to see pink…since strawberry…but I have to remember this is BROWN rice protein, and there are no added artificial colors. It smells like a mixture of strawberries and well…protein powder. It’s hard to describe what protein powder smells like since it is so unique, but for anyone who has ever tried it, knows it has an odor.

It’s kind of hard to mix…I added it to milk and tried mixing for a few minutes. The powder just did not seem to want to assimilate. I would suggest doing it with a shaker cup or blender.

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I took a sip and….

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meh.

I do not like it. I added half a scoop to roughly 4-5 ounces of 2% milk. The strawberry flavor is muted by the overpowering stevia flavor. The stevia is really bitter and tastes like the extract, and is very strong. This stevia and strawberry flavor put together makes the strawberry flavor taste like a fake flavor, not like natural, fresh picked strawberries but more like a stevia sweetened strawberry flavored milk you’d purchase at a store.

There is a residue left on your tongue, powdery and piece-y. I kind of expected that, since a lot of rice products I’ve had before in the past always had off consistencies. There is an aftertaste as well, but I still would think this is from the stevia.

Overall….huge let down. I was excited by this protein, looking at the label and reading about it. I had another person try this with peanut butter and milk in a blended shake and he wasn’t a huge fan of it, and agreed there was an aftertaste. Perhaps if you mixed it with a banana and used a lot of ice to dilute the flavor, it is doable.

It’s a pass from me. 1  1/2 stars

 

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I received these samples for FREE. This is an unbiased review.
16 Apr 2015, Comments (9)

Stonyfield Organic Low Fat Petite Creme Belle Blueberry

Author: Healthnuttxo

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So whilst purchasing my weekly dosage (yes, dosage) of greek yogurts, I spotted this new gem on the shelf. I used to be absolutely obsessed with regular Stonyfield Farm yogurts for years…it was my go snack. I since then moved onto greek yogurt, but Stonyfield Farm will always have a  place in my heart. So I saw this Stonyfield Organic yogurt on the shelf and decided to give it a try.

It’s made with “sweet fresh cheese” which can be off-putting I think as a label to people who don’t eat a lot of cheese or yogurt, but, yogurt lovers can appreciate it.

Anywho, this baby has 10 grams of protein per serving, which is sub par for a greek yogurt,  but, this never actually SAYS greek yogurt on it…but it is conveniently placed next to the greek yogurts at the store, probably due to the container. So, I’ll blame Stop n Shop for this one, and myself for not actually reading the container. (What do you want from me? Sunday night grocery shopping with my best friend isn’t exactly productive…)

Here’s what it looks like:

IMG_0838The consistency is halfway between a thick greek yogurt and a more runny regular yogurt, a hybrid if you will. The Belle Blueberry in flavor, however, is quite exquisite. A gentle, “real” blueberry flavor, and mild sweetness, but a beautiful cream flavor pervades the yogurt. Only 2.5 grams of fat too, which is entirely from the cream, but totally worth it. The flavor is delicious with the blueberry, and gives a blueberry and cream-eqsue feel.

Perfect.

Will definitely buy again. I’ll shush my sub-conscious screaming “HEY but this doesn’t have 13-14g of protein!!!” by telling it I will up the egg whites at lunch later on. Problem solved, protein quota hit.

4 1/2 stars.

Follow me on my new INSTAGRAM for shorter reviews and more! lisa_liftsx 

17 Oct 2014, Comments (6)

Nutiva O’Coconut Coconut Treats and Numi Organic Tea

Author: Healthnuttxo

I got some goodies!!! Nutiva sent me some yummy coconut treats to try, and Numi sent me a variety of some organic teas! I thought the idea was cute, since teas and “cookies” often are paired together 🙂

Let’s do the coconut treats first. These treats were individually packaged, and teeny! About a third of the size of my palm each. The hemp & chia coconut treat was yummy. It was lightly sweetened, but still had a nice sweet flavor to it. It reminded me of one of those macaroons you could buy at a bakery, but a lot less sweet. It was very soft, with a predominant coconut flavor, and a vanilla aftertaste. If you don’t enjoy piecy coconut consistency, this would not be for you! The little bite was also rather dense and chewy. As for chia or hemp flavor? I didn’t really detect much, but I wasn’t really complaining because it was still good. 4 stars.

Next up, the classic flavored. This one was also good. I found it to be a tad bit more dry than the other treat, but it wasn’t as flaky/piecy as the hemp & chia flavor. It was also dense and chewy, with a yummy vanilla flavor. I could definitely taste the cane sugar syrup that was used, or the tapioca syrup, but it wasn’t as if it was in excess to where it was gross. I am just familiar with those flavors, and thought it went nicely with the coconut. Overall, I liked it! 4 stars

Next up, the teas! To be fair, I did NOT sweeten any of them or add milk, etc. I had them straight up! First, the Jasmine Green tea. Gotta say, not my favorite. The Jasmine predominated the Green tea flavoring, and was quite strong. The smell was also quite strong, and it almost tasted exactly how Jasmine smells, if that makes sense. However, I passed this tea along to another tea lover, and she loved it, BUT she loves Jasmine. So, safe to say, you may enjoy this one as long as you like Jasmine. I wouldn’t drink it again, but it’s just not for me. Based on both of our ratings- 3 stars

Next, the Moroccan Mint! This one I thought I wouldn’t like, but really enjoyed! It was soothing, with a very faint minty flavor, almost like a peppermint. It was enjoyable, and reminded me of sleepytime tea with the flavoring. Like I said, the mint flavor, VERY subtle, so one a 1-10 scale, 10 being very minty, it was around 1.5. Which I liked! I thought it would be overpowering but was pleasantly surprised. 4.5 stars

Lastly, I got to try the Breakfast Blend Tea. I do not have a picture of this one, however, I can say it was also quite delicious.  I thought it might be harsh since it was a black tea, but it wasn’t at all. Not to say it was light in flavor, but it wasn’t bitter or overpoweringly strong. I let a friend try this one, and she ended up drinking the whole dang box on me! Guess she liked it 🙂 4 stars

OVERALL, enjoyable! Kudos to Nutiva and Numi. Now I have to ask, what is your favorite flavor of tea?

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.

14 Apr 2014, Comments (0)

Pacific Beach Organic Valencia Peanut Butter & Signature Peanut Butter Spread

Author: Healthnuttxo

Time for a review…of my absolute kryptonite! Peanut butter!

Seriously though…I can refuse any baked good in front of me, but put a jar of peanut butter and a spoon nearby, and you’ll find me melting.

I go through the temptation  thoughts like Spongebob with water when he visits Sandy for the first time.
“I don’t need it…
I don’t need it…
I DEFINITELY don’t need it…

… I   N E E D   IT !!! ”

But, alas, here I am reviewing two peanut butters from Pacific Beach. I will say I DID practice portion control, measured on my scale, and then left the jar in the other room so I didn’t finish a jar in 2 days (I made it to 3!!! [just kidding!])

The first one up- the “Our Signature” peanut butter spread.
2 tbsp is 152 calories, 12 g fat (3 saturated), 51 mg sodium, 9 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 6 grams sugar,  4 grams protein.
This one is gluten free (WAS gluten free I should say…that jar is long gone)
This…was unbelievable. I’m not going to lie, I am biased with peanut butter bc well I love peanut butter, but THIS was SO GOOD. It was sweet and creamy, but also had bits of peanuts in it so it had a bit of a crunch. It had a white chocolate flavor to it, was a bit buttery tasting..UGH it was SO GOOD! It had the perfect balance of sweetness too-not too sweet where it felt sugary. Just right. The only thing that kept my guilt at bay was it was 152 calories for 2 Tbsp as opposed to the usual 190 cals. WOO!!
5 stars

Next up, the Organic Valencia peanut butter.
2 tbsp is 168 calories, 14 g fat (2 saturated), 58 mg sodium, 6 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams protein.

This one was also tasty, although definitely more moderate in flavor. I think it could have used a tad more salt, and was a teeny bit bland. But, still a good peanut butter. Again, it was creamy but also had chunks of peanuts in it giving it a bit of a crunch. A nice thick spread, that could easily be spread on bread or eaten from the jar (somehow I always dangerously choose the latter…). I think this is a good nut butter to pair with jelly on a sandwich bc it’s a good base. This one is gluten free and sugar free. I almost wish it had a pinch of sugar or something to bring out more flavor. 3 1/2 stars.

Overall, some tasty treats! I would love to try more from Pacific Beach, because I think their other flavors sounds phenomenal as well. However, currently trying to lean out for summer and I have NO self control around this stuff…bc it is too damn good.

How many of you are peanut butter addicts like myself? It’s so good it hurts!! D:

13 Nov 2013, Comments (0)

Nellie’s and Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs

Author: Healthnuttxo

HEY!
So…

I’ve been missing, I know. No need to fill out a wanted persons ad. I AM alive!!!

I’m sorry for being such a crappy blogger and not posting as much as I should butttt….. I am back!

And BACK at it with a punch! The kind folks over at Nellie’s and Pete & Gerry’s let me have some coupons to try their eggs for free. So I bought one of each and brought them home.

NOW I eat enough eggs and egg whites that I almost consider myself an expert. Eggs-pert if you will ( Sorry…I had to say it, I really had to say it). So I was pumped to try these. And I must say I found some differences between these eggs and your average Joe eggs (which, let’s be real here, I often buy because bulk = cheap and Lisa= broke … (it’s factual I swear) )

Both of these eggs came in pretty schweet containers. A thicker plastic (that used to be a water bottle according to the package!!!) that you open up and then is another protective plastic layer on top of the brown eggs.

I liked that the eggs were different shades of brown. Like it’s okay to eat food that’s not the same EXACT uniform color all the time, and has NATURAL discrepancies. I can dig it.

I noticed that when cracking these eggs, the shells broke very easily. I had a few pieces of egg shell to pick out of my bowl (oops), but nothing I couldn’t handle, and a price I would pay for humanely grown, natural eggs.

The eggs were super white in color (for the whites) and the yolks tasted amazing. I did NOT whip the egg whites before cooking, and these were definitely fluffier than any other generic bulk- eggs I would normally crack open and fry up and eat. And let me remind you I eat eggs every. single. day.

(sometimes twice a day)

So I can make this statement when I say these are excellent! Very fresh, and I loved that the Nellie’s version, although not organic, had omegas in each egg.

Overall…a solid investment. Are they pricy…yes. Unfortunately. It could be NYC’s lovely, I mean crappy, prices, but these were 4-5$ a carton. And being I can eat 12 eggs/egg whites in a day, this is something I would buy and ONLY eat if I were to eat the whole egg and not something I would buy to use the white and discard the yolk. Although, I did make brownies with these eggs…so whoever got a batch of those consider yourself v e r y lucky I used 3 precious eggs on you!!

I would give 4 1/2 stars. Taste, quality, packaging, is amazing. Price, kinda sucks. But hey if you got the means, go for it!!! And throw a few my way, please 🙂

8 Jun 2013, Comments (0)

Buddha Chocolate Raw Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Author: Healthnuttxo

Finally!!! Someone has made an almond butter cup instead of a peanut butter cup! Don’t get me wrong… I’m all about the peanut buttah, and just jumped on this whole almond butter bandwagon rather recently. However, it’s refreshing to see almond butter be a star in a product other than just a jar. Now…when will they make powdered almond butter…? But that’s another story.

The kind folks at Buddha Chocolate asked if I would like to try their Raw Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups. Obviously I obliged. I am a Type 1 Diabetic on a rather strict diet, with little wiggle room for sweets. However, an occasional bite of a treat I think is healthy for both my sanity and my sanity. (Did I say that twice?)

I got one single cup, and then a package of two cups, with one to eat and one to share (awww).

I opened the single one, wrapped generously in a pretty gold foil.  It’s a decently sized piece of candy, with the circumference almost being my entire palm. Its vegan, fair trade, dairy free, gluten free, and soy free, 78% cacao, and made in Brooklyn according to the label.

The chocolate part is quite bitter, so hopefully you are a dark chocolate fan if you decide to try these. It has it’s sweetness, but the potency of the bitterness of dark chocolate overwhelms the sweetness. The cup however, is very soft and smooth, and almost melted in my hand as I held it. The almond butter on the inside was the perfect compliment. Salty and a teeny bit gritty, it provided a good amount of flavor and really gave it a salty kick.

Overall, I like em! Dark chocolate really isn’t my thing (milk> white > dark in my opinion) but it was still enjoyable. I think especially if you like dark chocolate you will enjoy these. A nice take on the traditional peanut buttah cup! 3 1/2 stars

Here’s the nutritional facts. The ingredients are Cacao, almonds, coconut, palm crystals, mesquite, vanilla bean, and Himalayan Crystal Salt.

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