Go to snack

Ever since I was little nuts have been a snacking staple for me. My dad actually used to buy giant bags of mixed nuts that were still in the shells and sit around using a nut cracker to open each one. My favorites are cashews (number one) and almonds coming in at close second. Yumnuts now has both gourmet cashews and almonds, I was able to sample the delicious Toasted Coconut cashews. Generally I try to eat my nuts raw because I hate that most nuts are roasted in oils, which they simply do not need but Yumnuts does not use any oil to roast their yummy cashews (or almonds) they simply dry roast them-- perfect! The Toasted Coconut flavor is to die for. I am an avid coconut fan anyways so take cashews and wrap them in a coconutty topping and I am in nutty heaven. These cashews were buttery and rich like cashews should be but then had a coconut outside, I don't know how else to describe it but it was like a thin shell of goodness. They have quite a variety of other flavors too-- I would love to try the Chocolate or Touch of Honey as well.

Tigernuts

Europe (specifically Spain) sent me a sampling of their famous Tigernuts. If you’re not familiar with Tigernuts, I will fill your mind with knowledge. A Tigernut is a very unique small tuber, not a nut, which has a bit of a sweet taste to it. The look is similar to a nut and has a bumpy but rather smooth outer shell and softer middle. The benefits of eating Tigernuts are to help prevent heart attacks, thrombosis, and reduce the risk of suffering colon cancer. The Tigernut is very high in fiber, protein, and natural sugars. It is also rich in minerals like potassium, phosphorous, and vitamin E and C. The Tigernuts are grown organically with no use of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. How do you eat them? I like to eat them right out of the bag just like a nut. You can use the actual Tigernut or the juices from the “nut” in a lot of different styles of recipes like, steak dinners, brownies, drinks, etc. I also was very excited to try out the Tigernut soap; it was so soft and the aroma of the soap was so strong I could smell it throughout the house for hours, I love it. If you have not tried a Tigernut you really need to, you’re missing out!!!!

Nutty Guys

Nutty Guys is right……. OOOOHHHH WEEEEEEE…. What kind of nuts are you in the mood for. You name it they probably have it. I was so excited to try Nutty Guys pistachios, and Spanish peanuts which were delicious (I will talk more about these later) and then I could not wait to try the dried cantaloupe. I have never had dried cantaloupe before and I was a bit skeptical at first but holy cow it was spectacular. It was like eating a freshly cut cantaloupe with a tiny bit of added sugar. The cantaloupe was not too chewy either it was dried enough to where you could taste the flavor in every bite. I was so excited about the taste I brought a bag to work to see what my co-workers thought. They were amazed as well and asked where they could purchase some for their family. I put an entire bag out for my co-workers and it was gone in about three and a half minutes. Okay now I’ll get off my soapbox and finish talking about the pistachios and Spanish peanuts. They both were very fresh and great for an afternoon snack or for your dessert after dinner. Yes, I said dessert after dinner. Call me weird but I think of nuts as a dessert, it’s like a piece of cheesecake to me. The Spanish peanuts can also be used to bake or to make peanut brittle. If you’re wondering what other products Nutty Guys has to offer take a peek at their website, just be aware you may be shocked at all the goodies they have to offer.

Fiddyment Farms Pistachios

Fiddyment Farms has been growing their pistachios since 1968 and it shows. These pistachios are amazing- the quality is top notch and the freshness factor is best in class. They roast all of their pistachios on small batches and package them so that they are fresh when you get them. I was able to try Butter Toffee, Mandarin, Salt Free, Sea Salt & Pepper and Garlic Onion Pistachios. My favorites? For the shelled pistachios I loved the Butter Toffee pistachios. I had only had butter toffee peanuts before but I love the pistachios even more, they give a great balance to the richness of the coating. For the shelled varieties my favorite was plain and simple—Salt Free. Their pistachios really do not need any dressing up although I do encourage you to try the delicious flavors they have to offer because they are all excellent. I hope and pray that you are not still one of those people that holds out on eating nuts because of the high fat content. Please oh please realize that fat is essential to the health of your body and daily functions. There is a difference between “good fat” and “bad fat” though – lucky for you pistachios fall right into the good fat category. Another thing I love about pistachios—the serving size is GENEROUS which is not the case with other nuts. You can have 49 nuts as the serving size—that is a lot of crunching!

Hey Guys!

In case you didn’t know—Hazelnuts are a very nutritious nut that are very under-rated. Nuts in general are great sources of health fats, protein and fiber all while being delightful to eat and hazelnuts are no exception. So how come you don’t hear more about hazelnuts? I am really not sure. They have a very rich, nutty, flavorful taste that is so versatile. So now that I have you on the hazelnut bandwagon let me tell you about the hazelnuts that I recently had and loved—Freddy Guys Hazelnuts. Freddy Guys is a family run nut orchard truly bringing farm fresh nuts right to you. They get you the freshest hazelnuts possible because they take care of every aspect of the hazelnut process right there on their farm giving you only the best product. Whether you like raw or roasted hazelnuts (they roast twice a week) they have just the right match for you. I was able to try their mouthwateringly well-prepared dry roasted, raw and salted hazelnuts (with no added oils). They were all amazing and hard to put down—at least they are good for you! Check their online store for the full selection, they have a lot on there including chocolate covered. MMMMMMMMMMMMM!

That is one fine nut!

This was quick and GOOD! This was inspired by a salad that I had on vacation a while back minus the cranberries. This one was just bagged salad mix, The Well Dressed Nut Spiced Up Pecans and some Athenos Feta Cheese. I then topped it with just a splash of olive oil. It worked out amazingly well because it sat for a while because life interrupted my meal time. The best part of the salad was by far the pecans. I was stealing them off the top and ended up replacing them with more and then had some more later on! I met my nut quota for the day—that is for sure! The nuts were the best mix of sweet and spicy, no doubt why they are the best seller. These nuts are truly a gourmet food experience—the nuts are jumbo sized (not pieces but full nuts), all-natural, top quality ingredients and no preservatives—I have to mention how stylish these nuts are too! If you see in my pic I also have some Maple Glazed Pecans with Cranberries. I love Maple and I love cranberries so I can not wait to see how great these are. I read on their website ways to enjoy these and the suggested them mixed into oatmeal or yogurt—two of my favorite foods.

Almond Love

I am all about the almonds. Almonds make a great snack that are good for you, help curb your appetite and keep you lean. When I had the chance to taste test Dr. Lankin’s “Awesome Almonds” I was thrilled. These almonds are all-natural, roasted without oils and developed by a physician. After being dry raosted they are flavored with extracts and spices to make up some pretty awesome almonds. The Cinnamon Vanilla variety reminded me of those almonds that they roast at fairs that smell absolutely irresistible (but these are guilt free). The cocoa variety blew me away. Rich and chocolately without all the fat and sugar of chocolate coated almonds. Some other great things about the almonds:

-Our almonds are exclusively from California orchards, the best in the world.
-Gluten-free: no wheat ingredients to aggravate celiac disease.
-Almonds offer protein, unsaturated fat, dietary fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, and calcium.
-Almonds are an awesome choice for people who want a heart healthy diet and maintain their weight.
-Certified vegan- no animal products are used. No dairy, no eggs.
Almond is highly nutritious and is recommended for pregnant woman.
Bonus! Did you know that? Dried almond contains the highest amount of calcium among all fruits and vegetables. Wow! Go almonds! (As if we need a reason for eating these besides the taste!)

Snacking Better- A Snack Spotting

Last time I was at my favorite coffee chain (not naming names) I spotted Sahale Snacks on their shelves! How I love Sahale’s yummy nutty snacks! Its been rumored that “they” are going to begin to carry more gourmet goodies soon too. If you have never experienced a bag of Sahale’s nuts you better go get some—and now you know where to go! My favorites are the glazed cashews with vanilla, runners up being any of the almond ones. It just so happens that number 1 on my nut list is cashews and number 2 is almonds. Coincidence?

Mix it Up!

Flanigan Farms boasts healthy trail mixes, nuts and fruits with a variety sure to please everyone. When picking a couple items from their website it was hard! I ended up getting raw almonds and the “nuts & fruit” trail mix. The raw almonds are large and taste really fresh. I love raw nuts because you have them in their purest form without oils and salts ruining them. I used half in my overnight oats recipe and the other half will be a work treat one day this week. Raw almonds are great in recipes or just on their own. Plus all the latest studies suggest that eating a handful of almonds a day helps cut down on belly fat—woo hoo! They have more nuts and trail mixes on their website. Here is the description of my trail mix:


This Gourmet Trail Mix includes:
California Almonds, Raisins,
Dates (dusted with oat flour to separate),
Cashews, Sunflower Seeds,
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and
Dried Organic Fuyu Persimmons (when available)

A really cool feature about their website is that whatever item you pick they give you recipes to make using that product. The nuts & fruit mix had recipes for hot cereal, cookies, quick bread and something I have never heard of but sounds delicious—nutty rice.

Yum Nuts

My, my and I thought I had tried every cashew on the block but I was wrong. Yum Nuts has a whole line of cashews that have never passed my lips before and trust me, I remember my cashews. Here is the lineup of delicious flavors: Chocolate (it had to come first), Toasted Coconut, Chili Lime, Sea Salt, Honey and Spicy Cajun. I know what you are thinking—cashews roasted in oils and coated with flavorings to make them taste good, right? Not a chance! Yum Nuts makes their nuts taste amazing without adding artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners to make our nuts taste great. Now that is refreshing! The nuts are FABULOUS. Grab a handful!

Argires

I have yet to meet a person who does not enjoy fresh trail mixes, heart healthy nuts, scrumptious seeds, cheesy or caramel-y popcorn… That is why you have got to shoot yourself across cyberspace to Anton-Argires nuts. They have tons to choose from—all types of nuts, dried fruit and gourmet popcorn made to order! In shell nuts year round in a variety of forms from raw to roasted to flavored, they have it all. I ripped right into the popcorn and sampled first a cheese kernel. It was soooo cheesy, soft and fresh tasting. I just had to try the caramel—sweet, crunchy and fresh. It brought me back to being a kid and getting the “mix” so what did I do? Mixed the two right up! It was hard to stop eating it to be honest—it was the best popcorn I have had in years. This morning for a snack I had some brazil nuts and they were so fresh you would swear they were just grown! If you are looking for quality, great customer service (the president of the company is super nice) and ways to better your health at the same—here you go now you can bookmark this site!

What's your flavor?

When it comes to nuts, seeds, trail mixes -- I am a GeorgeHowe HUGE fan! That is why it was a magical moment when I opened my mail yesterday. Waiting for me was 6 pounds of various nuts and trail mixes that had arrived at my door, quickly and with fantastic customer service. The selection on the George Howe Coffee Candy Nuts website is ginormous! They have roasted nuts, flavored nuts, raw nuts, salted, unsalted, toasted, mixed, imported, USA products, in shells, out of shells, seeds, trail mixes, dried fruits not to mention the selection of candies and coffees. So lets get to the good stuff-- here is what I got:


1 pound raw almonds
1 pound raw cashews (these were enormous)
1 pound raw walnuts
1 pound raw pecans
1 pound trail mix (raisins, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, papaya, pineapple)

1 pound cranberry nut mix (peanuts, raisins, cranberries, almonds, honey sesame sticks, sesame seeds and various seasonings

I can not say enough about the quality of what I got. The nuts were huge, whole and fresh. The trail mixes are perfectly mixed and also very fresh. AND something unexpected about this website is the prices, very very reasonable. Check it out for yourself and get your own bag!

18 Rabbits "Belle Bananas Foster"

If you have never had a Banana Foster desert you don't even know what you are missing. Bananas Foster has so many different recipes but the basic idea is a dessert that is made with cooked bananas, has a very rich rum/cinnamon sauce, served aside vanilla ice cream. Totally delectable. In the meantime, grab a Belle Bananas Foster bar from 18 Rabbits. A brand new flavor premiering in their luscious line of great granola style bars. I could taste all the flavors that are incorporated in this wonderful dessert in the bar. This bar is made using their granola mix that features walnuts and cocoa nibs but what makes this bar unique to any other out there is the actual chunks of bananas!

Salad and Snacks

This weekend I had a side salad with my dinner. Normally, I am not too excited about a salad but I had a new salad topping MIX! Its by Aurora.

They feature grab and go snacks including nuts and dried fruits as well as this awesome salad topping mix with cranberries, nuts, seeds and sesame sticks. Mmmmm! Changed a dull salad to a yummy side dish. I also had their raw almonds and raw pecans.

They were both such quality nuts-- big and fresh. They have tons of products including: Raw Nuts, Roasted Salted Nuts, Roasted Unsalted Nuts, Dried Fruits, Trail Mixes, Granola and Candy (yes candy!) with a healthy flair. Check it out!

Seventh Heaven

Okay, I know I went OFF yesterday about how good these Grizzlies/ Wildtime Foods mixes are but take a look at this one:

"Seventh Heaven Organic Trail Mix" and let me tell you the name does not lie. Chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cranberries, raisins, huge SHREDS of coconut (made the mix) and sunflower seeds.

Wildtime Foods – Grizzlies Brand

Have you ever had something so good that you wish that it was rationed for your own sanity? I can not be trusted around the blends of cereals, trail mixes, oatmeals and porriges put together by Grizzlies. I have a severe weakness for oats, nuts, honey, vanilla, seeds and so many of these mixes contained ALL of this and more! These mixes are my ultimate comfort foods. Some people mess all this up by adding refined sugars, heavy syrups, oils and un-natural ingredients but not Wildtime Foods. Every thing I have tried from their product line so far has been remarkable. If you made me pick a favorite there would be tie between Aunt Maples Crunchy Granola (oats, raisins, coconut, maple, walnuts, almonds, almond butter, hazelnuts, almonds, cinnamon and vanilla) and Organic Oregon Trail Mix (CHOCOLATE chips, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried peaches, sunflower seeds, raisins and cranberries).

Look forward to a review of their seasonal: Mistleto Mojo Holiday Oatmeal. Made with loads of cranberries, hazelnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and spices. This is one review I can NOT wait to complete!

Nutland Trail Mix Crunch

One word- DIVINE. My only downfall with this bag is that I shared it.

I knew I was in for a treat right when I saw the clusters. They were packed with full sized nuts, berries and all stuck together in a sweet coating, then chopped into bite sized pieces. Cashews, almonds, cranberries, pecans and pistachios made up these delectable bundles.

While we were ooing and ahhing over our new found snack we got quite the laugh because Spencie (our cat) stuck his whole paw down into the bag and was trying to grab some out!

So they are people tested and animal approved. Watch for the other flavors—almond, berries & cherries, cashew, pecan and pistachio.

The website has much better photos where you can see how hearty these nuggets really are.

Cinnful Nuts

These were inspired by those tempting stands in malls and festivals that let off that delicious aroma!

Spray baking sheet with Pam. Place nuts in single layer onto sheet. Spray again directly onto nuts. Mix together cinnamon and granulated sweetner. Lightly coat the nuts with the mixture and place into pre-heated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Almond Bark

1 cup 100% Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nibs
Sweetner of choice
1/2 cup raw almonds

Spray a cookie sheet with Pam and set aside. Then take a large pot and fill a quarter of the way with water. Boil on stovetop. Put Cocoa Nibs into a smaller pot and place into boiling water (or if you have a double boiler use that!). Slowly melt the nibs and add sweetner making sure it is completely melted and mixed. Take off heat and add raw almonds. Stir well and pour onto cookie sheet. Place it in fridge. Wait an two hours and take out, break into bark size pieces.

Hay Cookies!

Remember Haystacks?

10 100% Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nibs
1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter
Sweetner of choice
Chopped Peanuts (optional)
1/2-3/4 cup Fiber one cereal (if I use the peanuts I cut down on the cereal)

Melt the Nibs and peanut butter in the microwave and stir well. Slowly add in cereal and optional peanuts making sure all are covered. Grab bunches out of the bowl with your fingers and put on a cookie sheet or parchment paper in the refrigerator until cool and formed. Peel off and store. These must be kept cold to maintain shape.