Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Shaklee Review


Our friend, Laura Rousey, sent us some Shaklee products to try out and review.  

We loved the taste of the Meal Replacement protein powders. We aren't trying to lose weight, so we used them for POST-WORKOUT protein fuel and a treat! They weren't chalky and they tasted yummy! I surprised Jared with some Peanut Butter Protein Rice Krispies and used the vanilla protein in them. He said, "These are the best rice krispies I've ever had!" (Talk about a nice compliment! I was super excited that he loved them so much!!!)

We enjoyed the Blueberry and Almond Crisp bars as a snack on our way to a practice round. They were tasty and kept us full! 
On Saturday, I went to the gym and ate an energy chew before my workout. I felt AWESOME during the workout and had tons of energy without feeling "jittery" like some energy products make you feel.
Jared enjoyed the sports performance drink during his workouts. (It is a healthier version of gatorade) 

They also have an entire line of CLEANING PRODUCTS! 

We enjoyed trying out the cleaning products and they WORKED just as well as our usual cleaning products, but without all of the HARMFUL CHEMICALS!!! That's a win win in our book! 


Please visit Laura's website and ask her for more detailed info. There are TONS of products to choose from!






Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Sexy Pop Banana Review


We reviewed SexyPop earlier this year. You can check out our first review HERE. They recently came out with a new flavor, BODACIOUS BANANA! 

This was quite a unique flavor for popcorn! It took a minute for our taste buds to adjust, but we enjoyed it after we got used to it! It also had some cinnamon sprinkled throughout, so it was more dessert-y. (Yes, that's a new word! haha) 

Please try some for yourself and let us know what you think! 

Check out their website
Like them on Facebook
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:)


Monday, June 23, 2014

Peanut Butter and Coconut BARNANA Review


Barnana sent us their brand new flavors to try! PEANUT BUTTER and COCONUT!! If you missed our first review, you can check it out HERE.

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When we received the new flavors and found out they were PEANUT BUTTER and COCONUT, we were pumped! We are peanut butter fanatics and we love coconut anything!!

Well, Barnana did NOT disappoint at all! These were GREAT! We enjoyed them as a little treat after dinner, in between meals, AND even on our PB Sandwiches!!!

These are very tasty!

Please visit their website:
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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Minute Maid Juice Bars Review


We were sent Minute Maid Juice Bars to Review. Here's some info about them:
These refreshing juice bars are perfect for summertime.  They come in three delicious flavors – Grape, Cherry and Orange!

  • Made with 100% Real Fruit Juice!
  • Full day’s supply of Vitamin C!
  • No high fructose corn syrup!
  • Only 60 Calories!
  • Naturally flavored!
  • Three refreshing flavors!
Minute Maid Juice bars are the perfect spring and summer treats. They make perfect additions to:

·         Picnics
·         Memorial Day BBQs
·         Pool Parties
·         End-of-school festivities

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We recruited our adorable niece and nephew to help us with this review! Thanks Charlotte and Boston! :) 

The kids loved the taste of the juice bars! The only thing we didn't like was that they were not very kid-friendly. The packaging was not easy to handle in terms of "holding and eating" the juice bar. They had to put them into bowls and eat with a fork because they were so messy and spilled everywhere.  They did enjoy the taste and I know their mom was happy that they didn't have any high fructose corn syrup! :)




Connect with Minute Maid Juice Bars:



Monday, June 16, 2014

RX Bar Review


RX BARS sent us some of their bars to review and host a GIVEAWAY!!  First, here is some info about them from their website:
At RxBar, we believe that food should be simple and delicious without compromising nutrition.  We believe that quality ingredients should never be sacrificed because of cost.  We believe that foods should be consumed as nature intended.  This is why we do what we do and as a company all of our products directly reflect these values.

About our bars:
RxBars are made with a passion devoted to ensuring the highest standards of quality.  There are no misleading filler ingredients in our bars -- only natural, quality ingredients that provide functional nutrition and satisfy hunger. 
Each bar contains no more than 8 ingredients, all of which conform to the standards of the Paleo Diet. 
RxBar is 100% Paleo and natural. They do not contain:  grains, added sugars, gluten, soy, dairy, or any artificial or processed ingredients.  RxBars are as prescribed by nature to give you the proper balance of high quality pure egg white protein, a healthy supply of fats, carbohydrates that are high in fiber, and natural sugars from the fruits themselves.
RxBars are the only fruit and nut protein bar out there.  Each bar contains 15 grams of muscle-building protein derived naturally from egg whites and raw almonds. Our bars contain no artificial sugars – they are sweetened by real fruits - the micronutrient-dense date and fig, both of which are also great sources of natural fiber. 
If you are looking to crush your daily WOD, run a 5k, or just get you through the day, RxBar is for you. For convenience and mobility, RxBars are packed in a resealable pouch.
RxBars are simple and pure - No BS.

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Our Review:


Where do we start?!?!? We were seriously BLOWN AWAY at how awesome these bars are! Not only do they taste AMAZING, they are made with very few ingredients! We are trying our best to eliminate anything artificial from our eating and these bars fit perfectly!

If you're an avid reader of our blog, you know that we eat... A LOT... We workout hard and need to fuel our bodies properly! These bars were physically heavier than other protein bars and actually FILLING. They were very nutrient dense and we LOVED them! 

The other SUPER AWESOME THING FOR OUR FAMILY is that these are PERFECT for Jared's golf tournaments! We always eat protein bars throughout the round for our fuel, but a lot of them melt and it's a huge mess.... These are FANTASTIC and MESS-FREE!!! 

All of the flavors were delicious! We can't choose a favorite! Well, except that Kelsey only liked the fruity ones because she doesn't even eat chocolate! haha But don't worry, Jared inhaled the chocolate ones! ;)


Please visit their website and order some for yourself!

Like them on Facebook

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But, you can also try and WIN some using the rafflecopter below!






Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Cedar Lane Natural Foods - Tamales Review

 
Cedarlane Natural Foods sent us some of their new Tamales to review.  Here's some info from their website:

Chile & Cheese Tamales

These are packed with roasted poblano peppers, Anaheim chile peppers, jalapenos, serrano peppers and spices mellowed by Monterey Jack, cheddar and cotija cheeses. Gluten-free!

Spinach & Feta Cheese Tamales

A Mediterranean take on classic tamales flavors, each is packed with spinach, quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms—with nonfat Greek yogurt and feta and ricotta cheeses. Gluten-free!
Nutrition Facts Heating & Ingredients

Sweet Corn Tamales

These flavorful tamales showcase sweet corn complimented with zesty roasted poblano and plenty of Monterey Jack cheese. Gluten-free!
Nutrition Facts Heating & Ingredients

Roasted Vegetable Tamales

Each of these contain a variety of spices and tasty vegetables: green, red and yellow bell peppers, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, roasted poblano chiles, jalapenos, mushrooms and tomatoes—all combined with Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. Gluten-free!
Nutrition Facts Heating & Ingredients
 
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 Our Review:
We have never eaten Tamales before, so this was a fun new food for both of us to try! We really enjoyed them! We were thinking of how to describe them to someone and we came up with this:
"It's like eating veggies and gooey cheese inside cornbread!" They were packed full of flavor! Our favorites were:
Jared- Chile and Cheese (lover of all things spicy)
Kelsey-  Spinach & Feta Cheese (lover of all veggies)
 
Most of all, we loved the fact that these were NATURAL and easy to cook! Just had to zap them in the microwave for a few minutes! 
 
We enjoyed all of these and hope you will visit their website and check them out for yourself the next time you're at the grocery store!  
 
Like them on Facebook 
 
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BARE Snacks - Coconut Chips Review

BARE SNACKS sent us some of their Coconut Chips to try! We recently reviewed their Apple Chips if you want to check that out HERE. 

Here's some info about their coconut chips from their website:

Crunch into these simply perfect coconut chips. We’ve taken care of the hard part – the shell!

  • 100% Natural
  • Baked, never fried
  • No preservatives
  • Gluten free
  • Non GMO verified
  • Available sizes: 40g bag
They have 5 different flavors and we were fortunate to be sent these 3:
Simply Toasted, Show Me The Honey, and Sweet-N-Heat


The flavor in the chips is SPOT ON! They are sweet and the PERFECT addition to yogurt, oatmeal, and even turkey sandwiches! (Yes, Jared put the Sweet-n-Heat on his sandwich and LOVED it!) We wouldn't recommend these alone as a snack, as they aren't very filling, but they are the perfect addition to add some HEALTHY sweetness to food! 


Please visit their website and try some for yourself!
Like them on Facebook
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Monday, June 2, 2014

The Protein Cookie Company Review

The Protein Cookie Company sent us a variety of flavors to review! Here's some info from their website:
The Protein Cookie Company takes pride in offering you artisan baked goods of the highest quality. Our goal is to promote good nutrition without sacrificing taste. We make our cookies fresh from scratch using the finest ingredients without using additives and preservatives or freezing our dough.

Whey Protein

Whey Protein is derived from animal protein not plant protein. Whey contains high amounts of branched amino acids that help reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. These branched amino acids (BCAA’s) are used to fuel the muscles of the body stimulating protein synthesis. The result is a leaner more toned body when moderate to high amounts of protein are ingested through the day.

Benefits:

- Whey Protein helps maintain a healthy body composition, fight off chronic disease and can help you improve your emotional health.
- Whey Protein as part of a healthy diet can help aid in weight-loss efforts. Your body uses more energy to digest protein than other foods, which creates a thermogenic effect allowing you to burn calories at a higher rate.
- Whey protein helps reduce glucose absorption time into the bloodstream to prevent hunger, according to the Whey Protein institute. Thus helping you fight the need to snack between meals.
- Whey Protein slows down the production of cortisol, a stress hormone, to reduce stress and depression while releasing the calming hormone serotonin.
- According to the Whey Protein Institute, whey protein can help to slow cancer growth in the body, prevent type 2 diabetes by controlling blood glucose levels and promote new skin growth to speed up wound healing.
* When heated over a long period of time and at high heat, whey protein will denature. We bake our protein cookies in a stone oven which distributes heat evenly, cutting back the amount of baking time and temperature needed to bake a perfect protein cookie that retains all its nutritional value.

Unbleached Unbromated Flour

When considering the health of our consumers we chose to use an Unbleached Unbromated Whole Wheat Flour. Unbleached Unbromated Flour is flour that has not been subject to bleach and potassium bromate baths.
Bleached Flour – is flour that is subjected to a chlorine gas bath which whitens the flour and reduces the gluten content, resulting in a finer grain. What makes this worse is that the chlorine once combined with the proteins of the flour produces Alloxan – a carcinogen. Although not yet proven in humans, when Alloxan was tested on lab rats it induced diabetes, destroying beta cells in the pancreas.
Bromated Flour – is flour treated with potassium bromate to improve elasticity in the dough allowing it to produce a higher rising bread. Potassium bromate is a potential carcinogen. Bromated Flour has been linked to thyroid dysfunction.
*Most baked goods are made with flour that contains these harmful chemicals. Make sure to read the labels of your breads and cookies before purchasing.

Stevia

Stevia has been proven to have compounds that are anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diarrheal, and diurectic. Stevia is safe for diabetics and people suffering from obesity and hypertension do to the negative effects on blood glucose and may even increase glucose tolerance. Stevia has Zero calories, Zero carbs and Zero glycemic Index.

72% Cocoa Powder

Cocoa is proven to offer extraordinary health benefits. Cocoa contains three flavonoids: Procyanidin,catechin, and epicatechin. These flavonoids help protect against disease like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. When cocoa is processed with fat and sugar you lose all its health benefits. Therefore we use a cocoa powder that is 72% pure cocoa in all our dark cocoa cookie recipes.



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Our Review:
These cookies had a great taste, but we enjoyed them more when we microwaved them for a few seconds and Jared liked them dipped in milk. They were a little dry, but overall, we loved them! They were packed full of PROTEIN and quality ingredients. We enjoyed these as a mid afternoon snack, and for our after dinner desserts! :)


Can't beat the fact that you're enjoying a yummy cookie AND getting in extra protein for the day! 

That's a win win in our book!

Please visit their website!

Like them on Facebook

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Nextrino Activated Charcoal Tea Tree Soap

I was sent some brand new soap from Nextrino to try and review! It is an activated charcoal tea tree soap that is all natural, vegan, and ...