Newman's Own Organics Review & GIVEAWAY

I think it is safe to say that a lot of us are more concerned with the ingredients in our foods and how they are grown and processed prior to arriving at our local grocery. We want to make sure we're putting the safest  and best tasting products on our dinner tables for our family. With Newman's Own Organics, you can do just that; they take the guess work out of determining if what you're eating is safe!

It's easy to get Newman's Own (yes, the salad dressing company) and Newman's Own Organics confused. Newman's Own Organics started as a division of Newman's Own in the early nineties. Nell Newman (Pauls' daughter), along with her business partner, Peter Meehan, managed to build their brand and NOO became an independent company in 2001. With the slogan "Great tasting products that happen to be organic", they created products based on what they liked; their pretzels stemmed from "Pa" Newman's love of pretzels and Nell's love of chocolate was a deciding factor in choosing organic chocolate bars. Side note: the company was a pioneer in the food industry when it offered it's first line of organic chocolate bars in the mid nineties!!

So we know it's organic....but is it GOOD?!? Holy smokes, it's all delicious! Pretzels, licorice, cookies, dried fruit, chocolate...oh my! I have a few favorites that I'd like to tell you about.

First, the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. If you are a Reese's fan, put them down and go get some of these NOO cups. These were so creamy and smooth, and melt in your mouth! Each 1.2 oz package contains three cups, all with ingredients you can pronounce!! Splurge without feeling you went off the deep end with these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. You can also get them in Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate Peppermint, and Milk or Dark Chocolate Caramel.

Second, the Licorice. Not only do you get an organic stick of licorice (who knew this even existed until now?), but they've topped themselves with the addition of Sour Flavors -- Sour Strawberry, Sour Apple, Sour Cherry, and Sour Mango. The bag of Sour Strawberry only lasted a few days in my house!! Great taste, and they don't leave behind that "fake" flavor in your mouth that a lot of licorice does. Each five ounce package would be great to keep in your drawer at work to snack on throughout the week...or day!

Third, the Chocolate Newman-O's! Think Oreo with a chocolate cream center! Also available in  Original, Wheat Free Dairy Free, Peanut Butter, Ginger 'n' Cream, and Hint O' Mint. Be careful though, these things are dangerous!

And finally, the High Protien Pretzels. What an amazing snack!! Not only are they packed with protein, but they have a higher fiber content than most pretzels I've seen. Nice and crunchy and not too salty -- this pretzel has it all!! They are baked not fried, making them a great choice for all occasions and all occasions is when you can use them as there are TEN varieties of these tasty little pretzels!

Whatever you choose, you can't go wrong with Newman's Own Organics. Not only have they made an extensive line of treats for you, they've got those four-legged family members covered as well, with their Premium Pet Foods! With every product they make, they keep us in mind, the planet in mind, meet all requirements of the USDA National Organic Program, and they GIVE BACK. Since 1982, Paul Newman and the Newman's Own Foundation have donated more than $350 million dollars to educational and charitable organizations worldwide.

Because I love these products so much, Newman's Own Organics has agreed to give a few of my favorite things to one lucky reader....score!! Head over to their Facebook page to give them a "Like" and a shout out, visit their website and email me to tell me which products look best to you. Oh, and don't forget to follow my blog and like me on Facebook! Do this before February 8th to be entered. Winner will receive full size products PLUS a surprise courtesy of Newman's Own Organics! Good luck!!

Presence. Planet. Prosperity.

Its no secret that I LOVE my chocolate! Given the opportunity to try Endangered Species chocolate and of course I was all over it. Not only do they make rich, creamy and dreamy chocolate they are "a mission-driven company that is passionate about chocolate and the environment.   We are fully committed to providing premium, all-natural, ethically traded, naturally shade grown chocolate products.  Endangered Species Chocolate confirms that all beans used in its products are purchased from family-owned properties where the income benefits the community.  10% of our net profits are donated to fund species and habitat conservation efforts.  Savor chocolate.  Save our planet." Now that is some chocolate you can feel good about eating and even better about buying. AND you might even learn something along the way (their wrappers are filled with facts relating to their mission of saving the endangered species and habitats). But back to the chocolate-- they have a huge array of chocolates to satisfy even the worst sweet tooth from bars to confections and even gift boxes. I sampled the bars, I will focus on my two favorites:
Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds. Amazing and unique combo mixing the tartness of the cranberries, smoothness of the almonds and richness of the dark chocolate all came together perfectly. LOVED this bar.

Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint: WOWOWOW. This was my very favorite bar. Deep, dark chocolate with a hint of refreshing mint. The simpleness of this bar allowed me to really appreciate the quality of their chocolate and they did the mint just right, not overpowering-- just right.

The great part is you should have no problem finding these bars yourself in your natural foods stores. I see them all over now that I am looking!

Flipped For Dipped!

Its so refreshing to see something original and innovative on the market that tastes even better than it looks. Frankie’s Fruit & Chocolate makes totally irresistible hand dipped dried fruits in high quality dark chocolate—like mango, pineapple, apricots and banana strips.

The Frankie’s product I am most in love with are their “Circles”. I have never seen anything quite like them before and let me tell you— I love them! They start with handcrafted circles of dark or white chocolate in either Trail Mix (diced apricots & pineapple, golden and dark raisins, cranberries & roasted almonds), Tropical Fruit (diced pineapple & papaya, crunchy banana chips & roasted macadamia nuts) and Classic (golden raisins & roasted peanuts). Want me to pick a favorite? NOPE—I love them all. These go on my favorite list!

Cherries, Cherries and more Cherries!

You have a couple of options here but I suggest you pick at least one of the following. Stop by one King’s Orchard family farms in Michigan (you can find their two locations online) or just start clicking to get your hands on their amazing cherry and cherry infused products including-- tart cherry juice, dried cherries, cherry capsules, jams, trail mixes, chocolate covered cherries and even salsas! The dark chocolate cherries are unbeatable. I have never had anything like it before. The cherries were perfectly sweet and really gave a nice flavor to the thick dark chocolate draped on top. They were gooey and chewy, simple and just plain delicious.

The dried cherries are the best I have ever had. Very tender and such a great tart flavor that you expect from a fresh cherry. These are great straight out of the bag or as a topping on just about anything from cereal to salads to ice cream.

Here is what you have to log on for-- Nuts About Cherries Trail Mix: A Delicious Mix of Dried Cherries, Nuts and a Bit of Berry. Makes a great trail mix on its own, or is an excellent crunchy-salty-sweet topping on salads. Ingredients: Sweetened Dried Cranberries, Roasted Salted Natural Almonds, Roasted Salted Pecans, Sweetened Dried Tart Cherries, Sweetened Dried Blueberries.

Tootski’s Toffee

My sweet tooth is self-admittedly out of control! When I saw this toffee made locally in Madison, WI from a old family recipe I was drooling. What arrived in the mail looked like a dream—come true. It was a thick layer of toffee, topped with chocolate (some dark, some milk) then sprinkled with nuts. All hand-crafted by “Tootski” herself! Tootski makes sure to use the finest, fresh ingredients around (literally) and combines butter, milk or dark chocolate, vanilla, sugar and sliced almonds to make this devilish delight. Tootski’s is available in Madison but if you are a local—don’t worry you can still grab Tooski’s on Foodzie!

Hands Offee my Toffee

Craving some gourmet toffee? Elaine’s sent me some of their toffee created by passed down recipes through the family. The toffee had been given as gifts for friends and family—now it is available to you! They realized it was time they start their own business because the demand for their special toffee just grew and grew. Even though they specialize in toffee they have quite the selection available to choose from: Dark Chocolate coated, Milk Chocolate coated, Peanut Toffee Crunch and even a Peppermint Bark. I can see why everyone was so nuts about this toffee. It is rich, buttery and perfectly evened out with the chocolate. Usually, I lean towards dark chocolate but I thought the milk chocolate was top notch!

Bags o’ Chips

Chocolate Chips! Today we had a “treat day” at work so I made Cookies and a Chocolate Chip loaf—Chocolate Chip being MY theme! They were both a hit—I used Guittard* Chips in both recipes using half milk and half extra dark (made a great combo). The recipes are “classic” with only a few substitutions so they should be a “once in a while” treat!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
 2 cups whole wheat flour
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1 cup Smart Balance for baking
 2 cups granulated sugar substitute
 ½ cup molasses
 1 teaspoon high quality vanilla
 Egg substitute equivalent to 2 large eggs
 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 1 cup milk chocolate chips
Bake at 400 degrees
*I love Guittard chocolate because they have a unique taste to them due to the location they are grown in and how they go from cacao bean to pure tasting chocolate.

nicobella

Vegan Organic Dark Chocolate Truffles. Or should I say Heaven? Who would have thought that by using all vegan, organic ingredients these uniquely delicious truffles could be made? Nicole graciously sent me a variety box for me to enjoy. Here are the flavors in my nicobella box: Walnut Flaxseed Crunch, Sunflower Banana Butter, Pumpkin Chai, Blueberry Almond, Ginger Green Tea, Pure Cocoa Bliss.
You probably think I went straight for the Pure Cocoa but I was totally adventurous and went for the Sunflower Banana Butter: Sunflower seed butter blended with banana creates a silky smooth truffle and adds unique flavor to this luscious ganache that is rich in Vitamin E.

It was rich, creamy and delicious. I am a dark chocolate fanatic and saw that they use 70% -- that just added to the yumm factor of the truffle. Here are the nutritionals for the Banana variety:
Nutrition Information-1 piece
Calories 52
Carbohydrate 3g
Protein 1g
Fat 4g
Beat that with another truffle! They are so fresh that they must be consumed this week—lucky me…

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!

Saying good morning with a mocha!

This morning I made a delicious mocha without an outragous price tag ($$ & calories). Here is the recipe and in my favorite kitty mug (note it looks just like my baby Dexter):
1 scoop Click espresso protein
1/2 tablespoon cacao powder
couple packets sweetner
COFFEE
Enjoy!

New Pudding Creation‏

I whipped up this fabulous pudding the other day when I was looking for a sweet snack. It turned out so good!! Here we go:

1 box of tofu (any firmness will do-- if you use a firm tofu you will need a bit more Hempmilk to get it going)
Vanilla (Unsweetened) Hempmilk as needed (gives a great flavor too)
2 Tbs. Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
Ideal Sweetener*
Put all items in blender and blend away-- add more Hempmilk as needed until pudding like consistency is reached.

*I hate putting how much sweetener to use in recipes because I like things super sweet and I have noticed that what is good to me, is too sweet to others when I prepare it... So sweeten as needed. I used Ideal which is new to me. It is a no calorie sweetener this is 99% natural (Xylitol). It is great because it tastes just like sugar and has no aftertaste, it also dissolves quickly. Researching it a bit I found out that it is unreal in baked goods and really holds it sweetness and adds to the volume/ texture of the dish you are making, next time I bake I will be trying this out!

Maine Cottage Chocolate De-LITES!

DROOL!

I had to put that out there right away. This is a crunch bar, like the kind you have when you are a kid but the grown up version by Maine Cottage Foods. They have a ton of sweet items including low carb brownies, chocolate- fruit mixes, cupcakes, candy bars and barks. Their chocolate is amazing. I must have checked the labels 10 times to make sure I was reading right. They use erythritol as their sweetner and while it costs more but it is so low on the glycemic index. I have linked the Glycemic Index site but here is some benefits taken from the website specifically related to lower GI diets:

What are the Benefits of the Glycemic Index?

Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals.
Low GI diets help people lose and manage weight
Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
Low GI carbs improve diabetes management
Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease
Low GI carbs improve blood cholesterol levels
Low GI carbs can help you manage the symptoms of PCOS
Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance
High GI carbs help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise

Now why would you not want to have all these benefits and your cake too? I also had the milk chocolate penaut bark (yes, I will admit in the same sitting)-- check it out:

Feels like cheating...

Pudding and cookies for a snack! Well how about that for under 300 calories! Take Chobani vanilla 0% greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa powder, sweetner of choice and stir like mad.

On the side, have two huge Nutridel Pecan cookies.

I am so addicted to this new pudding creation. Here is another stellar combo:

Chobani Plain 2% + Hershey's Dark Chocolate cocoa + NuStevia White Stevia Powder

Lenny & Larry’s Muscle Brownie

Okay, I had to let the picture make the introduction. This “muscle” brownie was nothing short of a gourmet, fudgy treat. Dense, chewy and chocolately just like a brownie should be. The icing was creamy and delicious giving it just a little extra yumminess. See the nutrition facts, I would choose this any day for a protein TREAT.


Serving size: 2 per big bar / package

Calories: 170

Fat: 5 grams

Protein: 10 grams

Now—let me note that these brownies are great. If you think you are going to eat half a brownie, save half of it for later you are fooling yourself. Build in room for the whole thing with your daily allowance because you will not stop!

Think Lenny and Larry only have cookies and cream brownies? Think again! And watch my blog for my reviews of the chocolate peanut butter and original muscle brownies. In the meantime, click around this site to check out Lenny and Larry’s hair do’s as well as their great products!

Navitas Naturals Trail Mix and Gogi Berries

Check this out, these pictures will do some of the talking themselves:

Trail Mix

OMG! This trail mix is like nothing I have EVER had before. Usually, I grab a handful of trailmix and shovel it down my throat as quickly as possible and the components are familiar. THIS was a totally different story. The only familiar thing I saw was the raw cashews and those are always great. But the berries were astonishing to me. I tried each one seperatly before eating it all together. The three berry mixture was gogi berries, mulberries and goldenberries.Then they mixed in the raw cashews and cocoa nibs to make this refined trail mix. The nibs are very rich and will quell any chocolate craving you might have, the cashews fill you up and the berries keep it nice and sweet. It was a great mixture-- very unexpected. The gogi berries turned out to be my favorite berry in the mix, although it was hard to pick, so lucky for me I have this as well:

Gogi Berries

Please visit the Navitas Naturals website to learn more about their unique products and offerings. My absolute favorite part of their website is that they go into detail about the health benefits of each ingredient that they use in their products. Click here to visit that part of the site.

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.

Hearty "Trail Mix"

I love large portions and we all know eating a "large" portion of trail mix is NOT a good idea. I beef my own up and it is soooooooo yummy! All for 270 healthy calories.

1 100 calorie pack of blue diamond almonds crushed in the bag (100 calories- duh)
1/2 cup fiber 1 cereal (60 calories)
1 cup Kashi 7 grain puffed cereal (70 calories)
9 100% Dark Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, crushed into slivers (40 calories)

Mix and eat!

Greek PB Cup!

1 single serving container Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons PB2
Sweetner of choice
Cocoa Nibs or SF Chocolate Syrup

Mix Greek Yogurt with PB2 and small bit of water to get mixing. Pour into muffin tin and top with either melted Cocoa Nibs or Chocolate Syrup. Freeze. PB Cups!

A few of my favorite things!

Everyone has their favorites! Here are some of mine:


PB2 powdered peanut butter (for shakes and protein "brownies")
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
Hershey's Cocoa powder
Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Nibs (the new 100% cocoa variety!)
Protein Powder-- use a variety for brownies, pancakes, shakes... (Zero Carb Isopure is my #1 love)
Frank's Red Hot
Nu-Salt (Sodium Alternative)
Mori-Nu Lite Tofu
Blue Diamond Almond Packs
Emerald Almond and Walnut Packs
Pure Protein Bars
Kashi 7-Grain Puffed Cereal
Dean's Carb Countdown
Extracts of all flavors (use almond, vanilla, maple on a regular basis)
Stride Sugar-Free Gum
Cinnamon
Ezekial breads and wraps
Smucker's all natural peanut butter
Sugar-free jellys and preserves
Frozen and fresh veggies of every sort!
Frozen and fresh fruit-- especially berries
Vitalicious Vitamuffins-- chocolate!
Walden's Farms brand chocolate syrup and the caramel dip
I will add to this list often!
Please share with me your wonderful food finds and daily staples.