Review - Boulder Granola

Brand:  Boulder Granola

Flavor:  Vanilla Pecan

Where to get it:  here @ Abe's Market

                There is something like 4g of sugar in a serving of this granola. That made me immediately suspicious, because granola is pretty notorious for masquerading as a healthy food item, and really being worse than a candy bar. Let’s just say…you can immediately tell the difference between this granola and ones you have tried before it. It’s not bad tasting it just doesn’t taste like granola, in my opinion. It’s very seedy/nutty tasting, so much so that it’s almost savory. The granules are very small, which I kind of liked – I had dumped a palm-full of this into my Greek yogurt. I think this is definitely a snack worth trying, as long as you’re not expecting sweet oat-y goodness.

               

Tastes like:   Seeds

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:   Gluten free, Non-GMO, Organic, Vegetarian, Vegan, No artificial ingredients, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Forager Nuts & Vanilla Drink

Brand:  Forager

Flavor:  Nuts & Vanilla

Where to get it:  here @ FreshDirect.com

                                 Forager, I like you. I like your packaging, I like your straight-forwardness…I even like just looking at you. I think we can be friends. I like my “milk” drinks a little sweeter, so I dumped a packet of Splenda in this bottle (don’t judge me), and we made some magic together. The cinnamon in this flavor really ties everything together for me. Perfect amount – you can taste it, but it doesn’t remind you of Christmas. These drinks are great for an on-the-go breakfast (as I drank mine), or before or after working out. I’m a little bit smitten and I plan to taste you again, you cutie pie.

                 

               

Tastes like:   Cinnamon nut milk

Taste rating:  8/10 (after Splenda)

Qualities:   Organic, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Snikiddy Baked Mac N Cheese Puffs

Brand:  Snikiddy

Flavor:  Baked Mac N Cheese Puffs

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                Personally, I’ve always preferred crunchy Cheetos, but I have been known in the past to suck a bag of puffy ones into sludge before chewing them up. It’s kind of my version of a mouthful of unshelled sunflower seeds, 1 part snack, 1 part project. These puffs tasted a lot like puffy Cheetos, but somehow a lot more…authentic…if that makes any sense at all. When you’re eating a regular puffy Cheeto, you know that there’s nothing natural about it. With these, they actually taste like real food, but I guarantee they will fill your need for “Cheetos” if you’ve made the very wise decision to stop eating things that glow in the dark.                        

                 

               

Tastes like:  Puffy Cheetos if they were actually made with cheese

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, Gluten free, vegetarian, Kosher, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Dolcetto Petites Lemon Wafer Bites

Brand:  Dolcetto Petites

Flavor:  Lemon Wafer Bites

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                I know, I know…cookies…WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?? Making me smile, that’s what they’re doing here. Any company that takes the time to make a 100-calorie pack deserves a chance. These little darlings are so light and flaky, so lemon-y delicious, so YES PLEASE. They don’t mess around, they’re very sweet, and you won’t be under any kind of illusion that you’re eating a diet cookie. These are the real thing, and I am celebrating that fact. Instead of that donut in the break room, or that piece of birthday cake, eat a pack of these with wild abandon, and don’t feel guilty about it.   

                 

               

Tastes like:  Light and flaky lemon kisses

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  All-natural, no artificial ingredients

What’s in it:

Review - Shelton's Turkey Pepperoni

Brand:  Shelton’s

Flavor:  Turkey Pepperoni

Where to get it: here @ Amazon

                                These Shelton’s Pepperoni Flavored Turkey Smoked Snack Sticks (jeeeeeeeeeez) are long and thin, like those nasty Slim Jims. I don’t really have a “shape” preference for pepperoni, perhaps because I have only found one healthy pepperoni that was good…ever. These are kind of right in the middle. They aren’t bad, but they didn’t knock my meat socks off, either. They’re a bit dry, which is to be expected since they aren’t full of fat, and I also found them a bit over-seasoned. Or maybe it was that they were under-salted? I’m not really sure. Healthy-snack-wise, these are great. Almost pure protein, and very low calorie. I really think this was just a taste-preference for me, not that this isn’t a yummy product. If you have the chance, give them a try – you might really love ‘em.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Drier pepperoni

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Quest Nutrition Apple Pie Protein Bar

Brand:  Quest Nutrition

Flavor:  Apple Pie

Where to get it:  here @ Bodybuilding.com

                First off, let me just say that I really like Quest Nutrition’s marketing, packaging, and variety of flavors. I haven’t yet found a flavor of their bars that I feel motivated to devour (their chips however, are another story altogether), but I sure am having a good time trying them all. This bar is strong on apple, cinnamon, and sweetness. If that sounds like your jam, you might really be into this little guy. They are also super anemic on sugar content, which is mega cool. I feel like they could put a bit less of their non-sugar sweetener in these and I might like them better. I felt a little punched in the tongue by how sweet this bar was. I’ll be reviewing other flavors in the future though, for sure.   

               

Tastes like:   Super sweet apple cinnamon

Taste rating:  6.5/10

Qualities:   Gluten free, vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review - Ratio Peanut Butter Cup Protein Bar

Brand:  Ratio

Flavor:  Peanut Butter Cup

Where to get it: here @ Bodybuilding.com

                                Sometimes when I review a product, I eat the whole thing…but sometimes I only eat a bite or two. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m the weird kind of girl-creature who doesn’t really like chocolate. Unfortunately, chocolate and protein bars are pretty inseparable. As my civic duty placed upon me by no one at all, I figure that once in a while I need to try some mainstream flavors for the greater good of the internet.

                This bar actually wasn’t terrible, due almost exclusively to the layer of peanut butter substance across the top of the bar. I’m not sure what it really is, but it tastes like real peanut butter, and it’s stinkin’ delicious. I took one bite of the bar-proper, then shucked off the top layer with my favorite Santoku knife and gobbled it all up. This probably defeats the purpose, but I do what I want. And I’d actually do it again, in a pinch. It was really that good.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Real peanut butter and fake chocolate

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, Gluten free, All natural, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Fabz Sea Salt Fava Beans

Brand:  Fabz

Flavor:  Sea Salt Fava Beans

Where to get it: here @ FanzSnacks.com

                A savory snack that I haven’t tried – HOW EXCITING! These little beans don’t disappoint either - nice & salty, great for snacking, and you get 7g of protein for your 130 calories. They’re also a lot more substantial than they look. You can’t really pound these by the handful unless you really, really like to chew for a really, really long time. I feel they are best savored one bean at a time. I also think these would be great in a trail mix…for me maybe some yogurt raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds…and perhaps some peanut butter chips. The possibilities are basically endless.                            

                 

Tastes like:  Salty bean smiles

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non-GMO, Vegetarian, Vegan, Kosher, All Natural, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Love Your Health Honey Toasted Soy Nuts

Brand:  Love Your Health

Flavor:  Honey Toasted Soy Nuts

Where to get it: Costco & CVS stores nationwide

                I’ll put anything honey-roasted, honey-toasted, or honey-coated in my mouth. These are just what they claim to be, soy beans, salt, and sugar. How can you not like that?? I was a little impressed that there wasn’t any oil in them. I was a lot impressed that they were Non-GMO, being soybeans and all. These are a simple and easy slam dunk snack.          

                 

               

Tastes like:  Light honey roasted nuts

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Made in the USA, Gluten-free, Non-GMO, Vegetarian

What’s in it: