You Fresh Naturals

Most of you know that I am a HUGE nut butter addict and a few weeks ago Jay from You Fresh Naturals was kind enough to send me a jar to try.  I received cinnamon pecan and base of this butter is almonds and unsweetened coconut.  This product is made from one hundred percent natural ingredients and is gluten free, paleo friendly and one hundred percent vegan!  Ingredients include: Almonds, Organic Coconut, Organic Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, Organic Coconut Sugar, and Coconut Oil.  This is hands down one of the most unique and delicious nut butters I have tried, absolutely delicious.  I caught myself eating it straight out of the jar several times and have no regrets!  If you love nut butter as much as I do, please check out their website at www.youfreshnaturals.com and get yourself a jar ASAP!

Buff Bake

My absolute favorite food is nut butter, all kinds, all flavors, give em to me!  A few weeks back I received a little package from Buff Bake.  Snicker-doodle almond butter…..my eyes instantly lit up.  The absolute perfect combo!  I finished this jar way too fast but I guess that says a lot right?   This stuff is delicious and packed with a ton of protein and healthy fats.  With about 100 calories per tablespoon this nut butter is great on top of rice cakes, toast, protein pancakes, sweet potatoes, or even in your favorite smoothie or shake.  Ingredients include almonds, all natural whey protein, cinnamon, organic coconut sugar, chia seed, hemp seed, flax seed, organic palm fruit oil and vanilla.  It’s not everyday that you come across a flavored nut butter that is made from one hundred percent all natural ingredients.  With about 7 grams of protein a tablespoon and great flavor I highly recommend trying this out! Visit www.buffbake.com and pick up a jar today!

 

 

Krave Bar Review

A few weeks ago Steven at Krave Protein Bars gave me the opportunity to sample one of their delicious protein bars in exchange for a review.  The bar that I was given to sample was Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch. He read my mind on this one because anything that involves peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite. These bars are great because they are high in fiber and low in carbs, not to mention they are packed with 20 grams of protein.  They are made with all natural ingredients including whey protein, natural peanut butter and sweeteners.  Krave Protein Bars are soft and not too chewy or sweet.  The consistency is over all perfect and a great meal replacement or mid-day snack in between meals.  This bar kept me full for a very long  time and I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite! If you are looking for a protein bar that tastes great, is all natural and low in carbohydrates I highly recommend checking these out! For more information on Krave Protein Bars click this link–> http://www.purefitnessnutrition.com/

NaturAlmond Review

A few days ago I received a tiny little package in the mail from Jaime at NaturAlmond.  I was lucky enough to sample a jar of their maple caramel almond butter.  Let me tell you this stuff is absolute heaven in a jar!  It’s rich and full of flavor.  Great paired with fruit, toast, waffles, crackers, yogurt you name it!  Not only is it delicious but it’s loaded with nutrition.   All of their products are made with no added sugars or preservatives.

I’ve always been a big peanut butter fan but over the last year I have discovered many healthy alternatives, one of them being almond butter.   Almond butter is equally as delicious and much more nutritious.  Almonds are great for your heart, lower blood pressure, control blood sugar, are rich in antioxidants,  and help with weight control.   NaturAlmond is hands down of the best all natural nut butters I have tried and I highly recommend their product.  They offer four flavors including; original, honey roasted, maple caramel, and salt free.   All of their products can be purchased online at www.naturalmond.com .  So head over to their website and check them out, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

 

EK Choc Review

The wonderful people at Artisana sent me a little package of their brand new products called EK Choc.  They are 100% raw cacao spreads and are made from Venezuelan cacao criollo which is the highest regarded premium cacao from the best cacao beans in the world.   These spreads are boosted with herbs, antioxidants and hazelnuts for added nutty flavor.  These spreads are a great alternative to nutella which is loaded with processed ingredients and added sugar.  The flavors available include cardamon, vanilla, strawberry, rose, and licorice.  My two favorites were the vanilla and strawberry, not too sweet and full of flavor.  These spreads are perfect spread on a rice cake for a quick snack, added to oatmeal, toast you name it!  For more information on this awesome new products made by Artisana check out their website at www.artisanafoods.com

 

 

 

 

White Chocolate Raspberry

If you’re reading this you should already know how big of a Quest fan I am.   A few weeks back Quest Nutrition was so kind and sent me out a box of their new flavor White Chocolate Raspberry.  Let me just say this…amazing!  This company continues to amaze me with every fantastic flavor they come up with, but this one is definitely makes my top 4.  The best part are the big chunks of sweet white chocolate and guess what? They’re 100% guilt free and perfect for anyone trying to watch their sugar intake and up their protein.  A whole 20 grams of protein per bar and only 5 net carbs!  These are also great warmed up in the microwave for 20 seconds or baked in the oven at 350 for 5 min.  They’re perfect for a quick on the go snack or post work-out.  Check out all of Quests great products at www.questproteinbar.com  

 

Coconut Secret Review

About a month or so ago I received an awesome package from Lena at Coconut Secret and I fell in love.  The package included coconut nectar, coconut aminos and an organic almond coconut bar.  First off the coconut nectar is great it has a very unique flavor and a little goes a long way.  Coconut nectar is a great substitute for maple syrup, agave and honey and has alot less sugar as well as a lower glycemic index.  I use it on my pancakes, toast with nut butter, and sometimes even in my oatmeal.  The only downside there is to this stuff is that is very very sticky, almost like a sap but regardless its still a great healthy alternative to cane sugar.  Coconut aminos have seventeen naturally occurring amino acids and is a great sub for soy sauce which is packed with sodium.  Coconut aminos only have 113mg of sodium in one tsp compared to soy sauce which can have as much as 1,000mg in one tbsp.  I refuse to eat my chicken for dinner anymore without this stuff, its addictive!  It’s also great in salads, marinades and stir frys.  Last but not least the almond coconut bar was unbelievable it was literally love at first bite not to mention it is extremely low in carbohydrates, sugar, and sodium.  I’d like to thank Lena for the generous package!  For more information on all of the fantastic products Coconut Secret has to offer check them out at www.coconutsecret.com 

Quest Cravings Review

 

A few months back Quest being the awesome company that they are sent me a couple boxes of their new line Quest Cravings.  One box was the chocolate crunch bar and the other were peanut butter cups.  I am a huge fan of both of these products! They taste absolutely amazing and their nutrition facts are awesome.  The chocolate crunch bar has the perfect amount of chocolate and it isn’t too sweet.  These are great crumbled onto some non-fat Greek yogurt.  One bar has 200 calories, five grams of active carbs, twenty grams of protein and they contain no sugar.  The new and improved peanut butter cups are highly..highly addictive and one hundred percent guilt free.  Two peanut butter cups contain 240 calories, four grams of active carbs, and twenty grams of protein.  So if you’re a complete peanut butter addict like myself check these out at www.questnutrition.com  and like them on facebook! www.facebook.com/questnutrition

reviews.reviews.reviews

OK so I literally have not a chance to breathe the past month! School and multiple reasons of stress have made the blog take a backseat but I had a little spare time today to write a quick post!  Over the past month I have received a ton of samples to review and they were all great.  Just want to thank all the companies that were so generous.  Including: Way Better Snacks, Simply7, Navitas, and Manitoba Harvest.

 

Way Better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simply Sprouted Way Better Snacks are some of the best “healthy” snacks I have tried in a long time.  I’m constantly reading labels seeing what is put into my food and these are nothing but the real deal.  They were very generous and sent me a huge box filled with every flavor they make.  The flavors include simply sunny multi-grain, unbeatable blues, sweet potato, sweet chili, no salt naked blues, and simply beyond black bean. 

All of the chips tasted great and had a nice crunch but my two favorites were sweet potato and sweet chili. Not only do these chips taste good but they are good for you! Sprouting has been known to enhance the bio-availability of nutrients and aid in digestion.  Every serving has a great amount of omega 3 essential fatty acids and a  whopping 17 grams of whole grains.

The main benefits of sprouting include:

• increased vitamins and minerals
• increased antioxidants
• increased digestibility
• increased nutrient absorption

For more information about the company and the many health benefits of eating sprouted foods check out their website at www.gowaybetter.com 

 

Simply7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The company Simply7 sent me out a MASSIVE box of their awesome chips! Three different types and eleven great flavors!  Pomegranate, hummus, and lentil are the three types of chips they make at Simply7 made from all natural ingredients with zero trans-fats, artificial colors or preservatives.  Not to mention they are gluten free and vegetarian friendly.  Pomegranate chips come in three flavors including: white cheddar (my favorite), black pepper and sea salt.  I’m not going to lie when I saw pomegranate chips in the box I was a bit skeptical but I must say they were delicious! The taste of pomegranate was very faint but just enough for that extra punch and sweetness!  The hummus chips come in three flavors including: sea salt, spicy chili pepper, tomato basil, and roasted red pepper.  I really enjoyed the hummus chips as well and my favorite flavor would have to be the roasted red pepper, a must try.  It instantly reminded me of eating pita chips with roasted red pepper hummus except it was a million times better!   The lentil chips come in three flavors including: sea salt, bruschetta, creamy dill, and jalapeno.  The lentil were my least favorite out the three different kinds but still overall very good!  My favorite flavor was the bruschetta, you instantly recognize the taste of tomato followed by fresh basil.  For more information about this company and their products go to www.simply7snacks.com.

 

Navitas Naturals 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Navita’s Naturals sent me out a bag of cacao goji super-food power snacks and a small bag of mulberries.  The power snacks are made from  date paste, cacao powder, chia seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds, goji berry powder, maca powder, lucuma powder, camu camu powder, and chocolate flavor.  These little bites of energy are crunchy from the various seeds and slightly sweet from the dates.  I would not consider these a sweet, candy like snack but they are definitely good for some quick long lasting energy.  This was my first time trying mulberries and when I opened the bag I was a bit scared but the taste didn’t disappoint! They remind me of golden raisins but I would pick these over raisins any day!  Not to mention they are a true super-food and one of the few fruits to be considered a protein source.  There are about 3 grams of protein per ounce and they are an excellent source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, and fiber.  Recent studies have shown that regular consumption of this special antioxidant helps promote a healthy heart and longevity.  You can add this sweet super-food to oatmeal, pancakes, smoothies, yogurt and trail mix.  Navitas makes a ton of great super-food products so check them out at www.navitasnaturals.com

 

Manitoba Harvest 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks back Sarah from Manitoba Harvest was so kind and sent me out two big bags of hemp hearts including original and organic.  This was my first time trying hemp-seeds and I am now a BIG fan.  Hemp-seeds have a slight nutty taste that is simply delicious.  They paired perfectly with lots of my breakfasts the past month and I totally recommend giving hemp a try not only because they taste great but they have a ton of health benefits.  They pack a powerful amount of protein and omegas.  A 30g serving contain 10g of easy to digest protein, 10g of omegas and many more minerals!

I am currently obsessed with topping my waffles and pancakes with hemphearts!

Thank you Manitoba Harvest!

Check out them out at www.manitobaharvest.com 

Like them on Facebook & Follow them on Twitter!

Quest Bar Review!

So a few weeks ago Quest Nutrition was so kind and sent me a box of their amazing protein bars to try!  I want to to give them a big THANK YOU for providing me with these amazing bars because quite honestly they are probably the best I have ever had! No joke!  The box included all of their delicious flavors including: chocolate brownie, apple pie, cinnamon roll, strawberry cheesecake, lemon cream pie, chocolate peanut butter, vanilla almond crunch, coconut cashew, mixed berry bliss, peanut butter supreme, and peanut butter and jelly.

Each flavor was on point with flavor and they all tasted great! The secret to making these bars taste even better is popping them in the microwave for about 20 seconds…you end up with a warm, soft brownie like treat! To die for!  I usually had a bar after a hard workout or after dinner as a treat.  Whats so great about these bars that make them so guilt free is their extremely high fiber low carbohydrate content.  Each bar has around 17-18 grams of fiber leaving each bar with anywhere from 2-6 active carbs.  Not to mention a whopping 20grams of protein packed into these babies!

May not be the prettiest of pictures but this was the apple pie flavor that I broke in half and popped in the microwave.  Literally tasted like a warm apple pie..so so good! Definitely one of my favorite flavors.

Another favorite! I am a peanut butter addict and I’m a female who loves chocolate so this was perfect!

Cinnamon roll is a microwave must! Once again the flavor did not let me down! I picked up a box of this flavor they had my local vitamin shoppe last week..worth every penny!

Vanilla almond crunch was not one of my favorites but it was still delicious!

Peanut butter and jelly was absolutely amazing! Tasted exactly like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and had my taste buds dancing.  Now that  I have tried these bars..I have fallen in love! I highly recommend Quest Bars to anyone who is watching their carb intake, looking for a good source of protein after a workout, or just looking for a guiltless treat!  These bars can be purchased at your local vitamin shoppe, GNC store, or online at www.questproteinbar.com

So go give them a try!  I promise you won’t be dissapointed!