New Bars from Gnu Foods, Workout Motivation

In June of 2010, I reviewed Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars. They recently offered to send me a package of their three new flavors. I was overjoyed when I found out what they were: Blueberry Cobbler, Carrot Cake, and Blondie. Those are three of my favorite dessert flavors! I was checking my mailbox daily.

Before I tell you about the new flavors, let’s talk about Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars. The bars contain 6 whole grains – grains that have not milled or processed, which strips them of the grain kernel that contains nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.  Each bar contains 12 grams of fiber and is 140 calories or less. All of the bars (aside of the Blondie flavor) are vegan. In addition to the new flavors above, the bars come in the following flavors: Banana Walnut, Chocolate Brownie, Cinnamon Raisin, Espresso Chip, Lemon Ginger, Orange Cranberry, and Peanut Butter. My two favorites are the Banana Walnut and Cinnamon Raisin. Each bar tastes exactly like what they’re named after, so rest assured, you’ll get what you want.

The first bar I tried was the Blueberry Cobbler.

As soon as I opened the wrapper, I could smell the blueberry juice. The bar also contains plums and raisins which give it a great texture and overall flavor.

The next day I tried the Carrot Cake. Yep, it sure did taste like Carrot Cake. The cinnamon and nutmeg flavors were strong, but not overwhelming.

Finally, I tried the Blondie. This one had the least amount of flavor, but was still really good. I have no complaints about a nutrition bar that tastes like a dessert!

Overall, I loved these bars just as I expected. The blueberry was my favorite and I’m excited for them to hit the shelves. In the past, I’ve enjoyed them on their own, or crumbled into oatmeal or Greek yogurt.

Gnu bars can be purchased online or in a store near you. For my Charleston friends, you can pick yours up at Whole Foods. They’re on one of the higher shelves that I can barely reach. :)

For more information, check out their

• website
• facebook page
• twitter

Have you tried these bars before? What did you think?

On a completely different note, the weather here in Charleston is incredible. I’m talking sunny and in the low 80s. Absolutely perfect. This is a slap in the face gentle reminder that Summer is right around the corner. In fact, on Sunday, I went to the pool with my friends Brandy and Lynn. The three of us got sunburns. That’s right, I said" “pool” and “sunburns” in MARCH.

With that said, enjoy some workout motivation as you prepare for bikini season!!

See you tomorrow!

A–Z Survey for Saturday

Big hugs to Janetha for posting this awesome survey. Couldn’t resist stealing it…

A is for age: 27 3/4. Ugh. 28 is coming very soon. I was semi bothered by this number until a coworker and I talked about it on Friday. He said 28 is a great age because you’re clearly an adult, but not yet 30. Ha!

B is for breakfast today: I had a cup of grapes and strawberries with the new Gnu Foods Blueberry Cobbler bar. It is so good. As soon as I ripped it open I could smell the blueberry flavor. Once it hits the shelves, you guys need to scoop a bunch up!

Thank you, Gnu Foods, for sending me an early shipment!

C is for currently craving: No cravings at the moment. Shocking. Who am I?

D is for dinner tonight: Last night Amanda and I went to Five Loaves for dinner. I had 1/2 of the Eggplant Fritters salad (w/ grilled asparagus & goat cheese over mixed greens) and the Sweet Chili Glazed Eggplant Wrap with cucumbers, sprouts, carrots, peppers & Thai peanut sauce. This was my second dinner in a row at Five Loaves. New love!

E is for favorite type of exercise: Running or strength training. Kickboxing is my favorite  group fitness class.

F is for an irrational fear: Every now and then I worry when I’m running or driving over the bridge. Like what if it just collapsed? Eek! I’m also petrified of subway crashes.

G is for gross food: I’m still totally disgusted by all forms of poultry. I don’t know what happened or how to fix it. :(

H is for hometown: From birth – 13, I lived in Acton, MA and still consider that my “hometown.”

I is for something important: Friendship!

J is for current favorite jam: Wild Ones by Sia & Flo Rida. SO good!

K is for kids: No. Just no. Ask me in a few years.

L is for current location: Mt. Pleasant, SC.

M is for the most recent way you spent money: Dinner.

N is for something you need: New pillows. My knee to stop hurting. A good book to read.

O is for occupation: I work for the Communications team at Blackbaud. That’s all you need to know. Any more information and you’ll just be confused.

P is for pet peeve: Slow talkers. Slow walkers. Slow drivers. Slow story tellers. Loud chewers. People who yawn out loud. STOP IT!!

Q is for a quote:

R is for random fact about you: I can hula hoop for a really long time. If someone was feeding me, I’m sure I could hula all day long.

S is for favorite healthy snack: Bananas. Carrots & hummus. Fage’s cherry Greek yogurt.

T is for favorite treat: Chickfila’s IceDream. With or without pickles on the side.

U is for something that makes you unique: Dog bite scar on my left jaw. Nobody really notices it.

V is for favorite vegetable: Beets! Peas! Brussels sprouts. Asparagus. The ones everyone hates.

W is for today’s workout: Running outside. How can I say no in 80* weather?

X is for X-rays you’ve had: Remember that time I sprained my foot dancing at Trio? That’s the one and only time I’ve had x-rays done.

Y is for yesterday’s highlight: It was definitely catching up with Amanda. Love that girl. The bottle of Malbec we split wasn’t bad either.

Z is for your time zone: EST.

Happy Saturday!

Peanut Butter & Cottage Jelly Sandwich

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Did you pose with a tree today? 

Or stop to smell the roses?

At minimum, I hope you used your purse as a grocery bag.

If none of the above, what change did you make to celebrate? 

After today's training session, I ran to Publix to pick up the cottage cheese shown above. I cannot stop eating this stuff. It's good plain, but I've also been adding jam to it. I love peanut butter + jelly, and also love cottage cheese + jelly...so why not mix all three into a sandwich? Sounds totally weird I know, but I had to give it a try.

Using my new favorite peanut butter, Naturally More, and my farmer's market Very Berry Jam, I made one heck of a messy sandwich.

Side one: peanut butter. Side two: cottage cheese + jam.

Mushed together:

Honestly, this was pretty good. It was a sweet + salty + creamy = love combination. But messy it was!

As soon as I made this, I dragged myself, the sandwich, and some leftover sweet potato fries to my bed. Unfortunately, my new Forever 21 purchases became my tablecloth. 

As far as the new goodies are concerned, Forever 21 needs to get a reality check on what a size small is. Ugh! These were trash bags on me. Luckily the blue shirt is 100% cotton so I will be "putting that bitch in hot water" as my roommate suggested, and taking the pink top to be altered. It's too pretty to return. The yellow flower ring appeared to be a lime green color online (like I needed more lime green trash), but it's more like a pale yellow. I still like it. And yes, those are my sheets underneath. If you think they're cute, you can find them here.

Earlier today I tried a another Gnu Bar: Banana Walnut Bar.

Holy mama, I thought I loved the Orange Cranberry flavor, but this one made my heart skip a beat. Just a little beat, not a Lil Wayne kind of beat. The Banana Walnut flavor tastes just like Banana bread straight from the oven. It's a really moist flavor. 

I appreciate you ignoring my chipped nail. It's been a rough week.

If I wasn't driving in the car while eating this, I would have popped it in the microwave to intensify the fresh-baked banana bread sensation...so good. I'd give both of the flavors I've tried a 10+ rating.

What are you ladies and boys up to this weekend? Tomorrow night Ashley (flower girl above) and I plan to get our dirty dancing on. Saturday, we'll probably partake in some more booty grinding, and Sunday will be my first blogger meet up!! Woohoo! We're having brunch in a cafe that's walking distance from my apartment. Yay!! I'll be meeting with 3 other Charleston bloggers. If any of you are interested in joining, please email me at christinaorso@gmail.com. After brunch, Nugget and I, along with some other friends, are going to the Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival. What the heck is this you ask? Don't worry - I just found out. Apparently this is a festival to bless the shrimp boats before the season. Uhhh okay, whatever Charleston, just give me another reason to down Coor's Lights. Thank you so much.