Mrs. Barr's delicious treats!

You would be hard-pressed to find a more exciting thing in my life than this showing up when I go get my mail...

PRODUCT REVIEW!

#pumped.

So what was in el' cardboard box o' fun?! (in the excitement of St. Patty's day I thought I'd try some Irish accents... working? Didn't think so...)

Anyways- it was Mrs. Barr's Natural Foods!

What is this you ask? 

Well - they are a company that sells granola (eek!), granola bars, and trail mix.

They try to buy local whenever possible, and support companies of this great country. They also are highly supportive of children and donate 10% of their profits to children's organizations! How awesome is that!?

So the real question.. does it taste good?!

YES!

Look! This granola was called 'Gone Nuts' and it had A TON of nuts in it-not even crushed up little pieces! Woot!

It also was nice and crunchy with big clusters! 

YAY for clusters!!!

I am a HUGE fan!

2 days... 2 bags of granola GONE

And now I'm about to dive into another... so I'm going to keep this short!

Mrs. Barr's Natural foods makes GREAT granola - I can't say about the health of it since the nutritional info was not on the package or online :/ 

But it was full of nuts, oats, and dried fruits - so I know it is at least in the right direction on the health-o-meter

*All opinions are my own, I was only given samples and no compensation. 

Comfort Food...

Everyone has it.
Some are ashamed of it.
Some are proud.
Some pretend they actually don't have one.
Others let themselves indulge in it whenever they want, others only use it when needed.

comfort food!

I don't know about you guys, but my comfort foods are usually baked goods (ok and a good steak and mashed potatoes too)
But more often than not, when I've had a bad day or am stressed, or whatever-I just want some homemade CARBS!

And that is just what my mama brought me when she came to visit me at college this weekend-isn't she the best?!

-if you're wondering, that's strawberry milk! YAY for Nesquik! :)

So my family all came to attend an induction ceremony for Phi Upsilon Omicron - no not a sorority - an honors society for the college of education and human sciences

ps-I look at the tag for this dress...

psh- I only spent $8! Boo-Ya!

I was awesome to get to see them, if only for a little while!
We went shopping and I tried on children's shoes (WHAT?! they're so much cheaper than adult shoes! and usually come in more fun colors :)

Snacked on some Two Moms in the Raw granola bars!

And then went to Texas Roadhouse for an AMAZING steak :)

Life. Is. Good. 

I hope all your weekends were equally blessed! And that will carry over into Monday! 

Peace out people of the world-wide-web!

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)

Peanut Butter Honey Bars

If you can't tell, I'm a little extremely obsessed with granola and its various forms... Granola bars, granola chunks, alright-I though I could come up with a lot more forms of granol when I first started writing... but uh-I've got nothing. 

However, that does not diminish that amount of love I have for granola bars and just plan ole granola people! I LOVE it! ...does the bolding of the word love make it more convincing? 

Right beside granola in my heart, is (as we all know) peanut butter! Well...actually ice cream may be right in between them-but they're pretty close in proximity! 

New flavors and combinations that I can throw in a granola bar are constantly going through my brain.... it's a curse really-I should probably maybe definitely be using my time so oh...I don't know... study for my next Chemistry 109 exam... but what fun is that?!

The newest edition to the granola bar family in my cookbook is Peanut Butter + Honey. Not a new combo by any means-but certainly a delicious classic!

These bars are sweet and crunchy with just a small hint of salt from the peanut butter that leaves you craving more...

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup rice krispies

3/4 cup puffed rice (if you don't have this, feel free to use more oats or cereal)

1 cup dry oats

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

2 TBSP. nuts (any kind-I used cashews but whatever you want!)

2 TBSP. flour

2 TBSP. soy nuts

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Mix together all dry ingredients & grease a small cake pan (say 8x10 or something around there-doesn't really matter, however thick you want them)

2. Heat honey and peanut butter on the stove (or in microwave if you must... :)

3. Bring to a very low boil and immediately remove from heat 

4. Stir in vanilla extract 

5. Add heated honey/peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix well

6. Place a piece of wax paper/parchment paper over the granola bars in your pan and press down very hard! *

7. Place in frig for a few hours

8. Cut into desired sizes - I made 12 good sized bars

9. Wrap in plastic wrap, or just eat! 

~Bars will stay good for about a week - or you can keep them in the freezer and take out when ready to enjoy. (they will thaw in about 1/2 hour)

*To really make these bars stick together I highly highly recommend jumping stepping on top of your pan to really press the mixture together - you could also get a small child to help you out with this! 

Time to make more!

p.s. - go check out this product review of Beanitos chips and sign up for the giveaway! Who doesn't love free chips?!

Jay Robb - my new boyfriend!

Guys... I have a confession to make.. 

I'm in love.

He is a wonderful wonderful man -
He's creative, wants the best for me and makes me very very happy!
His name is Jay Robb

...ok ok ya-it's a company (the guy is real of course) but no-I've never really met him or anything...

But I have tried his products, and I'm in love with all of them! Does that count? :)

I was given the amazing opportunity to sample so of Jay Robb's products and am soooo impressed!

The first products I tested were the protein bars -

one bite...

two bites...

three bites...

GONE!

I have NEVER - EVER in my entire life had a protein bar that tasted soooo good! The cashew coconut tasted like a Girl Scout Somoas cookie (without the chocolate). I inhaled it-YUM!

Their protein powder is also delicious! (recipes using the powder coming shortly!) But I just can't get over how amazing the protein bars are-so let's focus on those right now k? 

Taste:

Alright, I think we allll know where I'm going here-DELISH! They didn't taste like a protein bar at all - they tasted like a candy bar! A delicious candy bar! My favorite was definitely the cashew coconut - but each flavor I tried were amazing as well. I also had the fudge brownie (I thought it was great, and I'm not a huge chocolate fan!) and the peanut butter bar as well (obviously I liked this one!)

5/5

Texture: They were nice and thick and left me feeling satisfied, not hungry! They had a nice crunch from the nuts scattered throughout the bar.

5/5

Nutrition: ...just take a gander at what Jay Robb has to say: "I've raised the bar on bars and created the JayBar—a great tasting protein bar without sugar, corn syrup, casein, artificial sweeteners, maltitol, acesulfame-K, evaporated cane juice, aspartame, or sucralose!"  —Jay Robb

I think that says it all! Each bar has about 230 calories, 5g fiber, and 14 grams protein! They have no cholesterol to boot! 

4/5 <- only because they had a little more saturated fat than I would like to see...but that's the only thing I could really find wrong with them!

Overall: 4.75/5 

I LOVED these and will definitely be looking to get myself some more! So delicious!

You can tell Jay Robb is concerned about the health and wellness of all his customers and really has a place in his heart for nutrition. I am excited to see people so happy with their lives - and so focus on their faith as well. On the 'About Jay Robb' page he states:

"As for my success, I give all the glory to God. "

 How amazing and respectable!
Thank you Jay Robb for creating stand up products from a stand up company!

....The Jay Robb Co. did not pay me in any way to write this review. I was given the products free of charge to write a review free of charge. 

Clif Bars - Luna Fiber

So it's pretty obvious here at Bliss that I'm a carb loving gal... let's just take a gander at some of my recent post shall we?
-Blueberry Muffin Bread
-Chewy Oat Bars
-Seed Bread
-English Muffin Bread
... you get the point! Now, I could try and use the excuse that I run a lot and therefore need to eat a crazy amount of carbs to fuel... but let's face the truth-I just LOVE 'em!

Seeing as how much I love me some carbs, it's a pretty safe bet to guess that I love all types of granola/snack bars as well! There are so many great companies out there committed to producing wholesome, healthy and delicious snack bars-but be aware! There are a lot of sketching companies too, trying to convince you that their 'snack bar' is a healthy little treat but is sometimes no better than a candy bar :(

Have no fear! The Blissful Baker is here to help you wade through the huge ocean of snack bars and determine which ones hold up to their health food claims!

One of the most popular snack companies is the Clif Bar Company. People people people! Here is a company you can love and trust! Not only do they create a bunch of different healthy snack bars, but they also encourage an all around healthy lifestyle-by supporting many different sporting activities-from marathons to snowboarding. They also believe in connecting with the world their products are grown in by: sourcing organic ingredients and supporting organic agriculture, engaging the people who grow, make, package, transport and eat their food and encouraging hands-on volunteer service. It makes me so happy when I love a product AND their company! I feel so much better buying their products when I know that the company does something good with the profits for our entire world!

Clif Bar was kind enough to let me sample and review for you wonderful readers their newest bar creation- Luna Fiber Bars. They come in three flavors: Chocolate Raspberry (so dessert-like you'd swear you're eating a candy bar!), Vanilla Blueberry (tastes like something my grandma would make for Sunday church brunch!) and Peanut Butter Strawberry (a great remake on the classic combo that I am admittedly obsessed with!)

The Clif Bar Company sells many different kinds of bars! They make bars for a variety of needs, tastes, textures and people! I'm sure you'll find one that suits your nutritional and taste-bud desires! (And no-I was not paid in any way to say that or anything else on this post...that last bit sounded a tad 'infomercial-ly' :P ) One of my favorites (before trying the new Luna Fiber) was the Original Clif Bar-Crunchy Peanut Butter... anyone surprised my favorite was a peanut butter variety? Yeah-didn't think so...

An amazing snack alongside my Maple-Nana Shake (recipe to come!)

Luna Bars are created by and for women! How cool is that! ...and let's just say this woman LOVED THEM! 

They are like one HUGE fig newton :) Ahhhh yummy!

FYI-Luna Bars also come in Minis, Luna Protein, and of course the currently in review Luna Fiber

Quick! Let's get down to the big 3 so I can run out and get some more of these little beauties! (or I could just they on their website here)

Taste: YUM! I love them! So soft, so moist, so so so... delicious! They really do taste like a fig newton-but moister, chewier, and more of a 'homemade' taste. The first one I tried- "Vanilla Blueberry" also reminded of blueberry pie in a way... :) So obviously I'm giving this a 5/5!

Texture: Opps-I kinda spilled the beans on this one in the 'Taste' section-soft and chewy! For being loaded up with fiber, they didn't taste it at all! Another perfect 5/5 here as well

Nutrition: So I said above these were made 'for women' ..but what does that really mean? Well-these bars are made with women's vitamin and mineral needs in mind, that means these wonderful bars are packed with what they call: Core 4 (calcium, vitamin D, folic acid and iron-four very important aspects of a female body). They are also 70% organic! Each bar has about 120 calories, 7 grams of fiber, very little (less than 3g) fat, and low in sodium, cholesterol and added sugars! They also have at least 10% of 12 vitamins and minerals! :O Crazy huh?! With stats like those I'd be imagining a bland tasting bar that has the texture of cardboard-but I could not be farther from it when I'm biting into a Luna Fiber bar! Once again-5/5

So what isn't perfect about these bars?! Only one thing-they don't magically multiply themselves so I'm all out! :( 

In all honesty you can buy each bar for about $1.25 which is a pretty good deal in comparison to a lot of other snack bars out there-but could do some damage on my poor college girl wallet if I had them twice a day everyday (which yes...sometimes I do!) :S 

Are you drooling over that gooey sweet blueberry filling too?! Oh good...I thought that was just me!

Chewy Oat Bars

I recently received some Newman's Own Organic product to sample and review. One product I absolutely loved was their dried fruit! - Newman's Own Organic Dried Fruit I decided I would use this amazing product to make a new recipe! Chewy Oat Bars

If you've ever had an 'Oatmeal to Go Bar' from Quaker, you will be extremely pleased with these chewy bars! They taste very similar, but without all the nasty preservatives and other fillers that Quaker decided would be fun to through into my breakfast bar! While they aren't an exact match (but have no fear..I'm still working and will be until I get a perfect match because I am in LOVE with those Oatmeal to Go Bars... :( but my bank account isn't!) anyways-while they aren't identical, they certainly fit the bill for a soft, chewy, wholesome breakfast bar that is quick and simple to prepare and perfect for rushed mornings!

Let's get it started!

I use 'raisins' very loosely! As you can see from my first picture I used NOO's dried berry blend and craisins, until recently I've basically only used raisins so that is just what I have a tendency to call all dried fruit!

Ingredients:

Wet

-1 TBSP. butter/margarine

-2 TBSP of each:

-honey

-sugar (or sugar substitute)

-maple syrup (can be sugar free)

-applesauce

-1/4 cup raisins~soaked in 1 cup water

Dry

-2 cups oats (or any dry, rolled grain-i.e. barley, rye)

-1/4 cup flour

-1/4 cup coconut

-1/4 cup add-in's (i.e. flax, chia, wheat germ)

-1 tsp. baking powder

-pinch of salt

Directions: 

1. Mix wet ingredients and microwave to melt butter

2. Heat raisins in 1 cup water for about 1 minute in microwave

3. Let raisins sit 10 minutes in water

4. Mix dry ingredients together

5. Drain raisins, reserving water and chop finely

6. Mix raisins with wet ingredients, add in raisin-water

7. Slowly add in dry ingredients 

8. Spread into greased pan

9. Bake at 350* for about 35 minutes (until edges are browned)

10. Cut into bars and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes

11. Remove bars from pan and cool on rack for another 10 minutes

12. Grab and enjoy a healthy-quick snack, breakfast, treat!

Honey Nut Cheerio Bars

If you have read any of my blog posts you can easily see that I like, no love, no am obsessed with peanut butter! I love all things made with peanut butter or that closely resembles peanut butter... smoothies, cookies, bread, wraps, anything!

Peanut butter cheerio bars have always been a favorite of mine, but with the no nutritional value of corn syrup something had to be done to make these treats at least a little bit healthier so I don't feel quite so guilty when eating an entire pan! With a few simple substitutions and additions I've made these bars at least a 'tad' bit better for you.

The addition of the honey gives the bars some antioxidant power, the nuts add additional protein, fiber and vitamins. All in all, these bars are not too nutritionally void! Heck, if you really try-you could even talk yourself into believing these bars are healthy! (I'm pretty good at convincing myself!)

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/2 cup honey

-1 cup peanut butter

-6 cups cheerios

-1/2 cup peanuts

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray

Melt honey and sugar in microwave for 2-3 minutes-until sugar is dissolved

Add peanut butter and stir to melt

Add cheerios and peanuts

Press into pan and allow to cool completely (about 2 hours) and cut!

This recipe makes about 20 bars

Nutritional Info: