Good for You Goodies[First Video Post!]

Hey guys! I decided to change it up a bit by presenting you with a video post. Hope you enjoy =) By the way, here is the link to the company featured today.

Good for you Goodies: FitNutz!

Hey all! Hope everyone had a beyond wonderful weekend. I did, up until I watched the weather and heard we are supposed to be getting blasted with 4-7 inches of snow—again! What is up with this crazy spring/winter weather? I thought March was supposed to either come in like a lamb, go out like a lion, or the opposite—but in this case it’s been a lion the whole way through. Southern states are sounding better every day.

A couple things on the blogenda today: First off, a reader made a comment on my post on the powdered peanut butter PB2 and asked, “Why don’t you just eat real peanut butter?” Since I think blogs should be interactive, I decided to respond, but in a post rather than privately just in case anyone else was wondering the same thing. Well to answer your question—I do eat real peanut butter; check out my stash! I am in no way saying you should not eat real peanut butter, in fact I stress that you should—it’s a nutrient/protein-packed powerhouse. I simply like to try and review other products on my blog, especially since this whole “Good for You Goodies” concept is about highlighting unique products. I don’t think it would be too exciting to do a review on Skippy peanut butter because..well..who doesn’t know what a jar of Skippy tastes like? I instead chose PB2 and in today’s case, FitNutz, because they are not you everyday item. And by the way, you do not need to replace peanut butter for this, it can simply be an addition if you please. Plus it can be used in lots of others ways that standard peanut butter cannot. Check em’ out here. So I hope that answered that question.

Next on the blogenda—just a quick heads up on a blog post that totally blew me away this weekend! Wanted everyone to check it out. You can here!

And finally the Good for You Goodie of the day!!

The Good for You Goodie: Regular, Chunky, and Pro-Protein Powdered PB

The Company:FitNutz

The Chew Review: This is the 2nd powdered peanut butter that I have tried now, and I am sad to report I did not like FitNutz nearly as much as PB2. I did however like the fact that they offer a chunky version which PB2 does not. Anyway, what I noticed was the powder was not as easy to mix. It took more time to incorporate the powder and water. Then for the taste test—it didn’t have that ‘total’ peanut butter taste I was looking for. But it still is loaded with the same essential fatty acids found in your standard peanut butter and it’s all natural! So needless to say, it will not go to waste! [I hate wasted food!] I am planning on incorporating it in some other of my recipes.

Here’s the chunky. It still lacked that awesome peanut flavor, but the peanut chunks make up for it a bit.

 

 

 

 

Then came the regular tested on a whole wheat bagel. After I tried it, I added some cinnamon on top because it was lacking flavor. The Pro is basically the same look wise, but it had a bit more of a sweet taste to it, which wasn’t all that bad.

But as we all know, tastes and individuals vary, so if you want an opinion on FitNutz different from my own, check out Jenny over at Peanut Butter and Jenny.

Happy Monday!

Good for You Goodies: Medora Snacks [Part 2]

Last day of “Good for You Goodies” for the week, and I am not even half way through the products I received, plus I am still waiting on a few =) Let’s just say I love trying new foods. I bet I have the best stocked dorm in college thanks again to all the beyond amazing companies! I almost can’t wait for Monday to share the post on the next powdered peanut butter I tried. So you’ll definitely want to check back. But don’t leave just yet! As I promised the reviews for the Sotos and Corners are heeere.

The Good for you Goodie: Sotos and Corners

The Company:Medora Snacks

The Chew Review:

• Cinnamon Streusel Sotos

Sotos are these cute little square, multi-grain, crunchy snacks! New favorite alert: I rarely ever declare something an absolute favorite, but as chips go, I am sorry that I might have to consider divorcing my beloved Mr. Krispers Nacho Cheese Baked Rice Krisps that have been a staple in my life for the past year and a half! Unfortunately I can only be married to one chip type, and I feel this one possibly deserves my heart! In other words—these were a-m-a-z-i-n-g! They tasted like a cinnamon bun in crunchy form. They were great plain, dipped in some vanilla yogurt, or just as a side to my lunches! Sadly, my bag is almost gone. You can order any of Medora’s products in bulk only on Amazon; hopefully they’ll be available in stores sooner than later.

• Zesty Cheese, Olive Oil, and Lemon Sotos

It was hard to make a fair taste test after trying the Cinnamon Streusel ones, but since they are not in the sweet category, but more on the zesty side, they were good! Definitely a unique chip flavor, so no real comparison here. Super duper flavorful. You could taste the cheese, olive oil flavor, and the lemon all in one bite. They also make a Sea Salt flavor which I did not receive, but I’m sure it is scrumptious like the others were.

 

 

 

 

 

• Ranch Corners

The “Corners” are basically a smaller version of a Dorito as far as shape goes, but that’s where the similarities end!! Corners Popped Corn Tortillas™ are made with real corn, extra virgin olive oil, all natural ingredients and no trans fat. Corners™ unique popping process combines popped corn and tortilla chips. What a super way to combine 2 favorite snacks in 1! The Ranch flavor was like a Ranch Dorito, but with a much more natural ranch taste vs. artificial yuck and way more flavor. They were finger-lickin’ good.(Literally!)

• Sea Salt Corners

I love the texture of Medora’s Corners! They are way crunchy and serve up an endless amount of great flavor. The Sea Salt was not a disappointment. I am a huge fan of Sea Salt flavors(gotta love how they make you pucker). This was the best Sea Salt chip I have had in a long time. Make that all time. It’s something about their products—no weird after tastes or all that stuff that bad-for-you chips deliver. Conclusion: I am way glad I discovered this line of Good for You Goodies; hope you’ll get to share in the tasty experience also!

p.s. These come in a Nacho Cheese flavor!! Not sure how they are(didn’t receive that flavor), but I’d bet that they are delish-o as well.

Good for You Goodies: Medora Snacks[Part 1]

Hey everyone! I’m so glad it’s Thursday, which means I have made it through half the week and I’m still kickin’! Anyone else having extremely dreary weather—as in slush/snow, no sun for 4 days, cold, windy, etc. I sure hope no one else has to deal with this crud! Grr. Anyways, I just wanted to make sure all my reader’s are enjoying this ongoing “Good for You Goodies” feature, so if you could just take a second to take the poll below, I would really appreciate it! Like I said, I will use the weekends to feature recipes, tips, etc. But I cannot imagine not sharing all these delish products with everyone![I know one of my fav things about blogs is discovering new products & getting real reviews!] Thanks guys!

The Good for You Goodie:Pucci Pizza Snacks and White Cheddar Pogos

The Company: Medora Snacks

The Chew Review: Medora Snacks is a fairly new company that launched its products in 2008. The maker’s of Medora Snacks envisioned bringing their ideas of healthy and innovative snacking to the public. The result? A slew of amazing and unique products that are now making their way into people’s mouths all over! =) They make 4 main products: Corners, Pogos, Pucci, and Sotos. Luckily, I got samples of all 4 types, so I am splitting this post up. Tomorrow will feature Sotos and Corners. Here’s the samples I got.

• White Cheddar Pogos

What the heck is a Pogo?[or Pucci, Sotos and Corners?] These names initially had me scratching my head, but heck, once I bit into these babies, I could care less if they had no name or a crazy name! But FYI, a Pogo is a potato cheese stick! It’s crunchy and fun shaped. I immediately thought of a Cheeto and it has a resemblance in taste also, except like Medora states on their website, “Tons of crunchy, cheesy taste and none of the messy orange stuff left on your hands.” Hey, I’m all about super snacks minus the mess! I got to try the White Cheddar, but they have 2 other flavors also—hickory smoked and jalapeño cheddar. Plus Pogos are made with a unique baking process to create a more wholesome product using only all-natural, non-GMO ingredients.

• Pucci Pizza Snacks

Do you ever have extreme pizza cravings, but don’t have time to pop one in the oven, or maybe you don’t even want a whole slice, but just a bite instead. Whatever your deal, I have just solved mine! Pizza bites any time I want! In the car, on the run, or just for fun—please make sure you get your hands on a bag of these soon =D They come in 3 flavors; Classic, Tomato Basil, and Garlic. I tried the classic. I could go on and on about these little pizza jewels, but I will just say this: they look like pizza, they taste like a flat and crunchy slice, and they pair perfectly with a meal or all by themselves. Medora says, “Experience the delicious taste of 100% extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella and parmesan cheese baked into every bite.” Bon appétit!

**By the way, check out Amanda's blog for a uber cool cereal giveaway!

Good for You Goodies: Zoe’s Granola & Bars

The Good for You Goodie: 3 of Zoe’s Granolas and 3 of Zoe’s Bars

The Company: Zoe's Foods

The Chew Review: If you’ve never heard of this company, let me introduce them. =) Tori (the founder of Zoe Foods) started the company because she had a passion to make a difference and used that passion to fulfill her dream for providing great tasting, 100% naturally nutritious foods—which resulted in Zoe Foods! Sure glad we have ambitious people in the world! How else would such wonderful products be created?! Their site slogan is “All Day Energy. Everyday Health.” When they said they would send me a sampler box, you bet when it arrived I dug right in and set up a little taste test party!! Check out the results, and what I thought about each product below--->

First check out the great sampler I got!!!Thanks again to the generous folks over at Zoe Foods for your generosity!

I’ll start with the granola..

• Cranberries Currants Granola

 

 

 

 

 

This granola did have pieces of real cranberries hence their absence in the picture! This was by far my favorite of the 3. First thing I noted about Zoe’s granolas as a whole—they are very chunky and very crunchy which = a pleasant granola eating experience! It had a hint of fruit flavor with a nice cinnamon twist to balance it out. [By the way, I did not take pictures of the next 2 flavors just because a camera doesn’t make granola look as interesting as it really is.]

• Honey Almond Granola

This one reminded me of some sort of sugar cookie or cake batter taste. Maybe it was the honey mixed with the sliced almonds? Whatever the reason, I’m glad it tasted the way it did because it was no doubt delightful! By the way—did you check out the stats on this granola?! 115% Daily Value ALA Omega-3’s, 7g fiber, 8g protein, ground flaxseed, no trans fat; heck we resort to eating Zoe’s granola for every meal. He he ;-)

• Cinnamon Raisin Granola

The name really gives the surprise of this one away. Fortunately, it was still surprisingly good. This one was comparable to other Cinnamon Raisin granolas/cereals I’ve tasted, so it was nothing too new for me. But, if you like a crunchy texture with some raisins and a shot of cinnamon, try it out! Now onto the bar reviews….

• Peanut Butter Paradise Bar

I must say, these bars are very satisfying! I split each one in two so I could stretch out their goodness. 8-) The whole grains in this were apparent as well as the natural nutty peanut butter taste. It wasn’t some fake artificial tasting peanut butter flavor, more of a “just the peanut” taste. Some peanut bars can be too salty, or too sweet, or just plain gross, but although this was not the favorite of the three, I would consider eating it again for a peanut butter fix. Ingredients:
ZoeMix (ground flaxseed, rolled oats, roasted soybeans, partially defatted soy flour, isolated soy protein), brown rice syrup, partially defatted peanut flour, barley malt syrup, crisp brown rice (brown rice flour, rice flour), crisped soy nuggets (isolated soy protein, rice flour, malt, salt), glycerin, date paste, chicory syrup, natural flavors, high oleic sunflower oil, soy lecithin, salt, vitamin E (mixed tocopherols – a natural antioxidant).

• Chocolate Delight Bar

This bar had total chocolate written all over it from the appearance, the smell, and you got it—the taste! To me, it tasted somewhere along the line of a Little Debbie brownie with a granola texture instead of a cakey texture. This is a bar to eat slowly and savor the real chocolate delight! Ingredients:
ZoeMix (ground flaxseed, rolled oats, roasted soybeans, soy protein isolate), brown rice syrup, crisped soy nuggets (isolated soy protein, rice flour, malt, salt), sugar, barley malt syrup, cocoa powder, evaporated cane juice,palm kernel oil, glycerin, chocolate liquor, date paste, chicory extract, lactose, high oleic sunflower oil, natural vanilla flavor and spice, soy lecithin, vitamin E (mixed tocopherols – a natural antioxidant).

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss

This one was my favorite :-) It was like a hybrid of the two previous bars. So imagine those two reviews squished together and you’d get another good great bar from the company Zoe’s Foods. Ingredients:
ZoeMix (ground flaxseed, rolled oats, roasted soybeans, soy protein isolate, partially defatted soy flour), brown rice syrup, partially defatted peanut flour, sugar, barley malt syrup,soy nuggets (isolated soy protein, rice flour, malt, salt), crisp brown rice (brown rice flour, rice flour), palm kernel oil, glycerin, chicory extract, date paste, cocoa powder, natural flavors, high oleic sunflower oil, lactose, soy lecithin, salt, vitamin E (mixed tocopherols – a natural antioxidant).

Wow that’s a lot of chewing!!! I need something to drink now, bye!

Good for You Goodies:PB2

The Good for You Goodie: PB2

The Company: Bell Plantation

The Chew Review: You could definitely call me a peanut butter girl. I prefer it in a old plain-Jane peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and have childhood memories filled with Smucker’s Uncrustables or my other infamous Doritos and peanut butter sandwich—honestly try it if you haven’t! It’s one of those combos that sounds disgusting, but it weirdly amazing! So when I first saw the new “powdered” peanut butter buzzing around the blog world(and getting rave reviews), I knew I had to feature it in the Good for you Goodies segment. Both PB2 and Fitnutz specialize in creating this powdered peanut butter that is made by squeezing out the oil from the peanuts and what remains is the powdered peanut butter in your jar with a stunning 85% less fat than standard peanut butter. So how do you eat a powdered peanut butter you ask? You simply mix 2 Tbsp with 1 Tbsp of water and as you stir it magically turns into a creamy peanut butter spread with a dreamy peanut scent! And the ingredients—only 3: roasted peanuts, salt and sugar. Don’t you just love knowing the actual source of the ingredients on a food you eat, rather than some long foreign looking list? I sure do! So scroll down for my chew..

  So I measured out the amount I wanted to use mixed the recommended amount of water into it. It was soo easy to stir and the ingredients incorporated very quickly. About 5 seconds later, I had your every day creamy peanut butter. Now for the test. 

Of course it had to makes its’ debut on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! It was unbelievable! Would it be safe to say that this could give Jiffy or Skippy a run for their money? I would be willing to bet on it. Not a slight difference whatsoever to a “regular” peanut butter. And guess what people….!

It comes in chocolate form too! Holy smokes Yummy, this took my standard PB and Banana sandwich to a whole new level. I definitely suggest stocking your shelves with this ASAP. You can even head to their website and order a sample pack for $3.99 before deciding to buy more. If you don’t want to buy in bulk, I suggest going to Netrition where you can buy it for just $3.99/jar. I will soon be doing a taste test of FitNutz powdered peanut butter also; theirs comes in chunky! So keep your eyes peeled for that. See ya tomorrow!

Good for You Goodies:Food Should Taste Good[Part 2]

Hey fellow friends! I hope you all had a great first weekend of official spring. Here it didn’t seem like spring, but then again in Minnesota nothing is ever predictable, especially the weather. My weekend was restful for the most part, except for starting out my day Saturday discovering I hate a flat tire!! When your 2 hours away from your “car men”[Dad/Grandpa], and you have no mechanically inclined people to contact here, I did what I thought I should do and drive 10 mph with my flashers on to the nearest service station. Luckily it was just due to the cold weather and the tire had slightly pulled off the rim which caused it to deflate. So just $14.50 later(vs. an $80 replacement tire), I was on my way to a much better weekend! Now, onto the food of course :-) Today is part 2 of the Food Should Taste Good chip review, you can view Part 1 from last week here. I saved the last 4 flavors of chips for last just because they were my favorites. Best for last y’all!

• My 4th Favorite Chip was…

The Jalapeño flavor! This chip was one of the bigger ones compared to the Buffalo and The Works chip. I also loved the fiery red hue. When I first bit in it was normal, but then all of a sudden I got a hint of heat. Not too hot, not to blah! They recommend eating this with corn&black bean salsa!

• My 3rd Favorite Chip was…

The Olive flavor! It’s a chip infused with not one, not two, but three different olives. Black, kalamata, and green mixed together make this another great flavor. Plus the giant circle shape in a plus for dipping!

• My 2nd Favorite Chip was…

The Multigrain flavor! To me this was the most wholesome tortilla chip that has ever entered my mouth. Plus I couldn’t get over the shape.[The whole line of chips is in such fun shapes!] This chip is a blend of flax, sunflower, and sesame seeds all which bring out a nice & nutty flavor. Definitely a good date for some veggie dip.

• The winner in my book is…

The Sweet Potato flavor! I had a gut feeling when I first checked out the flavors Food Should Taste Good sent me, and I am a major sweet potato lover, so I was guessing it would take 1st place. I was right! It looked somewhat like a sweet potato, and tasted not exactly liked a fresh one, but more like a little salty and a little sweet with a hint of sweet potatoes. I will definitely be keeping a space for these on my “chip” shelve next to my Popchips and the rest =)

So in conclusion, I hope you all enjoyed this 2 part feature on the Food Should Taste good chips. There is such a variety, so if you like chips, there’s bound to be one that fits your fancy. Let me remind you these chips are very crunchy, and very satisfying, so if you’re more of a crisp person, save your money—otherwise dig in..because food should always taste good(in this case chips)!

I'm A Busy Blogging Bee!

Happy Friday everyone! Just wanted to give you a heads up that I am postponing the Food Should Taste Good[Part 2]until next Monday because I am gearing up to do a guest post over at Tina's blog on eating healthy at college when eating the dining hall or wherever else it is on campus that offers you food. I am really excited and have to go take some pics today! So on that note, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I may or may not post till Monday.

By the way....

Good for You Goodies:Food Should Taste Good[Part 1]

The Good for You Goodie: A huge variety of chips!
The Company: Food Should Taste Good
The Chew Review: Ok, so everyone assumes all food should taste good..for the most part? The first thing I loved about this company was their name!!! I know it caught my attention, and I am sure glad it did. The company prides themselves on their chips that are all natural, gluten free, good source of fiber,trans fat&cholesterol free, and lactose free. Wow that's sounds good to me! They bake the flavor INSIDE the chip to create a new snacking experience. The folks over at Food Should Taste Good said they'd be happy to send a sample of chips my way. Low and behold, a sample consisted of 4 huge bags of chips and 3 smaller bags; all different flavors and all very unique to other chips I have seen. So since they sent soo many good chips, I am splitting this blog post into 2 parts, otherwise it might get on the long side. =) Before I start, check out the nice assortment I recieved--->
*Olive, Multigrain, Sweet Potato, and Jalapeno

*The Works, Buffalo, & Chocolate

When I first tore open the box, I first fell in love with the packaging! It definitely sets itself apart from other chip companies. It's very neat, yet very compelling with the big picture of the chip in the middle.[Studying marketing really opens my eyes to the way companies get us consumers to buy buy buy] I really had a tough time deciding which chip to try first since I have never had many of these flavors in "chip" form. But one thing I noticed about every single chip is that it is a different color, different shape, and different size--thought it was neat! Also these chips aren't for "airy" chip fans, these are some seriously crunchy and dense chips. Perfect canidate for holding up to that bowl of salsa; yum! I decided to just close my eyes and pick a bag--so without further ado, the first contestant is...........
The Works chip: On their website, they claim this chip is the version of a loaded bagel. It has onion, garlic, poppy and caraway seeds. So I was hoping for an abundant poppy seed taste because I loooove poppy seed anything, but unfortunately that was not the case. Instead it was an intense -crunch!- and a plethora of all the above flavors combined. In some ways it reminded my of a Frito Lay chip(but healthier!) These are smaller compared to their other chips, but definitely one that would go good with a turkey(or some other meat)kind of sandwich and some hummus dip.


I was itching to try this one just because I knew I would either really like it or really despise it. (check out the shape/color--kinda like a chocolate bar!) Anyway, this chip took me for a spin. It was not what I expected at all. It wasn't a Hershey kinda chocolate taste, but more a corn chip mixed with just a subtle chocolate bite to it. Not my favorite one of the bunch[that's tomorrow!], but I would still encourage you to give it a shot. I might try and get creative with this. Maybe some PB on top? hmm..
Last chip of the day--the Buffalo chip. First thought: Reminded me of a mini-dorito with the shape and look of it, but no taste resemblance. Instead this was infused with cayenne pepper, garlic and vinegar. It left my mouth zinging like a buffalo wing after I ate one! But their bite to em' is addicting.....I popped a couple more and then decided these would be good at a summer BBQ when your eating celery and some ranch dip. See you tomorrow for another chip chew!

Good for you Goodies: Erin Baker's

The Good for You Goodie:Oatmeal Raisin & Double Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookies + Peanut Butter Granola and Fruit&Nut Granola
The Company:Erin Baker's
The Chew Review: So I'm someone who absolutely loves giving public recognition to smaller companies in hopes that they will explode to something huge; that's how I feel with Erin Baker's. What better way to spread the word than through the blogging world?! They base their company on wholesome baked goods and their promise to customers is they will never add harmful trans fats, high-fructose corn syrups or artificial ingredients in any of their products--sounds pretty darn good to me! But besides having a good company standard, their products are waaay good. They have a BUNCH of hefty breakfast cookies, smaller bite-size cookies, brownie bites, homestyle granola, and even ultra protein granola! =) I can't rave enough about these breakfast cookies; I have never quite tasted something like it, so I can't compare it to a mainstream product. But believe me, in this case, being a unique cookie is a real good thing. So first check out the generous box the Baker's over at Erin's sent me--->
*Top left:Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookie *Top right: Double Chocolate Chunk Bfast Cookie
*Botton left: Fruit & Nut Granola *Bottom right: Peanut Butter granola
I'll start with the Peanut Butter granola-- I've been sampling a lot of granola lately, but this flavor definitely leaves its' own mark. The peanut butter flavor is extremely apparent, but not in an overpowering way..instead it's more of a 'nutty' and 'natural' taste vs. if you took a spoonful of say, Jiffy. But, I have not had tons of peanut butter granola..most recently I tried the Meteor PB granola bites, and they are way sweeter than this. I thought this granola tasted devine in my vanilla yogurt =)
Fruit and Nut granola--Check out the nice texture of this! I am definitely a texture then taste kinda girl, I like checking out the whole appearance before digging in! This granola was an eye and a mouthful! The nuts, the fruit, and the granola were all apparent--no hidden ingredients here. There was walnuts, raisins annnd cranberries all mixed up with a subtle hint of coconut! Yes, all that in one package. And another good thing about granola; the possibilties are literally endless. Erin Baker's can help beautify your grand granola creations! Check out their other flavors too.Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookie: I tried to write a review while eating this, but I couldn't simply because my mouth was full and I kept saying "Mmm" and looking at the package because I couldn't believe it was actually good for you! Then I had to zoom to their website to see about ordering some more of these. I have always been a die-hard oatmeal raisin cookie fan since I was knee high, but unfortunately baking your own can sometimes produce unpredictable results. Maybe too many raisins in half the batch, not enough in the other, or you overbaked them...now you can just have Erin Baker's do all the work to satisfy your craving! But even when you do bake your own, do you ever lick the bowl[C'mon you can tell me ;)] The first thought upon biting into this was: WOW it tastes like fresh and chewy cookie dough straight from the bowl 8-) It's a very oaty texture, very chewy, and verry satisfying.
Double Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookie: This had a similar texture to the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie; dense, chewy, and satisfying. Upon the first bite, I thought "Chocolate!"--more like double chocolate as the name implies. This one tasted like brownie batter. Honestly; I loove these. It also had tons of chocolate chips, but they balance out nicely. Another one to try for sure!

Good for You Goodies: Holey Donuts

*The Good for You Goodie: Assorted donuts, donut holes, and cinnamon buns.


*The Company:Holey Donuts



*My Chew Review: When I think of donut companies, I tend to think of Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme. And when I think of donuts I generally think of them as a once in awhile treat that really isn't all that good for you. They can be loaded with unhealthy trans fats, artificial sweetners, and all that other not so good for you stuff. So what if I told you there's a company that provides donuts free of trans fats, artificial sweetners, etc. You'd probably say, "Ok, but I prefer a real donut, not some cardboard fake donut." But remember guys, this feature is called Good for you Goodies, stressing the "good" factor as being good tasting and good for you. Holey smokes I think I found a winner people! Holey Donuts is a company I discovered online(and really everyone SHOULD know about it), and they so graciously offered to send a sample my way. Fortunately, their sample stocked my whole freezer with tons of tantalizing donuts. I have been eating donuts almost every day for the past week--guilt free! And in no way could I tell the difference between their healthy donuts and a standard everyday donut. You could have literally blindfolded me and there's not a difference. Other than the Holey Donuts need to be kept in the freezer upon arrival and microwaved or thawed at room temp before consumption. They have a huge selection of donuts, donut holes, and even cinnamon buns for all you Cinnabon fans, and their prices are suprisingly cheap for all the work they go through to make these suckers healthy for consumers. The donuts are made by hand and require 22! steps till they are shipped out to you. Talk about major company dedication, eh? I could not rave enough about these and their distinct yet comparable taste to a unhealthy donut. So scroll down to view my thoughts, and ohh you can drool at the glorious donuts too!

*Low Fat Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes
Let's just say, good things can come in small packages! They may be small, but once I popped em' the microwave, a warm cinnamon scent lingered as I bit into it. I wasn't sure what to expect with a "low fat" donut, but this was exactly like I was at Cinnabon, in a smaller, perfect for after lunch dessert. If you like cake donuts in a donut hole shape with a layer of sweet icing and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, I suggest you get these stat!

*From left to right--Raspberry Graham Cracker, Coconut Cream Pie, Banana Cream Oreo Cookie
Unfortunately the Raspberry Graham Cracker donut has not been tested yet; so many donuts, so little time!(But I will update when I do try it!) The Coconut Cream Pie was filled with a decadent bavarian creme filling of some sort topped with a hefty layer of frosting topped with a generous amount of coconut, for a nice tropical touch! And finally the Oreo one is not skimping on Oreos at all. Since no one in my house(including myself)is too fond of Oreos(my dad likes em', but he won't eat a donut unless it's completely chocolate--grr!), so I enlisted my grandpa to test this one out for ya guys. He said it was great! I liked his little twist--he left it out to thaw and when he ate it the inside was still a bit frozen and he said he liked it that way because it was more like an ice cream sandwich--now that's what I'm talkin about! Plus I like how they incorporated both Oreo and banana for an insane good taste.

From left to right: Low Fat Caramel Crumb, Low Fat Vanilla Crumb & Low Fat Chocolate Crumb
These were all basically the same as far as texture goes. But each had a little different taste to them of course. The picture really doesn't do justice, because they are still in a frozen state. Any ways, when you pop em' in the microwave, the topping magically turns to a thick flavored icing topped with a really fun crumb layer! It totally makes the donut! Rather than having just a icing, the crumb is what makes it more fun!

Jumbo Reduced Fat Cinnamon Buns

Okay, the peeps over at Holey Donuts are not lying when they state that these buns are JUMBO. One could easily be split in two and provide a great snack or dessert. The secret of these buns, which is why they can't be compared to Cinnabon, is that they replace all the icky bad-for-you stuff in the bun with an apple/spice filling! Definitely a new twist for your cinnamon bun taste buds, but heck, it's actually better! I need to get the recipe...or just buy some =)

I'll leave ya with this last bit; a bit of donut that is! It's a peek inside the Vanilla Crumb donut after it's been microwaved and before I devour it. Check out that hefty texture and that ooey gooey topping. Now stop dreaming and go order a dozen..or two!

Good for You Goodies Kickoff: SweetRiot

I've been gearing up for my first big blog feature for about two months now, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together! Not really sure how long the feature will run, probably about a month. Monday-Fridays I will be chewin' to review, and the weekends I will mix it up a little. So sit back, relax, and enjoy all the Good for you Goodies.

The Good for you Goodie: 3 flavors of yummy chocolate-covered cacao

The Company:SweetRiot

My Chew Review: What initially attracted me to this website was that they used all-natural healthy ingredients and chocolate in the same sentence! I am not the biggest die-hard chocolate fan out there, I would truthfully rather have a fresh fruit platter than something like a Snicker's bar, but these seemed to be calling my name. I was so excited to recieve 3 tins of the chocolate-covered cacao "peaces". These tins are also a treat--they are decorated by artists that submit their artwork and you can even submit yours on their website! How cool right?! I also really liked the size of the tin because it's perfect for easy carrying in my purse. Once the tin is empty, SweetRiot provides different ways to reuse it such as for: vitamins, bandaids, bobby pins, jewelery, gadget cables, etc. Talk about reduce, reuse, and recycle; thumbs up for that! Now onto the chew--I will start with the tin of Flavor 50, roasted Cacao Nibs covered in 50% dark chocolate. When I opened the tin, I could immediately smell a chocolately aroma, which made me pour out a couple more than just one =) First thought? Yum! It reminded me of a chocolate covered rice krispie textured morsel. This flavor is definitely for the milk chocolate fans (myself included) because it has a much lighter chocolate taste then the next two contestants. Flavor 65 is roasted Cacao Nibs covered in 65% dark chocolate. The 15% chocolate boost was definitely noticeable; these are for the devote chocolate fans who really like the more "raw" chocolate taste. Now I thought Flavor 70 would be too much chocolate for me to handle, but when I checked out the tin I noticed this flavor contained a hint of espresso! The espresso balanced out the 70% dark chocolate taste perfectly!

Overall Opinion: Not only is the company really cool, but they just scored a new customer--me! I love that they're perfectly easy to bring along, and they're the perfect chocolate craving buster. Make sure to check out their website(the link is above)to see all the other things they have to offer. p.s. I heard these little gems are making their way around with some Hollywood stars too. Cooool!

It's Totally Tofu =)

Hey everyone! Sorry I have been gone the past couple of days! I had to move back to college after a lovely week back home. I really enjoyed my time with the fam just hanging out, playing games, and basically savoring our time together which seemed too short. =( But thankfully college keeps me busy busy busy so that the time will go by faster till I get to go home to a comfy bed and cuddly pets once again! Anyhoo..then I got back to college, turned on my laptop, and it would not take a charge! My laptop is about 2 years old, so I started freaking out that the battery was shot! After settling down and some talk with a technically inclined family friend, the problem was my adapter cord was at the end of its' life =( With a giant paper due Tuesday that was on my laptop along with other important parts of my life (why is technology so great, yet so stressful?!), my mom decided to play Superwoman once again (she is truely the best mom ever!), her and my aunt drove 3 hours with a new adapter from Best Buy and delivered it to me at 11 pm. Talk about major life saver--I know I thanked you a gazillion times, but thanks again mom!
Now onto some housekeeping(blogkeeping?)details for what's up for the coming week. Tomorrow is Monday and that means it's the official kick off of my blog feature "Good for you Goodies" and "Good for you Goods" reviews. I have tons of beyond awesome companies that so generously donated products that I scoped out to feature. I have been receiving packages upon packages, and tasting many new foods which is always a pleasure! Thanks again to all the companies and your willingness to participate =) The feature is basically goodies that are great tasting as well as nourishing for your body, and also some things besides snacks in the good for you goods. Each day I will reveal a product from a company, provide a picture, and a run down of what I thought. It's pretty much a chew review. So if you're in the market for some new products, you may just want to tune in. I am soooo excited to do this. So I will leave you with a new recipe I tried this past week. Perfect lunch or light meal. Have a great night!

Tofu-licious Bowl

Ingredients:

1 package tofu shirataki noodles

Desired amount of your favorite pasta sauce

Tofu, cubed (I used Italian-Herb marinated)

Assorted steamed veggies, chooped (I used zucchini, various peppers, & mushrooms)

Pineapple**

Seasonings of your choice

Directions:

Prep noodles.(read packaging for instructions)

Meanwhile steam the vegetables, and while they're steaming, chop the tofu into cubes. Pour the sauce on the noodles and top with veggies, pineapple, and tofu. Sprinkle cheese if desired.

**The pineapple may seem like an odd addition; but trust me it totally adds a tropical twist to this dish!

The Best Berry Crumble Cake

Don't you just love when you come up with your own recipe creation and it is a total success?! That's what happened to me yesterday when I had the goal of using up some fruit that was on the verge of rotting, but still perfectly edible. I have found that overly ripe fruit is actually better for baking! It gives the piece a more moist texture and the flavor of it just seems to ooze within! I started with a base recipe that is pretty special to me. If you've never heard of the Apple Festival in Bayfield, Wisconsin, it takes place every October and thousands of people crowd the streets of the quaint Lake Superior village of Bayfield. I absolutely love the town! It reminds me of a city on the east coast, but really it's just a few hours east of my town. Everything is obviously themed around apples, hence the "Apple Fest". Every kind of food imaginable infused with apples, and for about a month after the festival your still eating fresh apples picked from the orchards, and then for the rest of the year your pretty much appled out. It turned out we couldn't finish the 4 or so bags of apples we bought, but I happened to snag a family recipe from the lady at the orchard. I looove getting family tradition recipes, because they're almost guaranteed to be delicious since they've been passed down from generation to generation. They had an apple cake with cream cheese frosting and once we had a piece we couldn't stop ooo'ing and ahh'ing over the moistness and robust flavor. So I was thrilled when she offered to write down the recipe for me! Right when I got home I made it and to my delite, it turned out just as good! So not that I wanted to totally change this recipe when I made it this time, but I wanted to adapt it to the ingredients I needed to use. And I thought why not try and make a great recipe even better? Turns out I did! Instead of the standard 2 cups of white sugar, I used 1 1/2 and then 1/2 cup of brown sugar to add more of a maple flavor. Then I took the 4 C apple, decreased it to 3C, added 1/2 C of blueberries, and then instead of 2 TSP. cinnamon, I decreased it to 1 TSP. and added 1/2 C of Cinnamon chips I have been wanting to use up; these made a heck of a difference! Ooey and gooey and cinnamony all at once =) Then I topped it off with 1/2 C of chopped walnuts for the subtle crunch factor. Not only did this make the house smell outrageously good, it was gone within 2 days!(My mom brought it to her office at work!) This is a crumbly cake, and I decided to bake it in a bundt cake as opposed to the standard 9 X 13, but you can bake it in whatever pan you have handy. Also, I think this would be even better with a dollop of whipped cream, or some ice cream sounds even better! Please don't pass up this cake! It's a winner!

Mixing it all up

Chopping up the apples

The extra "yum" factor!

In the oven it goes....Beautiful and delicious result!

Check out the texture of this!!!!

The Recipe for my Best Berry Crumble Cake
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 C cooking oil
1 1/2 granulated sugar+ 1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C flour
1/2 C nuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 C apples, chopped
1/2 C whole blueberries
1/2 C Hershey's Cinnamon Chips
Drizzle(optional): 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1.5 Tbsp melted butter, 1/2 C powdered sugar
Directions:
Beat eggs and oil until foamy. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix in cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Then add flour and mix until well-blended. Then add apples, blueberries, nuts, and cinnamon chips. Bake in a bundt pan, or 9 x13 pan that is well greased on 350 F for 50-60 minutes.
Icing: Mix all ingredients together and drizzle over cake while still warm.

Oh Me,Oh My--It's Shepherd's Pie!

Today I wanted to share a recipe my family loves in hopes that yours will too! It's the classic Shepherd's Pie, but is perfect for the time-crunched people(because it uses a major shortcut food), and it's also perfect for those of us that are definitely feeling the strain of rising grocery prices.(I made this meal for exactly $6.59) It's cool how when you get creative you can make a cheap & tasty meal! I like using a few "secret" ingredients to jazz it up a bit, but overall this recipe is extremely versatile. You can swap in other veggies, use turkey or soy crumbles instead of beef, and go all out with seasoning to your tastes. So I urge you to try this; you won't be disappointed & it won't leave a hole in your wallet. =)
Snappy Sheperd's Pie
Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb lean ground beef, turkey, or soy crumbles
1 can corn(and I used just a tad of leftover canned peas this time)
*any other canned veggies you want
1 tub of pre-made mashed potatoes(found in your grocers refrigerated section)
*Seasonings/Sauces I use: Pepper, Garlic Powder, Ketchup(1 TBSP), Worcestershire Sauce(1 TBSP), Italian Seasoning (again, you can use what suites your taste)
*Cheese is optional also, I just put some Cheddar on half of the pie.
Directions:
1)Preheat oven to 400 F.Cook beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Add desired seasonings and sauces.
2)Strain beef so all liquid is gone, then spread into a 9 x 11 pan. Top with even layers of desired veggies, then spread mashed potatoes over the top.
3)Once oven is preheated, place the shepherd's pie(covered with tinfoil)to cook for 30-35 minutes until edges start to brown. Once done, turn broiler on high and remove tinfoil from pan. Place cheese on pie if desired, place under broiler for about 1-1/2 min. until potatoes start to crisp and cheese is bubbly.
4)Enjoy!!

Whole Foods Treats Revealed

The picture above highlights the appearance of snow. Again. It seems every March we are on the road to spring and then we get blasted with some kind of ridiculous amount of snow. This picture was just the beginning, but we ended up with about 8 inches. Besides that, the windchill was reported at -30. Even the national Weather Channel paid a visit an hour north of my town. Crazy! On a good note, I am revealing what was rolled inside my lunch dessert yesterday! Check out the pic below--Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams! As soon as I saw it on the shelf at Whole Foods, I immediately knew I was not leaving without it. I have seen it floating around the blog world for awhile now, and have read nothing but great reviews. So I will add my review also--Upon opening it, I noticed it smelled like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and to my delight, it tasted like one too! The perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter. My cat Peach even seemed enticed by the wonderful jar! Isn't he the cutest?! I also picked up a couple various packets of Justin's Nut Butter & a pack of his almond butter as well. But I already packed them up to come back to college with me, so sorry, no picture! But there is a picture below of the rest of the goodies I picked up.

More Imagine soup! I swear this stuff is like homemade soup, and with a little bit of your own seasonings in it, it's beyond good! I got the Creamy Butternut Squash and the Creamy Red Bliss Potato. They don't carry those kinds in grocery stores around here yet, so I need to make these last!! Next up, I got some Italian marinated tofu squares which I already added to a really good recipe I'll be posting some time this week. Then I got some Harvest Apple Chicken Sausages. I thought they sounded delish and I will soon find out! =) Last but not least, I got a giant tub of 0% Greek Yogurt. Like I said yesterday, it's my first time trying it out, and I loved the consistency of it! I read an article saying once you try Greek yogurt, you'll never go back to regular yogurt. I can see where that can be true! What are some of your favorite ways to use Greek Yogurt? So far I've just used it as a mayo swap! Any other great ideas?? Anyway, I am off to go do some laundry and just relax again. I love the slower pace of home life vs. the crazy life of college, but a little of both makes my life complete! Have a great day--and hopefully the weather in your neck of the woods is MUCH better than mine.

Home Sweet Home!

Hello everyone! I am back after my really fun vacation! I am totally shopped out; who knew that was possible! But we thrifted the whole weekend, so it wasn't bad for the economy & plus thrifting=recycling which is good for the earth. We also went to Mall of America specifically for ice cream and to people watch. I've been there so many times and it's usually so busy that it's not really fit for quality shopping. We stayed at the LivInn Suites and it was a really nice hotel. Here's a picture of where I ate breakfast every morning.

Well then I found out my camera battery was dead which was pretty sad because I couldn't get any pictures of all my great eats. We ate at Old Country Buffett the first night in St.Cloud. I had salmon,1/2 bake potato chopped up & I mixed it with steamed cabbage, then I had steamed carrots, and a giant salad with the works to finish it off! Tasted like a home cooked meal =) Then the 2nd night we ate at Denny's and I had my standard chicken breast with steamed veggies and a salad. Another great one! And my highlight of that was winning a cute bunny out of the claw machine--I am a pro ha ha. On the way home we just hit up Subway but I did try their new 9 grain wheat bread and it was way better than their old standard wheat. Of course every night we had glorious ice cream too! So now I am finally back to my real home. I was greeted by my happy bulldog and fuzzy cat, and a couple big boxes that came in the mail! Some really good samples that I am keeping a surprise for just a few more days, so hang in there! ;-) I got to go to Whole Foods for the first time and I was very impressed! (Besided the pungent smell of fresh fish that eventually faded!) I spent about an hour browsing and filling the cart. =P Tomorrow I will reveal what I bought!!!! It's yummy stuff. I've already snacked on a little bit of it--but can you blame me?! Anyway, today I got right in the kitchen and whipped up a lunch for my mom and I. My inspiration was from Kath and her Cabbage Cups ,but I did a little different twist to use up things we had here. BTW, this is my first time eating Greek Yogurt! No where near me sells it, so I knew I had to get it when I could. What a great mayo/sauce swap!
Cassie's Cabbage Rolls For Two-> *2 Steamed Cabbage "Cups" *2 Tbsp 0% Greek Yogurt *Handful of Apple Slices, Chopped *Handful of Red/Green Grapes, Chopped *4 Slices Shaved Turkey Breast *Sprinkle of Romano Cheese(or any cheese you want, or no cheese like me!) First, steam the cabbage "cups". I used a Ziploc Steam Bag. Chop the fruit and mix with the yogurt. Place the turkey in the cups then add the fruit/yogurt mixture on top. Add the cheese, wrap it up, and chow down! It tasted like a refreshing spring meal!

Then on the side we had another Imagine soup flavor. This time I tried out the cream of broccoli, which I did not like nearly as much as the previous tomato soup I reviewed, but it was still a great side soup. Then for a little after lunch treat, I made us these.......

Now these may look boring. But there is something GLORIOUS wrapped away inside. I will tell you--tomorrow! Have a glorious Tuesday bloggies!

A Glimpse Into the Future--Farewell for Now!

Hey everyone! Don't panic--I am not leaving for good, or even for a long time, but just for a couple days! I will be back full-time on Monday. Why am I leaving? I'm going on my girl's weekend spring break trip! I cannot wait; then I head home and get a whole kitchen to myself FINALLY! So I figured I'd leave you with a little glimpse into the future of my blog upon my return! =)

*I get to go to Whole Foods for the first time and will come back with plenty of new food finds to share!

*My "Good for you Goodies" & "Good for you Goods" special will be going on full blast. I have some great companies submitting tons of drool-worthy candy,chips,baked goods,etc. that are healthy for you! I will be munching and munching some more and reporting every nook and cranny to all y'all! So you'll definitely want to stay tune for that.

*New restaurant reviews from my spring break trip.

*A whole week of new recipe creations & baking when I get back in my beloved kitchen.

So I wish you all a great week & I can't wait to catch up again on Monday!

Tip Talk Tuesday

Another Tuesday, and some more tips for you! These days with all the recession talk and such, many people are finding it hard to shell out big bucks on groceries. Yes, coupons are helpful in saving here and there, but sometimes you just need a certain ingredient to make the dish perfect. Or do you? I've got some recipe substitutions for foods that can be spendy and now you can use household staples instead. Save on cash & save yourself a headache!
Replace red wine with-->Pure cranberry juice
Replace white wine with-->White grape juice or apple juice
Replace mascarpone with-->Cream cheese mixed with a bit of heavy cream
Replace buttermilk(1 C) with-->1 cup milk+1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar(let stand for 10 min)
Replace creme fraiche(1 C) with-->1/2 C sour cream mixed with 1/2 C heavy cream
Replace edamame with-->Green peas or black-eyed peas
Replace maple syrup with-->Brown sugar with a little water
Replace molasses with-->Honey
Replace cake flour(1 C) with-->1 C all-purpose flour minus 2 Tbsp
Replace macadamia nuts with-->Walnuts, almonds, or cashews
Replace fresh herbs(1 Tbsp) with-->1 tsp. dried herbs
Replace allspice(1 Tbsp) with-->1 tsp. cinnamon+1 tsp.nutmeg+1 tsp. ground cloves
Replace unsweetened chocolate with-->3 Tbsp cocoa powder+1 Tbsp unsalted butter, per oz
Replace vanilla beans with-->1 tsp. vanilla extract per inch of bean
Replace chives with-->Scallion greens
Replace boneless, skinless chicken breasts with-->Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

A Monday Mix

Today's post is a mix of things I've collected over the weekend to share..
[[First Up]]A couple cool things going on in the blog world.
*There is an official blogger cookbook being made! How do you get your copy? Well first off, you need to have a food or recipe blog and you need to submit 5 of your best and healthy recipes with or without pictures. Yup, that's all! Otherwise it's free as long as you contribute. Once it's put together, it will be distributed via the computer(so you'll get an e-copy)and then you'll have all of the best blog recipes in one spot! Talk about convenient. So head on over here to join in on all the fun.
*2nd on the list of fun things is a giveaway! Who doesn't like giveaways right, especially when it's food! here is the link to win Simply Bars which look delish!
[[Next Up]]
Yesterday as I was sitting at the laundromat watching my clothes go round-and-round, smelling the fresh scent of laundry detergent,blah,blah..I was reading the newspaper and like I always do, turned to the food section first. An article really caught my attention & I thought I should share!!
Super size Trend Finds Its Way to Cookbooks
It's not just fast-food restaurants that have super sized the way Americans eat--cookbooks share the blame! So-called portion distortion, the trend of eating larger and larger servings is as much a problem with recipes as it is with restaurants. The study done by Annals of Internal Medicine found that classic recipes have changed tremendously in the past 70 years. There has been a 40% increase in calories per serving for nearly every recipe reviewed, which equals about 77 extra calories. The study identified the trend in numerous cookbooks, but focused on "Joy of Cooking" first published in the '30s and regularly updated with new editions since then, most recently in 2006. Of the 18 recipes published in all 7 editions, 17 increased calories per serving & larger portion sizes. Only the chili con carne recipe remained unchanged, but their chicken gumbo, however, went from making 14 servings at 228 calories each in the 1936 edition, to making 10 servings at 576 calories in the 2006 version. It is still a fact though that most Americans get their share of excess calories outside of the home. The increase in restaurant portions started in the '70's.
I found this a little shocking, considering McDonald's and other fast food joints are always targeted for "super sizing" and the "Whopper" deals, etc. But now it just goes to show it's not all on restaurants. Most importantly, I think it's just about being in tune to your hunger and knowing when to put the fork down. What do you guys think? Can this cookbook phenomenon be considered an added marker to obesity epidemic, or is it really all about being aware of nutritional values, the food on your plate,etc?

A Few Sunday Food Reviews

For me, the weekend is always a good time to try out new food products because I actually have the time to sit down, relax, eat & critique! And this weekend I was in the need for some warm soup due to the still freezing & way below temp averages here in the grand MN land.(not) Do you ever find yourself craving that homemade soup taste, but you don't have the time and/or ambition to get out the Dutch oven and start from scratch? Sometimes I find myself in that boat, but am usually disappointed by the soup I get from a can. Yes, there is some good ones out there, but I can't seem to get past the "salty can taste" as I like to call it. So when I was grocery shopping I noticed this carton of Imagine Organic Creamy Tomato Soup. It was four something a box, but my luck, it was on sale for half of that! So I figured why not give it a shot? The ingredients list was very nice--Filtered water, organic tomatoes, organic onions, organic rice syrup, organic celery, sea salt, organic pressed sunflower oil, organic spices, and organic garlic powder. Pretty basic stuff--nothing I couldn't pronounce and no foreign words! So I poured myself a bowl, popped it in the microwave, then immediately dipped my spoon in for the test. Let's just say I was not at all disappointed! This blows Campbell's Tomato Soup to the ground when it comes taste and nutrition. I am definitely going back to buy up some more to bring home for spring break and to share with my fam! The Imagine line also makes a slew of other creamy vegetable soups. Some that I saw were creamy broccoli, creamy butternut squash, and creamy sweet corn! Getting your veggies never tasted so good in my opinion!























Now onto another review of 7UP Diet Cherry Antioxidant Plus. I have been seeing this around the internet for a couple weeks and have constantly been on the lookout for it, so when I spotted it on the shelves at Wal-Mart, I plopped a 12-pack in my cart. I prefer bottled pop(no clue why), but they were not offered in the bottles, so I took what I could get! Unfortunately, it wasn't on sale, so I did end up paying the price of $3.98, which is a little much, but I was just hoping it would be good. And.....it was! Not the best flavor of pop ever. My favorite is still Diet Code Red Mt. Dew when it comes to super fruity flavors, but if I am getting antioxidants(which is healthy of course)when drinking diet pop(which some people claim is not healthy), it seems to be a balance of both good & evil so who can go wrong?! =) If you like the taste of 7UP spiked with an intense cherry flavored fizz, then no doubt, check this out!