Remember that Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter that I raved about not too long ago?
No? If not…refresh your memory here. If you do…welcome to me sampling some more flavors from Wild Friends Foods. Because the delicious awesomesauciness of the Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter was enough to drive me to try some more options. And while I was in Birmingham, Alabama a couple weeks ago, I picked up some more sample packets of the Wild Friends Foods line of peanut and almond butters. I only hoped they would live up to the one that really blew me away.
So…I came home with three flavors…and had some gluten-free bagels in the freezer.
See where I am going with this?
So, one morning, I toasted up these bagels…and realized I used up all my vegan cream cheese.
Never fear. Never. Because where cream cheese fails…nut butter comes through.
My roommate and I sampled two different flavors that morning, as these are the small sample packs. But…in this blog I am focusing on the Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Sunflower Seed Almond Butter.
Yes…
Chocolate. Sunflower Seed. Almond Butter.
Three epically delicious things in life all combined in one plastic jar with a cute winking squirrel on it. How could this be bad?
In truth…it can’t!! And…it wasn’t.
The Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Sunflower Seed Almond Butter is crazy good. It isn’t too sweet, so they’ve managed to strike a nice balance between the amount of chocolate and the salty-savory flavor of the nuts. It was creamy and amazing. And who doesn’t like something chocolate for breakfast, right? This was really good on my gluten-free bagel. I was noshing it happily and enjoying the blend of flavors. Almond butter is the most prevalent, but it leads off with that sweetness of the chocolate. And the sunflower seeds…nice touch that adds great texture. It is like nothing you have ever had before…but you will totally want it again.
Delicious!
Let’s talk basic and simple ingredients, okay? That’s easy to do…because Wild Friends Foods only uses real ingredients in their nut butters. The Chocolate Sesame Seed Almond Butter contains almonds, organic agave, unsweetened dark chocolate, sunflower seeds, sunflower oil, and sea salt. That’s it. Basic. Simple. CLEAN! Wild Friends Foods uses only all-natural ingredients, no white sugar, it’s non-GMO, non-dairy, vegan, and kosher. Also, this product has no gluten ingredients. YAY!
Nutritionally speaking, a serving of Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Sesame Seed Almond Butter is 2 tablespoons. This serving will provide you with 180 calories and 15 grams of fat…all of which are is the healthy fats you get from nuts. YAY! This product is cholesterol free and contains only 40 mg of sodium. Nice. Additionally, you will be consuming 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. Trust me…it’s filling. Especially on a bagel.
LOVE…is nut butters from Wild Friends Foods…and why choose between a sweet or a salty spread when you can have the best of both worlds? Yeah…now you don’t have to. Forget Nutella. Eat something so much better for you!
Wild Friends Foods Chocolate Sunflower Seed Almond Butter (on a gluten-free bagel)
Way back when my gluten-free journey started, I finally stopped cheating on my oatmeal (because I got tired of feeling like crap after lunch) and made the leap to gluten-free oats. One of the first brands readily available in my area (and also more cost efficient than others) was the gluten-free oatmeal by Glutenfreeda. And…sadly enough, the oatmeal didn’t wow me or really make me want to be friends with it. In fact, I found it rather bland, if I recall correctly.
But…sometimes you have to learn not to hold something against a brand itself. And, after a quick trip to Birmingham, Alabama, and a dash through the Publix near the Mellow Mushroom I was meeting my parents at for gluten-free pizza that night…I discovered a delicious sounding granola on the gluten-free shelves. The issue I had was…it was Glutenfreeda.
Do I risk it? I mean…it was Glutenfreeda Gluten-Free Cranberry Cashew Honey Granola. Um…nothing wrong with any of that. In fact…it sounds oh…so right! So, with a little debating, I finally snatched it off the shelf and committed myself to the purchase.
And…a month later…and me back in Louisville, Kentucky…I broke it out of the pantry for some breakfast parfaits (made with Greek yogurt and caramelized pears). Oh, to be sure, I was beyond nervous. It was the only granola in the pantry at the time, so it was either amazing…or not. And with no replacement, either way my roomie and I were eating it.
*sigh* *deep breath*
Breakfast Parfait…assemble!
Of course, I had to test the granola on its own before tossing it with the rest of the parfait components. I poured a bit in my palm, getting the oats, the dried cranberries, and the cashews. I tossed it back and…it was really good. I mean…REALLY good. It’s actually that perfect mix of sweet and salty. I mean…perfect. It has the flavor from the roasted cashews and the sweetness from the dried cranberries. The honey ties it all together. And the gluten-free oats are toasted to perfection and absolutely amazing. It all just comes together…and as much as I thought I was going to dislike this granola…I love it.
Naturally, because I have yet to find it around here. HA!
So…let’s talk ingredients, shall we? You’ll love these. Glutenfreeda’s Gluten-Free Cranberry Cashew Honey Granola is simply made from gluten-free oats, cashews, dried cranberries, brown sugar, canola oil, honey, flax seeds, vanilla.
That’s it. Okay…so the canola oil and brown sugar might throw you off…especially the canola oil, but in the grand scheme of things…not too shabby! Not at all.
Nutritionally speaking, Glutenfreeda isn’t dishing up a whole lot of empty, sugar-laden calories either. Each box of granola contains 4 individual packages. The kicker is, there are 10 servings per box. So do not eat an entire package in one sitting. You’ll be doing 2.5 servings if you do that. And one serving, 1/4 cup of the granola, will give you 120 calories and 4 grams of fat. This granola is cholesterol-free and sodium-free. A serving also provides you with 6 grams of sugar (not bad), 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.
Honestly, I was skeptical, but as it turns out…I was pleasantly surprised to actually like this granola. Not just like…love. I could indulge in this at breakfast every day…if I could find it in my area. Great flavor profile. Crunchy, tasty granola. Great job, Glutenfreeda!
Granola never tasted this good! Roasted cashews and plump dried cranberries are the cornerstones to our Cranberry Cashew Honey granola. This wholesome cereal is the perfect way to start your day, carry you through the day or even end your day, as a late night snack. Our Cranberry Cashew Honey Granola is made with certified gluten-free oats and is a great way to get fiber back into your diet, deliciously.
Each box contains 4 convenient travel pouches. Just slide one in your purse, briefcase or backpack for a nutritious ‘anytime’ snack.’
Granola never tasted this good! Roasted cashews and plump dried cranberries are the cornerstones to our Cranberry Cashew Honey granola. This wholesome cereal is the perfect way to start your day, carry you through the day or even end your day, as a late night snack. Our Cranberry Cashew Honey Granola is made with certified gluten-free oats and is a great way to get fiber back into your diet, deliciously.
Each box contains 4 convenient travel pouches. Just slide one in your purse, briefcase or backpack for a nutritious ‘anytime’ snack.’
Granola never tasted this good! Roasted cashews and plump dried cranberries are the cornerstones to our Cranberry Cashew Honey granola. This wholesome cereal is the perfect way to start your day, carry you through the day or even end your day, as a late night snack. Our Cranberry Cashew Honey Granola is made with certified gluten-free oats and is a great way to get fiber back into your diet, deliciously.
Each box contains 4 convenient travel pouches. Just slide one in your purse, briefcase or backpack for a nutritious ‘anytime’ snack.’
Lundberg Family Farms Organic Roasted Red Pepper Brown Rice Pasta and Sauce Mix
Product: Lundberg Family Farms Organic Roasted Red Pepper Brown Rice Pasta and Sauce Mix – $5.99+
Lundberg Family Farms…is, quite honestly, one of my most trusted brands for gluten-free goodness. I love the brown rice cakes. I love the gluten-free risottos, the gluten-free rice blends…even their brown rice pasta. So, a little while ago, I heard about their latest addition to their gluten-free food line-up. Brown rice pasta and sauce mixes.
I saw an ad in one of the gluten-free magazines I subscribe to and immediately went on the hunt. Sadly, at the time (and maybe still), nowhere in my area carried these delightful little boxes of pasta and sauce goodness. I was beyond disappointed.
Leave it to Columbus, Ohio. My friend Jenn took me to a natural food store there, called The Raisin Rack. It was there that I found, on one of the numerous shelves of gluten-free products, these boxes of brown rice with their own cooking sauce from Lundberg Farms. See this happy face? Yeah, I made sure I grabbed one of them. Not to get ahead of myself, but I should have grabbed one of each flavor.
As it was, I selected the Lundberg Family Farms Organic Roasted Red Pepper Brown Rice Pasta and Sauce Mix. Why? Because roasted red pepper is awesome! I’m on a roasted red pepper kick as it is…so…yeah…it was the winner. I took this home and waited for the right opportunity to cook it up. It came the night before a big trip to Colorado. With all the produce used up, I needed something fast and efficient for dinner. I went to the pantry and perused for a moment before snatching this box from the shelf and giving it a chance to wow me with an easy meal.
Lundberg Family Farms made this meal from organic rotini pasta and a flavorful sauce that is cooked up with water and the mix included in the box. When it cooks up, the spiralized brown rice pasta cooks in the water and as it sits, each noodle is blanketed in a rich and creamy sauce, all blended with amazing herbs, spices and vegetables. And yes…it actually does work out like that.
Settling in for dinner was as easy as making it. I handed a bowl of the pasta to my roomie and then settled in with mine. She dug in and actually seemed quite happy with it. I wasn’t sure how she’d like it. The sauce wasn’t a thick sauce, but it wasn’t watered down either. I just know that she likes…sauce. And she actually did like this sauce, because it does coat every noodle quite beautifully.
And the flavor is really good. I was concerned that the noodles might be bland, but they weren’t. They cooked up to a perfect al dente and then soaked in that sauce as it sat off the heat for a few minutes. All of that brought this fantastic flavor…of roasted red pepper and garlic and onion…with the right amount of seasoning from herbs and spices. It was creamy without the unhealthy cream. It was full of flavor with simple, basic ingredients. In other words…it was amazing and fantastic and delicious.
Lundberg Family Farms Organic Roasted Red Pepper Pasta and Sauce Mix is made up from organic brown rice pasta, organic dried garlic, organic dried red bell peppers, organic corn starch, organic dried onion, sea salt, organic dried cane syrup, organic brown rice flour, organic mushroom extract, organic spices (parsley and pepper), organic rice concentrate, organic olive oil, and organic sesame oil. It is gluten-free and cholesterol-free. It is also kosher and vegan. Love that.
Nutritionally speaking, the Lundberg Family Farms Organic Roasted Red Pepper Pasta and Sauce Mix serves up 2 servings per box. One serving of this pasta will dish up 220 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. You will also be consuming 440 mg sodium and 3 grams of sugar. Not too bad for something in a box, right? In addition, you’ll be taking in 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. So, this will definitely make you feel full.
If you need a quick meal that can be made in one pot, making clean-up a synch, and also providing big flavor and great taste…I highly recommend Lundberg Family Farms Organic Roasted Red Pepper Pasta and Sauce Mix. It is so easy to make, cooks to perfection, and tastes great. If you can find these boxes of pasta goodness…do give them a try.
Enjoy!!
Lundberg Family Farms Organic Roasted Red Pepper Brown Rice Pasta and Sauce Mix (cooked)
Potatoes are naturally gluten-free. Yep. They are. And that, my dearest friends, is one of the reasons I eat so damn much of them. Honestly. But, sometimes I get tired of the stuffed baked potato or the baked fries or the mashed up varieties. Sometimes I want something different. Sometimes all it takes is a little adjustment to the flavor and you have a winning recipe.
Thanks to my indulgence in all things Food Network, I recently caught an episode of The Barefoot Contessa where she literally took potatoes and turned the volume way up! And all it took…was some mustard.
It’s true. Now, my roomie doesn’t even like mustard…but she absolutely LOVED these. I think she was glad to have a serving left over. I made them while our friend Greg was in town for Sunday breakfast…and they were a huge hit. The added onion that roasts with these is a nice touch. However, I think next time I roast these up, I’ll put them on the bottom rack as some of the onions got a wee tad…dark.
But…this was a recipe worth making for sure. Going to have to do it again. I always have potatoes on hand!
2-1/2 pounds small red potatoes (or small Yukon Gold potatoes)
2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on a sheet pan.
Remove the ends of the onions, peel them, and cut them in half. Slice them crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices to make half-rounds.Toss the onions and potatoes together on the sheet pan.Add the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper and toss them together.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes from time to time with a metal spatula so they brown evenly.
Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley and a little extra salt.
~*~*~
As is usual for me, I didn’t sprinkle with the extra salt at the end…I figured it had plenty on there already. And with the mustard…it was certainly seasoned to perfection. These were a huge hit and it makes plenty. I actually used russet potatoes, since that’s what came in my CSA bin and it worked out perfectly. Delicious recipe. Honestly…if you want a new spin on potatoes…you’ll love this.
Product: O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins – $3.99+
It had gotten to the point, as of late, where I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I was never, ever, ever…EVER going to stumble across the third flavor of gluten-free Bagel Thins from O’Doughs. Seriously. Because my local grocery store that actually stocks this brand only carries the Original and Sprouted Whole Grain Flax Seed versions.
And while I appreciate that…I was in search of ALL the Bagel Thins.
Leave it to Organic Harvest (my happiest place in Birmingham, Alabama), a natural food store in the aforementioned Birmingham, Alabama, to carry this particular product in their freezer section. And…because I think ahead…I had a cooler with me for transport back to Indiana when I finished up my visit with my family. I was actually in town for the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K race with my mom (I ran; she walked) and the gluten-free expo that followed. All of that was fine and good, but with lunch looming at a diner where there is really nothing my mom or I can eat, we make our way over to Organic Harvest and pick up one of their small salads and usually a dessert to split between us. But, while there, I had permission to shop a little and pick up some items that I can’t find in Louisville.
YAY!
And so…I began to walk the aisles, scanning the shelves…looking for items of interest. Something that would grab me, shake me, and beg me to take it home. Not really though, because if food started to do that, I might scream and run away. But…if we’re just talking figuratively…I wanted to make the best decision as to what was coming home with me. Nothing worse than grabbing an item and then finding out it was crap.
Well, my roomie does get just as excited about gluten-free goodies as I do (which I love…since she can eat ALL the food and doesn’t have to eat gluten-free). And she spotted the O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins in the freezer section while she meandered quicker through the store with my dad. She hurried over to find me…and alert me of this finding. I immediately said, “THAT…is definitely coming home with us!”
And so…it happened. Into the basket with a couple (I behaved) other items and my lunch for that day. We checked out, put things in the cooler, went to lunch, and then went back to my parents house to store the items in the freezer until we left the following morning.
With another trip looming, this time to Colorado (the iconic home of all things gluten-free and awesome!), I’m starting to work my way through some of these things. And, with my morning being a crazy hot mess with spinning and everything…well…something quick that could happen while I showered was ideal. So, out of my freezer came the O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins.
O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins
I pulled out a baking sheet (I don’t own a toaster), and then sliced two of the bagel thins in half. I was expecting to see flecks of cranberry throughout, but I didn’t. Ah well. I never know what to expect. And as the oven was warming, I tossed the pan in and went to take a quick shower. By the time I was out and dressed, the bagel thins were toasted up and ready for the vegan cream cheese schmear. Breakfast was served (with a side of my left over Mustard Roasted Potatoes).
One thing that I do find is that bagel thins, while they are less calories, aren’t truly a bagel. I miss that doughy middle section and that crunch on the outside with the softness in the middle. That’s a bagel (spoken like a true New Yorker!). But…I also love to save some calories for other indulgences…like dark chocolate to keep me awake when I’m drowsing off at my desk. You know…those unexpected things in life. So, when you bite into one of O’Dough’s Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins, you get a crunch. If you toast it…you get a crunch. And then…you get cream cheese. Even just using a serving size of the cream cheese…you get cream cheese.
But…when you break off a piece that didn’t get well schmeared with the cheese…and taste it on its own…you still kind of don’t get inundated with the flavors of the bagel thin itself. It does have a nice hint of sweetness to it, thanks to the apples and almonds. And you get some very mild undertones of cinnamon and raisins and maybe even some citrus. But it’s not strong. Which…is not a bad thing. You don’t want to overpower the product with too many flavors. However, I was hoping that the apple and cranberry flavor would really take a front seat here. Unfortunately, it didn’t. That being said, the texture and the taste of these little bagel thins are really good. And if you don’t want a strong flavor to your bagel thins, but you want little hints of it in each bite, these may be the way to go. These would also probably be really good with butter on top. But I’m a cream cheese girl at heart.
Let’s talk ingredients for a moment, shall we? The O’Dough’s Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins are made from filtered water, potato starch, tapioca starch, chickpea flour, soya flour, whole grain rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, cellulose fiber, dried apples, dried cranberries, raisins, glycerine, sunflower oil, yeast, sea salt, salba chia seed, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, dehydrated fruits and vegetables (oranges, apples cranberries, tomatoes, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, carrots).
Hmmmm…tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and carrots in my bagel? Really?? REALLY??! That’s…different.
Nutritionally speaking, a serving size is one bagel thin. One of O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins will supply you with 100 calories and 1 gram of fat. These thin little bagels have 300 mg sodium and 2 grams of sugar. They also have 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. They are cholesterol free, gluten-free, all-natural, and preservative free. These are an fantastic source of fiber as well. Oh, and those veggies I was talking about up there are part of the 7 different fruits and vegetables that are contained in these bagel thins…which is nutritionally equivalent to 2 servings of fruit and veggies. Go figure.
Overall, I thought these were pretty good. I wish these came sliced, however, because slicing a bagel thin is a tricky task. Cut one bit too thin and it gets burned in the toaster or oven. It’s all just about holding it right and cutting it right. If they came pre-sliced, things would be so much easier on all of us. Other than that…these were good. What they lack in appearance, they do make up for in taste. And that…is saying something.
If you haven’t been able to find O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins in your grocery store…see if they can order them in. They are definitely worth trying. Especially if (like me) you are a cinnamon-raisin lover. It’s…sort of similar to that flavor.
O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
The final flavor was the Apple Cranberry. These made for a nice change as they had the wonderful sweetness from, you guessed it, apples and cranberries with the subtle undertones of raisins, orange, and spicy cinnamon. These reminded me of my beloved cinnamon raisin bagels back in my pre-Celiac diagnosis days. Top them with either butter or cream cheese and you are really good to go – their flavor is just robust enough that anything other than a simple topping would likely be a mistake on these. – See more at: http://www.glutenfreemike.com/odoughs-new-bagel-thins/#.U17c_qKwVFY
The final flavor was the Apple Cranberry. These made for a nice change as they had the wonderful sweetness from, you guessed it, apples and cranberries with the subtle undertones of raisins, orange, and spicy cinnamon. These reminded me of my beloved cinnamon raisin bagels back in my pre-Celiac diagnosis days. Top them with either butter or cream cheese and you are really good to go – their flavor is just robust enough that anything other than a simple topping would likely be a mistake on these. – See more at: http://www.glutenfreemike.com/odoughs-new-bagel-thins/#.U17c_qKwVFY
The final flavor was the Apple Cranberry. These made for a nice change as they had the wonderful sweetness from, you guessed it, apples and cranberries with the subtle undertones of raisins, orange, and spicy cinnamon. These reminded me of my beloved cinnamon raisin bagels back in my pre-Celiac diagnosis days. Top them with either butter or cream cheese and you are really good to go – their flavor is just robust enough that anything other than a simple topping would likely be a mistake on these. – See more at: http://www.glutenfreemike.com/odoughs-new-bagel-thins/#.U17c_qKwVFY
I’ve gotta be on a peanut butter protein bar (or ball, in this case) kick this week. Because after wrapping up with the sample GoMacro Peanut Butter Macrobars, I immediately dug into my snack drawer and pulled out one of the other cash register treats I picked up at the Raisin Rack in Columbus, Ohio. This time, it was from a company I was familiar with. When I was in Denver, Colorado two years ago, I picked up a couple of different flavors of Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Fruit Bars. Well…when something uses the phrase gluten-free with the words peanut butter…trust me…you have my full and undivided attention.
And that, in a nutshell (see what I did there?) is how I came home with one of Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Nut Butter Balls. Specifically…the peanut butter one.
Betty Lou, the owner of Betty Lou’s Inc., believes that there is a connection between what people eat and how they feel. I couldn’t agree more. As I have taken more to eating clean, I find that I feel much better. And when I don’t…I can tell. Almost 32 years ago, Betty Lou made a conscious decision to remove refined sugar from her family’s diet…and in doing so, began to create recipes that were made with honey and brown rice syrup instead. She fine-tuned each recipe and made everything with the best, healthiest, cutting edge ingredients. Today, 32 years later, that same practice is in place and all of Betty Lou’s healthy, all-natural, gluten-free products have to live up to the highest of standards. Good ingredients…never compromising taste.
I thoroughly enjoyed the three versions of Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Fruit Bars that I picked up in Colorado. So…now it was peanut butter’s time to shine. I hoped.
When my morning snack time rolled around, I pulled the Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Nut Butter Ball out and opened it up. I tried to be careful with it, so that the wrapper wouldn’t be torn in the picture…but…that didn’t happen. After taking the picture for the blog, I pulled out my butter knife from my desk (I keep a set of silverware in my drawer) and sliced off a piece for my roommate to try. I had a bit of a time cutting through the actual nut butter ball itself, and it was shedding the peanuts that speckled the outside of it like crazy. Nonetheless, a little elbow grease, and some upper body strength…and voila…I had a piece for Cathy to try. I took my own bite…and began to chew.
And chew. And chew. And chew some more. In fact, the Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Nut Butter Ball…was kind of tough. It seemed like the heat from my mouth actually had to warm it up to make it pliable. And then it was like chewing caramel that has gotten solid rather than soft. You just keep chewing and chewing and chewing until it eventually dissolves enough that you can safely swallow it.
That…was how I felt eating this. And I only took a small bite.
I took Cathy her piece and awaited her thoughts. They actually mirrored my own. While the Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Nut Butter Ball had a much better and more predominant peanut butter flavor than the GoMacro Peanut Butter Macrobar (see review just ahead of this one!), it wasn’t soft nor easy to really eat. In fact, I might have burned more calories eating the thing than it gave my body. My jaw was totally getting a workout. So, it was a shame about the texture, but the flavor was really good. And the little roll in peanuts to have them speckle the top of the nut butter ball itself was genius. It just adds to the flavor for sure.
So…really on the fence on this one. If it had been softer and easier to eat, I think this would have been a runaway hit. But…as it was…my jaw started to ache after awhile and soon I found myself just wishing it was gone already. I ate it, although it took awhile and many a chew break…but found it tasty, regardless. I might be a little hesitant to pick one up next time, however. Just for the sheer fact that it was like gnawing on tough caramel rather than diving into a rich, smooth peanut buttery treat.
So, what makes up Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Nut Butter Balls? The listed ingredients are organic agave syrup, peanut butter, whey protein blend, peanuts, inulin (dietary fiber), whey protein crisps, natural peanut extract, water, vanilla extract, potassium citrate, magnesium citrate, pure sunflower lecithin, sea salt, mixed tocoherols (natural vitamin E). Clean eating this is not. In fact, it has some crazy vitamin’s getting mixed in there as well. I can’t pronounce them…and therefore will not type them. The Peanut Butter Nut Butter Ball contains no trans fat, no corn, no soy and is non-GMO. This ball contains electrolytes.
So, a bit of a letdown as far as ingredients. I was hoping for more natural ingredients.
As for nutrition, one serving is one of the Nut Butter Balls. The Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Nut Butter Ball serves up 180 calories and 8 grams of fat. The fat is mostly derived from the peanuts and peanut butter though, so keep that in mind. You will be taking in 10 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, and 12 grams of sugar. In addition, you will be consuming 5 grams of filling fiber and a whopping 15 grams of protein.
I don’t know if I will try any other of the Nut Butter Balls that Betty Lou’s offers. This one really didn’t win me over with the texture of it. The flavor was amazing, but…I don’t like having my jaw hurt just to eat a snack. Had this been softer, I think it would have been a complete winner. I think I’ll stick to the Gluten-Free Fruit Bars when it comes to Betty Lou’s products. I just wasn’t impressed with the Betty Lou’s Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Nut Butter Ball. At all.
I love trying new and intriguing products. I really do. The thing is, I’m not always willing to purchase said products. And sometimes, honestly, I just don’t know about them. That is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I go to local, and sometimes not-so-local gluten-free expos and fairs. That’s how I was introduced to the GoMacro Macrobar.
I was in Birmingham, doing the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K with my mom. Immediately following the race, there was a gluten-free expo that participants and anyone who knew about it could attend. I was excited. Two years ago, I attended Birmingham’s first Making Tracks for Celiacs race and expo…and was blown away by the sheer scale and size. I walked out of there with two large grocery bags full of gluten-free freebies. This year, however, the size of the expo went down and the number of exhibitors definitely shrank. I felt a bit let down, actually. But there was still plenty to see and check out.
And so…we began to make our way around the small banquet room and check out the local bakeries, local businesses, and some product exhibitors who did make it to the expo. Laying on one of the tables in the center were these GoMacro Macrobars. They looked interesting enough, touting on the wrapper that they were vegan, macrobiotic, and gluten-free. I snagged a couple and we moved on. Of course, they only had one of, what appears to be numerous, flavors out. And so…that is how I got to try the GoMacro Peanut Butter Macrobar.
I haven’t seen these around where I live. So…I was almost afraid to try them and fall in love with them. But, I needed a good afternoon snack for the office and these definitely would fit the bill. This week, I began taking the little sample bars with me to work, where I finally got to see what the GoMacro Macrobar was all about.
The GoMacro company believes in five basic principles when it comes to their products and their business. These are:
1. Veg Out – Vegan – Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
2. Live Long – Macrobiotic – A macrobiotic diet is the key to a healthy life.
3. Be Well – Wholesome – If nature did not make it, we do not use it.
4. Community – Gives Back – Pay it forward. Give back. Change the world.
5. Tread Lightly – Sourced Sustainably – Let us walk softly on the Earth with all living beings great and small, remember as we go, that one God kind and wise created all.
I do like the principles they put out there for their company and products. But how does the GoMacro Peanut Butter Macrobar stack up to other protein bars that I’ve tried.
It’s…okay…really. It has the texture of a Lärabar…exactly. It even looks like a Lärabar. And it’s peanut butter. I love peanut butter. I have my own jar that I can just eat from whenever I want. The problem is limiting myself to a serving or less. It’s not easy. I’m a peanut butter addict. Sadly, however, this bar tastes very lightly of peanut butter. While I love the soft texture, the flavor just didn’t pop or wow me. It was good. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t take a bite and spit it out…but there was just so little flavor to it, that I had to get a bite with a peanut actually in there to actually feel like I was eating something “peanut butter.” Now, this may be because GoMacro doesn’t add any salt or sugar…which I appreciate, but I sort of expected a little more pop, especially with the use of natural ingredients and the like. So, it was a small bit of a let down…but nothing that would stop me from eating these again, or trying other flavors should I be able to find them in my area.
Ingredient-wise…it doesn’t get much easier than this. The GoMacro Peanut Butter Macrobar contains organic brown rice syrup, organic peanut butter, organic protein blend (brown rice protein and pea protein), organic puffed brown rice, and organic peanuts. Five ingredients. That’s it. And, as someone who is trying to eat more real food and cut out processed foods…this is a nice balance between the two. Eating clean…without having to make it myself. Nice!
Nutritionally speaking, the mini-size of the GoMacro Peanut Butter Macrobar contains 100 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. That fat is derived from the peanuts and peanut butter that goes into these bars. Healthy fats. These bars are cholesterol and contain 0 grams of sodium. In addition, these bars only contain 5 grams of sugar. Love that. And you will also be consuming 1 gram of fiber and 5 grams of protein. Definitely a smart choice for a snack.
So, while I wasn’t over-the-top in love with this bar, I would purchase it again. I like the commitment to fresh ingredients, simple ingredients, and just an overall appreciation of the environment and the body…and what gets put into it. I think these would be killer if they had a bit more flavor to them…but you do what you can without adding extra chemicals and sugar. And I’ll take a bland protein bar over one with an ungodly amount of sugar any day. If you find the GoMacro Macrobars…I encourage you to give them a shot. See what you think!
Two of my favorite things to eat right now. There was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to try this bar. I had, actually, never heard of this particular bar before…until my friend Jenn took me to her local natural foods store, Raisin Rack, and there I found all sorts of little delights I didn’t even know existed. In fact, this wasn’t even on my radar until we went to check out. I had filled the basket (maybe overfilled) as my roomie told me I could get whatever I could fit into the medium basket offered at the store. Jenn and I set out on the task to Tetris as much stuff into the basket as possible. It was full…but there were some goodies up by the register. I grabbed a couple of them when Cathy told me to go ahead and do so.
One of them…was the Oskri Fig Dark Chocolate Bar.
I carried this bar with me for an entire weekend when my friend Indy was visiting from California. Why? Because I wasn’t certain with the restaurants we were trying, whether I would be able to eat anything or not. But, thankfully, all the restaurants could work within my dietary restrictions. However, on Sunday morning, we were heading up to Cincinnati to go shopping at Jungle Jim’s…and we got a case of the munchies on the way.
As Indy had never had White Castle from White Castle…she and Cathy went to get some food there. I can’t eat anything at White Castle…but I did have the Oskri Fig Dark Chocolate Bar in my purse. Victory. I knew I carried little protein and snack bars around with me for a reason. As they dug into their sliders and chicken rings, I tore open my Oskri Fig Dark Chocolate Bar and took an initial, tentative bite.
Why I was worried, I don’t know. The best way I know how to describe this bar is by saying it tasted like a chocolate Fig Newton. Now, I went gluten-free three years ago…and I haven’t had Fig Newtons since then. Which sucks, as they were always one of my favorite snacks. Yes…they are filled with high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals, but I loved them. I really did. And this…this was a Fig Newton…but…it was SO much more than a Fig Newton. It was dark chocolate. And the dark chocolate paired perfectly with the fig. Honestly…this is now one of my favorite flavor profiles. I had to rein myself in. I wanted to enjoy every bite of this bar. The dark chocolate was the perfect bittersweet complement to the texture and taste of the fig. Actually, the way the bar was described, I thought I was going to be getting a chocolate coated fig bar. But what I have is something akin to a Lärabar. The bar is 100% fig, but doesn’t have that gritty texture that often products made from fig have. And I loved every bite. I savored it for as long as possible, but all good snacks do come to an end.
Ingredients in the Oskri Fig Dark Chocolate Bar are really straightforward. They include figs (80%) and dark chocolate (20%). If you are looking for a clean-eating snack, this just might be your new go-to! Two ingredients…and they are both healthy! This bar is gluten-free and vegetarian. It is also cholesterol free.
Nutritionally speaking, the serving size of the Oskri Fig Dark Chocolate Bar is 1 bar. This bar will serve you up 172 calories and 2 grams of fat. That’s not bad for a snack bar. This bar contains no sodium, but does have 26 grams of sugar. YIKES!! That’s a lot of sugar. I blame the natural sugars in the figs as well as…the dark chocolate. So…really I blame both ingredients. Still…this bar is total yum! This bar is guaranteed to fill you up though, touting 5 grams of filling fiber and 2 grams of protein.
Yeah…when I head to the Raisin Rack next time I am in Columbus, Ohio…I’m buying more of these. I will buy as many as I think I can get away with. Yes, the sugar content is a bit high, but…damn…nothing like snacking on a healthier version of a Fig Newton. Except…it’s better…because it’s Dark Chocolate. If you see these at your local natural food stores…don’t hesitate to buy one. Trust me…you’ll be glad you did. In fact, you might want to pick up more than one. Do not make the same mistake I did.
Product: Caveman Bakery Apline Caveman Cookies – $6.29+
Can cookies really be made the caveman way? Can paleo really go that far?
Ah, that new fad that so many people are jumping onto. Eat like a caveman, and reap the wonderful health benefits. While I find nothing wrong with cutting out refined sugars and processed grains…I go back and forth on the whole “eat like a caveman” thing. I mean…not being able to eat beans…or corn…due to sugar content or something. Nope. Not a fan.
However…paleo items are gluten-free. And when something hits the market that I’ve never seen before…my friend Jenn usually supplies me with a box. God love her! Well, I have previously tried and was not thrilled with the Tropical version of these cookies. Jenn assured me via a Twitter account that, surprisingly, the Alpine were better.
Well, it’s moment of truth week because I have no dessert on hand and these are in my pantry. Out came the box of Caveman Bakery Alpine Caveman Cookies.
Much like the Tropical variety of these cookies, these come individually wrapped inside the box. They are little flat cookies, slightly sticky as you remove them from the wrapper…probably the honey…no…definitely the honey. They smelled good. They looked deceivingly chocolatey. Would they be better than the very bland and disappointing Tropical flavor? Was it possible?
Kinda…I guess.
Here’s the thing. These cookies are chewy. Not like…soft…fresh out of the oven chewy. Not even processed cookies that are made to be soft and chewy chewy. Nope. These are just…chewy. Like…not quite gum…but almost…chewy. Which, we all know I prefer a chewy cookie to a crunchy one (although I will eat both and do so happily and without any measure of guilt!), but these…these are just too chewy. Yes…a cookie that is too chewy for me.
As for taste…Jenn was right. These actually do taste better than the Tropical variety. The Alpine Caveman Cookies have a hint of chocolate flavor. But it’s very mild and almost…not there. The honey really sort of stands out the most. I took a bite, tugging the very chewy cookie back and tried to savor it…find that flavor…find that chocolate flavor that I was craving. Only a hint. But…it was enough to cleanse the palate.
I guess.
I still wasn’t impressed. Strike two Caveman Bakery.
Sad, because I love what goes into these cookies. You want to talk about clean eating…these cookies are made from what Caveman Bakery says are ingredients that cavemen could have found while hiking in the alps. These cookies are simply made from honey, hazelnut meal, almond meal, and toasted carob seeds. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and cholesterol free.
As for the nutritional aspect of these cookies…a serving size of the Caveman Bakery Alpine Caveman Cookies is 2 cookies. Yep. Two. Get those jaws loosened up, folks! This serving will provide you with 150 calories and 9 grams of fat. Most of that fat is from the use of the nuts (hazelnuts and almonds), so that is at least the healthy kind of fat. These two cookies contain 0 mg sodium, but 14 whopping grams of sugar. YIKES!! Okay…so it’s from the honey and carob but…YIKES! Okay…they are cookies. I’ll give them that. But still. And finally, you will have 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein. Let’s hear it for meals made from nuts!
I don’t know…I understand the concept. I get that it’s considered a better way of eating. But I think these cookies are not what the cavemen had in mind when they thought about polishing off their saber tooth tiger consommé and needed to cleanse their palate. Perhaps some wild berries or nuts would have been sufficient.
While these cookies aren’t awful, they definitely didn’t do anything for me. Therefore, once the package is gone…it will be the last of the Caveman Cookies in my home. Kind of pricey for a product that didn’t wow me. Not one bit.
But, I think my jaw got the workout of a lifetime.
Product: Caveman Bakery Tropical Caveman Cookies – $6.29+
Yep.
This is just what you are thinking. These cookies are called “caveman cookies” for a reason. And that reason is…(insert trumpeting here)…they are a part of the “caveman” diet…or the Paleo Diet as it is often called now.
Now, as a gluten-free vegetarian, a lot of what I make can be done the Paleo way…but a lot of my protein sources (beans, peanut butter, etc.) are frowned upon in the paleo diet. As are some of my favorite vegetables – like potatoes and corn. So, while I know a few people who do follow that “caveman” way of eating…I can’t for my own health. It just isn’t feasible for me. But, that’s not to say that I don’t try these “paleo” recipes and items that are now on the market. As long as they fit into my dietary restrictions, I’m never one to turn down the opportunity to try something new. And…since I do know people who live by this form of “diet”…I have learned how to bake many staples to fit into the “caveman” diet by trying out different flours, often made from almonds or coconut.
So, while I was in Ohio visiting my friend Jenn, she picked up for me some interesting cookies that fit my tastes and…were gluten-free. Jenn loves me like this and often has goodies for me to try waiting at her house. I took a gander at the boxes…seeing the open-mouthed Caveman and the words Tropical on one box. Alpine is the other flavor…and the one I haven’t tried yet. YET!
Well, with the demise of the gluten-free vanilla bean pound cake (it was SO good!), I needed a new sweet treat to cleanse the palate after dinner. I recalled these boxes in my pantry and screamed my thanks to Jenn as I pumped a fist in the air in dessert victory. I mean…dessert is something I grew up eating after dinner. It doesn’t have to be huge. A cookie or a small bowl of ice cream…just something sweet to tie up the meal. That’s how I was raised. I still swear to this today. So, I happily snagged the Caveman Bakery Tropical Caveman Cookies from the pantry.
So, it was cookie time. And you know…I am a complete cookie monster. My favorite thing in life is a good cookie!! And when I opened up this box…I found individually wrapped little cookies (about the size of a silver dollar) just eagerly awaiting their trial. I plucked four from the box (two for me and two for my roomie) and got to unwrapping them. They smelled absolutely delicious. Hard to explain just how they smelled, but I caught the macadamia nut and a hint of sweetness from the coconut and ginger. I opened up two cookies for my roommate and delivered them, giving her the usual disclaimer that, “if they suck we can try something else…” As I was heading back into the kitchen, she took a bite. At first…I couldn’t tell what she thought of them. The face she was making was sort of neutral. Then…there was something. But from where I stood, I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. So, as I was opening up my cookies, I asked her how they were.
“They are like…chewy cardboard that is sweet.”
Um…that can’t be good.
“Are they edible?” I inquired.
She thought for a moment and took another bite. “Well…I’ll eat them…but they aren’t something I’d buy again.”
Okay…
Guess it was my turn to give them a try. I settled in for dessert and took a bite.
So…here is the nitty-gritty:
The Caveman Bakery Tropical Caveman Cookies are good in that they are chewy and use real ingredients. I mean…it doesn’t get much more real than what goes into these cookies. They are not so good in that they don’t really have that much of a flavor. I know…you probably think it’s that I’m missing the sugar…but I cut down on sugars wherever I can and try to do low sugar even in my snacks and cookies. Often I substitute honey…which is what is used in these cookies to sweeten them. The thing is…they are really bland. They do have a nice nutty flavor to them, which I like. The coconut hits at the end. And the ginger doesn’t overpower…but there is just something about them that didn’t…wow me. I wouldn’t say they taste like cardboard, but they definitely take some getting used to. I love a chewy cookie and I wasn’t certain these would be…but they are very chewy. And that…is my favorite part. With nothing more than the hint of coconut for something “tropical”…I can’t for the life of me figure out why these are called “tropical”. But…they aren’t awful. And we will polish off the box.
Let’s talk ingredients. Honestly, the good thing about the Paleo Diet is how straightforward ingredients are in products. The Caveman Bakery Tropical Caveman Cookies contain almond flour, organic honey, unsulfured coconut, macadamia nuts, and ginger. That’s it. They really are chewy…and contain 100% real ingredients and are gluten-free. They are also cholesterol free and sugar free.
Nutritionally speaking…here’s how the Caveman Bakery Tropical Caveman Cookies stack up. A serving size is 2 cookies. Yep. TWO cookies. This serving will provide you with 140 calories and 10 grams of fat. Yep…10 GRAMS OF FAT!! Don’t freak out though. Much of this fat is derived from the macadamia nuts and almond flour. Fat from nuts is a healthy fat. So…yeah…deep breath. It’s okay. Additionally, these cookies contain 10 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber rand 3 grams of protein.
So…while these aren’t awful, they aren’t amazing either. They are just sort of “MEH.” And a “MEH” dessert is not a dessert that will be repeated. We are going to finish up the box. And, yes, we will also try the Alpine Caveman Cookies as well to see if they perhaps satisfy us better or have more flavor. I give kudos to Caveman Bakery for making a paleo-friendly cookie for the market…but it seems they could use a little help with the recipe. But, that’s just my cookie-loving opinion. I don’t think I’d invest in these in the future. At least not this flavor.
The Celiathlete 