New Favorite Foods

I love updating you guys on new foods that I’ve scouted out or become a fan of.

I ended a sentence in a preposition. Sorry! It would have sounded awkward otherwise, and though I usually epitomize the word awkward, I try to keep my writing a little less, um, weird. Onto the food!

1. Blue Diamond Salt ‘N Vinegar almonds.

Not only will these satisfy your salty craving, you get a dose of protein and fiber. They’re very delicious without being a sodium overload.

2. Publix all natural salsas.

Rachel and I picked up a tub of the medium salsa on Saturday. It’s really good! The ingredient list is clean, it’s got a great flavor, and isn’t too chunky. Chunky salsa is nasty.

3. La Croix Peach-Pear sparkling water.

They now sell this canned at Target! It’s definitely  my new favorite La Croix flavor. On another note, I’m still not over how awful the Coconut flavor was. Blech.

Let me tell you a secret: Sometimes if I don’t like a bottle of wine, I add a bit of sparkling water to it. Then bam! I’ve got a tastier, more refreshing glass of happiness.

4. Fiber One 90 Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies

They’re soft, pack 5 grams of fiber, and contain only 8 grams of sugar. It’s a treat! I highly suggest nuking one in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Mmm!

5. Tropicana Trop50 Raspberry with Green Tea.

Amanda and I used this to mix with our vodka on the boat the other day. It’s only 50 calories per 8 ounces – a great mixer for a lower calorie beverage. Oh, and say hello to Svedka, my favorite vodka. It’s fairly inexpensive and very smooth.

6. Zone Perfect Perfectly Simple nutrition bars.

I was recently sent some samples of these bars and am so grateful! Upon opening the wrapper of the first bar I tried, I thought they looked just like Larabars. They’re SO much better. They’re quite dense, but more nutty and flavorful, with a short list of ingredients.  My favorite was the Cranberry Almond.

7. Buddy Fruits.

Ok, ok. this is definitely glorified fruit puree, but I can be a sucker for cute branding/packaging. I’m every marketer’s dream come true. But hey, moms! Don’t you think your kiddos would much rather get their fruit and vegetable requirements through these? Adorbs.

For the record, the only reason I tried these was because you can get the applesauce packets in the kids meals at Chick-fil-A. True story.

8. Jazz Apples.

These aren’t a new find, but more of a re-discovery thanks to Boding. We found these at Target of all places. They’re the best apples! Gotta love one of God’s most precious gifts to us – fresh fruit!

What new food products have you recently discovered?

Tell me your favorite a)packaged good and b)fresh fruit or vegetable.

The Friday Five 6.7.12

1. What I’m Reading: I love this cookbook I picked up at the library. There so many good, healthy recipes that I may have to buy this.

2. What I’m Listening to: I cannot stop playing this. I probably listen to it at least 15 times a day.

BUT! The Skrillex remix is better. Some of you may want to plug your ears before pressing play.

3. What I’m Eating: I just found these new Fiber One bars at Publix: Strawberry PB&J and Chocolate. 110 calories and 5g of fiber. They taste really good too!

They also came out with a 90 calorie Chocolate Chip Cookie.

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking:  Chickpea Kale Salad Flavored with Lemon and Garlic

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

WHEN I SEE A HOT GUY IN BROOKS BROTHERS:

WHEN I PRIORITIZE MY DAY

HAPPY WEEKEND!

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!

Fiber Is Your Friend! And You Can Have It In A Brownie!

Don’t knock fiber y’all. It should be your friend. Fiber-rich foods keep you full and help you stay regular. Yes, I went there. Wah. I try not to count calories and instead focus on the content of what I’m eating. Protein, sugar, and fiber are the three main things I watch my intake of.

I used to be majorly obsessed with the Fiber One bars because the flavors were great and contained 9 grams of fiber each. They were a great mid-afternoon snack. For breakfast, I will often add Fiber One original cereal to whichever cereal I’m currently loving for an extra fiber boost.

When MyBlogSpark contacted me asking if I’d be interested in reviewing the new Fiber One brownie, I was happy to oblige! Fiber in your chocolate? Done! The two flavors, Chocolate Fudge and Chocolate Peanut Butter, contain 5 grams of fiber for only 90 calories. Gotta love when dessert has health benefits. The bonus? They contain only 7 grams of sugar.

The Chocolate Fudge brownies are made with chocolate-flavored chips and topped with a dark chocolate-flavored drizzle, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter variety contains peanut butter chips topped with a peanut butter drizzle. Both brownies were surprisingly soft and light – the Chocolate Peanut Butter was my preference.

Along with the two boxes of Fiber One brownies, I received a prize pack from Fiber One and General Mills through MyBlogSpark. You can win the same!

To win, all you have to do is tell me when you’d enjoy your Fiber One brownie. Afternoon pick-me-up? Evening snack? Or even for breakfast? Maybe you’d top it off with some ice cream!

For an additional entry, you can tweet about this giveaway and include the hash tag #myblogspark.

If you win, you can come over and jump rope with me!

Giveaway ends Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. EST. Good luck!!

What I’m Loving Wednesday Version 2.0

…killing my bank account, that’s what I’m loving.

1. Pinckney’s Produce CSA Bucket #9:

In the box:

• Banana Peppers
• Beets – I think I have gotten beets every week. So lucky!
• Carrots
• Eggplant
• Green Peppers – ew, I traded so fast
• New Potatoes
• Pattypan Squash
• Slicer Tomatoes
• Sweet Corn
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

I’m loving how colorful this box is. Thank you, Pinckney’s!

2. This new bikini I ordered from Victoria’s Secret:

In case you can’t see, the bottom pattern is coral and yellow sea horses! All I need are those tatas to go with it.

3. Today’s Charleston Savvy Shopper deal:

First, I love that my city paper has it’s own deal program. Second, could this not have come in better timing? What’s the best deal you’ve gotten from all these daily deal sites? Most of mine have been food or jewelry-related purchases, so this one’s a big one for me!

4. I’m having a giveaway soon! Here’s a sneak peek at what I’m giving away:

Yes, that is a jump rope. Stay tuned! I’ll either post the giveaway tomorrow or Friday, so be ready!

5. The new phone I’m getting today! Meet the HTC Sensation. Nerd alert! I have been anticipating this purchase for several weeks and it was released today! The only sad thing is that I’m giving up my Blackberry. I know, this is crazy for me. I’ve had two different Blackberrys (Blackberries?) over the course of 3 years, but it’s time to let them go. They just aren’t keeping up with the times…and I really want an android phone so I can play Words With Friends!! Again, nerd alert. Who else has an android phone? What are the must-have apps?