Protein Bakery Review and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Protein Bakery has launched BRAND NEW MINIS! 

:)

They have four flavors in their minis:

Mini Chocolate Chip Brownie

Mini Peanut Butter Blondie

Mini Black and White Brownie

Mini Peanut Butter Brownie

I LOVED the Peanut Butter Blondie! It was SO good! It was just the perfect portion for an after dinner treat that didn't leave me feeling weighed down. 

The chocolate flavors were loved by my boyfriend and roomies, since I don't like chocolate. They gave them two thumbs up!

Protein Bakery also launched a new seasonal flavor cookie!

Ginger Oatmeal Raisin 

I love oatmeal raisin cookies! This one was kicked up a notch with the added ginger! MMM!!!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN A PACKAGE OF YOUR OWN TO TRY!?!?

Well, fill out as much of the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance!

:)

The winner will receive an assortment of minis and 2 ginger oatmeal raisin 2 packs! It's a $45.00 value! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NEW PIZZA CREATION!!!

First of all, I just have to say that I am SO GLAD Panera Bread is open in my town now! WAHOOOOO!!! I celebrated the opening with a Roasted Turkey Artichoke on Focaccia Bread. 

MMMMMM!!!

My roomie was cleaning out her closet of things that didn't fit her anymore, so I scored some REALLY  cute dresses and a couple blouses! 

:)

Thanks Kasey! 

Lastly, I have to share a TASTY new creation with you.

All you need is:

Store bought Pizza Crust

Strawberry Jam

Swiss Cheese

Deli Ham

Diced Apples

To begin, I smothered strawberry jam on the crust.

Then, I put little bits of swiss cheese on top of the jam.

I microwaved for about thirty seconds, before I added the diced apples and ham. 

I microwaved for another 30 seconds, and VOILA!

DELICIOUS PIZZA!!!!

:)

Don't knock it til you try it!  

Barry's Bakery

Barry's Bakery French Twists

Layers of Cinnamony sweet puff pastry. Each Weight Watchers approved twist is only 30 calories and low fat. They have NO cholesterol, butter, eggs, yeast, or dairy. 

Find out more on their website.

******************************************

MY REVIEW:

10/10.

I took these to share with some friends at small group. We enjoyed sampling all of the flavors. 

This was the order of our favorite beginning on the left. 

We liked the Maple French Toast the best because it had the best flavor overall. Following that was Wild Raspberry, California Almond, Original, and lastly Chocolate Chip. 

At first, we expected the French Twists to be soft and chewy, but they weren't. They were more of a crunchy treat which surprised us, but after a few bites, most people thought they really liked the crunchy texture better! :) 

Please visit their website.

Like them on Facebook.

Last Chance Survey

I saw this fun survey on the blog, The Lunchbox Diaries, so I thought it would be fun to fill out! :)

1. Last food you ate?  Cheese toast with garlic powder for extra flavor. Simple, but tasty.

2. Last beverage you drank? Crystal Light- strawberry flavor. yum! 

3. Last workout? DANCE IT OUT!!! It's my favorite workout of the week!!!

4. Last thing you pinned? I don't do pinterest! (GASP!) I just don't want to get sucked into it. I spend too much time on other social media already... 

5. Last text message you sent? I will, I promise! I already have my stuff packed in the car!!! (Sent to Jared. I'm leaving to spend Thanksgiving with his family RIGHT after I get done teaching on Tuesday!!! YAY!!!)

6. Last blog you visited? Colleen at The Lunchbox Diaries. She makes me laugh :) 

 7. Last tweet you sent?

I LOVE CHRISTMAS. I started listening to Christmas music BEFORE Halloween. 

8. Last place you visited? Publix. Had to pick up some Arctic Zero to indulge in :) 

9. Last time you did ab work? Friday. I do abs every MWF :)

10. Last show you watched? GLEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! 

11. Last thing you baked? Baked oatmeal.

12. Last item on your to-do list today? Talk to Jared on the phone!!! (We always talk right before we go to bed... love it!) 

Let's talk... what's the last thing you told somebody

 THANK YOU for? 

I told my mom thank you for treating me to Panera Bread for

 dinner last night!! :) 

Edward and Sons Trading Co Review and GIVEAWAY

• Edward & Sons Trading Co is family owned and run. Founded in 1978.
• Our motto is "Convenience without Compromise" ®
• We do not tolerate artificial ingredients in packaged foods so Edward & Sons™ products will never contain artificial flavors or colors, chemical preservatives or hydrogenated fats
• All of our items are vegetarian and most are suitable for vegans
• We offer many options for those with food allergies and special diets such as Gluten Free or Kosher
• Our product family encompasses several brands, including Edward & Sons ™, Native Forest®, Let's Do...Organic®, The Wizard's®, Premier Japan®, Let's Do...® and Road's End Organics®

My Review: 

Onion and Garlic Rice Snax: 8/10. These were okay tasting crackers. They didn't make my breath smell very good afterwards, but I kinda knew that going into it since they were onion and garlic flavor. haha. 

Organic Marinated Crimini Mushrooms (Italian Garlic): 8/10. I love mushrooms and these didn't disappoint! 

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: 8/10. These were super easy to make, and they tasted yummy! Hit the spot when I was craving comfort food!

Edward and Sons would like to offer TWO of my readers the same prize pack!

To enter, follow the RaffleCopter widget instructions below:



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bites of Bliss GIVEAWAY!!!

Remember those tasty Bites of Bliss that I reviewed the other day?

Well, the company has offered one of my readers a "caddy" of 12 Bites of Bliss, 4 of EACH flavor!

What a great prize!

:)

To enter, follow instructions on the RaffleCopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unexpected Break

So... last Tuesday, I'm sitting at lunch and our principal comes up and tells us that we're not having school for the rest of the week due to illness.

Here's what went through my head in the span of like THIRTY SECONDS.

First thought : "YAAAAAAY!!! NOW I CAN GO VISIT JARED AND HIS FAMILY!!!!"
Second thought: "Oh crap, I'm gonna have to change all my lesson plans!!!"
Third thought: "WAIT A MINUTE, WE ARE REALLY OUT OF SCHOOL FOR A WEEK!?!?"

Then, my principal explained that we WOULDN'T have to change our lesson plans, because we would be sending all their work home to complete with their parents.

I couldn't have asked for a better situation!!! I thank God everyday for His wonderful blessings, but this was an EXTRA BONUS!!!

So, I immediately called Jared and told him the good news. He was excited. Then, I get a phone call from his mom saying that she was so excited that I was coming, but just had to ask, "why did we get out of school?"  I explained that there were SO MANY kids out because of the flu, stomach virus, and strep throat, that they decided to just cancel school for a week so everyone could get better.

Now, I felt bad that so many kids were sick, but I prayed that they got better quickly, and I high tailed it outta town to visit my boyfriend and his family!!! :)

Jared and I were SO THANKFUL for this special extra time to spend together since we went THREE AND A HALF WEEKS without seeing each other!!!

Jared and I are SO GRATEFUL for technology to keep in touch when we're miles apart. He sent me this pic from the plane and I just think it's DARLING. He is such a cutie!!! :) It's my new background on my phone. 

Fun moment: we shopped together through FaceTime. haha. He was at the outlet malls and found a HUGE sale on Under Armor workout gear. He showed me the outfits and I told him yay or nay. It was such a fun experience! 

Thanks to Jared's family, I ALWAYS check the Manager's Special aisle at Kroger... check out what I snagged at my last trip... my FAVORITE popcorn!!! MMM!! I got TWO bags for less than one regular bag. :) 

Even though Jared left for Q-school the day before, I decided to head to the range and PRACTICE. My dad and I had enjoyed spending time together at the range. He was surprised how much better I hit than I used to! :) Thanks to Jared for being an AWESOME instructor!! ;)

Well, I'm off to work on lesson plans for my TWO DAY work week coming up! It's ALMOST Thanksgiving!!!

:)

Michael Angelo's Head to Head Taste Test

Michael Angelo's contacted me and asked if I would like to participate in a head-to-head lasagna taste test...

 umm.. YES! :) 

They gave me a gift card and asked me to buy their products alongside a few of their competitors. I chose the Eggplant Parmesan and Vegetable Lasagna from Michael Angelo's, Vegetable Lasagna from Stouffer's, and Three Meat and Four Cheese Lasagna from Marie Callender's. 

Overall, the nutritional stats were similar for each of the products. They were all around 400 calories. Michael Angelo's and the Stouffer's had a significantly lower amount of sodium than the Marie Callender's. So, for nutritional stats, Michael Angelo's and Stouffer's tied. 

As far as aroma, they all smelled REALLY good when I took them out of the oven. :) I couldn't decide which smell I liked the best.. it was too hard! 

Appearance: The eggplant parmesan was the best looking. It was evenly distributed with cheese and sauce. The other ones were a little lop sided on top. 

Texture: The best texture was definitely the Michael Angelo's Vegetable Lasagna. It was easy to cut and stayed together nicely. The Stouffer's and Marie Callender's fell apart and spread out over my plate.   

Taste: They were all very tasty, but if I had to choose my favorite, it would definitely be the Eggplant Parmesan. It tasted BETTER than the dish I ordered at a restaurant! Yes, THAT GOOD! The vegetable lasagna from Michael Angelo's came in 2nd because I really enjoyed the variety of veggies. They were all very tasty and they both FILLED ME UP. The Stouffer's and Marie Callender's lasagnas didn't fill me up quite as much. 

So, the ultimate winner for this gal was... (drum roll please...)

EGGPLANT PARMESAN!!!

Please check out Michael Angelo's website and check out their WIDE VARIETY of delicious entrees to choose from!!!

http://www.michaelangelos.com/home

Thanks again to Michael Angelo's for allowing me to participate in this taste test! 

:) 

Betty Lou's Review and GIVEAWAY

Betty Lou's Info:

I have always believed that there is a connection between what we eat and how we feel.

Everyone wants to feel their best, and when I decided to remove refined sugar from my family's diet 32 years ago, I began creating recipes that were made with honey and brown rice syrup instead. Children know what they like, and my sons were my very first taste-testers. As I fine-tuned the recipes my boys' friends took notice, and soon I had the most popular yard in the neighborhood! I was like the mom with Kool-Aid(tm) in the TV commercial.

I chose "Just Great Stuff... and Plenty of it!" as our motto because it truly reflects the dedication that we have to the quality of our products. I always use the best, healthiest, cutting edge ingredients because I believe that they taste better and make you feel better.

Today we still make Nut Butter Balls as well as our very popular layered Fruit Bars, Powdered Peanut Butter (with 85% less fat than regular peanut butter!), Low Glycemic Protein Shakes, Cookies and a line of Organic Just Great Stuff Bars that contain interesting, whole food ingredients... like organic cacao nibs, freeze-dried acai and raspberries, goji berries, mangoes, bananas and even freeze-dried spinach, kale and broccoli sprouts.

Every day at Betty Lou's we challenge the notion that healthy, all-natural, gluten-free products have to compromise on taste. We've proven that the opposite can be true! Our delicious products have been made that way from the beginning and it's what we do best!

Betty Lou

**********************************************************

My Review

Nut Butter Balls: 10/10! OH MY WORD. Delicious doesn't even begin to describe these! The flavors were incredible. Almond Butter, Peanut Butter, and Coconut Macadamia. HOLY MOLEY! These were perfect as a pre-workout snack! YUM! 

Just Great Stuff Bars: 8/10. They had a soft and chewy texture. The Fruit and Veggie Bar was not my favorite. I didn't like the veggie taste, I think the kale was what stood out as the most unliked ingredient of the bar. The Superberry Acai bar was pretty good though. :)

Powdered Peanut Butter: 10/10! WOW! Not only did this peanut butter taste delicious, it was only 45 calories per serving!!! You could add as much water as you desired. I didn't add a lot because I like my PB thick and creamy....mmm!!! This would also be great to add on top of ice cream for that TASTY peanut butter flavor! 

Fruit Bars: 11/10! These little bites of deliciousness were incredible! They tasted like mini pies! MMM!! 

Protein Shakes: 7/10. This was a great addition to a smoothie, but it wasn't anything extraordinary. Simple vanilla flavor. 

Would you like to win some of these delicious goodies for yourself???

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bites of Bliss Review

Bites of Bliss® are superfood bites. What do we mean by “superfood”? Superfoods are foods that contain high phytonutrient content and as a result, have many health benefits. Our products contain many of these high quality superfoods which provide the body with energy, vitality and pure bliss...

Bites of Bliss® Superfood Bites are certified organic, certified gluten-free, certified kosher, raw, vegan, dairy-free, soy-free and have no agave or added sugars. Each flavor has its own unique quality and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Bites of Bliss® can be eaten in the morning for breakfast, before exercise to provide the body with energy, after exercise to replenish nutrients, as a meal replacement, or after a meal as a delicious dessert. They also make a great addition to kid's lunchboxes.

******************************************************

My Review: 9/10

These little bites tasted AMAZING. They were soft and chewy and full of flavor. The only reason I gave them a 9 is because they didn't keep me full for very long. (But, not a lot of things do...haha I LOVE to eat!) These are a very healthy after meal treat, or just a snack! 

Please check out their website:

http://mybitesofbliss.com

Facebook

Twitter

ONGO Energy Drink Review

ON GO Energy is an extremely convenient two-ounce energy shot packed with the smoothest flavor profile, and more energy than ever before. We’ve raised the bar for taste and quality in the energy shot category. 

*********************************************************************

My Review: 7/10

I liked that the energy shot was only 5 calories. I didn't feel an energy surge by any means, but it did help me through some early mornings teaching the little rascals. Some of the flavors didn't taste very good to me. The Pomegranate Blueberry reminded me of medicine! YUCK! 

The Grape and Berry Blast tasted pretty good though!

Check out their website at:

http://ongoenergy.com/#!/page_home

Facebook

Twitter

IsoPure Zero Carb

Here's some info about IsoPure Zero Carb:

Crystal clear 100% whey protein isolate that’s perfect before or after your workout; whether you just curled your body weight or you’re about to bike to Boulder.

My Review: 15/10!!!

These taste like liquid CANDY! OH MY GOSH. The fruity flavors are INCREDIBLE. They don't have any chalky taste like some protein drinks do. I felt like this was seriously a TREAT after a hard workout! Each bottle has 40 GRAMS OF PROTEIN with only 160 calories! It can't get any better than that!!! WOW! This has got to be my new favorite protein drink! :) 

Please check out their website and order some for yourself:

http://www.theisopurecompany.com/en/drinks

Like them on Facebook

Follow them on Twitter

SUPERPRETZEL Sweet Cinnamon Review

Here's some info about SUPERPRETZEL Sweet Cinnamon: 

Delicious when eaten plain, topped with cinnamon sugar, dunked in icing, dipped in chocolate sauce or sandwiched with ice cream, this sweet treat is line priced with Original SUPERPRETZEL Soft Pretzels  and can be found right next to them on shelf!

• Cinnamon infused sweet dough with a cinnamon sugar packet included in the box
• Perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert
• Found in the frozen snacks section of your local retail store & NOW available at your local supercenter
• Fun recipe ideas! http://www.superpretzel.com/sweetcinnamon/recipe.html

Learn more on their websites: http://www.superpretzel.com/ and http://www.superpretzel.com/sweetcinnamon/

*********************************************************

MY REVIEW: 

10/10!

When I was younger, I used to LOVE getting a Sweet Cinnamon Sugar pretzel in the mall while my mom went shopping and had to bring my brother and myself along. These tasted EXACTLY like the ones I got from Auntie Annes!!! 

All I did was spray a little butter on them and sprinkle them with the sugar that was included in the box. and VOILA! 

YUMMY TREAT!!! 

GFreely Review AND Giveaway!!

Here's some info about GFreely:

Get excited to receive a monthly surprise package filled with foods, recipes, and tips that you can enjoy. For the first time ever, delicious gluten free foods are coming to you!

Stop scouring the aisle for gluten free foods or buying recipe books you never use. Discover new foods and recipes that adhere to your gluten free diet delivered right to your door.

Discover the tastiest foods, cook the most delicious recipes, and enjoy the simplicity of your new gluten free diet. Live a healthy, gluten free lifestyle, delivered one month at a time.

**********************************************************************************

My Review: 10/10! 

What better way to try out a bunch of NEW gluten free foods! They deliver it monthly right to your DOORSTEP!!! Doesn't get any easier than that! I really liked the different samples for this month's box. If I had to choose a favorite, it would have to be these: 

THESE WERE SO GOOD! Tasted like CANDY! MMM!!!

GFreely has offered a FREE box to one of my readers! 

In order to enter the giveaway, you must follow directions on the Rafflecopter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please check out GFreely's website:

http://gfreely.com

Like them on Facebook

Follow them on Twitter

Kona Kase Review

Here's some info about Kona Kase:

Let’s face it. Finding the right endurance nutrition products is a pain. The market is large, the products are pricey, and only you can determine what fuels your best performance. As two endurance athletes, we’ve wasted a lot of time and money researching and purchasing nutrition products that didn’t ultimately meet our individual tastes and needs. We created Kona Kase because we think there’s a better way.

Our goal is to simplify your life. Well, maybe not your whole life, but at least your endurance life. No more trips to store, searches online, or recommendation requests to friends. We think your time is better spent dominating whatever ridiculous physical challenge decides to get in your way.

*****************************************************

My Review: 10/10! 

There was such a variety of products in the box. I personally wish there wasn't as much chocolate, but I'm sure 99.9% of the world does! haha (I can't help it, I just hate chocolate. I never have liked it, not even when I was a little kid. I don't even like the SMELL of it. 

Anyways, back to my review. This is a great way to sample products before you spend a fortune on an entire box of something! 

My favorite part of this box was the PowerBar. It was banana flavor, and was magnificent! I love the texture of PowerBars! MMM! 

Check out their website and sign up for this monthly program yourself! 

http://www.konakase.com

Like them on Facebook

Follow them on Twitter