Tags: raw

26 Aug 2011, Comments (4)

Artisana 100% Organic Raw Almond Butter

Author: Healthnuttxo

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.
7 Jul 2011, Comments (5)

Amazing Grass Organic GreenSuperFood Whole Food Energy Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

As a kid growing up, I was always told “Greens are Ninja Turtle food”. If we wanted to be strong and cool (or just be a ninja turtle for that matter), we had to eat our green vegetables. Oh and the fact that dessert wasn’t allowed to be eaten until the vegetables were gone probably had something to do with it too. But that’s besides the point.

And, well, I’ve eaten my fair share of green vegetables over the years and I’ve yet to see any transformation. Just saying.

But anyway, hoping to come to the green rescue is the Amazing Grass Organic GreenSuperFood Whole Food Energy Bar. According the the wrapper of the bar, it is organic, raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy and soy free, and has no sugar added.

It had a slighty fruity smell, almost like a date. The bar was very dense, but also soft to chew. The taste was pretty fruity, and surprisingly sweeter than I had expected. It reminded me sort of like a raspberry flavored fruit leather, but softer, and definitely not as sweet. It also reminded me of what the inside of a fig newton tasted like, but again, not as sweet. The tiny pieces of walnuts that were in the bar I liked, because it added a bit more flavor.

Overall, not too bad, but not my favorite. It was lackluster for me, but the nutritional facts were impressive. Chock full of awesome ingredients, such as organic dates, organic wheat grass, organic flax lignans and more. I felt as if it truly was a bar from nature, and green inspired. However, it wasn’t so good as to where I would buy it again (although I recieved this sample for free). And even though it was sugar free, I felt like I wanted to drizzle icing on it. Curse my sweet tooth. 2 1/2 stars

Have you ever watched the Ninja Turtles? Which one was your favorite? Leonardo was mine =)

22 May 2011, Comments (6)

Sunwarrior Raw Vegan Protein powder

Author: Healthnuttxo

I was sent two free packets of Sunwarrior Raw Vegan Protein powder in Chocolate and Vanilla, courtesy of Andrea from Sunwarrior (thank you!!).

First off, I was impressed. This raw, vegan protein had a LOT of protein for one little packet, and very little calories and only 1 gram of sugar! Perfect for a diabetic like me!

I came home from the gym the other day, and thought it would be appropriate to give it a try. I went for the vanilla first, and mixed it with vanilla almond milk by hand. Although it mixed fairly easily, I thought it was a little difficult to get all the bumps out, and it was a little chunky. However, the chunks didn’t really bother me because they dissolved very quickly in my mouth, and almost had a velvety texture. The drink was really good! Sweet, but not too sweet, and a good vanilla flavor that was probably enhanced with the vanilla almond milk. It kind of reminded me of a vanilla milkshake! 4 stars

Next up, the chocolate. Since I had a little trouble stirring last time, I thought I would try a blender. I also thought it would be a good idea to add some ice, so it was super cold and frothy, and chocolate almond milk to enhance the flavor.

However, ice was a bad idea. Perhaps I added too much, although I only added about 4 or 5 cubes, or perhaps this protein poweder just doesn’t mix well with ice. Who knows- but I got a very icy, chunky shake. The flavor was somewhat diluted, but chocolatey nonetheless, also probably enhanced with the chocolate almond milk. The result wasn’t very sweet at all, and I think I liked the vanilla better. I got a taste of the powder before I mixed it up, and it was sort of like that chocolate powder one can use to make chocolate milk.  3 stars

I’d be interested in trying both of them again, but without the ice for the chocolate flavor!

Have you ever had Sunwarrior Raw Vegan Protein powder? How do you prepare it?

Also- have you ever tried it with ice, and how did it turn out?

15 Oct 2010, Comments (2)

Artisana 100% Organic Raw Cashew Butter

Author: Healthnuttxo

MMM cashews. One of my favorite type of nuts, as they are sweet and buttery tasting, and are great salted or even just as is. I always pick them (and pecans!) out of trail mix, and eat those first :)

Which brings me to cashew butter, another one of my favorites (right alongside peanut butter, of course!)

Artisana sent me a couple of there nut butters for free in cute 1 oz. jars, about 1 serving per jar. I loved them! So convenient, and pre-portioned, too! One of them I was sent to try was the 100% Organic Raw Cashew Butter.  This one was made with only 100% Organic Raw Cashews and nothing else. According to the website, “Artisana™ Raw Organic Cashew butter is naturally high in Essential Amino Acids, Copper, Manganese and Magnesium. It’s also a good source of Phosphorus, Vitamin K, Zinc. A fundamental food for the healthy vegan diet”

I opened up the jar and saw a pale beige colored nut butter, which sort of resembled a paste. It was thick when I stirred it, but had a very smooth consistency. The taste was excellent. Very creamy, pure and light tasting. Slightly sweet and slightly buttery, and had a very clean cashew flavor.

Overall, 4 stars. I did enjoy it, but I do like just a touch of salt when I eat nut butters. I felt as if something was a bit missing when I tried it, although it was quite enjoyable. Otherwise, I would probably eat this again. If not spread on something, than probably right from the jar! :)

1 Tbsp. is 92 Calories, 8 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar and 3 grams of protein.

*What’s YOUR favorite nut butter? And if you ever had cashew butter, what do you eat it with?*

29 May 2010, Comments (3)

Artisana Cacao Bliss Raw Chocolate Coconut Butter

Author: Healthnuttxo

Artisana- a company that makes a bunch of nut butters. BUT- these nut butters offer a little something special. They are all raw, organic, and don’t contain any bad fillers or preservatives.

Artisana sent me a couple of their nut butters to sample (in the CUTEST little jars that have about 1 Tbsp. of each nut butter in the jar!), and I was excited, actually. I haven’t had a lot of raw nut butters- I usually have the flavored nut butters, or the all natural ones.

One of the jars I was sent is the Cacao Bliss Chocolate Coconut Butter. Yum. This sounds liek a mix of tropical and chocolatey delight. According to the website, “Finally! A  vegan and sugar cane free, rich, creamy chocolaty coconut spreadable nectar.  Indulge guiltlessly with pure Organic, raw ingredients of the highest quality. Artisana™ – Chocolate Is a dreamy and delicious delight – melts in your mouth in sweet celebration while also giving you real energy and nutrition.
Spread on Fruit, bread, cakes, cookies, crepes and more! Excellent in smoothies, energy bars, and anything you want to turn into sweet succulence.”

Sounds good to me!

I opened up my mini jar, and was actually a little surprise. This nut butter was kind of, err, stiff. It reccommends NOT to refrigerate it, actually. I wonder why it’s so stiff, as I’m used to very supple and smooth nut butters.  Anyway- I tasted a little bit of it- not bad! You can definitely taste the coconut, which is nice, with a mild blend of chocolate/cocoa flavor. It was almost a “melt in your mouth” consistensy- and almost “cool” in flavor. Bizarre- but quite good! It’s not that sweet, so if you are used to sugary spreads, you might be a little shocked with this one. However, I liked it. I think it would be great mixed in with oatmeal, on toast, or even with a banana (or maybe just a mini spoon and my mini jar!!).

Overall, I give it 3 1/2 stars. It lacks protein, which is one of the reasons I eat nut butters, but I think it’s quite good for a “dessert” spread- and you can reap up some benefits of coconut as well! It wasn’t as sweet as I had hoped, but, sometimes less is better! This one is also gluten, peanut, and dairy free!

1 Tbsp is 89 calories, 8 grams of fat (7 saturated), 4 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Artisana™ Organic  Raw Coconut Butter, Organic Raw Coconut Oil, Organic Raw Agave Syrup,  Organic Raw Cacao,  Organic Raw Cacao Butter.

Dont forget about the newly posted NUTRIDEL giveaway! Woooohooo!!

25 May 2010, Comments (0)

NibMor Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate with Almonds

Author: Healthnuttxo

Fan of Dark Chocolate? Then you need to check out Nibmor! They made chocolate that is all natural, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, organic, raw AND has no refined sugar! According to the website, “At NibMor we believe that the food we eat should be as simple as possible. That means using ingredients made by Mother Nature, not someone in a lab coat.”

Now that’s what I like to see- food at it’s finest. If I’m going to eat candy, I want the candy to be PURE!!

Anyway- Nibmor asked if I wanted to try their chocolates, and sent me a Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Dark Chocolate bar. I’m not much of a dark chocolate fan, but these seemed different. They were just so PURE sounding, I couldn’t resist! So, I actually was a bit excited to try these, and recruited my mom as well (the chocolate lover of the family) to give them a try.

First off, the texture is so different than any other chocolate bars I’ve tried. It’s SO soft- almost like it’s “melted”-but it’s not! Like really, I’m used to the types of chocolate where you have to break it and then hear a “snap!”, but no snap here! Just smooth, chocolatey goodness.

Original Dark Chocolate- A deep cocoa flavor, with both a slight vanilla and slight “berry” taste. Unique! But good, too! It was silky smooth, and almost “cool” tasting. It didn’t have much of a bite to it (like I said before), but was enjoyable. It’s very rich, and you don’t need more than a square for some satisfaction.

Dark Chocolate with Almonds- smells AWESOME! Again, the texture is great, smooth and silky. It had itty-bitty almond pieces scattered throughout, but other than that, didn’t provide much almond flavor. It was pretty much the same as the Original Dark Chocolate bar, but just with the almonds. However, still pretty good!

Overall, I approve! Including i’m not an avid dark chocolate fan, these were actually quite enjoyable. I like that you actually get a decent portion as well without a TON of calories or sugar. I also love that there isn’t any refined sugar, and that they are raw, vegan, gluten/dairy free, and according to the package, “As Close to Nature as it Gets!”. I’m giving these bars 4 stars- I hope one day they come out with milk chocolate or dark chocolate with peanut butter! Wouldn’t that be yummy!

Original Dark Chocolate- 31 1/2 grams is 120 calories, 7 grams of fat (4 saturated), 13 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Cacao, Raw Vanilla, Sea Salt, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier).

Dark Chocolate with Almonds- 31 grams (half of a 2.2 oz bar) is 130 calories, 8 grams of fat (3.5 saturated), 12 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar and 2 grams of protein.

Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Cacao, Organic Raw Almonds, Raw Vanilla, Sea Salt, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier).

Last day to enter the  YOUBAR giveaway!!

 

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