Review - Naturalia Fruit Wich

Brand:  Naturalia

Flavor:  Pineapple Mango Fruit Wich

Where to get it: Looks to be available in HEB stores, I couldn't find anywhere online. 

                Another super creative fruit snack! It really does surprise me that a company can take literally just fruit and turn it into a unique snack. This snack contains pineapple and mango – nothing else, and it’s still super unique. It’s not a bar or leather, it’s crispy little chippies that taste like fruit, but don’t disintegrate like an actual chip. More than once, I’ve eaten so much pineapple that my mouth has taken on that weird-acid-pain-uh-oh feeling. The presence of the mango tempers that acidic pineapple situation quite a bit, which makes it really nice while still having the pineapple taste.

               

Tastes like:   Less acidic pineapple

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:   Gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, all-natural, raw, Non-GMO

What’s in it:

Review - Bite Fuel Power Bites

Brand:  Bite Fuel

Flavor:  Power Bites Protein Cookies

Where to get it: here @ BiteFuel.com

                I’ve had some pretty good luck with protein cookies lately, so I was really interested in trying these little dudes. They’re smaller, almost like you’re eating a “real” mass-produced grocery store cookie out of the delicious rows in their cellophane packaging. Unfortunately, I hated the taste on these guys. They’re as sweet as a Quest bar, with that overwhelming weird protein powder taste and aftertaste. I suppose if you were STARVING and hadn’t had anything but bland chicken and unsalted green beans for a couple of weeks, these might hit the spot…but otherwise, take a pass.

               

Tastes like:   Protein powder and sugar alcohol

Taste rating:  2/10

Qualities:   Non-GMO, Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Rise Bar

Brand:  Rise Bar

Flavor:  Almond Honey Mini Protein Bar

Where to get it: here @ RiseBar.com

I really enjoy a true-honey taste, and this bar provides that really nicely. It’s literally made of almonds, honey, and whey protein isolate. I don’t think you’ll find a more straight-forward protein bar on the market, anywhere.

Imagine taking a scoop of your favorite protein powder. Now, smash up some almonds, and then glob it all together with a nice dollop of honey. Gross right? Rise Bar takes the dirty work out of the process, but gives you exactly that. The blueberry coconut energy bar has more ingredients, but they’re all whole ingredients – no weird stuff.

               

If you’re into simplicity that tastes pretty good to boot – Rise Bar is YOUR bar.

               

Tastes like:   Subdued Honey

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:   Non-GMO, Gluten free, Kosher

What’s in it:

Review - Organic Living Superfoods Salt & Vinegar Almonds

Brand:  Organic Living Superfoods

Flavor:  Salt & Vinegar Almonds

Where to get it: here @ OrganicLivingSuperfoods.com

                I love salt, I love vinegar - I don’t really love potato chips. They always kind of make me feel like…blerg. With these raw sprouted almonds from Organic Living Superfoods, salt & vinegar have FOREVER found a new home for me. These nuts are absolutely, amazingly, totally, and completely delicious. I literally cannot overstate this. Usually when I get random packs of slivered almonds to review, I taste one or two…and then promptly dump them on a salad. NOT THIS TIME. Please do not put these on a salad. Please enjoy them just as they are. Do not let the subtle but perfect flavor get doused in a heavy vinaigrette. They are 100% perfect, right out of the bag.

Also to note, their website has SO MANY COOL THINGS. Go there.

               

Tastes like:   The best thing salt & vinegar has ever been on

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:   Raw, vegetarian, vegan, USDA organic, gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Freeyumm Apple Oat Bar

Brand:  Freeyumm

Flavor:  Honey Apple Oat Bar

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                It’s a good thing this bar was snack-size, because it was gone before I even realized I was chewing. It’s like a cross between a cereal bar (think Nutrigrain with the apple goo in the middle) and a chewy granola bar…and it’s about 100x better than either of those. Oat-y, apple-y, cinnamon-y, and really just all together a great little snack. The ingredients aren’t scary, either – all normal, easily-recognizable-as-food ingredients. They’re also pretty much allergen-free, so they’re safe for all the kiddos at school…if you can bear to part with them.        

Tastes like:   Apples n’ oats!

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:   Non-GMO, Gluten free, vegetarian, all -natural

What’s in it:

Review - Betsy's Best Bar None

Brand:  Betsy’s Best Bar None

Flavor:  Cinnamon Cardamom

Where to get it:  here @ BetsysBestBarNone.com

                Cardamom isn’t for everyone, but I’m not a person who minds a little of the spice in my goodies. I’d like to blame my dislike of these little “rounds” on the flavor, maybe there is too much cardamom in these? I don’t really think that’s it though, I think it might have to do with the presence of the hemp as well – it’s the first ingredient. All in all it makes for a really weird taste combo here, very much like potpourri or what you’d imagine a scented candle might taste like. Because I’ve never actually tasted one, have you? Probably not. They don’t look very appealing either, weird little round things the color of lawn clippings. I can get over that for taste, but unfortunately, that’s not an option this time.

               

Tastes like:   A scented candle

Taste rating:  2/10

Qualities:   Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, Kosher, certified organic, made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Think Fruit Pineapple

Brand:  Paradise Fruit Company

Flavor:  Think Fruit Pineapple Tidbits

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                I like all things pineapple – fresh, dried, dehydrated, smothered in sugar, robed in alcohol, whatever. This tiny bag of sweet pineapple chunks is no exception; I’m in loooooove. It’s also a good thing that they gave me a tiny bag (I feel like I say this often, but it’s true), because it really is a tiny bag of sugar. I don’t mean that in a bad way, fruit has eternally been a huge part of a healthy, balanced diet, but it truly is mostly sugar, depending on which fruit you’re working with. Couple that fact with the added sugar in this bag, and what we have here is basically candy: delicious, wonderful, natural fruit/candy that doesn’t contain any weird dyes or colorings or boiled animal hooves and skin (gelatin). I’ll take it, every time.

               

Tastes like:  Delicious sugary pineapple

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities: 

What’s in it:  Gluten free, vegetarian, vegan

Review - Go Macro Bar

Brand:  Go Macro

Flavor:  Macrobar

Where to get it: here @ GoMacro.com

                I tried two different flavors and varieties of these bars, and I really liked both of them. Firstly, the little one (Cherries + Berries) tastes a lot like the cherry Nutrigrain bars, that I don’t think you can buy any more, that I LOVED. But, these are better. They’re absolutely studded with cherries, and you can really taste them. At 90 calories, this was an absolutely perfect mid-morning snack for me.

The second bar was the protein replenishment variety in peanut butter flavor. This is a bigger bar, with 260 calories and 12g of protein. The smell was really pleasant, almost like my mom’s peanut butter fudge. The texture is chewy, and the taste is very much a true peanut butter flavor. The bar isn’t heavily sweetened or salted (only 5g of sodium, so basically unsalted). I mean, if you HAD to have the salty peanut butter taste, you COULD sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the bar. I’m sure it would stick and taste delicious. I heard that from a friend…I mean, what?

Anyway, these bars are great. So great. The website is super cool, and the wrapper says the company is family-owned and based in a small community (in Wisconsin, I assume), so that’s pretty cool too. Nothing wrong with big commerce, but man, I get pretty jazzed when a small company makes a really delicious product, and Go Macro does exactly that.

PS - Their website is SUPER cool. 

               

Tastes like:   A cherry Nutrigrain Bar/Unsalted peanut butter

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:   Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, Kosher, certified organic, made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Brami Beans

Brand:  Brami

Flavor:  Snacking Lupini Beans

Where to get it: here @ BramiBeans.com

                Everything about these beans is ADORABLE. The packaging, the little bean dressed up as a Trojan warrior, the other little bean on the back who’s naked; I die. Small size, delicious taste, great package, nutrition on point, all the yes. 50 calories per little vacuum pack, which includes 6g of protein. Plus, they’re DELICIOUS. A little bit salty, and like edamame, but less nutty. Eating them out of the package is completely permissible. I put these on a salad (after I knicked two of them to eat plain), and that was also delicious.

I went to Palm Springs for Spring Break one year in high school. I went to a restaurant with my grandmother, and their little house salads came with garbanzo beans in them. 16-year old small town me was FASCINATED by this, so I’ve been a big bean-on-salad fan ever since. I actually liked these better than the garbanzos that I typically use, because there’s not such an overpowering “earthy dirt” taste with these. With the garbanzos, I feel like I really have to use a vinegar-based dressing to make it work; with these I think I could really use anything at all and be happy with the addition.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Slightly salty snacky beans

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan, Gluten free

What’s in it: