Evol foods review

Evol provided me with a few coupons to get some free meals for review. Unfortunately, my closest supermarket only carried the bowls, but fortunately that ended up not mattering one bit when I took my first bite. I am impressed with Evol's concoctions. They aren't your every day run of the mill type of microwavable dinners, nor do they taste anything close to it.

Evol differs from most microwavable meals, in that it is healthier. As healthy as you can get being nuked, anyway. All of these bowls are packed with a wallop of protein and fiber. They contain all natural ingredients and these bowls have an uncanny way of not tasting microwaved at all. At $5 a pop they are expensive, but definitely worth a treat once in a while.

I tried 3 delicious bowls.

• Fire Grilled Steak 
• Bean And cheese 
• Chicken 

Fire grilled steak:  I was a bit disappointed in the minuscule pieces of steak this provided, and I think there were only about 5 that I could spot. Other than that, it was really good, cheesy, and hearty. The black beans  and cilantro lime pesto were a uniquely tasty combo.

21g Protein • 8g Fiber • Gluten Free • Net Wt. 9oz

Bean and cheese Enchilada: I really did expect this to be a glorified taco bell bowl, but It was not at all. It was really cheesy and I loved the flavorful combination of soft pinto beans with cilantro lime infused rice, and red enchilada sauce.

18g Protein • 8g Fiber • Vegetarian • Gluten Free • Net Wt. 9oz

Chicken Enchilada: Again with the same flavorful combinations of cilantro and pinto beans, only with chicken, corn and a green enchilada sauce this time. This one was my absolute favorite.

22g Protein • 7g Fiber • Gluten Free • Net Wt. 9oz

INGREDIENTS: Green Enchilada Sauce (Hatch Green Chilés, Tomatillos, Water, 

Tomatoes in Juice, Onions, Corn Starch, Garlic, Jalapeños, Cilantro, Salt, Lime 

Juice, Spices), Pinto Beans, Corn Tortillas (Corn Cooked with a Trace of Lime, 

Water), Cilantro Lime Chicken (Cage-Free White Meat Chicken Breast, Lime 

Juice, Canola Oil, Cilantro, Spices), Rice, Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, 

Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Corn, Lime Juice, Cilantro, Salt, Black Pepper.

^^ Nothing hard to pronounce, every day all natural produce and cage free white meat chicken. They don't specify whether the chicken is veggie fed. It has healthy oils and some cheese cultures. It is gluten free, but they use milk ingredients. Though they are at the very last of the list, so I doubt a lot goes into it. 

These bowls tasted really fresh and different. I think they could have done a lot worse.  Honestly nothing like the sugar infused processed tv dinners 99% of the food market is made up of. They are going to make a convenient once in a while substitute for home cooked meals.


You can check out Evol Foods here for more info.



Disclaimer: I received these for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own and 100% truthiness.

Rhythm Superfood Kale Chips Review & Giveaway!

I had the chance to try out some delicious chips from Rhythm  Superfoods. Though, when i say chips, I don't mean the traditional kind you are thinking of. I mean wholesome, organic, all natural, non-fatty, vegetables made into chips. The vegetable Kale, to be exact. I've heard of baking Kale into chips, but never actually tried it. Then I bumped into these beauties on a health food site and had to try them.

Rhythm sent me a sample of every flavor they had. Unfortunately, all but two were way too spicey for my wimpy taste buds. Don't think I didn't try, because I did. I actually enjoyed the taste of one, until the fire hit me and I regretted it. My reaction went something like this "Oh, yum, mmmmMMMMother of all that is unspicey, get it out!!" And a glass of juice later, I was saved. I can't complain though, they were really good, until that point.

The Kale chips come in:
Zesty Nacho
Bombay Curry
Kool Ranch
Texas BBQ
Mango Habanero

As you can see, most of them are centered around the "zesty" burn your tongue off variety, which plenty of people love. Just not me.

What my taste buds did ultimately agree on was the Texas BBQ and the Kool Ranch.  The ranch was my favorite. These chips have a very unique taste to them and I really enjoyed it. Kale has a distinct taste on its own, but when mixed with all the spices, the combination is so flavorful, and left me wanting more.

I had no idea what to really expect when I opened the bag, definitely not a bulk of chips. Regardless, it was a tastey bulk. Each individual chip is very thick, bulky and crunchy. Basically, the kale is the actual chip, not kale infused chips. Just a dried vegetable. Nothing at all like your average chip.

Rhythm Kale chips prove to be very healthy from what I have read. Check out the ingredients and nutritional info: Organic kale, organic sunflower seeds, organic tahini, organic onion powder, organic apple cider vinegar, organic evaporated cane juice, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic carrot powder, sea salt, organic spices. That's it. Nothing unpronounceable, processed, or anything else you've seen me complain about enough by now. Pure, raw, goodness, with a significant amount of protein, fiber and nutrition. 

I'm sure 99% of you know that Kale is one of the healthiest veggies you can consume, but do you know just HOW healthy?

Kale is a part of the cabbage family and it is jam packed with powerful nutrients, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and cartenoids. How many vitamins does this beauty carry with it? Vitamin A, C, K, B6, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Potassium, and fiber.

These chips made an excellent side dish to my veggie hot dog and I also had some as a snack, without feeling hungry afterward. They carry sweet potato chips as well, which I really have to try out!

If you can't wait to try them, you can order the cheapest that i've seen at Amazon for a pack of 4 at $10. It is a little pricey, but they are all organic and with that comes a bigger price tag.

Make sure to 'like' their facebook so you don't miss out on new promotions and information. You can also check out their website for more info and locations that carry it.

Have I convinced you to try out some spicey, vegan, gluten free, jam pack flavored kale chips?   Well, guess what? You can benefit from my wimpy taste buds, because I decided to give away the two bags I didn't open. 

One lucky winner will get two bags of kickin spicey Bombay Curry and Mango Habanero! Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crispy Green/Fruitzio Freeze dried fruits Review!

 Crispy green & Fruitzio is an all natural line of freeze dried fruit. The company sent me quite a variety to review, and I was so excited to try them all. I'm kind of a fruit fiend. They come bagged in a pretty silver, with the scrumptious pictures of the fruit within displayed. This fruit is 100% freeze dried, with NO added ingredients, no hint of this or that. Nada. It's as simple and clean as you can get. The only sugar involved is the naturally occuring kind inside the fruit itself. I love this. We really do not need more sugar than that, but our bodies are trained to want more in this society. You think you need it, but you don't.

Crispy green & Fruitzio freeze dried fruits were a perfect and very convenient go to snack for me whenever I craved anything sugary! If I craved a brownie or even carbs, I do not lie. It really did curb those cravings. I used these in yogurt, oatmeal, and other cereal. There is a lot you can experiment with and I will have to do that.

It is really interesting how the freeze dried process works, and actually a lot more complicated and involved than people would think. 

The fruit is frozen and then placed in a drying chamber, where heat is emitted into the shelves they sit on. through what is called, the "Sublimation process", water evaporates from the fruit, but it remains frozen. The process is done when all of the water has evaporated. In that kind of dry environment, no microorganisms of any kind can survive in that atmosphere, and enzymatic activities stop as well. 

Things to love:

• 100 % natural 

• 55 calories or less per serving! Check out the nutrition factor.

• The equivalent of at least 1 piece of fruit in every bag. This doesn't substitute regular fruit intake, due to the lack of hydration and some nutrients, but it still very healthy. Especially great for those who have a hard time getting in their nutrients, or do not eat a lot of fruits. Just dump them in your cereal or have them as on the go snack and you are doing your body a favor with the antioxidants and nutrition you otherwise wouldn't have. 

Very important to note. When i looked up the effects freeze drying had on food, I was surprised to find out that it doesn't deprive us of much. "The biggest losses in nutrients through freeze-drying occur in vitamins C, A and E. However, the vitamin losses are mild to moderate. Fiber remains intact, as do anti-oxidants and phytochemicals, which are chemical compounds that may provide protective health benefits."

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/534805-does-freeze-drying-affect-nutrition/#ixzz25SQTGjRJ 

• No added sugar

• Sealed in a moisture free-UV protected package (That is what the "pretty silver" is that I referred to)

• The freeze dried process ensures that the fruit can be sitting on the shelf for years and it will still be as good as the first time it was made! So no need to worry about when it's going to get bad or if any moisture is going to seep in.

• Kids will absolutely love this. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and a great way to get them off on the right kind of diet. They won't crave candy as much or at all. I would think very young ones could safely enjoy this as well. It is not hard to bite into and literally melts in your mouth some.

• They work under strict guidelines

"Sourced from certified, carefully selected growers who undergo a stringent audit review process. All fruit is processed and freeze dried according to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, an international standard that identifies critical control points, sets safety procedures and preventive measures, and maintains strict documentation for certification.

Crispy Green's manufacturing facilities are kosher certified by Orthodox Union, and do not process products containing peanuts or other tree nuts. View our kosher certificate. Crispy Green® products are packaged in high quality triple-layer poly-bags with an aluminium lining to protect the finished products from moFreeze-dried fruit is made using a freeze-drying process which is simple in concept but involves complex technologies."


I really like that they take so much care in their developing and manufacturing process. It gives me that much more of a "safe" feeling that I am consuming healthy, clean food. 


I loved all the fruits, not one complaint about any of them. The only complaint I have is that they are freakin addictive.

I was sincerely :( to devour the last bag of crispy green fruit I had. This is one company that has me hooked on their product. I will definitely be purchasing, and this will greatly help in my attempt at keeping healthier food intake.

You can find out more information at http://www.crispygreen.com

Here is where you can buy a 36 pack variety  but there are alternatives, such as Amazon

Make sure to like them on Facebook to keep up with their latest promotions!




Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review, nor was i asked to give a false positive opinion. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours.

Food Should Taste Good Chips, Review!

In my search for healthier chips, I came across Food Should Taste Good. I had actually tried a flavor from them previously, spiced sweet potato. I really enjoyed that flavor, so I decided I needed to try a lot more of their flavors, and the company provided me with 5 full size bags for review.

These chips are far from ordinary. They range from regular flavors you are used to, to very unique ones I'm sure most of you have yet to try.

Blue corn: I enjoyed trying the blue corn chips the first day the pack arrived. Broke out my  favorite salsa and dipped until I was pleasantly full. If you've indulged in blue corn chips, these are the best I have had to date. Not too salty and lots of that blue corn taste.

Original Sweet Potato: A few days later I craved that familiar FSTG flavor of Sweet Potato, only the ones i got were the regular and not spiced. These were just as good as the spice filled ones. Full of potato flavor and not too salty. It is hard to have just a handful of these.

The works!: Hek ya, when they say these chips are everything, they weren't exagerating. I detected so much flavor in these. Very spicey (not hot) and herbal. It was a very good mix with my bean salsa. These were my absolute favorite. Just an explosion of flavor.

Kettle corn: Ok, these are more like a desert chip, I could not get enough of them. Such a perfect unison of just the right sweet and saltiness. Really melt in your mouth type of flavor.

Chocolate: Now we are getting creative. I had to try such an interesting mix. How many of us have stuffed our faces with chocolate and chips simultaenously? I thought so. It was about time, these were created right? These chips are probably not what you're thinking though.  It is basically a corn chip flavored with a light to medium cocoa flavor. Not too strong on either account. I really enoyed them. The package recommends trying them with salsa. I'm adventurous, so I did, but I think a sweeter fruit salsa would have been a better bet for these. These are also great for a desert!

Their Take:
"All of our chip varieties are free of cholesterol, preservatives and trans fat.  They are also certified Kosher and Gluten Free, lower in sodium, and are a good source of dietary fiber. We currently have 16 flavors in our 5.5oz line: Multigrain, Sweet Potato, Olive, Jalapeño, Lime, Cantina, The Works!, Chocolate, Blue Corn, Cheddar, White Cheddar, Toasted Sesame, Hemp, Jalapeño with Cheddar, Hatch Chile and Kettle Corn. As well as a brand NEW line of Kettle Cooked Sweet Potato Chips with 4 classic flavors: Original, Barbeque, Salt & Pepper, and Salt & Vinegar. "



My Take:
Let's do a comparison of Doritos and FSTG for health benefits:

Ingredients of Doritos bag (Enlarge for detail):    

                                                  Ingredients of FSTG (Enlarge for detail):

At first glance, we see relatively the same amount of calories and  fat, but then as you look further down, you see significantly more fiber and protein. It is not necessarily low cal, but much healthier in it's makeup. Have a look at the ingredients. The sodium is one that really stands out. It is out the roof in the Doritos, and much lower in the FSTG . Some great benefits of the FSTG are the Quinoa and flaxseed; a very healthy source of fiber, which is what gives these chips a lot of it. Quinoa is also a very good source of protein. Check out all those un-natural ingredients on the Doritos bag. You don't see any red 5, Maltodextrin, vegetable oil, acids, a ton of artificial color and flavoring etc. on the FSTG bag, and the ingredients are far shorter in comparison. These are the things you look for in a healthy chip and food in general. It is very healthy in MODERATION and has much cleaner ingredients, but obviously like with any food, you don't want to overindulge. 

I think FSTG did a really good job at making it an indulgent chip with a lot of healthy benefits and this is just one comparison to America's popular unhealthy chip. There are other flavors with less calories and fat.


Overall, every bag was a treat for my tastebuds and body and I'm happy to flaunt this brand. I wish I could have offered a giveaway, but they are definitely worth going out to buy. They would be a hit at a barbeque.

You can check out all of their many chips at  http://www.foodshouldtastegood.com/#/intro/  where I spied a $1 off coupon! Also, check out their Facebook, so you don't miss coupons and other promotions!

Scheckter's Organic Energy Review

                          




I'm always in search of the latest and most healthy energy beverages for those afternoon slumps or just days where I lack a great sleep. When I came across Scheckter's Energy drink, I was pretty excited. Why you ask? It is jam packed with all natural organic ingredients for that "natural high". The reason why I say high is because it contains 135 Mg's of organic raw green coffee beans. That is 40% more caffeine than most leading energy drinks on the market. It is also the FIRST 100% natural, organic, and vegetarian-approved energy drink in the U.S. market! It was only just approved and introduced to us in June of this year, 2012! It is also the first energy drink to win a Gold award at the UK's Great Taste Awards.

Cute #Christmas Santa & #SantaHat #cupcake #recipe

I was bored, so I whipped up some santa cupcakes. Be forewarned, this is not my average healthy dish. The strawberry is the only healthy part of this, but that's OK because Christmas doesn't count! I saw a version of santa hat cupcakes and whilst making these, I decided I wanted to make a whole santa face cupcake and this is what i came up with. I think the chitlins would approve, don't you? The best part is that they can help you make these. It's a simple boxed cupcake recipe, with candy and fruit for toppings. These would work great at a Christmas themed party or just a night in desert.

Ingredients:

Two large eggs
Any boxed yellow cupcake mix or your own recipe. (Makes 12)
12 fresh strawberries. Don't use the frozen strawberries, they melt all over the place.
2 bags of m&m's or enough to make 2 eyes and 1 nose for 12 faces. (36) I used an off brand and made only 4 cupcakes.
Vanilla frosting, any kind. I used Duncan Hines.
Silver and white cupcake liners. I wish i could have found red. Definitely get red if you can. the cute factor would go up. They should make santa suit cupcake liners!
1 bag of shredded coconut
1 bottle of peppermint sprinkles
2 bars of thin white chocolate. (Room temperature so it's easier to cut) I used Lindt. Maybe even go with 3, in case you make mistakes. You need enough to make 12 small triangular beards.


Recipe:
Follow the directions on the cupcake box and put the cupcakes in the fridge.

After about an hour, take them out and apply a generous slab of frosting on each. Make sure to cover the whole top and crevices.

Take out your room temperature white chocolate and cut small beard shaped triangles. This can be tricky. I broke a few trying to get it just right. A trick i figured out from doing my Halloween project, is to heat the knife under hot water and then cut.

Once the triangles are shaped and ready, take out your strawberries, wash them, and cut the stems off so that they take the shape of a santa hat.

Apply the strawberry santa hats in the middle of the cupcake, so that they don't slide off. Then apply the M&M eyes and noses.

Then, apply the white chocolate beards. Use the frosting as a glue to adhere it to the cupcake.

Carefully put some peppermint sprinkles and shredded coconut around the whole cupcake, avoiding the eyes and mouth.

Lastly, put a dollop of frosting right on the top of the strawberry santa hat, to mimic fur.

Put the cupcakes back in the fridge and let everything stick to itself. Give it about an hour or so. Enjoy!

If the white chocolate becomes too difficult to cut the shape accurately, you may want to try marshmallow.

Toasted cheesy herbed sun dried tomato & avocado sandwich

So I've never really embarked on a delectable sandwich and today was the day I was going to do so. I think I can safely say I met the mark with this one. All my favorite things wrapped in cheese. It just doesn't get much better for a sandwich. I tried to make it 100% healthy, but the butter, cheese, and olive oil were just what it needed to complete its delectability. That's a word now. It could be worse, I could be indulging in a big mac. My favorite part about this sandwich is the contrast of the delicious crunchy, crispy texture of the bread against the gooey cheese. This is jam packed with nutrients and fresh herbs are a must!

Ingredients:

5 fresh Oregano leaves

1 tablespoon of Bragg's Organic Apple Cider vinegar. (I've been finding a use for this in almost everything. In addition to my shot of two tablespoons in the morning, it adds such a healthy and sweet & tangy kick to food.)

1 small-medium size ball of fresh mozzarella cut into 8 thin circle slices

1.5 tspn garlic

1 ripe avocado

8 thin strips of red onion

6 julienne cut sun dried tomatoes

4 fresh broccoli florets

1/4 cup no fat mozzarella shredded cheese

2 slices of Italian 5 grain bread (Bought at Publix)

1 tblspn i can't believe it's not butter

1 tblspn cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

1 tspn sea salt

Recipe:

Get out a bowl. Make small scoops of the the avocados entirety into the bowl. Follow with the broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, onions, garlic, ACV, and sea salt. Then, mix GENTLY, so as not to break up the avocado into mush, but get the flavor on the added veggies.

Put that aside and set your oven to broil at 350 degrees, while you butter your two slices of bread. (The bottom of one, the top of the other) Gently scoop half the mix onto the bottom bread slice, butter side down. Lay the slices of mozzarella on top of that. Then scoop the rest of the mix and repeat. Top with shredded mozzarella and top that with the remaining slice of bread, butter side up.

Put the sandwich onto two layers of tin foil, drizzle it with the olive oil, and set in the oven for about 3 min (or until browned) Then, gently turn the sandwich over and cook that side until browned and the cheese reaches your idea of sufficient gooeyness. For me, it's not done until the cheese is oozing out onto the plate. Enjoy! I certainly did.

I have to confess, i took the pictures too early the first time around. I put it back in for another minute to get it more melted! But it melted so much it covered all the beauty that was the vegetable colors, so i'm happy with the photographic outcome. :)