Tags: vegetarian

27 Jul 2010, Comments (3)

Nature’s Path Organic Yogurt Chewy Granola Bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

Nature’s Path is one of my favorite brands when it comes to snacks, cereals, oatmeals, etc. I love that their products are made with wholesome, real ingredients. To me, Nature’s Path seems like a company that really cares about the food they make.

I was sent some granola bars to try from the people at Nature’s Path, including the Yogurt Lotta’ Apricotta and Yogurt Berry Strawberry Chewy Granola Bars. How could it get better than this? Organic, yogurt covered, whole grains, all in one? : )

Each bar is chewy and actually some-what dense. What I liked was that these had good “holding power”- meaning to me that they didn’t  fall apart SUPER easy, which I find can happen with hewy-type granola bars. They were still soft, of course, but held together quite nicely.

Lotta’ Apricotta- wow! What flavor! Quite unexpected and a unique flavor, but really tasty. It had a sticky texture, with a fruit, sweet apricot flavor. There was also a slight coconut flavor that I tasted which complimented the apricot flavor quite well. There was a light, yogurt drizzle that tasted like vanilla icing, and little chunks of almonds that also added a nice touch. Yum! 4 1/2 stars

Berry Strawberry- Also an awesome flavor! I liked that I could smell strawberry flavors as I opened my bar. This one was also very chewy and sweet with visible tiny flaxseeds. The strawberry flavor was really good- not too tart, but almost reminded me of what strawbery fruit leathers taste like. The yogurt drizzle also was really good- a light vanilla flavor that went very well with the strawberry flavors. 4 stars

Overall, these are really tasty! I love that they are organic and provide some whole grains per bar. I think I will use these as a pre-workout snack or maybe as a light breakfast on the go with some yogurt and fruit, as they are a little short on protein and fiber for me to be eaten alone. I definitely recommend these- very tasty, and worth giving a try!

Lotta’ Apricotta- 1 bar is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbohydrates,12 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Berry Strawberry-1 bar is 140 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

For ingredient information and more, you can visit here.

18 May 2010, Comments (2)

Surf Sweets Gummy Swirls candy

Author: Healthnuttxo

I have such a sweet tooth (seeing as this is my SECOND candy review/post tonight! Make sure you scroll down to see the second review!)  I’m so happy that companies like Surf Sweets make healthier alternatives to traditional candies to help satisfy my sweet tooth but also ease my mind!

Surf Sweets makes organic and natural jelly beans and gummy candies. According to the website, “At Surf Sweets, we love candy! We’re passionate about making the world’s most flavorful candy using all natural pure ingredients. We’re also a company that cares about the health and well-being of our customers and our planet. These values have inspired us to launch a complete line of all-natural, organic gummy candy and jelly beans.”

An added bonus- their products are made without corn syrup, trans fats, artificial ingredients, and preservatives. They also provide 100% of your daily vitamin C needs per serving. How’s that for a candy??

The company sent me a few of their products to try, including the Gummy Swirls. These are vegetarian/vegan, and not only provide 100% daily needs of Vitamin C, but calcium as well. (I can see it now. Kids everywhere saying, “No thanks, Mom. I don’t need to drink my milk today. I can have these candies instead!!” :) )

Each cute drop has colored swirls of orange and pink, and is coated with delicious “sugar” sprinkles. I put sugar in quotes because they are sweetened with evaporated cane juice, tapioca syrup and fruit juice concentrate, so I’m not sure what factor gives it the “sugary” coating. They are sweet, indeed, but not WOAH that’s SWEET!. They are sweet, in a good way. And addictive too! They are nice and chewy on the inside, and stick to your teeth like a good gummy candy should ;)

Overall, I give these 4 1/2 stars. They are really tasty! I like to suck on them, one by one, and savor each piece (plus that prevents me from eating the whole bag in one sitting!). If you like gummy candy, give these a try! They will satisfy a sweet tooth, and provide some health benefits as well. Take the advice from the bag and “Catch a Wave of Flavor”.- Cute!!

16 pieces is 120 calories, 0 grams of fat, 29 carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar and 0 grams of protein.

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Tricalcium Phosphate, Organic Grape Juice Concentrate, Pectin, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Color Added (including Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Turmeric, Annatto), Natural Flavors.

23 Mar 2010, Comments (3)

Chobani Strawberry Banana 2% Greek Yogurt

Author: Healthnuttxo

New flavor alert!
One of my favorite companies Chobani sent me an e-mail asking to review one of their new flavors, Strawberry Banana 2% Greek Yogurt, a try. Honestly, HOW could I say no? Being the yogurt lover that I am, and seeing how much I adore Chobani Greek Yogurt, I knew this one HAD to be good. I reviewed some of their yogurts in the past, and loved them! Check them out here.

At first I was a little taken aback- 2%? Is that necessary? Fat Free Greek Yogurt is already super creamy- How can it get any better??

It can. Trust me it can. :D

For those of you unfamiliar with Greek Yogurt, it has double the protein of regular yogurt, and is super creamy (think sour cream consistency). This particular Chobs has no artificial colors, flavors, high fructose corn syrup (YUCK!), is all natural, has probiotics, is gluten free and vegetarian (no gelatin!)

Moving on,

The Strawberry  Banana 2% is amazing! I actually LOVED the addition of real cream as one of the ingredients along with milk- it really made a difference and brought such a dessert-like consistency and flavor to the yogurt. It was super creamy, with a few itty bitty strawberry chunks in it. The flavor was rockin’ too. A nice blend of strawberry AND banana (yes, both!). Neither were more overpowering- which I often find happens when you get mixed fruit yogurts. You taste one flavor predominantly over the other, and the company might as well not have bothered mixing the flavors together to begin with. Not the case here- the strawberry flavor was real and so was the banana. I hate the “fake” tasting banana (think- LAFFY TAFFY), but this tasted like actualy bananas were pureed and put in the yogurt. By itself, it’s not too sweet, just right in my opinion, and was certainly satisfying.

I had this new Chobani with sliced strawberries, dark chocolate almond granola (courtesy of Cascadian Farm), a drizzle of dark chocolate dreams (courtesy of PB&CO), and a sploosh of whipped cream. Ahh, what a DECADENT breakfast it was.

Overall, I give this flavor 4  stars. It was delicious, and certainly fed the hungry monster I like to call my stomach (grr that bottomless pit!). I also like that there was no HFCS or refined sugar commonly found in yogurts (and no artificial sweetners!) The only thing I DIDN’T like was that it was 160 calories for a cup, and had 2 grams of saturated fat per cup. 160 calories is quite high to spend on a cup of yogurt for someone who likes to add lots of mixins (cereal! fruit! peanut butter!). However, the extra cals were worth it- my stomach and my taste buds were satisfied ALL morning :)

What’s your favorite Chobani Flavor? Let me know which one’s to try!!

1 cup is 160 calories, 3 grams of fat, 19 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 14 grams of protein.

Cultured Pasteurized Nonfat Milk, Evaporated Cane Juice, Strawberries, Bananas, Natural Flavors, Locust Bean Gum, Pectin, Fruit and Vegetable Juice (for color).

19 Dec 2009, Comments (2)

Amy's California Veggie Burger

Author: healthnuttxo

What comes to mind when I say, Veggie Burger? Are you thinking of a schlop of veggies pureed into a patty? Well that’s old school veggie burgers, my friends. Veggie & soy products have gone a looooong way from what they used to be, and some are actually quite tasty. I personally, have never had a veggie burger. So here it is- my first “veggie” burger experience. And what better brand to try than Amy’s?

Fortunately, I was sent the California Veggie Burger, voted Favorite Veg Meat by magazine VegNews in the “Veggie Awards of 2009″. They claimed “Vegetarian food darling Amy’s Kitchen delivers your top choice with a whole-foods burger bursting with flavor”. I was excited. This burger had to be good if it won an award in a magazine. Plus, I’m in love with Amy’s. How could i lose?

And I sure didn’t! :D
Each burger is the average patty size, and actually decently thick. It has a brown/tanish hue and looking at the patty itself you can see all the yummy veggies, like celery and carrots, blended nicely in the burger. I cooked mine in the microwave for 60 seconds, and then popped it in the toaster oven to crisp it up a bit. I took a bite, and instantly I thought of Amy’s Kitchen Veggie Steak Whole Meal- a.k.a. formerly Country Dinner Whole Meal. The burger tastes very similar to the veggie steak in this meal, with slight variation of course. It has an oaty, lima bean taste, with a hint of cheddar cheese and some salt. It has a “grainy” texture, I felt it was more “crab cake” than “ground beef” consistency. There are also little crunchies throughout the burger due to the walnuts. It was very flavorful and I actually did really enjoy it. It also had a nice garlic and onion flavor to it as well.
Overall, I give this burger 4 stars. It was surprisingly filling and satisfying, and very tasty. Amy’s never lets me down! I had it twice so far, once as a light meal with some salad and applesauce, and once with a slice of cheddar cheese on top. Both were very good combinations, I especially enjoyed it with the applesauce because I love sweet & savory mixed together.
So-moral of the story? Don’t fear veggie products! (at least not ones made by Amy’s Kitchen). I really want to try the Cheddar Burger and the Gluten Free Bistro varieties too!! :) :)

1 burger is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein. A good swap for beef anyday.

ORGANIC MUSHROOMS, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC BULGAR WHEAT, ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC CARROTS, ORGANIC OATS, ORGANIC WALNUTS, WHEAT GLUTEN, ORGANIC POTATOES, SEA SALT, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC GARLIC.
22 Nov 2009, Comments (0)

Lightlife Smart Deli Roast Turkey

Author: Healthnuttxo

So with Thanksgiving (gobble gobble!) rounding the corner, i figured I would do a whole bunch of Thanksgiving-related posts.
Here we have a “turkey” to review. I consider myself a “somewhat” vegetarian. I really don’t eat meat or fish- only if I go to a party or some other celebration and I don’t want  to make a fuss. However, when i do eat meat, i don’t eat beef or porc products. So, Thanksgiving is pretty much the only time of year i eat Turkey. So, I was rather curious when I saw Smart Deli Roast Turkey in stores by me. It is a fat free lunch meat alternative,  made with veggie and soy protein. Normally I’m skeptical of these products- I’ve tried a “ground beef” version once and had a rather, icky, experience. Too gummy, weird taste, you get the deal. However, I thought I would give this “deli meat” a shot- I mean why not? I was craving some turkey, and Thanksgiving was still a few days away…

The Roast Turkey is cholesterol free, without MSG, nitrates, and other fillers in standard cold cuts. It was round in shape, sort of like bolongna cold cuts, and had a brown/tan color. It smelt mildy spicy/peppery as I opened the package. I took a bite and….to my surprise, it was good! “Yum” was actually the first word that popped into my head. It tasted like TURKEY! How they do this, I’ll never know, but it was certainly yummy. It wasn’t too salty either, and had a nice spiced flavor with some onion and garlic mixed in. The consistency was also the same as cold cuts, not gummy or chewy, but pretty much the same as a slice you’d get from the deli counter. I even fooled my mom with this product asking her if she liked “the new turkey flavor that the store carried”. She said it was good and she would like it with a slice of cheese on a sandwich- but she didn’t know it wasn’t Turkey!

Overall, I give this 4 stars. I had a serving after a rigorous kickboxing class and it held me over until lunch with the yummy protein it provided. I think it was good by itself, but would be awesome on a sandwich, on some crackers, or maybe even rolled up hot with some all natural gravy. Yum! I’m interested in trying more of the deli selections by LightLife since the Turkey flavor was a hit. Perhaps you can save a turkey this year ? :)

So bloggies- have you had any good or (gross!) experiences with “meat alternatives”? Any brands you reccommend/hate? Let me know here!

4 slices is 100 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein. There are 300 mg (13%) per 4 slices, which isn’t too shabby, either.

WATER, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOYBEAN OIL, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOY SAUCE (WATER, SOYBEANS, WHEAT, SALT), NAVY BEAN FLOUR, LESS THAN 2% OF: TOFU POWDER (DEHULLED SOYBEANS, CALCIUM SULFATE), RICE BRAN, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVOR (FROM PLANT SOURCES), SALT, CARRAGEENAN, WHEAT STARCH, CALCIUM LACTATE, ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER, SEA SALT, CITRIC ACID.

2 Aug 2009, Comments (0)

Amy's Non-Dairy Burrito

Author: healthnuttxo

burr

Now im not normally a “burrito” kinda gal. Just not into the whole beans,cheese and rice thing. But i figured i would try one of these at work today including i had a shift from 3-7, and only a 15 minute break. It was the perfect size to eat in 15-20 minutes and had enough protein/fiber to keep me going.

So the taste? Well, let me tell you- these burritos may just make me a “burrito” kind of gal! The burrito’s “wrapper” tastes just like the top of Amy’s pot pies, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE her non-dairy vegetable pot pie. Needless to say, i could have eaten just the wrapper and have been satisfied. But, moving on to what’s inside the wrapper, is pinto beans, brown rice (yay! not white rice!), tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, and spices. There are soo many beans in this, it’s oozing with filling! It has a soft consistency when you take a bite, so the pinto beans worked out quite nicely. The rice is fluffy, and the filling is perfectly spiced. Not too spicy, but not bland at all. I didn’t even notice there wasn’t any cheese in this burrito, because there was so much flavor going on!
I also really like the fact that there aren’t a TON of ingredients (but when are there EVER a lot of ingredients in Amy’s wonderful products?). It was strictly the wrap, the veggies, and spices. No yucky fillers or preservatives like you’d find at um, say, Taco Bell? I shudder at the THOUGHT of eating that food.

So how does this baby sum up? It may be smaller than your average lunch or dinner volume wise, but it is FILLING!! I was surprised how FULL i was from this thing! At first i was substantial after i ate it, but about 30 minutes later, i was STUFFED! I blame the beans, personally, but this thing ROCKS! I also had plenty of energy to walk my dog when i got home from work, due to the jam packed complex carbs from brown rice & beans. I think it would be perfect for a filling, nutritious on-the go lunch, and maybe a dinner if you paired it with some salad or other crudites :)

1 Burrito is 280 calories, 6 grams of fat, 48 carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber (a-ha, so that’s why i was so full!), and 9 grams of protein.

Organic pinto beans, Organic whole wheat & wheat flour, filtered water, Organic brown rice, Organic tomatoes, expeller pressed high oleic safflower oil, Organic onions, Organic bell peppers, sweet rice flour, sea salt, spices, Organic garlic. 

30 Jul 2009, Comments (2)

Cedarlane Garden Vegetable Enchiladas

Author: healthnuttxo

enchilCraving some  Mexican food, but hate the calories, fat, and artifical junk? Want something sinful tasting, but something you would regret? Look no further than Cedarlane’s Garden Vegetable Enchiladas! These babies are so good they only make you feel like you are eating at a Mexican restaurant, when really you are enjoying them from home!

Each Enchilada is made with organic beans, bell peppers and tortillas, is low fat, vegetarian, and gluten free. The enchiladas are wrapped in a yummy corn tortilla, stuffed with vegetables and cheese, and then layered with a “spicy enchilada sauce”. The box is a bit misleading, it shows 2 enchiladas all rolled up and good to go, but when you cook this meal you obviously can’t eat them with your hands. These yummy enchiladas require a fork and knife (and even a spoon to scrape up the leftover sauce!)

The corn tortilla tastes like the hard yellow taco shells you would get when eating out. I liked the outer layer, and i especially liked after it was cooked, the edges of each enchilada were a little harder/got crusty. It was yummy!
The vegetables inside were cooked nicely, tender and full of flavor. I didn’t care too much for the onion, however. There are a few pieces of onion that are crunchy and they are STRONG. When you take a bite and there is a piece of onion in it- you’ll know! The peppers add a nice touch, and are definitely responsible for the “spicyness” of the dish. There are also pinto beans with the vegetables, and i’m not usually a fan of beans, but there was just the right amount of them in the enchiladas.
Lastly, the sauce. One of my favorite parts. It’s savory, tomatoe-y, a tad spicy, but also sweet. It’s really good! I found myself running my finger on the carton after i finished my enchiladas to eat the remnants of the sauce. De-lish!

 

Overall, i would definitely get this again and reccommend it highly. It’s very satisfying and packs a nutritional punch with low fat, and high fiber/protein.  Each enchilada is 140 calories, 3 grams of fat, 20 carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 9 grams of protein, and provides 20% of calcium needs. There are 2 enchiladas in the tray. My only complaint was that i wish it was a little more cheesy. I did get one REALLY good bite that had a lot of cheese, but other than that, there isn’t too much cheese flavor. Regardless- GET THIS MEAL!

Enchilada Filling (rennetless non fat cheddar cheese, organic bell pepper, organic pinto beans,rennetless cheddar cheese, organic corn, green chilis, onion, black olives, herbs and spices, salt), Enchilada Sauce (filtered water, organic tomato puree, sweet rice flour, herbs and spices, honey, salt), Organic Corn Tortillas.

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