product review

[RECIPE] Probiotic Smoothie Popsicles

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The post was created as a part of the #GenesisTodaySuperfoods August Challenge.
genesis today smoothie pop

This summer we have had a meal of popsicles more than once or twice this summer. These aren’t just any popsicles though and you can’t purchase them in the store. I’m talking about superfood and homemade. With Portland’s heat this summer and the lack of desire to cook has me throwing things into the blender, pouring into popsicle molds and voila there’s breakfast, lunch or dinner. I love to keep these popsicles nutrient dense, free of refined sugars and packed with superfoods.

genesis today pop

Probiotic Smoothie Popsicles
Popsicles for your gut.
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Ingredients
  1. One Medium Banana
  2. 1 Cup Chopped Frozen Kale
  3. 12 OZ Orange Juice
  4. 3 Probiotic Capsules
  5. 1/4 Cup Blackberries
Instructions
  1. Add the banana, kale, orange juice and blackberries to a blender.
  2. Open the probiotic capsules and add to the smoothie.
  3. Blend until smoothie.
  4. Drink up or pour into popsicle molds and freeze!
Naturally Lindsay http://3.232.172.97/
genesis today pops

Since actively taking a probiotic I have experienced better digestion and just overall I feel better. Since I’m not big on taking pills I love that I can open the capsules and add these probiotics to my smoothies and popsicles or even my oats! Genesis Today’s Probiotic strains promote healthy intestinal microflora and healthy digestion. A few extra perks of these probiotics:

  • This blend contains no animal sources and includes 17 beneficial strains of health-promoting bacteria superfruits, sprouted greens, and fermented fruits and vegetables.
  • The best part is this probiotic blend helps keep your cut nice and happy.

So I have a happy belly, a happy family and I don’t even have to turn the stove/oven on!
Do you take a probiotic?

Disclaimer: I am blogger ambassador for Genesis Today. I received monetary compensation for this post. The opinions are my own and based on my own experience.

Recipe of the Week: My Favorite Open Faced Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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There is no denying it bread does not last long in this house, especially if it is in bagel form. Both the husband and I are addicted to toast, bagels with tofu cream cheese and sandwiches. To keep our addiction in check we don’t often buy bread but rather eat it out (which isn’t often) or Neil will bake us up a small loaf (much more manageable). One other way that we have been able to keep our addiction in check are wonderful sprouted breads that are from the freezer section; it seems that if the bread isn’t on the counter we won’t eat a loaf in two days (or less).

 

 

Our current bread love is French Meadow Bakery which makes bagels, wraps and bread both gluten free and not. We seem to always have something in our freezer nowadays and I love it. My favorite products are the bagels especially the hemp bagels with tofu cream cheese, thinly sliced onions and tomatoes, capers and a little salt and pepper- YUM! Also did I mention that one hemp bagel has 19 grams of protein and 13 grams of dietary fiber! This is a huge plus especially since being pregnant I need to make sure I am getting a good amount of both.

When my sweet tooth hits I turn to the sprouted cinnamon raisin bagels which honestly don’t require any topping but are wonderful with almond butter and banana. These t0o are filled with protein and dietary fiber- Win!

 

 

Now I would eat most everything on a bagel but sometimes you just want toast or a sandwich and that’s when I turn to the 16 Grain & Seed Bread.  This bread makes a fabulous sandwich or toast, I especially like to use it for open faced sandwiches.  Recently I made up a bowl of my favorite sandwich filling, chickpea salad, and topped a few slices of 16 Grain & Seed Bread along with tomato, red onion and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.  I stuck the slices under the broiler for 4-5 minutes and voila I had the best open faced sandwich- double yum!

 

My Favorite Open Faced Chickpea Salad Sandwich

  • 1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 carrots, minced
  • 2 celery stalks, minced
  • 2T onion, minced
  • 1/2T Triple Blend Flakes (or kelp flakes) (optional)
  • 1/4 Cup vegenaise or your other favorite vegan mayo
  • Tomato and Onion, thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Nutritional yeast

Place your chickpeas in a bowl and smash them with a potato masher.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, kelp flakes and vegenaise and mix to combine.  Top slices of bread with the mixture and then layer with onion and tomato.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.  Place on a sheet pan and broil on high for 4-5 minutes.

Unfortunately Open Faced Sandwiches Aren't Very Photogenic

{Product Review}: Rise Bars

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About three months ago I was sent a variety of Rise Bars to sample and review.  I have been slacking on the posts but I think that this is the perfect time to tell you about my new favorite energy bar.  Ever since I found out I was pregnant I have had a stash of Rise Bars, along with a variety of other snacks, in my purse and at my office desk.  I know that I can go from fine to “starving” in about ten minutes (it’s crazy) so I always need to have healthy snacks on hand and Rise Bars have become my bar of choice.

Rise Energy+ Bars are 100% organic, made with blended superfruit and nuts, full of fiber and antioxidants to fuel you through the rest of the day. They come in five flavors which are all tasty but the Cherry Almond and Blueberry Coconut are my favorites.

INGREDIENTS: ALMONDS*CASHEWS*DATES*CHERRIES* BROWN RICE SYRUP*TAPIOCA SYRUP*AMARATH*SEA SALT (* Organic Ingredient)

INGREDIENTS: ALMONDS*DATES*COCONUT* RAISINS*BROWN RICE SYRUP*TAPIOCA SYRUP*AMARANTH*ACAI*SEA SALT (* Organic Ingredient)

INGREDIENTS: CASHEWS*DATES*ALMONDS*APRICOTS* BROWN RICE SYRUP*TAPIOCA SYRUP* AMARANTH*SEA SALTGOJI* (* Organic Ingredient)

INGREDIENTS: ALMONDS*COCONUT* DATES*TAPIOCA SYRUP*BROWN RICE SYRUP* BLUEBERRIES (WILD BLUEBERRIES, EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, SUNFLOWER OIL)*RAISINS* AMARANTH*SEA SALT (* Organic Ingredient)

INGREDIENTS: DATES*ALMONDS*COCONUT* APPLES*BROWN RICE SYRUP*TAPIOCA SYRUP*AMARANTH*RASPBERRIES* POMEGRANATE*SEA SALT (* Organic Ingredient)

Additional reasons I love these bars:

  • They are naturally sweetened with tapioca Syrup/Brown Rice Syrup
  • They are made of blended superfruits
  • They have nuts to add protein and sustain energy levels
  • They are 100% organic
  • They taste AMAZING
  • They are free of:
    • GLUTEN
    • PRESERVATIVES
    • GMOS
    • DAIRY
    • SOY
    • PEANUTS

As you can see from the list above there are so many reasons to love Rise Bar and that is why they are currently my go to snack bar. Don’t get me wrong  I still have a few other unnamed bars that I love but Rise Bar is currently at the top of my list.

Disclaimer: Rise Bar provided me with a sample of their products to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.

Product Review: Ciao Bella Sorbet

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Ciao Bella Sorbet


The kind people over at Ciao Bella sent me four of their sorbet flavors and I picked up one additional flavor for review. The four flavors they sent were:

  • Raspberry: This flavor was the Hubz favorite- honestly the best raspberry sorbet either of us have ever had.  I love how there are only a few ingredients and that it is made with fresh raspberries. Really amazing low calorie treat.
  • Wild Blueberry: This was our second favorite; I was actually surprised that the Hubz even liked this one because usually he doesn’t go for blueberries in any form.  This was great not too sweet and refreshing.
  • Mango: The Hubz liked this one but I thought it was just a little too sweet for my taste.  I won’t be getting this one again.  The Hubz however would like to mention this goes really well with chocolate chips.
  • Blood Orange: We both really like this one; it is sweet and tart and so refreshing.

and I picked up:

  • Prickly Pear: I really didn’t know what to expect when I purchased this one but I thought why not try something new and different.  I have to say we both had about a spoonful and were over it.

Overall we loved the sorbets and I will for sure be picking up the raspberry, wild blueberry and blood orange.

Disclaimer: Ciao Bella provided me with a sample of their products to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.

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Product Review: Enjoy Life Foods Soft Baked Cookies

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Enjoy Life Foods contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in doing a product review for them.  I have always enjoyed the various products of theirs that I have tired so I said yes and a few days later I received 3 boxes of their Soft Baked Cookies which are described as “Soft, chewy and totally yummy, it’s hard to believe our cookies are gluten-free and allergy-friendly. Made with natural ingredients, unrefined sweeteners, no trans fats and nothing artificial, they’re a real hit among kids big and small.”

The first of the cookies that the Hubz and I tried were the Snickerdoodle; an all time favorite cookie of the Hubz.  Well my first impression was that the cookie looked good and had a great cinnamon flavor but it was just too sugary for me.  I honestly have not gone back for one of these after my initial trial of them. These were my least favorite of all of them and I would say the Hubz least favorite too.

The Double Chocolate Brownie were a huge improvement over the Snickerdoodles.  They actually tasted just like chocolate chip brownies and were soft and yummy.  I loved the addition of the chocolate chips it was great.

The Lively Lemon were my favorite and reminded me of my Girl Scout days.  They tasted just like those lemon sandwich cookies that I used to hate as a child but grew to love as I got older.  I have to say these ones are yummy for adults but I would say just like the lemon sandwiches would probably not be as popular among the kiddlets.

Overall I really liked these cookies and I appreciate they are lower in sugar, fat and calories per serving than most vegan cookies.  They are also nut and gluten free so they are perfect for people with allergies to these items. So two out of three were tasty but of course there a bunch of other flavors that such as the gingerbread and “no oats” oatmeal that I’d like to try out.

Disclaimer: Enjoy Life Foods provided me with a free sample of their soft baked cookies for a product to review. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose; nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.

Mochi Wraps, Vita Coco and a Poll

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I recently decided to purchase a package of mochi (pronounced mo-chee) to try but have been having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with it. Finally last night I made a savory version of it but heating a small amount of sesame oil in my cast iron pan putting in the mochi (making sure they didn’t touch) and then turning the heat down to low and covered for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes I flipped them and sprinkled with soy sauce then put the cover back on for another 4 minutes. At this point the mochi gets nice a gooey almost like cheese and I wrapped them in nori and served along some colorful stirfried veggies. (I apologize now for iPhone pics I can’t seem to find the charger for my digital camera battery).

This morning I forced myself up after a few too many Wolaver’s Pat Leavy’s All-American Ale and jumped on the elliptical for a quick sesh.  I have a hard time waking up and just drinking a glass of water especially when I go to work out when my eyes are barely open so I usually turn to coconut water.  It is great for hydration and a healthy alternative to those sugary sports drinks. I have tried a number of different kinds of coconut water and currently I have been sipping on some samples of Vita Coco.  Vita Coco has a number of different flavors of their coconut water which include: acai & pomegranate, pineapple, peach & mango, tangerine and regular.  My favorites were the regular and peach & mango; as for the others I didn’t care for them the flavor just wasn’t right for me.  I did really enjoy the regular coconut water though.  My husband who is not crazy about coconut water decided that the regular one of these is his favorite kind, success!

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Disclaimer: Vita Coco provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Product Review: Lucy’s Cookies

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"Dr. Lucy’s gluten-free cookies are made without milk, eggs, peanuts or tree nuts, but you’d never know it. They taste delicious! We use only high quality ingredients in our carefully controlled bakery to ensure our products meet our tight allergen testing criteria. And with 0mg cholesterol and 0g trans fat you can feel guilt-free about making them part of your healthy, balanced diet." Click Photo for Source

The hubby and I have been snacking on these bad boys over the past month and they are yummy! I have also given some to friends and family to try and everyone has come back telling me how much they enjoyed them.  There are 4 types of cookies: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Cookie, Cinnamon Thin and Sugar Cookie.  The great thing about these cookies is that you can find them in stores and Starbucks in individual sized packages.  You can also get small boxes of these cookies to share with the whole family.

The Chocolate Chip cookies are so delicious and are great for vegans as well as people with nut allergies as all of Lucy’s Cookies are nut free!  I really enjoyed these cookies because there was just the right amount of chocolate in every bite. Now my husband’s favorite is the Cinnamon Thin which is inspired by the snickerdoodle.  These cookies are filled with cinnamon and have a great crisp.

The Oatmeal Cookie was a favorite of mine because they were light and airy and reminiscent of childhood oatmeal cookies.  I also love that these ones are low in calories so they don’t disrupt my (usually) balanced diet.  Lastly, the Sugar Cookies are just like they say SUGAR- I found these ones to be the sweetest and a little too much for me but once I paired them with a cup of coffee it was a great balance of sweet and bitter.

Which of these cookies are calling your name? Have you tried any of Lucy’s cookies yet?

Disclaimer: Lucy’s Cookies provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.