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!!

Be happy-- add balance to your life every day!

That is the motto of The Protein Bakery and you can say that again! I have found that without balance when it comes to your daily eating habits it leads to deprivation and even more over-indulgences. The folks at The Protein Bakery have perfected a formula of healthy eating with divine sweetness.

I was sent an amazing sampler pack that first off was just beautiful. Each bakery item just looked fresh and like each cookie and brownie got special attention-- because it did! The Protein Bakery bakes up small batches EVERY DAY from scratch so what you order (or stop in at their boutique style bakery in Manhattan if you are lucky enough to live nearby or visiting) is always fresh.

The sampler pack included a chocolate & peanut butter brownie, a blondie and an assortment of cookies.

By the looks of these you have to understand how crazy my sweet tooth was acting when I opened this package! First I tried the Chocolate Chip Blondie and every single morsel just melted in my mouth-- it was just the right texture and rich as can be stuffed with high quality chocolate chips. Later on that evening my S.O. and myself split a colossal Chocolate Cherry Cookie. OMG. The cookie itself was a deep chocolate and was bursting with dried cherries-- we both agreed it was divine. I can not wait to try my other goodies! Some facts about these amazing guilt free treats:

• Trans-fat free
• preservative free
• wheat flour-free
• nutritionally balanced
• natural ingredients
• high in fiber
• low in gluten
• up to 5 times more protein than the average baked treat (protein makes you feel fuller faster and prevents blood sugar spikes)

So you think I am just bragging about these great cookies, brownies and blondies that I get to sink my teeth into? Nah-- they have offered up the same amazing pack to one of my readers! Will it be you? Well to try your hand at winning like The Protein Bakery on facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow my blog, like me on facebook and then email me to let me know you did all this. You have until Tuesday November 29th. Best of luck to you!

Enjoy Life With a Cookie!

Just a couple short weeks ago I posted about Enjoy Life Foods gluten-free and allergen friendly snacks here. I just love that they are a company that makes snacking enjoyable for those with allergies or food intolerances but they are great for anyone who just loves to snack as well. I tried their new Crunchy Cookies and love these hand-crafted crispy cookies. When they say "crunchy" it is a good crunchy, not like they crumble into pieces but more like crispy if you ask me. I can not get enough of the Double Chocolate Chip cookies. Oh my-- they are made up of a deep chocolate cookie and sprinkled generously with rich, smooth chocolate chips.

With these being my favorite they have still have 3 other kinds that are also delicious. Another great thing about thses is that two BIG cookies only had 110 calories, I did a double take on this since they tasted so good. All the cookies contain no trans fat, no artificial ingredients, are kosher, gluten-free and casein-free. In order of my favorites there are the Vanilla Honey Graham (like a graham cracker cookie--yummm), Chocolate Chip (classic chocolate chip) and Sugar Crisp (simple goodness).  I've noticed that a lot of my local stores carry Enjoy Life Foods but you can do a store locator search here OR print out this store request letter and hand right to the store manager!

Warning! Delicously Addictive!

This was quoted from the Nutridel website about their gourmet, crispy, healthy cookies. I have to agree with them! These generously sized cookies are all natural and composed of good for you ingredients like seeds, grains, nuts and fiber then sweetened naturally. They have four varieties: oatmeal, almond, flaxseed and pecan. My faves are the nut varieties-- pecan and almond, oatmeal comes in very close followed by the flaxseed cookie. On the website they have recipe possibilities like making frozen yogurt sandwiches, top with nutbutter or honey etc... but really they don't need any jazzing up as they are awesome on their own (don't mess with a good thing). Unless you live in CA or the Pacific NW you will probably have to order these online-- they sell a sampler pack letting you try all four kinds. If you do find food faves encourage your local stores to check them out and hopefully stock them.

Ahhhh refreshing!

Why is the combination of chocolate and mint so refreshing? They compliment eachother so well! Tonight after a long, long day of traveling I wanted a seriously good snack so I grabbed a stack (not disclosing the size of the stack) of Newman's Own Organics Newman-O's Hint-O-Mint cookies. These delicious cookies have a crunchy, chocolately cookie with a creamy mint center that is just like the name implies "a hint-o-mint" it is not overpowering, just a subtle mint flavoring. As a Newman's Own Organics food fan I was excited to find out they have expanded their cookie offerings to include Peanut Butter filled Chocolate (omg- must try) and Ginger Creme. I am sure these will be making an appearance here soon... What's your favorite NOO product? I always have their mints handy in my purse! So why choose NOO cookies? They are certified organic and made with organic palm fruit oil, read more about that here.

Cupola Clouds and Cookies

If you’re looking for a sweet, light treat to sink your taste buds into any time of the day try a Cupola cookie from Cupoladua Oven. These light, airy cookies are perfect as a snack by themselves or with a hot cup of coco. The Chai Pistachio Cupola are my favorite they are made with a base of garbanzo bean flour and egg whites, then injected with black tea, spices, and the flavor of pistachios. I have also tried these cookies crushed up and sprinkled on the top of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, WOW what a fantastic mix. The Cupoladua Oven also makes Smoked Gouda Cupola Clouds made with artisan gouda. These clouds are crunchy and very high in calcium and protein.

More Than Just a Cookie…

Carol’s Cookies are simply said—Heavenly! They were immediately pleasing to me by their generous size packed away in a cool tin. Upon opening the tin I was bombarded with an appetizing rush of sweet, tempting smells. I could tell they were well prepared and was so happy to find that they had put an ingredient list right there on the inside giving the run-down of each cookie. The ingredients are simple and the combinations make for a distinctively delicious cookie fit for a king. The Oatmeal Raisin with Pecans (pictured on top of the rest) was screaming my name so I heated it in the microwave for a few seconds and devoured. The taste was delightful and so satisfying. Plus the ingredient list was short and simple: Wheat Flour, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Rolled Oats, Pecans, Raisins, Eggs, Salt, Baking Soda and Vanilla. Those are the same ingredients I use when making Oatmeal Raisin cookies – why don’t mine turn out like Carol’s Cookies? They pride themselves on using only the finest and freshest ingredients to give you the best cookies with no preservatives added. They have other enticing choices as well: Chocolate Chip (no nuts or with walnuts), White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Cinnamon Swirl, Milk Chocolate Chunk, Old Fashioned Sugar, Brown Cookie and Toffee Crunch Cookie.

Soft, Chewy Perfection

Those are the best words I can think of to describe Laura’s Wholesome Junk Food cookies. I can hardly believe that these rich cookies are actually a healthy treat, made guilt free using Dr. Laura’s (she is a physician) recipes that she created with her mother growing up. Each cookie that I tried had a unique and distinct flavor to it that totally satisfied my raging sweet tooth. I love that they understand the importance of being able to enjoy sweet treats without spiking your sugar, only setting you up for that dreaded sugar crash (a very addicting cycle). Laura’s WJF calls their decadent cookies “bite-lettes” and packs them with the purest ingredients like whole grains, fruits and natural sweeteners. There are six regular flavors including: Anna Banana Split, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, X-Treme Fudge, Lemon Vanilla, and Grandma’s Gingerbread. And three gluten free flavors: Charlotte’s Chocolate Chip, Better Brownie, and Cole’s Cashew. (Coming soon: Mint Double Fudge!) Now, I was fortunate and got to try the Mint Double Fudge. The combo is amazing. The perfect amount of Fudge flavor accented with a hint of mint in the same chewy, sin-free cookie format. I loved the uniqueness of the Anna Banana Split cookie—a banana flavored cookie with slivers of unsweetened coconut – yum! I did try to pick a favorite and it is a toss up between the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (oats, chocolate chips, and a hint of orange) OR the Xtreme Chocolate Fudge (rich chocolate fudge flavor in a bite-lette). You can order these online or pick them up in stores. I was lucky enough to spot these in the bakery section of my WF’s store. I picked up another container of the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip because I have a new addiction—taking these and crumbling them into greek yogurt and freezing the concoction like ice cream—but much better!

I just wanted to mention one more thing-- Dr. Laura is coming out with a cookbook very soon and it will be exclusive to desserts and they will all be healthier versions of your favorites. Watch their website very closely for the premiere!

Maitelates

What is Maitelates? Well, I can not tell you just how to pronounce it but I can tell you it is a grown up version of a dipped cookie filled with Dulce de Leche. The Dulce de Leche is the hit of this gourmet treat, surrounded by shortbread cookies and topped with Belgian Chocolate. What did I think of these cookies? I loved them. Elegant and sophisticated all while tasting amazing. Each one was individually wrapped holding the beautifully crafted delicate cookie. The equilibrium of the creamy filling, buttery cookies and rich chocolate was perfectly habit forming.

Tastes like............. Honey! Check me for recipes!

I usually avoid honey in my recipes for a few reasons but Nature's Hollow honey tastesjust like the real deal, acts like the real deal but is made with a naturalsweetner, honey flavor and spring water. When I got mine in the mail theoptions just started flooding into my head! In my green tea, coffee,yogurt, cereal and RECIPES! Here are a few I made, they all turned outwonderful tasting-- thanks to the honey. You get a big tablespoon servingsize for a measly 21 calories, no fat, sodium and 0 effective carbs.Natures Hollow also makes sugar free jams, syrups and low carb ketchup. Oh the opportunities. Now order some and try my recipes!

High Protein Sugar Free Honey Balls (No Bake)
The first time I made these I made a big batch to supposedly be treats fora couple of days. They were SO good that they all went down the hatch sothis is for a single serving of protein balls or one big one!
1 teaspoon Sugar Free Honey
1 teaspoon Naturally More Almond Butter OR peanut butter (any nut butter will work)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/8 cup fiber cereal
Mix together and leave in fridge a few hours until completely firm. So simple, so good!
Variations on the recipe: add seeds, nuts, chocolate nibs, sub vanilla ppfor chocolate, sub cereal for granola, add raisins or flax! The key ingredient in this recipe is the honey, it adds a sweetness and acts as a binder. If you add optional ingredients you will need to use more of the honey.

Pro-oat Cookies or Oatloaf
1 cup rolled oats
1 heaping scoop vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup carb countdown milk
1 egg (or equivelent)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 cup sugar free honey
Blend wet ingredents mixing very well. Add to oats and protein powder. Stiruntil all ingredients are binding like a sticky dough, then form into miniballs and place on Pam sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes. Let cool and store in airtight container. You can also pour batter into sprayed loaf pan and bake a bit longer-- add some baking powder and let stay in oven until knife comes out clean.
Optional add ins: dried fruit, cinnamon, PB powder, chopped nuts MORE coming soon!