Bakery on Main - Part Oatmeal

Product Review time people!

I'm so excited to share with you what I have been eating loving these past few days...

oatmeal !

Yes, I have previously fallen in love with oatmeal, but this is different.

Why you ask?

Well, it's instant oatmeal-which I usually do not appreciate. But this... this I can handle :)

Bakery on Main is the company I am reviewing for and let me tell you about their set-up...

They started as a small bakery in Connecticut and through a series of events, became the great company we know today. They are passionate about creating gluten free foods that taste just as good (in my opinion -better!) than most gluten-containing counterparts. 

They still make in small batches, which comes through in the amazing, homemade flavors.

So now onto the oatmeal! 

YUM.

We could really just leave it at that. It really sums it up-but for the sake of being informative I'll continue :)

Their oatmeal is so thick... usually instant is thin and watery, I actually had to add 1 cup of water (the package says 2/3 cup) 

(the strawberry shortcake, alongside a big ole glass of strawberry milk! ...overkill on strawberry? NEVER!)

I also feel as though you are getting way more bang for your buck with their oatmeal as well. Most instant oatmeal's do not satisfy my hungry stomach... But this definitely did-without weighing me down! 

(I topped the carrot cake flavor with pecans, but it would have still been delicious without!)

The flavors are also incredible! 

They have four flavors out now:

Traditional

Apple Pie

Strawberry Shortcake

and Maple Multigrain

....all amazing people. All amazing!

YUM Blueberry!

...some bananas added for my enjoyment!

I was also lucky enough to get to sample their two newest flavors as well that aren't on the shelves yet-

Blueberry Scone

and Carrot Cake

OH. MY. 

Serious deliciousness up in there. 

The blueberry scone honestly tasted like dessert. And so did the carrot cake! There were even little bits of blueberry and carrot in their respected bowl! 

We all know how much I LOVE that addition of texture and flavor!

We should probably touch on the nutrition facts...
On average-one packet contains around 200 calories, 35g carbs (5g fiber!) and 6g protein.
What do I say to that? Nice.
They also have 10% of your iron needs. Double Nice.
And to top things off-like I mentioned earlier they are gluten-free if you have Celiac disease and require that!

...They also have chia seeds in them! WOOOO for Chia!!! (...so that's why it is so much thicker than Quaker...makes sense now)

...if you want to know the honest truth... right now I'm downing the Apple Pie flavor... so if my grammer is a little off or spelling is less than par, it is because I am far more focused on the deliciousness entering my mouth right now!

Thank you Bakery on Main for such a delicious product that is filling my tummy right now!

~Look for the next Bakery on Main product review coming soon!

*All opinions were completely my own, I was given no compensation for this review.

Grandy Oats

What time is it?! Product Review time!

And today's winner is.... 

Grandy Oats

...oh don't act surprised, it was in the title people :P

Anyways- Grandy Oats was created in 1979 by two friends, and then passed onto another set of friends - Nat and Aaron that now run the company we have today.

They are a certified organic company that sells many 'oat products' as in-

granola

trail mix

roasted nuts

hot cereal

I was grateful to receive some samples of the granola (seen above) 

They were pretty good, I have to be honest with you - this isn't my absolute favorite granola. But it is very good! Don't get me wrong, I just didn't think the texture was crunchy enough for my likings. 

The Honey Apple Crisp was my favorite about of the bunch!

But now onto the Hot Cereal... 

WOAH!

Loved it. 

All you do is add 6-7 ounces of hot water and put the lid back on and let it sit for a couple minutes. 

I was very skeptical about it thickening, but it did! And it was divine! 

I loved how the only real sweetener was the natural sweetness from the dried fruits (there was a little sweetener on the dried fruits, but very minimal) 

Is this any indication of how much I liked it?!

All their products are made with real, wholesome ingredients and therefore have some great nutritional stats! 

If you're looking for a new granola company to try out - definitely give Grandy Oats a try - especially if you don't like the more crispy/crunchy granola and prefer a more chewy texture. 

Also-the little cups of granola are perfect for 'on the go' breakfast - how easy would it be to throw a couple in your suitcase next time you'll be traveling a few days? 

*All opinions are solely my own, I was not compensated in any way - the only thing I received from Grandy Oats was the samples.

Squirrels in Cans

The title don't lie... Squirrels. In trash cans. In the middle of city campus... sometimes I wonder where I'm going to school at!

But moving on!

Look at the care package from my mama! Does she rock, or does she rock!?

On another note-

It was kind of rainy! And I got to wear my rain boots! :D Yay!

yea... we aren't suppose to leave shoes in hallway - whatta ya do?

To-do lists make me stressed. But I love them. Is it odd I greatly enjoy making the lists? Hope not.  

Pink lady apples are my new fav. LOVE them! Seriously taste like candy. 

Well that's today - hope your saturday is going as great as mine is! 

Blessings!

Two Moms in the Raw

I love my mom, my friends' moms, my mom and dad's mom (aka grandma!), moms just ROCK!
I honestly don't know how moms do all they do (and dads too!), they have so many job titles... cook, psychiatrist, maid, chauffeur, you get the point!
So what do they do in their free time?
Oh just make amazing raw food.

Yeah, that's right - another product review (two in one week, how lucky am I!?)

Two Moms in the Raw is a company that all started with Shari (the founder).
She started making raw food to help her MS, and her yummy treats became a quick favorite among family and friends. So Shari (being the giving person she obviously is) decided to start selling her delectables and it took of like a rolling stone!

They make products with simple and organic ingredients - no gluten, no preservatives, non-GMO - truly good inside and out. All her products are Kosher and Vegan as well as being free of wheat, refined sugars, soy and dairy. They handmake all their products which include:
Granola Bars
Nut Bars
Sea Crackers
Truffles
Cereals

I'll fill you in on my personal experience with these products.
I had the opportunity to sample...

The almond butter and cocao truffles

These little bite-size beauties are made of almond butter, cacao, salt and agave.... that's it! They are sweet, crunchy (the half-chopped nuts in the center) and chewy! Definitely satisfy any sweet tooth - but with the added bonus of some protein (4g), fiber (2g), calcium and iron, along with healthy omega 6 fats, antioxidants, vitamin C and iron. All for 140 calories for one truffle.

The tomato basil sea crackers - the savory crackers are a perfect match with a sweet Honeycrisp apple (which, btw-if anyone is wondering, is in my opinion the best apple variety-just a side note :)

Out of this world flavor! The texture was a little odd to me at first, but not in a bad way! Just different from your traditional cracker... full of flax seeds, garlic and kombu - you know they're oh-so good for your body! Two Moms in the Raw recommend crumbling them on salad which I think is an AMAZING idea! And the ingredient list: flaxseeds, sundried tomatos, kombu and herbs. awesome.

I also received their blueberry granola bars - which I haven't tried just yet... (I was too consumed with the sweet truffles and savory crackers!) 

But... if I can assume (which I can, because - well... this is my blog :P ) I know they will be just as amazing (both taste wise and nutritionally as the previous snacks have been!

Their granola is full of antioxidants and vitamins, but then again-when you make all your products out of good, whole foods-how could the end result not be chalk-full of nutrition?!

Oh, and each bar also has 4g of fiber, 6g of protein, 4% calcium and 10% iron... awesome-opossum if I say so myself!

"Good for you, Good for the planet, and kids (AND KRISTEN!) love it"

That's Two Moms in the Raw's motto and I couldn't agree more! I definitely will have to try the rest of the flavors of everything! Especially the nut bars and cereal - thanks for allowing me to review your products Two Moms!

*All opinions were my own, Two Moms in the Raw gave me only the samples and no other compensation.

California Suncakes

Guys - I just ate a hockey puck!
Ok, random story... I've been to one hockey game in my life. During that game my mother managed to get hit in the head by a hockey puck! Yes, one of the hockey pucks came out of the ice box during the game and whacked her right in the noggin. Talk about a memorable game!

Anyways, back to my eating of a hockey puck. Alright, so needless to say it wasn't really a hockey puck-but it sure looked like one! It is shaped exactly the same, only this 'puck' is sweet, delicious, and nutritious!

It is actually a Suncake. A huh?! A Suncake.
I'll explain...

California suncakes are a Gluten Free energy bar. Made out of whole grain oats, dried fruits, fruit juices, soy and brown rice flour and syrup that supply around 30-40% of your daily needs for protein and fiber - and taste like a COOKIE!
The company has also expanded now to create 'Heart Thrives' - these little guys are two cakes in the shape of hearts and also contain a good deal of your daily Calcium requirements. They come in 7 flavors: Apricot, Cranberry, Apple, Date, Lemon Poppy Seed (my favorite!), Chocolate Chip and Raisin Spice
The original Suncakes come in 6 flavors; Apricot, Cranberry (soooo yummy!), Apple, Date, Lemon Poppy Seed, and Chocolate Orange. Each Suncake is a 4 ounce "hockey puck" that is actually two servings.

These little guys are sweet, chewy and full of flavor! They're obviously extremely portable so they make for a great grab-and-go snack! 

* A word of warning: since these goodies are made out of whole, natural ingredients and no preservatives, you should keep them in the freezer if you won't be eating them all in a week or two, but honestly-good luck keeping your mits of these delicious treats! 

Thanks California Suncakes for a chance to review your great tasting product! (all opinions were completely my own, the only thing I ever received for California Suncakes was their sample)

BREAD! Alpine Valley Bread #obsessed.

Ok, let's get some stuff straight...
1. I LOVE bread all carbs - but especially some good bread
2. I have dont some great product reviews in my short time blogging and am extremely grateful
3. I would much rather make my own homemade bread than eat bread from a company

And to further clarify: #1 still stands, #2 still stands, #3 is out. the. window.

Yes-I admit-I've found been blessed to have the best bread company EVER come into my life!

Alpine Valley Bread. It's the BEST bread company I have ever come across, not lying. Their bread is so delicious, healthy and smile-inducing. (yes, that is now an adjective)

I don't even know how to explain it - it's just soooo soooo.... ahh! Smile-inducing!

Alpine Valley Bread was generous enough to send me a few different loaves of breads. They arrived while I was away at college so my mother kindly kept them in the freezer until I got home (which was about 1 month). You'd think that would lower their taste... NOPE! Even after a month in the freezer this bread was the most amazing non-homemade bread I have ever had in my entire life. I have been home 5 days and already on loaf #3... little obsessed-maybe?!

Although my family is definitely helping me out though, which right there says a lot about how delicious this bread is because they would not eat something just because it is healthy. But, since we are on the subject, the bread is crazy healthy!

They have both all natural bread and organic bread. On average, one slice has about 60ish calories, 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein plus a little iron. It's very low in sodium (about 3%) and low in carbs as well.

The bread is soft and moist. Makes extremely great sandwiches, but also flavorful enough to just be eaten plain. They have so many varieties, I'm sure everyone will find one (or 20) that they just love. I know I have. Everything that goes into these loaves of bread is delicious and wholesome, and the end product is nothing short of delicious and wholesome itself.

Yum.

Yum.

Yum.

Their Multi-grain with Omega 3 toasted with some pears and Greek yogurt for a delicious breakfast

Some Spelt bread with a peanut butter & honey smoothie makes for one delightful bedtime snack!

So no matter who you are - if you are able to eat bread, GET ALPINE VALLEY BREAD! The sooner the better! Check this out to see where the closest place to pick up these little slices of heaven are to you!

Thanks Alpine Valley Bread Co. for an amazing, delicious product that I am now obsessed with! *These opinions are all my own, the only thing I received from Alpine Vally Bread was their samples. 

Bare Fruit - Cinnamon Apple Chips Review

So it's no secret that I love love love love fruit. Apples are one of my favorite, but sometimes... carrying an apple around gets funny looks. And other times, you just don't have the room.... or maybe you don't want to squirt juice all over the two people sitting on both sides of you on the bus... (yes, I have done this-I was hungry and had to get to class-sorry loyal public transit commuters!) 

This is where a delicious snack of Bare Fruit dried apples come into play! I was recently given a bag of Bare Fruit Cinnamon Apple Chips to sample and blog about (the only thing given was the bag of apple chips, I was given no compensation and all opinions are solely my own).

Bare Fruit Snacks make apple chips in three varieties: Fuji, Granny Smith and Cinnamon (the kind I tried). They also make dried apricots, pears and mango. The company is based out of Washington (imagine that! :P) and they use only Washington Apples. They honestly use nothing other than apples (well and cinnamon in the cinnamon variety) in their apple chips! Amazing!

These apple chips really did taste like a chip in texture... crispy, crunchy, crazy good! I loved how sweet they were and the cinnamon touch was just right. 

The first night I opened them... yes they are pretty much gone! I (and everyone that was lucky enough to be around me when I opened my package and got to try some before they were devoured) LOVED them!

Taste: 5/5 So sweet and fresh! I loved how they still tasted just like an apple... not at all like a dried out piece of cardboard like some dried fruit can taste like.

Texture: 4/5 Great! Without using anything other than apples, Bare Fruit was able to get an amazing crispy bite to their apple chips.

Nutriton: They are just apples people! So 5/5! About 1/2 cup = 1 apple, so roughly 90 calories, and 4 grams of fiber! NICE!

Overall: 5/5 - these apples chips were great! I loved adding them to trail mix, cereal, and of course just eating them plain on the bus - I'm sure the people I was sitting beside loved not getting squirted in the face with apple juice as well. 

So if you love apples, you need to try these apple chips out! They are convenient, delicious and healthy! What's not to love?! ...other than seeing the bare bottom of the bag :(

YUM!

Fruit Salsa

Dipping stuff is so much fun! Don't cha think? 

Well this fruit salsa is a very versatile dipper! It's amazing with salty dippers such as pretzel things, bagel things, salty crackers, heck-even chips! But super amazing as a double sweet dip/dipper combo with carrying vessels such as cinna-sugar tortilla chips. graham crackers or even slices of fruit! (Fruit overload?! Sorry, never heard of it...)

This recipe also couldn't get much easier-just chop/puree all the ingredients and let it chill for awhile and you're in business! (the dipping business that is!)

That's really it! Just take all your ingredients and throw it all in a big bag and shake shake shake! 

Ingredients: 

*be aware-these ingredients are just my favorite combo-you can switch it up however you wish!

-2 apples (I like using the very sweet Fuji variety)-chopped

-2 kiwi-peeled and chopped

-1 lb. strawberries-chopped

-2 TBSP sugar (or any sweetener of choice)

-2 TBSP. fruit preserves

-1/4 cup fruit juice of choice 

~I've done this before with raspberries instead of strawberries, and once with pineapple juice and pineapple instead of apples-YUM!

Perfect for your next girls movie night! Tailgate! Playdate! Party... lazy night at home! Anything :)

Delicious on crackers!

If you guys do some variations on this, let me know! I love a mix-up! 

Birthday Cake Bread

What do you get when you combine the best two tokens of joy on the face of this Earth? (no.... not myself and Taylor Swift silly! The next two tokens of joy!) 

~ Sprinkles and Birthdays! 

In case you were unaware of the new formula for happiness is: 

Sprinkles + Birthdays = :D

...it's true, it's proven!

So what do you get when you combine sprinkles and birthdays, with a side swipe of bread (another joy-bringer in my life!)

You get.... (drum roll please....)

BIRTHDAY CAKE BREAD! 

Yes... you heard me right- Birthday. Cake. Bread. 

It's sweet, it's moist, it's delicious! And best of all - IT HAS SPRINKLES!

This bread will satisfy even the strongest sweet tooth-with no guilt! It's a healthy bread! ... are you guys really surprised? The Blissful Baker never tempts you with delicious looking treats that are bad for you! 

>I've got your back!<

You could even serve these up with whipped cream or ice cream and have them instead of cake at your next birthday party! I almost definitely like this bread more than cake anyways! It tastes just like Funfetti cake! 

So why not just make Funfetti cake? Because of a few reasons.. 

1. It's healthier

2. I like to switch things up!

3. You can toast it! Or make it into sandwiches! I mean really... what could be better than a cake-like bread, toasted and made into a sandwich!? 

Nothing! That's what!

Ingredients: 

-2/3 cup Greek yogurt (vanilla or plain)

-1 egg

-1/2 cup sugar (or any sweetener)

-1/4 cup applesauce

-1 small pkg. instant sugar-free vanilla pudding

-1/2 tsp. salt

-2 tsp. baking powder

-1 1/3 cup flour (whole wheat works fine)

-1 tsp. butter flavor extract (or vanilla if you don't have butter flavor)

-Sprinkles!

Directions:

1. Cream yogurt, egg, sugar, applesauce and pudding

3. Add salt and baking powder

4. Slowly add flour

5. Fold in sprinkles

6. Dump batter into a greased and floured loaf pan and sprinkle top with more sprinkles!

7. Bake in a 350* oven for about 1 hour, use the toothpick test!

8. Remove and let cool in pan for 15-20 minutes

9. Enjoy like a little kid on their birthday! 

Mmmm... sprinkles :)

Peanut Butter Batter Dip

What's better than peanut butter? Ok-silly question, nothing! But what is a close second? Cookie dough! So of course peanut butter cookie dough is probably the closest thing possible to being as delicious as peanut butter! But-it's not really all that healthy... ok, generally speaking, its main ingredient is sugar-so probably not the best way to fuel our bodies. Sad-I know! But I may have come up with a way to squash our craving for peanut butter cookie dough without causing a massive sugar crash and overload of calories! Peanut Butter Batter Dip-based off of this recipe for Banana Batter Dip.

This dip is ahhhhmazing on crackers or apple slices. Really good sandwiched between banana slices. Delectable slathered on whole wheat bagels. Lip smacking right off the floor because you tipped over your bowl and the peanut butter batter dip went everywhere! Alright-You get the point-it's pretty dang awesome on just about anything... (Disclaimer: I am in no way encouraging eating off the floor...I'm just saying-the 5 second rule is extended to a full 5 minutes for this dip!)

Ingredients:
-1 cup dry oats (separated)
-1/4 cup peanut butter
-1/4 cup applesauce
-1 can chickpeas
-1 tsp. salt
-1-2 TBSP. sugar (or sugar substitute) - to taste

Directions:
1. Rinse and drain chickpeas
2. In food processor (or high powered blender) grind chickpeas until smooth
3. Add 1/2 cup oats, peanut butter, applesauce, salt and sugar (if using) and mix until smooth
4. Fold in oats and refrigerate 2 hours to enhance flavors

As you can see in this post-I used Krema peanut butter...I'm crazy about it! It has such great flavor and no additives of any sort-just peanuts! Check out my full review and enter for your chance to win a couple jars of Krema Peanut Butter in my giveaway here

Chicken Salad

What has an average of 45 grams of fat, 75 mg of cholesterol and 600 calories per serving? If you guessed chicken salad you are correct! This is another prime example of when 'salad' doesn't exactly mean healthy. So once again, I've decided to figure out some way I can transform the once completely unhealthy chicken salad into a well rounded meal...that won't make you well rounded!

I've finally perfected this recipe... I started by swapping the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt, regular sour cream for fat free, and added grapes and apples for bulk, vitamins and fiber.. and viola! Chicken Salad for the health conscious!

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings) :
-3/4 cup Greek low-fat yogurt
-1/4 cup fat free sour cream
-1 small apple
-1/2 cup grapes
-8 ounces chicken breast (cooked and shredded)
-Celery seed (or finely diced celery)

Directions:
1. Chop apple and grapes into small pieces
2. Shred chicken breast
3. Mix yogurt and sour cream well
4. Fold in apple, grapes, chicken and celery seed
5. Enjoy in pita pockets, atop a bed of greens, in a whole wheat wrap, with crackers... the possibilities are endless!

In the bowl...

                       Amazing with spinach in a pita pocket!

Nutritional Information: (1/4 of this recipe, about 1/2 cup)
Do not adjust your computer screens! This analysis is correct! I really did manage to slim it down to about 100 calories, less than 2 grams of fat and over 13 grams of protein for a serving! (applause)