Saturday, July 26, 2014

Nutrilite Review

A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh held their annual marathon.  I have no desire to run that long...ever...but I did want to check out the Health and Fitness Expo downtown.  One of the first booths I came across was a company called Nutrilite.  I honestly had never heard of them before.  I sampled a drink mix kind of similar to a Mio or Crystal Light.  Ya know, the stuff you squirt in your water to make it actually taste good! Well the ones I sampled were awesome! A day or two later, one of the representatives contacted me asking if I was interested in some of their products.  We ended up meeting at a local Panera and he brought me one of the best free goodie bags ever!!!
This company seemed really awesome! For starters, how many people would meet with you to actually go over the products they want you to sample?! Not many! Also, Nutrilite has been around since 1934, so I am pretty sure they know what they are doing! They have everything from green cleaning products, make up, vitamins and supplements, stuff for kid, weight management, and sports nutrition.  

Of course I was mainly interested in their sports nutrition products.  We all know that I love baking with protein powder! I was so excited to try using this non flavored all plant protein powder.  While I usually bake sweet desserty foods, I sometimes like to make more savory dishes.  I already knew a couple of my recipes I wanted to use this in.  Each serving is 12.5 grams.  Only 50 calories 0.5F 0C 10P.
A great thing I learned about this company is they own and operate all of their own farms!! Can you say amazing product control!? They know exactly where all of their ingredients come from! Of course their farms are all organic and they don't use any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.  

I knew this protein was going to be amazing in my Spinach Pancakes.  I would usually use vanilla protein powder, but I wanted to make this batch more savory.  They turned out better than I anticipated!
Super easy too! Mix together 4 T protein powder (25g), 6 T egg substitute (92g), 1 cup canned spinach (240g), 1/2 t baking powder, salt, and any other veggies you like (pepper, onion) Cook like regular pancakes.  The protein powder made the batter nice and thick! It mixed up very easily too, no blender or special equipment needed.  You gotta try these!!!

Speaking of protein...they also have delicious meal replacement shakes.  
Normally I don't really like to drink my protein.  I would rather make something to eat with it.  But sometimes you are in a hurry and just need a quick meal or something to keep you going!  These are perfect for that! No shaker bottle needed either.  Just toss these in your bag and you're good to go.  These are honestly the best tasting shakes I have ever had.  In the past I have had ones that are kinda gritty and really artificial tasting.  Not these! So smooth and amazing vanilla and chocolate flavor! 

Perfect breakfast on-the-go!
Each one is 140 calories 3F 15C 15P.  

More drinks! They have a whole line of energy drinks.  There are 11 flavors to choose from.  I was lucky enough to try 3 different ones. 
Now I am not gonna lie, I don't really believe in energy drinks...I know that sounds silly, but I don't really feel like they give me more energy.  But, I do enjoy them for the taste sometimes! These vary a bit and have anywhere from 8-45 calories per can.  The best part is they have no sugar.  I can't say that about most energy drinks out there...They are also packed full of vitamins and key amino acids!

I would absolutely drink the Electric Lemon Blast again!! 
Reminded me of Sun Drop! Or like a fizzy lemonade.  So refreshing!! 

I was hesitant to even try the grapefruit because I despise the stuff!! Seriously, hate it!! I wanted to do a good review so I had to taste everything...I loved it! Go figure.  It was sweet and fruity and simply delicious! The only slight downfall is that it does have 45 calories and 10 carbs for the can.  But, it was worth it to me.  

Citrus Blast also got a big thumbs up! Like an even better orange pop.  I love that these are carbonated.  I feel like sparkling drinks always quench my thirst better.  Great alternative to all the pop I drink...

I hate water! Well, I hate drinking plain water anyhow...so boring... Problem solved!! Fruit and vegetable drink mixes.  These are so much better than any comparable ones you might find at the store.  
Not only do they taste great, but they also contain a full day's worth of vitamin A and C.  I love the little individual packets.  Also, they are liquid so they dissolve super easily.  No shaking the bottle like crazy trying to get all the powder to mix.  These don't taste articial at all.  Very fruity! Only 5 calories each.  The twisted berry and mango citrus both scored a 10 from me!

You have probably figured out by now that I am snacker! My husband says I eat like a bird sometimes.  Not because I eat too little, but because I am always snacking.  Little bites here and there, all day long! I was very happy that my goodie bag contained some snacky food!
Granola is pretty much always delicious.  Not always that great for you though...Most granolas are packed full of sugar and really no better than a bag of candy! This bag of Strawberry Almond Clusters is an exception! Made with gluten free oats, strawberries, and almonds.  

This is the best tasting granola I have ever had!! Just look at those ingredients!! It is sweet from the chewy strawberry pieces but not overly sweet like some granolas that have just been covered with sugar.  The oats and almonds give it a nice crunch too.  Perfect texture.  The bag is only 150 calories 6F 19C 4P.  Perfect snack to throw in your bag for when hunger strikes!
The only bad part is that I wanted to eat so much more of it!! I am a volume eater and with granola the serving size is usually pretty small.  But, no one says you can only have one bag! This would be amazing mixed up in some nonfat greek yogurt! Would absolutely eat this again.  
Another fun product I got to try were some endurance cubes. I have tried some similar gummies from other companies before and was never a huge fan.  They always tasted really artificial, and kinda like medicine...The texture was also usually pretty awful....These were nothing like those other gummy chews!!
 The texture was perfect! I felt like I was just eating some regular old gummy bears!  They were sweet, soft, chewy, and very yummy.  
They are supposed to give you energy, but as I mentioned before, I don't always think energy snacks and drinks work for me...I would absolutely just enjoy these as a little snack or pre workout treat!!
Each serving is 90 calories 0F 22C 1P.  They have potassium and electrolytes so they would be great if you're going on a long run, bike ride, or hike! I brought them with me for a day at the park with the kiddos! Even the kids tried one and they just thought they were eating candy!

They have a line of snack bars too.  Each bar is only 100 calories.  The macros vary a bit depending on the flavor, but the Cranberry Crunch has 3F 15C 4P.  Look at those cranberry pieces! 
This bar was not my favorite.  It was a little hard and chewy, and I just prefer a softer bar.  Cranberries are not my favorite, so I had a feeling I wasn't going to love the flavor.  In general, I am not usually a huge fan of small snack bars.  Only because I feel like they are a little small and not very satisfying.  I would rather eat a bigger bar that has more protein.  However, this bar did not go to waste! My husband gobbled it up!! So there ya go, just because it wasn't cup of tea, doesn't mean you won't love it! 

I did like the white chocolate coating on the bottom.
I will have to try the other flavors.  These also come in Fudgy Brownie, Caramel Creme, and Chocolate Caramel. 

It is no secret that I am a big time protein bar connoisseur!! I never go a day without eating at least one! In addition to the snack bars, they also have whey protein bars, meal bars, and energy bars. 

I tried all the energy bars first. Vanilla Pretzel!!! That sounds right up my ally! I love pretzels and I almost always prefer vanilla to chocolate. 
You can actually see the whole pretzels under that vanilla coating!

Oh my goodness!!! This might be the best tasting bar I have ever had! It reminded me of a Take 5 candy bar, but with white chocolate.  There is caramel and a soft nougat in there too.  
Amazing!! Love the macros too! 180 calories 6F 16C 14P.  I could eat this bar everyday!!

I couldn't decide which one to try next so I tried both!! Do those look good or what??
The Mixed Berry Smoothie was so soft and just the right amount of chewiness.  The Chocolate Nut Roll had nougat, caramel, little crispies on top, and covered in chocolate. 

This tasted better than a lot of candy bars!! Of course way better for you! So in love with this bar! It was soft and sweet and I felt like I was eating dessert!
190 calories 6F 16C 15P

Mixed Berry Smoothie? Super tasty! It was like a raspberry vanilla bar of awesome! The hubby tried it too and loved it!
190 calories 4F 28C 8P.  I could live off of this line of energy bars! Wow, just wow!

Next up was the meal bar.  I got to try Lemon Twist.  200 calories 3F 29C 10P.

I will admit, I was super nervous about this one...I have tried lemon flavored bars in the past and they have all tasted like cleaning product!! I brought this one with me on a shopping trip with the hubby and I brought a back up bar in case it was awful!

Guess what!? My back up bar was not needed! This was surprisingly really good!
There was a really good layer of a lemon gel, a slightly chewy layer, and a coating of creamy yumminess. The flavor wasn't too overpowering at all.  It was not the best bar I ever had, but I would absolutely eat it again! I usually don't like lemon desserts...you won't ever see me order lemon meringue pie... so for me to like this is major bonus points!! 

Last bar was from the whey protein line.  Cookies and Cream? Yes please!
I was loving all the protein in this one.  300 calories 12F 28C 24P.

It had a chewy chocolatey layer and a then a sweet creamy layer.   It also had some little crunchy cookie pieces and was completely covered in chocolate.  If I hadn't seen the package it came in, I would have guessed this was an unhealthy candy bar!!
It was better than a candy bar! Oh my! Love love loved it! I bet you could sample this against a real candy bar and people could not be able to tell the difference.  Yum!!! The husband stole a bite and agreed it was delicious!! 

So what's my overall opinion of Nutrilite!? I would have to say that it is one spectacular company!! They have quality products that taste amazing, they have been around forever, they use the best ingredients which come from their own organic farms, and their customer satisfaction is unreal! If you are not 100% satisfied with something you try, you can exchange or return with no questions asked! What have you got to lose!? I highly suggest you go here and try some of their products.  I am so glad I found this company! I look forward to trying more of their protein, bars, and drinks in the near future :)

LARABAR

I have been on a wonderful "trying new bars" streak lately! Not complaining at all! I absolutely love  trying new flavors from different companies.  I have been seeing LARABAR posts all over Instagram so I was becoming very intrigued!  I contacted the company and was thrilled when this package arrived at my doorstep!
They asked me to pick four flavors to try and review.  Let me tell you, that was not an easy task! With flavors like Banana Bread, Blueberry Muffin, Apple Pie, Cashew Cookie, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pecan Pie, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (just to name a few) how was I going to decide?!

I finally narrowed it down and decided on Chocolate Chip Brownie, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Key Lime Pie.  I love that they even included a thoughtful little note :) 
 I have said it before and I will say it again...it is easy to make a bar taste good...but the real task is having a bar that tastes good AND is good for you!  If I just want something that tastes good I will go eat a Snickers bar! After reading more about these bars, I was very happy about how healthy they are! LARABARs are gluten free, and made from a blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts, and spices.  With the exception of the UBER bars, which contain honey, LARABARs are vegan friendly too! Each flavor has no more than nine ingredients. 

So they got the healthy part covered, but how do they taste?! Eeny Meeny Miny Moe! Key Lime Pie was up first.  
You can see all the pieces of nut and fruit! Unfortunately for me, my husband loves Key Lime Pie so I had to share this bar with him.  

I love the texture of these bars! Soft and chewy.  The flavor was great! I could really taste the citrus and coconut.
My husband really really enjoyed this flavor!! This bar has 220 calories, 10g fat, 31g carb, and 4g protein.  We would both absolutely eat this bar again!

 While my husband's favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie, my top pick is Carrot Cake! 
Similar macros on this bar.  Only 190 calories, 8g fat, 32g carb, and 3g protein.

 Still that same great chewy texture.  The fruit and nuts give this bar the perfect amount of sweetness.  
I will say it wasn't exactly what I was expecting in terms of taste.  I was expecting a little more carrot flavor.  I will say that it still tasted amazing! I could really taste the cinnamon which I love! 

Let's try something for all those chocolate lovers out there!! Chocolate Chip Brownie! 200 calories, 9g fat, 31g carb, and 4g protein.  This was awesome! Nice and chocolately, but I still felt like I was eating a healthy bar.  It wasn't too chocolately or too sweet which I liked.  
Actual chocolate chips throughout the bar gave it a great texture.  Yum!!

I saved the one I was most excited about for last. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!  210 calories, 11g fat, 28g carb, and 4 protein.
I actually took this one to work with me.  I work as a nanny and we just happened to be at the park on that particular day.  It was very hot and I had this bar in my lunch bag...getting all melty...
Oh goodness was it fantastic! It was slightly messy because of all the chocolate chips, but I was not complaining! It was like eating warm, gooey, cookie dough!! Hands down my favorite out of all four!

I would absolutely recommend giving these bars a try! If you cannot decide which one to try first, try two at once! 
I will be trying more flavors in the very near future! These are sold at most local grocery stores and at Whole Foods.  You can also order them online.  LARABAR is just one of the five different lines of bars that they carry.  They also have UBER, ALT, RENOLA, and JOCALAT. So many different kinds and flavors of bars! Good luck just picking a few :)

Thank you LARABAR for allowing me to try some of your tasty and healthy bars! I really enjoyed them!
Check out LARABAR on all of your favorite social media sites!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Yankz!

I consider myself a very active person! Always at the gym, going for a run, swim, walk...I love working out and staying fit.  I usually just allow myself one new pair of workout shoes each year.  I always buy the absolute brightest pair possible! They usually last the whole year with no problems, but the laces always seem to wear a bit...I have even had to replace them a few times.  

I was browsing the web looking for new shoes when I stumbled upon a company called Yankz! They don't sell shoes, but they do sell shoe laces.  I know what you're thinking...shoe laces?! Not that exciting...but these ones really are exciting!
The awesome company sent me two different kinds of laces to try out.  They have the slack laces and the sure lace system.  

They asked me what colors I wanted so that they would match my shoes.
I simply said "the brighter the better!"  They come in every color you can imagine and are even customizable.  

I tried out the slack laces first.  
They thread into your shoes just like any shoe lace.  Except they are nothing like your regular laces!!

They are super duper elasticy!
My shoes were tied pretty tight, but when I moved my feet, the laces stretched to fit.  I hate when I tie my shoes and the are a little too tight or too loose...it is hard to get them just right.  No worries with these! Because of how stretchy they are, they just flex along with your foot and are extremely comfortable! 

I could not wait to take them with me to the gym!
I love how they made my already colorful shoes even more colorful!!

I honestly felt like I was wearing a brand new pair of shoes!
Leg press! No problem!

Bring it on squat rack!
I never realized how much my feet move when doing these exercises.  It was great not to have that tightness in my feet!

Time to try the Sure Lace System!
These were a tiny bit more complicated to lace up, but came with step by step instructions! If I figure it out, so can you!!

I was very excited to go for a nice long run with these bad boys!
It was great to be 100% sure that my laces were NOT coming untied during my run!  All you marathon runners out there...you need to invest in a pair of these!! You will never have to tie your shoes again! 
Plus they just look really really cool! They are also very stretchy and comfortable.  You can just slip your feet in and out of your shoes because of the stretchiness.  Oh and did I mention extremely affordable!! Only $7.50! Must cheaper than buying a brand new pair of shoes.  I don't even think I will need a pair this year :)

I guess if I had to choose, I would say I prefer the slack laces.  The stretch in them was so comfortable and I love how they tie up just like regular laces.
I highly recommend you check out Yankz laces. You can order them online here through Amazon. Try both kinds and let me know which ones you prefer!  They also have some really sweet looking bags! Might just have to get one of those for myself :)

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Squarebar

It is no secret that I have a slight protein bar obsession! I eat at least one a day and love trying new kinds.  I kept seeing Squarebar posts on Instagram and was becoming very curious! I simply had to try these bars! I was so excited when a package of samples arrived at my doorstep.
I have tried so many different protein bars and most of them have been very delicious.  The hard part is finding bars that are yummy AND healthy! It is easy to make a bar taste good, but making it good for you too can be tough! 

Before even opening the bars, I knew they got the "good for you" part accomplished! These bars are all organic, gluten free, no refined sugar, no GMO's, and soy free.  Ok ok...BUT, do they taste good?! 

Let the tasting begin!!  The bars come in 3 flavors.  Cocoa Almond, Cocoa Coconut, and Cocoa Crunch.  I am very indecisive so I just closed my eyes and grabbed one!

Cocoa Almond was up first.  This bar has 210 calories, 10g fat, 19g carb, and 12g protein. 
I was happily surprised that the entire bar was covered in chocolate! 

Wow! Squarebar did it! Healthy and extremely tasty! I honestly felt like I was eating a chocolate candy bar. 
A nice little crunch from the chocolate and then the inside is like a chewy brownie.  I was getting really excited to try the other two flavors.

Cocoa Crunch was up.  200 calories, 9g fat, 20g carb, and 12g protein.
One of my favorite ways to eat protein bars is to cut them up into little bite sized pieces.   
It seems like they take longer to eat this way and I can savor every morsel. Perfect little snack!
This was even better than the first one! Once again, completely covered in a nice chocolate shell.  The inside was a soft and chewy texture which, by the way, is my favorite texture for protein bars.  There was also little crunchy rice crispy like pieces.  The name absolutely fits! Cocoa Crunch!! So fantastic! 

 I was at work when I decided to try the last flavor, Cocoa Coconut.  I work as a nanny so I got to enjoy this bar by the pool :) This flavor has 220 calories, 11g fat, 18g, carb, and 11g protein. 
I had to be sneaky because if the kiddos saw me eating it, they would think I was eating a candy bar and want it for themselves! Sorry...I am very selfish when it comes to my protein bars!

Goodness gracious yum!! I love how all the bars have the perfect smooth chocolate coating.  I just had to eat it fast because it was starting to melt in the hot sun! Not a problem...
Little bits of coconut throughout gave it a great flavor!! The bar was once again that wonderful soft and chewy texture that I love!  I would have to compare it to a chocolate covered brownie! Except way better for you! That last bite was perfection! But then I got really sad...realizing that was the last of the Squarebars :( 
Not to worry!!! You can find these bars at Whole Foods, some local grocery stores, specialty stores like GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe, and of course online!
I may be making a trip to Whole Foods soon! Like tomorrow!! 
Would I recommend these bars?! Yes!
Will I be eating them again very very soon?! Yes!
Am I extremely thankful for Squarebar's generosity and support?! YES!

Check out Squarebar on all your favorite social media sites!