Tags: snack

29 Dec 2011, Comments (6)

Cappuccino LARABar

Author: Healthnuttxo

Something new! Don’t you all love new products!? (:

I got a very nice card and some free Cappuccino LARABars from the company a week or so ago (happy holidays to me!) I opened up the box and saw four bars of a flavor I never heard of or saw before- Cappuccino. This might be interesting, I thought. I used to hate coffee/ anything coffee related, but now I am a coffee convert. Thanks all nighters and piles upon piles of work that need to be done and the caffeine boost needed to do it. *sigh*

No, but really. Thanks to the endless work, I now love coffee. And coffee Keurigs are world’s greatest invention. Thank you to the inventor- you are are genius.

ANYWAY, the bars are gluten free, vegan, dairy and soy free, and made with minimal ingredients which I love. I opened up the bar and instantly smelled the coffee aroma. Observing the bar, it looked like a standard LARABar, but I also noticed rather large pieces of almonds.

I took a bite. The familiar date/fruity taste a LARABar often has was there, but not super prominent. I could taste the coffee flavor, but it wasn’t super strong. It had a bit of an awkward bite at the end, like a spice of some sort. I checked the ingredients and didn’t see any spices, so I’m going to say the coffee added that bit of a bite at the end.

The bar was soft, dense and chewy but had the slightly crunchier parts from the almond pieces. It was really satisfying as a snack and curbed my hunger well (almond always take away my hunger pains!). The bar was sweet but not too sweet, and overall pretty good.

As a whole, I’d give this one a 3.5 star rating. I don’t think it’s my favorite, but it was pretty good. My favorites will always be this one and the cookie dough bar!

Which LARABar is your favorite?! (:

So, as IF we need any more sweet treats to eat during the holidays, I’m reviewing another sugary snack. But really,  HOW do you say no to a product like this?? Did I already eat cookies upon cookies upon cakes this holiday? YES. Did I already have cabinets stocked full of munchies? YES. Did I need another snack? NO!!. Should I have saved my money since it’s the holiday season and I need to spend it elsewhere? YES!

But did I buy it anyway? You bet. ; )

Popcorn, Indiana Drizzled Cinnamon Sugar Kettlecorn sounds absolutely amazing. And that’s because it is. Starting with the serving size. 1 cup. But is it really 1 cup? As you recall, from this review, the actual amount of popcorn I got was depressing.

This one? I GOT A WHOLE CUP! And I weighed it too. 28 grams.

I tried a few pieces. Mmm. Crunchy popcorn, with a white chocolate tasting drizzle on top and on most of the pieces. There was certainly a predominant cinnamon flavor, and the popcorn was mildly  sweet by itself, but very sweet for the pieces with the drizzle.

Eating it, it reminded me of a cinnamon bun. With the cinnamon flavor and the drizzle coming together like icing on a cinnabun. In other words, I could seriously eat this all day long. DANGEROUS! Especially during this season with all those buttery and sugary treats coming my way! Ahh!

Overall, this crunchy, sweet, cinnamony goodness gets 4.5 stars. Such a delicious treat, but it is rather high in sugar so I can’t eat too much since I am a Diabetic : ) (Although there was so not 6  servings in this! I think I only ate it like 3 times and I measured for the most part! Boo!)

What’s your favorite combination? Cinnamon and sugar definitely is one of mine!

*sigh* should have taken another picture. Threw out the bag. MY BAD!

20 Aug 2011, Comments (7)

Corazonas Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Square

Author: Healthnuttxo

Remember my oatmeal debate?  How I’d love to eat oatmeal all the time since it’s healthy, filling and deliciously versatile. But, I’m, well lazy. I don’t like cleaning pots, or waiting for the oatmeal to cook. Especially if a cold bowl of cereal is ready in five minutes after slciing up some fruit and pouring some almond milk. It’s just too easy!

However, I discovered I could still eat those healthy oats, but in an oatmeal square. I enjoyed the Chocolate Brownie with Almonds Oatmeal Square by Corazona, so I was sure I would also like the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Square they sent me to try for free as well.

Some quick facts from the wrapper, this oatmeal square has 16 grams of whole grain, is all  natural, and “is made with ingredients proven in more than 140 clinical studies to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol”.

I opened this square up before a workout for a quick boost. I didn’t have time for a complete breakfast, so I figured this would be good to give me some energy alongside a scoop of peanut butter (you probably saw that one coming ; ) ). This also explains why there isn’t a picture. I’m a bad blogger and was in a rush to eat this. Sorry! : (

This bar was actually really tasty. It was decently sized, about the size of my palm. It was sweet and almost fruity in flavor, it was chewy and a bit dense, but really good.  It was light and slightly sticky as well. It had a mild oatmeal cookie flavor, but wasn’t as sweet as an oatmeal cookie would be. The chocolate chips added a nice touch, and tasted like a smooth milk chocolate. Also, the texture and taste almost reminded me of a sticky banana bread. It was really quite good!

Overall 4 1/2 stars. I would certainly buy it if I saw it in stores, and it provided me with a good amount of energy for the gym! Plus, who doesn’t like eating chocolate chips with some whole grains? :P

Favorite oatmeal add in? Mine is good ol cinnamon, butter, and milk. Like this yummy recipe here! : )

Here’s the nutrition facts from the website

Will I ever get bored of doing cookie reviews?

…NOPE! : )

I recently reviewed Penny’s Low Fat Desserts White Chocolate Cranberry cookie, and thought it was great. Penny’s Low Fat Desserts also sent me the Chocolate Chip variety to try. Does the Chocolate Chip cookie meet the same delicious expectations?

Of course!

Chocolate Chip- the first thing that came to my mind when I tried this cookie was, This cookie is SWEET! Normally I like a balance between sweet and rich flavors when it comes to chocolate chip cookies- but this I must say, was still very enjoyable! It was soft and moist, with a delicious taste of vanilla. I also liked how it had an almost buttery taste- amazing considering there is only THREE grams of fat per 1.8 ounce cookie! The chocolate chips were quite tasty as well- reminded me of eating a sweet chocolate candy bar. The only reason this cookie doesn’t get 5 stars is because the first ingredient is sugar. Otherwise, it’s a must-try treat!! 4 1/2 stars

1 cookie is 150 calories, 3 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of sugar, 7 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

sugar, whole wheat flour, water, semisweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, dextrose, soy lecithin), oats, dried plum puree, cellulose, erythritol, chicory root, corn syrup, rice syrup solids, natural flavors, palm oil, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, guar gum.

Ah, peanut butter. On fruit, on a sandwich, or straight from the jar, it’s definitely one of my favorite foods. Another great way to enjoy peanut butter is with Late July’s Organic Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers. According to the wrapper, these crackers are “real organic peanut butter between organic buttery tasting rich crackers”. Can we say, yum? :)

The people over at Late July sent me a package of the peanut butter sandwich crackers to try. They have 4 sandwich crackers per package, each lightly sprinkled with salt, and a golden yellow color. The crunchy cracker part was delicious. I agree with the wrapper for the “buttery tasting rich crackers” part- very true! The peanut butter was rich and thick, and slightly sweet. I do wish that there was a bit more peanut butter in between the two crackers, but it was still tasty.

Overall, these get 4 stars. I liked that these sandwich crackers came in a pack of 4, which was conveinent for a peanut butter lover like me. I could see myself eating more than 4- they were delicious! You also get 4 crackers for 160 calories, a satisfying snack with a glass of milk, some fruit, or even by themselves. What I didn’t like was that they are low in fiber, and made with wheat flour instead of whole wheat flour. Otherwise- I would give these a try, especially if you like peanut butter!

1 package (37 grams) is 160 calories, 8 grams of fat, 17 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Peanut Butter (dry roasted organic peanuts, organic palm oil, organic sugar, salt), Organic Oleic Safflower Oil and/or Organic Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Palm Oil, Sea Salt, Leavening (baking soda, ammonium bicarbonate, cream of tartar), Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier), Enzymes.

22 May 2010, Comments (0)

Jungle Grub Gluten Free Snack Bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

Now who can turn down a snack called “Jungle Grub” with a cute MONKEY on it? I certainly couldn’t!

OrganicNutrition sent me 3 boxes of their “Jungle Grub” snack bars, that come in Berry Bamboozle, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Peanut Butter Groove. Each bar is gluten free, 100 calories, a good source of  both vitamin C and calcium, and of course, organic! I was excited to try these- 3 of my favorite things- fruit (berries), chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter! How could these NOT be good? :)

Well, I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed upon opening the box. These bars are TINY!!! I would say about the size of a business card in length (but thicker of course). Certainly won’t satisfy the hungry monster I like to call my stomache. But, I decided to try them anyway. After all, Im not one to judge based soley on size ;)

Berry Bamboozle-  this one has a layer of vanilla icing on top, and berry flavor on bottom. It’s dense and chewy, kind of like a mix of an all-fruit bar and those protein bars. It had a nice berry flavor, like cranberry and raspberry put together, and was actually quite sweet. 3 1/2 stars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough- this bar as a whole reminded me of a less sweet version of cookie dough- but still yummy. The mini chocolate chips were TOO cute- itty bitty and tasty! It’s a shame it was so small becuase it really is quite good, but I gobbled it up in about 2 seconds! 4 stars

Peanut Butter Groove- this one was the chewiest of the 3, almost like taffy! It even stuck to the wrapper a little bit. It did have more body and was tastier than the other two. It had little crispies in it, and coated with a vanilla icing. It was more of a “sweet” peanut taste- like Better N’ Peanut Butter (if you ever had that product before). It also kind of reminded me of a typical “peanut butter” energy bar- more sweet than savory. 4 stars

Overall, not bad. But definietly geared toward children more than adults. I can see maybe having one of these with some yogurt or fruit as a snack, but definietly not by itself. It would also be a nice “sweet treat” on the side of a meal, that’s healthier and better than, say a donut or piece of chocolate. What I also didn’t really like was that they are a bit high in sugar- about 8 grams per bar, which doesn’t seem like much, but the bar isn’t that big.  It also only provided 1 gram of fiber each. On the bright side, each provides 15-20% of your daily calcium needs and 20 % vitamin C. Woop! :)

Each bar is 100 calories, 3.5-4 grams of fat, 13-14 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

For information on the ingredients of each bar, visit the website :)

Dont Forget about the YOUBAR giveaway!!

Who here eats yogurt for the beneficial probiotics it provides and the taste they love? :) (meeeee!!!!!)

Who here eats yogurt for just the beneficial probiotics it provides?

Well, for those of you who aren’t too fond of yogurt, here is a product you may want to try. PopCulture Probiotics makes delicious and healthy products that contain the same good-for-you bacteria that’s in yogurt. According to the website, “We chose a particular strain of probiotic for this product because of its unique ability to survive and reach the digestive system alive where it can provide you with the most health benefits. Pop Culture products are opening up new possibilities for consumers who want non-refrigerated probiotic-enhanced food products that can help regulate the digestive system. Our foods are a great way for consumers to get their daily dose of BC30 Probiotic, in a convenient, great tasting on-the-go food.”- Cool! :)

The company sent me some bars to try, like the 90 calorie yogurt fruit & nut bar. It has cranberries, flaxseed and almonds, and according to the wrapper, delivers TEN times the amount of live culture as yogurt. Wow! That’s a lot of bacteria! The bar is also all natural and enhanced with vitamins & minerals.

The bar itself is kinda tiny, a snack bar if you will, about the size of a computer mouse, but not as wide. There’s a sweet yogurty/icing coating on the bottom, that tastes like vanilla. There is also TONS of flaxseeds-these little brown guys are all over the bar! It has a sweet, berry taste to it, with a slight hazelnut/almond flavor as well.

Overall, a cute and efficient snack! I give it 4 stars- I would have liked if it was a little bigger, but then again, it’s only 90 calories. You could totally have 2 and be satisfied- that would be 8 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber (and a TON of probiotics) if you ate two! I also like how it provides calcium and other vitamins/minerals, as well as those lovely bacteria that will help digestion! What I didn’t like was that there was refined sugar in the bar. I also didn’t really care for all the flaxseeds, but that’s  just personal preference. They also make oatmeal with probiotics- I’d like to try that!! :)

1 bar is 90 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 15 carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Rolled Oats, Brown Rice Syrup, Soy Crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, rice flour, malt, salt), Crisp Rice (brown rice kernels, salt, barley malt extract), Yogurt Coating (sugar, palm kern oil, nonfat fry milk powder, yogurt powder [cultured whey & nonfat milk]), Hazelnuts, Cranberries, Almonds, Agave Syrup, Tapioca Syrup, Flax, Vegetable Glycerin, Acacia Gum, Gum Arabic, Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier), GanedenBC (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086).

Immaculate Baking Company is a great company that produces all natural & organic cookies, brownies and other treats.  They also produce all natural and organic doughs for you to bake your own goodies!

The company sent me a coupon for a free product to try, so I picked up the natural Chocolate Chunk cookie dough. It was 24 pre-cut squares of dough, that all you had to do was set your oven to 350 degrees F, separate, place & bake for 10-14 minutes. Easy, enough, no?

Well today I was craving some chocolate chippers, so I pulled my pre-made dough out of the fridge. Each dough ball was round in shape, thick, and only about an inch and a half in diameter. There weren’t really chocolate chunks per se, more like your standard chocolate chips. I reccommend letting them thaw a few minutes before separating, as a few of my pieces broke in half as I tried to separate each ball. One thing that was weird is that you can fit 20 of them on a pan, which leaves you with 4 left over (at least with the pan I used). I ended up just throwing the other 4 out because I couldn’t be bothered to wait 15 mintues for 4 cookies. When they were done baking, they turned a nice golden brown, but didn’t really spread out much at all. They were small!

tiny, but yummy!

The taste, however, is where it’s at. These were yummy! Similar to place & bake toll house cookies, but not as sweet. They had more of a brown sugar and vanilla taste, and I think I even detected a hint of maple flavoring. Yum! I could easily down a few of these!

Overall, these get 4 stars. They are tasty, but they are TINY!! The positives is that they are all natural, have no trans fats, and the company promotes “Cookies With a Cause”. This particular brand gives back to others, sucha s donating to charities or art supplies. Nice! The negatives however, is that there is NO fiber (made with unbleached wheat flour), has 2 grams of saturated fat per tiny cookie, and contain palm oil, one of the rather unhealthy oils.

Otherwise-if you need a place & bake chocolate chip cookie- look no further!These are trans fat free, and help out other causes, as well as delicious. Give em a try! :)

1 cookie is 80 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 11 carbohyrates, 0 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein.

Unbleached, Unbromated Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Chocolate Chips ( sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, vanilla extract, ground cocoa beans), Light Brown Sugar, Palm Oil, Whole Eggs, Sugar, Invert Cane Sugar, Chocolate Chunks (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor processed with alkali, soya lecithin, salt), vanilla, water, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder.

dont forget about my giveaway to win some CHEESE PUFFS over here!!

Yum. Junk Food. I mean really, who doesn’t love chips, cheese puffs & salty pretzels? :D

LUCKILY- Michael Season’s makes versions of your typical unhealthy fare that are much more diet (and heart!) friendly. All of their snacks are healthier, and don’t contain all those nasty ingredients some companies put into their snacks.

The company sent me a few of their snacks to try, and one of my favorites was the Baked Cheddar Cheese Puffs. Not only are these all natural, they are wheat and gluten free, have no hydrogenated oils, no preservatives, no artificial colors and no artificial flavors. AND- I was sent a bag of them in a pre-portioned 100 calorie pack- gotta love portion control!

Each one of them is about the size of your pinky finger, and a dusted with a coating of cheesey powder. What I liked was that it didn’t leave my fingers all greasy or ORANGE like some other cheese puffs can. The taste was amazing! STRONG cheesy flavor, similar to cheetos, and you can definietly taste the buttermilk undertones of flavor. Salty and cheddary, they provide a burst of flavor and some guilt free snacking. Plus, you get a lot in the bag for 100 calories! Normally 100 calorie packs scrimp on portions, but you get a good amount in each bag. Kudos, Michael Season’s, you get 4 1/2 stars!

1 bag is 100 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 15 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

Organic Cornmeal (40%), Cornmeal, Corn Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Whey, Reduced Lactose Whey, Butter (cream, salt, annatto extract), Buttermilk, Cheddar & Blue Cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), Salt, Disodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavor, Color (paprika, tumeric, annatto), Citric Acid.

HEY! Ya know what goes good with cheese puffs? ALMOND MILK! well,  not really.. but enter my giveaway, anyway!!

Perfect time for a Nature’s Path review, seeing as my GIVEAWAY for granola bars, granola, a box of cereal AND reusable tote is going on AS WE SPEAK (or, as you READ, rather). One of the granola bars a reader has a chance to win is the Mmmaple Pecan Flax Plus Granola Bar, which I was so kindly sent to review from Nature’s Path.

These granola bars come in several flavors, in different groups. The Sweet & Salty fans can try the Peanut Buddy, Mmmaple Pecan and Peanut Choco flavors, those of you who like yogurt bars can try Lotta’ Apricotta and Berry Strawberry, trail mix fans can try Sunny Hemp and Pumpkin-N-Spice, and chocolate lovers can try Chococonut.

Today, I’m reviewing the Mmmaple Pecan Flax Plus chewy granola bar. It has 10g of whole grains per serving, provides .33g of Omega 3’s per serving (25% daily reccomendation), is all natural, and organic too. I’m super excited, we all know I LOVE MAPLE SYRUP! (who doesn’t, really?)

Upon my first bite, my first thought really was Mmm! What a perfect name for this bar, “Mmm!” fits the bill!! It has a sweet, buttery taste to it, and reminded me of buttery waffles drizzled with maple syrup. Ohh..delicious. It was definitely more sweet than salty, but still provided a little salty flavor due to the pecans. I really liked how there were chunks of pecans, not just itty bitty pieces. It was a  nice “crunch” in the chewy granola bar, which provided more satisfaction. The maple-butter drizzle on top was the best part- rich and sweet. Why can’t companies SELL things like this on it’s own!? :)
On the down side, the bar is a little tiny (35 g), about the size of a Quaker Chewy granola bar, but a bit thicker. There also is 6 grams of fat and little protein for a bar that is 150 calories.

Overall, I give this bar 4 stars. It deserves 4 1/2 stars on taste alone, but considering that it didn’t really fill me up by itself, and is low in protein and fiber, it lost half a star. However, it really was delicious, and is perfect for a light snack with some yogurt or an apple! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and try one of the new granola bars for yourself!! :)

1 bar is 150 calories, 6 grams of fat, 22 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

Granola* (rolled oats*, evaporated cane juice*, soy oil*), tapioca syrup*, pecans*, brown rice flour*, maple icing* (evaporated cane juice*, palm kernel oil* and/or cocoa butter*, cultured buttermilk powder* (skim milk*, starter culture), flavor*, non-fat dried milk*, citric acid, caramel color*, natural maple flavor, sea salt, soy lecithin*, annatto extract*, tapioca starch*), invert cane syrup*, dried coconut*, flaxseeds*, acacia gum*, soy oil*, sea salt, evaporated cane juice*, maple syrup*, natural maple flavor, molasses*.  * indicates Organic

Anndd…
 we have a Guest Post!

Sandy Harris at www.diabeticsnacks.org has provided us with some health benefits Maple Syrup has to offer, and how it can help a serious disease, Diabetes!

“The Secret to Prevent Cancer and Diabetes with Maple Syrup

Are you looking for a natural solution to reduce the risk of diabetes and
slow down the growth of cancer cells?  Your search is probably over
because recent studies have shown that maple syrup holds the key to these problems. US researchers have found that maple syrup has the ability to
substantially decrease the risk of diabetes.

The syrup also showed great potential in slowing down the growth of
cancerous cells. Maple syrup has thirteen active antioxidant substances.
These antioxidants were previously unknown but were discovered only
recently.Because of these antioxidants, researchers have firmed up that
maple syrup has a great potential in fighting cancer growth, diabetes, and
infections.

An Effective Solution or Diabetes Sufferers

Considerable amounts of the phytohormone, abscisic acid, are found in
maple syrup. This acid is a powerful defense against diabetes and
metabolic syndrome, because it encourages the release of insulin through
pancreatic cells and enhances fat cells’ sensitivity to insulin.

Seeram revealed the results of his tests on Canadian maple syrup during
the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco.

Maple Syrup as the Best Anti Cancer Food

A study punished in the Journal of Medicinal Food showed that maple syrup
can significantly inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. This study was
conducted by Quebec scholars. It seeks to prove the impact of maple syrup
against cancer cells.

Based on the Quebec research, the growth of cancer cells can be inhibited
by maple syrup. Specifically, the syrup is very effective against brain,
prostate, and lung cancer. Unfortunately, maple syrup has minimal impact
against breast cancer growth.

A Delicious Option in Fighting Cancer and Diabetes

The following is from a study titled: Antioxidant Activity, Inhibition of
Nitric Oxide Overproduction, and In Vitro Antiproliferative Effect of
Maple Sap and Syrup from Acer saccharum, published in the Journal of
Medicinal Food, and written by Jean Legault, Karl Girard-Lalancette,
Carole Grenon, Catherine Dussault and André Pichette:

Maple sap and syrup from 30 producers in three Quebec, Canada, regions
were evaluated concerning the time of harvest and abstract antioxidant
activity, inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) overproduction and the
antiproliferative effect of ethyl acetate extracts.

The harvest time does not have an analytically notable incidence on
antioxidant activity of either maple sap or syrup extracts. Their Oxygen
radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values are 12 +/- 6 and 15 +/- 5 mumol
of Trolox equivalents (TE)/mg, respectively.

A cell-based assay also confirmed the antioxidant activity. The ORAC assay
was also used to establish the antioxidant activity of pure maple syrup.
The results show the pure maple syrup ORAC value of 8 +/- 2 mumol of TE/mL
to be lower than the blueberry juice value of 24 +/- 1 mumol of TE/mL but
similar to the strawberry juice value of 10.7 +/- 0.4 mumol of TE/mL and
the orange juice value of 10.8 +/- 0.5 mumol of TE/mL.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced NO overproduction in RAW264.7 murine
macrophages was considerably inhibited by maple sap and syrup extracts. It
is believed that transforming maple sap into syrup enhances NO inhibition
action, because the syrup extract was considerably more active than the
sap extract.

The maple syrup extracts induced the highest NO inhibition at the season’s
end, and the darker syrup was more active than the clear syrup. This
indicates that the activity could be partially attributed to some colored
oxidized compounds.

Maple syrup extracts (50% inhibitory concentration = 42 +/- 6 mug/mL) and
pure maple syrup have a discriminating in vitro antiproliferative action
against cancerous cells.

Reference: Journal of medicinal food. 01/02/2010; ISSN: 1557-7600, OI:
10.1089/jmf.2009.0029″

Thanks, Sandy! :) Don’t we all love maple just a little bit more ?

Related Posts with Thumbnails