I’m not a meat eater. Good for my cholesterol levels, bad for my protein levels- especially since I’m a total gym bunny. So I often try to find high protein foods to supplement the protein I lack when I don’t eat that cheeseburger or steak (which, mind you, hasn’t been done since 7th grade! Wow….such a long time!)

I also am quite fond of protein bars. Weird? Nah. I just think you have to find the right ones! Some can be a bit chalky, or others pounded with sugar and fat, but if you find a good bar with a good amount of protein I think it’’s perfect as a  light meal or alongside some fruit for a light meal.

So, what took me so long to finally try these Clif Builder’s Bars? No clue. What’s WRONG with me!? Maybe I was blinded to the protein bar section in CVS or Whole Foods that contained the Clif Builder’s Bars. But, the other day I picked up one of every flavor from Whole Foods, hoping they would be a success.

Not going to lie, already had 2 of them (two thumbs up!!) before I thought to review one. Well DUH on my part, seeing as  I have a health food blog that reviews new products I eat and all…. =P

The bar was actually quite good. It was a soft chew, with a crunchier inside very similar to the “crispie” part in the Luna bars. It did have that infamous “soy” flavor, but not overpoweringly so. The softer  part on top was chewy, dense, and almost had a vanilla flavor. The crunchier “Luna-like” part on the bottom was chocolately in flavor, but not really super flavorful. All together, I got almost a light caramel/chocolate malt flavor. It was weird…but it was good. I liked it.

I can’t say this SCREAMED chocolate chip flavor, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It was more of a chocolate malt flavor, or chocolate in general. It had that kind of flavor that made me crave some water, but was sweet as well. I would most likely buy this one, especially since it had no sugar alcohols and no artificial ingredients, which often accompany protein bars.

Overall, 4 stars. I had this for lunch with a giant fruit cup and was quite satisfied. Its high in saturated fat and sugar, but also high in protein and with a low glycemic index. Perfect for a diabetic like me! =)

WHAT’S your favorite protein bar brand/name? Let me know! =)

Since I had such success with the last Batter Blaster I reviewed, I thought, why not? Let’s try another variety of the stuff and see which one I like best! Off to the store, and a friend of mine  picked up the Batter Blaster Organic Original Pancake & Waffle Batter for me, partly because she said it was the only option to choose from. Well…that works, including I wanted to try the original variety anyway.

This morning post gym, I brewed up some coffee, sliced an apple, and then cooked some egg whites and 1 large pancake (as opposed to 2 small ones as the nutritional information suggests). I cooked up the pancake with some butter/buttery spray as I did that last time and found it helped with the flavor. Here’s what my giant pancake (about 42 grams or so of batter) looked like.

Annnnnnnnd the inside…..

I made more of a BIG pancake (probably the size of my face) so it cooked quickly and wasn’t super thick. It cooked evenly and all it took was a little non-stick spray and the pancake gave me no trouble at all.

Post frying pan, I transferred to a plate with my scrambled eggs and put some SF syrup (would love to use a little of the REAL maple syrup, but I’m a diabetic and have to refrain from sugar!). I tried a bit of the pancake plain first, and well, it tasted just that. Plain, kind of bland, not sweet and not a whole lot of flavor. However, I feel like pancakes in general, unless flavored, don’t have a bunch of flavor. Nothing a little butter and syrup couldn’t fix!

With the butter/syrup the pancakes were really quite good. Slightly crispy on the edges, super fluffy, and yummy. They reminded me of IHOP pancakes.

I do like that these pancakes were organic, relatively low in calories and fat, and like the bottle says “No Mess- No Cleanup!” which is true for the most part, since I still have to clean my frying pan and my spatula. However, these pancakes (by themselves) lacked flavor, and lacked fiber.  So, overall, not bad, but I think I like the Buttermilk version of this much better. 3 1/2 stars

What’s your favorite toppings for pancakes? I just like butter and syrup! Mmm )

Rewind.

Go back a few years (ok…more than a few) to my childhood. A snack before bed would be a few Oreo’s with an ice cold glass of milk or smear of peanut butter depending on the mood. Nothing like twisting off the tops, licking the creamy middle, and then the crunchy cookie. Perfection.

Fast forward.

A new (well new cookie to me…I’ve seen them around for a while) side of a cookie, a Ginger-O from Newman’s Own Organics. Kind of like an Oreo, but also very different. According to the package, they are “creme filled ginger cookies”.  They also feature good ol’ Nell and Pa Newman on the front of the package, as well as letting us know that “Paul Newman Foundation has given over $200 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982″. That’s one of my favorite parts about this company, and if that’s not enough to make you go out and pick up a tasty Newman’s Own Organic product, I don’t know what will.

I got this package for free, but I can’t say I won’t buy them in the future. These Ginger-O’s are good. Don’t bite into one expecting the following:

1. A chocolate cookie with vanilla cream filling
or
2. A spicy cookie you can’t handle and won’t enjoy (I suspected this at first. GUILTY)

These cookies are GOOD! I honestly thought they would be like eating ginger candies where my mouth is on fire. Don’t get me wrong, I like that (figuratively speaking of course) but not when it comes to cookies. It was a crunchy cookie that tasted very similar to a gingerbread man cookie. A bit of spice, but not too much. By itself, the cookie was mild and not sweet, but with the creme inside it was yummy!

The creme by itself was sweet and had a vanilla flavor, but just a wee bit of ginger spice flavor to it. It was smooth and creamy, and there was a good amount of the creme on each cookie. No scrimping here!

I really enjoyed these. So did my pup, Casper. I licked the filling and she got a few of the the cookie parts. What can I say? I’m a good sharer, and her puppy-dog eyes won me over. (;

Overall, 4 stars. A good, unique, and tasty cookie! Especially if you like ginger! I wonder if the rule applies that “ginger is good for you when you have a stomachache” here. So if my stomach hurts…can I have some of these cookies?? (;

Ever had a Ginger-O? Do you like them/how do you eat them? If not, would you try them?

AS IF we need any more treats to eat with the upcoming holidays, I’m going to put these on your list of goodies to buy and eat too. Newman’s Own Organics sent me a free bag of their Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I couldn’t really say no. It’s simple logic. I love Newman’s Own Organics. I love Chocolate Chip Cookies. I love oatmeal (does that work?) SO- voila! I must love Newman’s Own Organics Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies….no?

At first, I looked at the nutritional facts. SWEET, I thought. 1 serving was five cookies. I like when servings are more than 1 or 2, or half…. (I know some cereals where 1/4 of a cup is a serving. WHAT? WHO eats 1/4 cup!?!?)

But…..of course, the cookies were tiny.

However, even though the size lacked, the flavor was delicious. It was a crunchy/crumbly cookie with rather large chocolate chips that literally melted in my mouth. The cookies were sweet and had that crunchy-yet-soft texture thing going on, especially when you bit into a chocolate chip.

You could taste just a bit of a salty aftertaste, as well as a hint of vanilla.

In fact, these cookies reminded me of Chips Ahoy!, but thicker, and well…better. They had a bit more of a homemade flavor than a Chips Ahoy! cookie would, which is why I liked them better.

These cookies are dangerous. So tiny as in, oh I can soooooo have another one, and it’s literally impossible to eat only one. But a good dangerous. In the sense that, yea I would buy these in the future if given the opportunity. 4 stars

And…..nutrition facts

Another soup review! NOT to be confused with my last review of this delicious soup, but I decided to buy this Wolfgang Puck Chicken and Dumplings soup in hopes it would be similar to this one!

So, the other day I came home from the gym and was HUNGRY. You know- when your hungry and pretty much you’d eat anything, and what you do eat, usually tastes so good. Even spinach would taste good. OK…that may be exaggerating, given the fact I hate spinach (I know….shame on health nut!), but you know what I’m talking about  ; )

SO ANYWAY, I decided to try out this new soup as part of my lunch. Here’s what it looked like transferred to a bowl…

THIS is supposed to fill me up....?

Here’s the soup, I tried to find some of the actual
contents of the soup (there was not a lot..it was mostly broth)

The “square” could have been a dumpling or a potato piece. They both looked the same.

So, as you can see…mostly broth, a few carrots, a few potato pieces, a few square dumplings(weird) and a few pieces of chicken. This was not a filling soup. You can guarantee it I had something else to eat after this soup. I considered it my appetizer.

Starting with the broth, it was sort of thin but also had a bit of an oily consistency I didn’t like.  The chicken was horrible. It was soooooo chewy, like the bottom stalk of an asparagus. Chew. Chew. Chew. The carrots and the potatoes were mushy. Like the second I put it in my mouth it turned to mush. Not my kinda vegetable consistency. And, the dumplings were basically bland noodles. I thought they were potatoes at first. Then I realized they were dumplings. ???

Overall, waste of money. I also felt like it was underseasoned and needed some salt. I was really disappointed with this soup. 1 1/2 stars   *SIGH* : (

On the list of my favorite foods, is definitely pot pie. Vegetable and Chicken Pot Pie are my favorites.  A flaky, buttery crust, a thick rue, with tender veggies and/or cubes of yummy chicken. Comfort food doesn’t get much better than that! So when I saw this Imagine Organic Chicken Pot Pie Soup in the stores, I KNEW I had to buy it

So, the past rainy night, I decided soup and crackers were the ideal meal. I opened up this can, and poured it, well ATTEMPTED to pour it out into the pot. It was so thick that I could literally turn it upside down and it didn’t move. That’s how you know a soup was going to be creamy! (and full of delicious fat….just saying ; ) )

As I cooked it, I noticed lumps of dough (taking place of the crust I assume??), tiny carrots, peas and pieces of chicken. Here’s what it looked like cooked.

And a close up of the “dough blobs”…

Keeping it classy with plastic spoon…. ; )

This soup, as predicted, was CREAMY! The “broth” of the soup reminded me of the creamy rou in pot pie. So good! The dough blobs threw me off a little bit. They basically tasted like giant noodles. They were soft and chewy, but otherwise rather flavorless, which kind of like noodles are. Flavorless until seasoned.

The peas and carrots were sparse in this soup – a few carrots, a couple peas here and there. And the chicken was good, but kind of fell apart.

However, I really did enjoy this soup! It was more like chicken dumping soup rather than pot pie soup, but it was still good. And hey, who complains when they dumplings? Not me, that’s for sure ; )

Overall, 4 stars. I would like it if they did something else for the “crust” of a pot pie rather than the huge blobs of noodles, but this was still a good soup. I would buy it again, and I liked it didn’t taste so salty that I had to drink water. We all know that drinking water while eating soup = getting full really fast. Getting “full” really fast means not eating enough for the meal, and then being annoyingly hungry an hour or so later. UGH!!!

What’s your FAVORITE way to eat pot pie? Crust first, mush the crust in with the veggies/rou, or crust last? I like to eat the crust last, it’s the best part!

Ahhh gingerbread. Brings me back to memories of Christmastime, either getting seriously sticky and messy decorating a gingerbread house, or baking delicious gingerbread cookies. I happen to be a fan of the deep taste of ginger and the slight crunch, and then a bit of frosting to add some sweetness. Delicious!

This particular bar is a seasonal one, and I’m assuming it’s available only around Christmastime. Why  I’m reviewing it in the beginning of September beats me, but, HEY- let’s just say I’m hopeful for the winter season to come (even though I DESPISE the cold. Gimme summer year round!! )

I opened the bar and was a bit surprised at what I saw. When I thought of “Iced” I thought there would be a layer of icing. Instead, it was more of a slight drizzle. A slight drizzle, in fact, that I barely tasted in the bar (was it really there? Or was it a figment of my imagination??)

As you can see, a few raisins scattered throughout the bar, with a light layer of icing.

The bar itself, was, eh, ok. It had a mild ginger flavor, but overall did have the flavor of a Gingerbread cookie. It was soft, and chewy, and rather dense. The raisins added a little bit of sweetness to the bar, but not much in terms of flavor. The taste actually reminded me of an oatmeal cookie, but with ginger.

It was ok, but certainly not my favorite. I dont think I would buy this in the future, for it was sort of lackluster, but it didn’t necessarily taste bad.  And, another thing to point out, 22 grams of sugar in one bar. OUCH! As a diabetic, I have to watch out for my sugar intake. I understand that some of the sugars may be from the raisins, but the first ingredient is Organic Brown Rice Syrup. Organic or not, sweetener is sweetener to me. And 22 grams is a bit much. But then again, this IS an energy bar- that energy has to come from somewhere!! (And I certainly had a ton of it during my spin class!!)

Overall, 3 stars.

What’s your favorite pre-workout snack? I usually stick to granola bars- easy on the stomach!!

New product!! ( insert whoops and hollers here!) Newman’s Own Organics contacted me and asked if I wanted to try some of their new cookies for free. Of COURSE I agreed, seeing as I’m a big fan of Newman’s Own Organics. They sent me two flavors to try for free, including these Ginger Snap Cookies.

**On a quick side note, apologies for the less-than-spectacular photography. It’s hard to get a smooth looking picture with those crinkly-type bags, but I did my best! **

I opened up the bag and was instantly greeted by a fresh smell of ginger. The smell actually reminded me of Christmas time, with gingerbread cookies! I decided to share these with a friend, who happily obliged to take part in the taste testing.

I hear such awesome things about Ginger. Like, for instance, I hear it has medicinal powers for the stomach. In fact, I had a bit of a stomachache today, and my friend suggested to have a few of these Ginger Snap Cookies. Wonder if the ginger in cookies counts? =P

After taking a bite, I knew one thing. These were exactly how a Ginger Snap should feel and taste. They were rather hard and crunchy (as my friend noted, a cookie meant to be bitten on the SIDE of the mouth!) with a high taste of ginger. Really- you can CERTAINLY taste the ginger. It even left a slight after “burn” once I finished eating the cookie!

The cookie was mildly sweet, and really quite good. I can picture them being delicious with an ice cold class of milk (or almond milk!). My friend noted that she thought they would be delicious with tiny pieces of raisins scattered throughout the cookie. Looking back on it, I agreed. It would bring a touch more sweetness to the cookie!

Overall, a really delicious Ginger Snap. I think the Ginger level was a wee bit too high for me, but for those who love Ginger Snaps, I am sure you will love these! My friend had about 6 or 7 of them before the taste test was over! Guess she was a fan  ;)

4 stars

Are you a fan of ginger? How do you use/eat it?

The one thing I turn to when I’m insatiably hungry is almonds. They ALWAYS make my hunger pains quite down a little bit and hold me over until I can eat my next meal. However, I am picky when it comes to my almonds. I like them roasted, salted, or even flavored (cinnamon, honey, etc.). So would I really like the Artisana 100% Organic Raw Almond Butter ? I was afraid it would be bland -the only ingredient was 100%  Organic Raw Almonds after all. But who knows- and I was certainly not one to not try it =)

I opened the jar and saw a small layer of oil on the top. This little guy needed some stirring…

After stirring, it changed colors a little bit. There were brown speckles that looked almost like a bunch of cinnamon was waiting on the bottom of the jar. I figured it was the brown coating of almonds that had settled.

After mixing, the almond butter was fluid like, but not super runny. I took a taste of it and…..just as I suspected. Bland.

But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It had texture, it was a bit grainy but also smooth. It literally tasted just like raw almonds do, and nothing else. Not a hint of salt, or sweetness really. I kind of liked it was raw, so that I could smear it on toast and drizzle with honey, or add a pinch of salt to suit my preferences.

I wouldn’t say this would replace my consumption of roasted almond butters or peanut butters, but it was certainly different. If you like the taste of raw almonds, you might dig this. Me on the other hand, I like my almonds roasted, salted, and seasoned. 2 1/2 stars for me.

The nutritional fact on this little (but SO CUTE) jars was too tiny to see, so heres the basics.

1 tbsp is 94 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar and 4 grams of protein.

How do you like your almonds? Raw? Candy coated? Let me know!

I got this jar as a free sample. My opinion remains unchanged and unaffected regardless of the fact that it was free.

Ok. I have a confession. And is has something to do with Newman’s Own Organics Organic Cranberries.

The confession is…

I think I like these more than candy.

No really. SERIOUSLY. I think I’d rather eat a bag of these, than a bag of gummy bears. Or gummy worms. Or maybe even a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup (oh yea…I said it).

Now I know what you’re thinking. Please. She’s just saying that, there’s no way FRUIT can taste better than candy.

But these cranberries my friend, are AMAZING. To eat out of the bag…

Or on top of a salad… ( highly reccomended).  Online cooking schools are an option for indulging your passion for food, nutrition, and healthy cooking. Home-cooked meals combined with healthy packaged meals are a realistic option for many families.

They are just perfect. Chewy, sweet, not even the slightest bit tart. They taste so fresh and so pure and so GOOD. You know when you go to the mall, and there is that counter that sells dried pineapple slices with sugar all over them (or….at least I hope you know what I’m talking about)? And it tastes soooo good? Well, picture that, but in cranberry form. And not drowning in sugar.

Yes. One of the ingredients for these cranberries is sugar. In fact, from the bag, the exact ingredients are “Organic Cranberries, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Sunflower Oil”.  But, it’s not like the cranberries are rolling around in sugar where it’s visible.

Either way, these rock. Even though I got my bag for free from the company, I plan on buying these over and over again (and again…).

Oh. And I have another confession. I don’t even really like cranberries. So, now you know that these are amazing. 5 stars

What about you- any healthy food that you adore more than an unhealthy food? Do tell!

blurry out of excitement for me to eat more cranberries. Obviously =)